OIM Assignment: Loud & Clear (LC) PA Systems Report
Semester 2, 20152016
ô This is an individual assignment worth 50% of the module mark.
ô Word length: equivalent of 3,000 words in total (but do not exceed word limit for each part, a penalty will apply for
assignments that exceed it by more than 10%).
ô Do not include References in the word count.
Submission:
The assignment must be uploaded via Turnitin to RKCâs OnlineCampus
This assignment is in four parts.
Section Content Word Count Marks
Part A Analysis â Business Process Models and Strategy Analysis 1,000 (equivalent to) 25
Part B Open Source Software Comparison Table 500 (equivalent to) 25
Part C Report 1,250 40
Part D Reflection on your contribution to the online discussion 250 10
Total 3,000 100
You should include all parts in a single document
Relates to Learning Outcomes:
⢠Critically analyse the theory, concepts and models of operations and information management and demonstrate an
understanding of the strategic importance of information management in global organisations.
⢠Evaluate critically the fundamental principles of information systems and the significance of a sociotechnical
approach to
their use in organisations.
⢠Select and apply appropriate problemsolving
and improvement approaches for information systems in organisations.
Assessment Housekeeping:
You are required to follow the Universityâs regulations regarding plagiarism and citing sources and references used.
Assignments may not be submitted late. Marking penalties for late submission will follow the University regulations for
PMC and late submission.
Submission of Assessment: The assignment is to be submitted electronically via RKCâs OnlineCampus. The electronic
copy may be in either Word or PDF, and you should ensure that the file name includes your surname.
Assignment Brief
Case Study: Loud & Clear (LC) PA Systems
Loud & Clear (LC) is a worker cooperative group, which has been operating in Manchester for ten years. It began when
two music students graduated from college and got together with a few more friends to start the group. They provide Public
Address systems, mixing consoles, amplifiers, microphones and other equipment for inside and outside events. There are
now ten members of the LC group, which is made up of sound engineers and musicians. The group provides a reliable
service for events in the UK, they guarantee that the PA systems will be setup,
sound checked and controlled by a
qualified sound engineer for the duration of the event. This is a specialised area of technical work and as the majority of
staff are performers themselves, they take great pride in providing this professional service.
The original idea for this enterprise came from Elsie Black who now manages the LC office. They have a couple of desktop
computers and utilise a business website, a rather basic database of client information, business email, a number of
electronic documents, a couple of spreadsheets, and a shared online calendar which displays all the event bookings.
Apart from that, each technician has a mobile phone which receives; phone messages, text messages, emails and alerts
from the office. Elsie and her assistant take responsibility for everything that falls under the remit of the office, which
includes; all event bookings and associated documentation, marketing of services, payment of salaries, etc.
For some time, the group have discussed opportunities to develop the business, and they are all committed to taking on
new challenges. They feel they are well placed to take on the new opportunities that have been brought about by the
growing number of events taking place in the North West and around the UK. Telephone enquires about the services they
provide have doubled in the past year and bookings are increasing fast. Therefore, the LC group believe it is time to
update the office systems to cope with the growing demands of their business. They have discussed the possibility of
Customer Relationship Management software and Enterprise Resource Planning software. However, they need
professional help before they can make a final decision. They are also interested in the possibility of utilising Open Source
software, but require information on the advantages and disadvantages.
Growing the business will mean significant changes for LC and there are some concerns that using business information
technology for communications might change the close working relationships which exist between the sound engineers
and the office staff. While everyone accepts that some changes are necessary, there is some apprehension about the
impact on roles. As LC is a worker cooperative, everyone has an equal vote on how these changes will be made.
Therefore, they require a report that can be read and understood by all members of the group (technical and nontechnical
group members).
Your Task
You are a consultant who has been employed to advise LC on the effective implementation of these strategic changes.
You are required to produce the following:
Part A: Analysis â Business Process Models and Strategy Analysis
In this section you should develop
1. A series of Business Process Models, which capture the existing and proposed business processes. The models should
follow the BPMN notation (see Introduction to BPMN in Unit 4âs Resources). It is recommended that you use Microsoft Visio
to create the models although you may if you prefer use Word, PowerPoint or appropriate alternatives.
2. Strategic analysis for LC. You should use a recognised analysis technique such as SWOT, PESTLE etc
Part B: Open Source Software Comparison Table
In this section you should conduct research into a suitable software solution for LC You should decide on the set of
characteristics which you will use to evaluate the software and your research should consider 45
alternatives in detail.
This section should be presented as a table.
Part C: Report
In this section you should write a report which provides an overview of the current situation together with a roadmap
outlining how the proposed changes to the business can be achieved to the benefit of the business. This should draw on
your analysis in Part A, include your recommendation for software, and provide recommendations for ensuring that the
strategy is effectively implemented, including consideration of the challenges ahead.
You should use appropriate theories, frameworks, models, that have been covered in the module, to inform and justify your
recommendations.
This section should follow a standard report structure:
Title Page â Contents â Introduction Main
Section â Conclusions and Recommendations References.
Part D: Reflection on your contribution to the online discussion
In this section you should submit a 250 word reflective summary, accompanied by your own self assessment of your contribution to the online elements throughout the module, using the table labelled Reflection Self Assessment Proforma in
Appendix A to justify your assessment (copy and paste it into your assignment document). The reflective report should
include your detailed reflection, supported with evidence from the online discussion.
You should use appropriate theories, frameworks, models, that we have covered in the module, to inform and justify your
recommendations.
