MIS782 Value of Information

Description

Purpose

You take the role of a team of IS consultants and prepare a report for Maersk (www.maersk.com/), a logistics and supply chain business, in which you should provide recommendations about how Maersk’s business can make use of emerging technologies to enhance its current operations to gain further competitive advantage. Your recommendation should be embedded in a business case, which will outline the details of one suggestion for this investment in emerging technology. Your team should also create a video presentation for your business case in which you will pitch your recommendations to themanagement of Maersk’s business.

Specific Requirements

In an era of digital disruption and highly competitive environments, organizations must constantly innovate their products and services to offer value to their customers to stay relevant. Maersk’s logistics and supply chain business is no different.

Maersk already being a leading disruptive organisation, from the farm to your fridge, or the warehouse to your wardrobe, Maersk is developing solutions that meet customer needs from one end of the supply chain to the other.

Firms similar to Maersk’s business have been accelerating innovation and powering new experiences and digital solutions with data-driven decision-making, tracking and AI (Artificial Intelligence). Based on Maersk’s business vision for future and against the backdrop of impetus to act on climate change and environmental sustainability, your job is to present a business case for investing in new user experience/service/digital solution using emerging or AI based technologies for their business.

Note the business case for investment in emerging technology or AI based new user experience/service should meet two criteria:

1. The investment should be based upon/utilize data and
2. The investment should generate business value returns and improve organizational performance (e.g., cost savings, revenue generation, increased customer/host satisfaction).

This report should be no more than 3,000 words (excluding the references and appendices). The supplementary video presentation to your report should be less than 5 minutes long. Groups of 3-4 students should be formed.

Below you can find a detailed description of the required sections for this report:

• Proposed initiative title: Give your business case a
• Executive Summary (~300 words): In this section, you need to briefly describe the emerging technology-based (e.g. AI) data driven investment that you are proposing that will return business value for Maersk. You should also briefly articulate the alternatives, and recommendation. Executive summary is the most important component of a business
• Business opportunity (~400 words): The purpose of a business case is to show how an IT investment can create business value for an organisation. In this section, describe the business opportunity in the new user experience that will return business value for Maersk (e.g., create a new product or service, improve customer service, improve communication, create or strengthen relationships with suppliers, customers, or partners etc.). Build your argument to show why Maersk should invest in this Discuss threats and the state of professional networking industry that Maersk’s business operates to build your argument. Support your arguments with reference whenever possible.
• Business & IT alignment and Measurable organisational value (MOV) (~400 words): To provide real value to an organization, IT projects must align with and support the organization's goals, mission, and objectives. Therefore, any recommended IT investment and alternatives must have a clearly defined purpose and must map to the goals and strategy of the organization. In this section, first briefly mention Maersk business model and its goals, mission, and objectives. State how the new investment aligns with Maersk’s long-term strategy and current business Then define the IT

investment’s overall goal/objectives and measure of success as measurable organizational value

(MOV).

• Identify alternatives (~400 words): In this section, identify two alternative solutions/ways of implementing the new emerging technology and data-driven new user experience/service investment you are
• Analyse the alternatives (~800 words): For each alternative carry out detailed critical analysis for the following
  • Feasibility
  • Benefits
  • Costs (broad-brush figures, but understanding of different types of costs are important)
  • Risks (risk register and matrix)
• Select the best alternative/recommendation and rationale (~200 words): In this section, build your argument by carrying out some form of comparison among the alternative options to justify your The comparison can be a qualitative assessment. Your recommendation should focus largely on the potential impact (e.g., reduction of costs, streamlining user processes, improving customer service) of the chosen IT investment.
• High-level implementation plan (~400 words): In this section, identify at high-level implementation plan with several phases. Describe each phase briefly and identify deliverables/milestones, resources needed, timeline and expected level of benefit (as linked to MOV).
• Conclusion (~100 words): In this section, you should conclude by restating your recommendations and elaborating how the proposed emerging technology and data-driven new user experience will enable business value returns for competitive
• References: References and citations showing the source of all the information in the report need to be provided (APA referencing style). The references used must demonstrate thorough research using quality references such as journal articles, book sections, conference papers, and industry reports with good evidence to support your arguments in the sections above. Details referencing can be

found at: https://www.deakin.edu.au/students/studying/study-support/referencing (ensure to scroll down!)

• Appendices: In this section, you should place figures or tables that illustrate or summarize your key points from the recommendations section.
• Further resources for research: MIS782 reading list has further useful readings
• MIS782 unit help guide with tips on how to search for related references on Maersk’s digital business

Video presentation

The video presentation should provide a summary of your business case for an emerging technology investment. This should be treated as a “pitching” exercise. The aim is to sell your business case proposal to the management of Maersk. The presentation should be less than 5 minutes long and must include all team members to pitch the key points of the report. The presentation thus may have short summaries of the first five steps we recommended to write a business case (no need for elaborate analysis of alternatives, but some justification for selected choice for implementation should be given). As it is a presentation, make sure you are telling a story to persuade the management of Maersk’s business.

The format is open and up to the group to decide. However, it is expected that everyone in the team needs to speak. It is not a requirement that you have to show your physical self. We highly recommend that you use recorded PPT for the presentation.

You will have to deliver the video presentation in Week 8 during your allocated seminar. You may like to upload a MP4 file in CloudDeakin. If the file is too big, you may alternately use other available methods of submission (e.g. YouTube/Vimeo upload, DeakinAir etc.) and share the link in the Tutoring dropbox prior to the presentation. There are guides on the use of DeakinAir available for students here: https://www.deakin.edu.au/students/help/about-clouddeakin/help-guides/video-and-audio/deakinair.

You will have the link uploaded in CloudDeakin Tutoring Task 2 Dropbox for presentation during seminar. Each group will take turn and present using their link. The tutor will assist. If you cannot attend virtually, you will have to inform your tutor before the seminar.

The presentation will be assessed on communication, teamwork, expert use of diagrams, figures, tables, titles, and text. Overall comprehensiveness and persuasiveness of the presentation will be considered. Please refer to the Tutoring 2 rubric for further details.

Note that your tutor will go through each presentation in class and provide feedback. You will also receive verbal feedback from your peers and tutors. You may then use this formative feedback to improve your report to be submitted in Week 10. This assessment is thus a formative assessment. You will receive marks on the video presentation along with the feedback and marks for your Business Case report.