BSNS5202 Assessment 1

Weighting  – 25%

Learning Outcomes

1. Describe how business information is used within administration functions and operations of organisations.
2. Analyse communication methods used to produce business information for organisations.

Instructions

Complete and submit your assessment according to the Open Polytechnic’s Assessments webpage. This includes information on academic integrity, formatting, word limits and referencing.

• Include your name, student number and the assessment number.
• Number your pages.

Submission

• Submit your assessment in one file.
• Submit your work through your iQualify course.
• Emailed assessments will not be accepted.
• You will receive an automated notice advising you of your successful submission.

By submitting your assessment, you confirm that it is your own original work.

Assessment Scenario

For this assessment, students must choose one of the following options:

1. Complete the assessment using the provided scenario, or
2. Use their own workplace, provided that the workplace example fully meets the assessment instructions and criteria.

Business Information Analysis and Improvement Report

This assessment requires you to act as a business information consultant and create a formal report that analyses and recommends improvements for an administrative or operational process.

You have two options for your report: you can either use the provided Nourish & Thrive case study OR choose a current business you are working in. If selecting your own workplace, you must obtain approval from your course leader confirming that the chosen process includes information flows and communication methods suitable for assessing Learning Outcomes 1 and 2.

All learners, regardless of your choice, will follow the same task breakdown to complete the assessment. Your report must analyse both business information use and communication methods (internal and external) that support the process.

Task breakdown

Select a business process: Choose a specific administrative or operational process to focus on for your report.

• Option 1: Nourish & Thrive Case Study – Use the provided scenario to identify a process within the business, such as customer orders, invoicing or financial record keeping.
• Option 2: Your workplace – Select a process from your current workplace. Examples include employee onboarding, customer service or inventory management.

1. Analyse and describe current processes: Describe how business information is used within the chosen process. Detail the steps involved, the tools, communication channels or systems used, and the types of information being managed. Include a process map (for example, swimlane or workflow diagram) showing how information and communication methods are used. Explain the Information Processing Cycle (input, processing, output and storage) to contextualise your analysis.

(35 marks)

2. Evaluate strengths and weaknesses: Based on your analysis, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the current process. Consider its efficiency, accuracy and effectiveness of communication methods, and how well it supports the organisation’s strategic goals. Identify internal and external communication issues affecting performance, like duplication, errors, missed requests or inconsistent record keeping.

(35 marks)

3. Recommend practical improvements: Propose specific recommendations for how the business can improve its processes. These recommendations should address the key issues you’ve identified and focus on leveraging technology where appropriate. Your suggestions should be practical and consider potential challenges like cost, complexity and staff training.

(20 marks)

4. Present findings in a formal report: Create a formal report that clearly outlines your analysis and recommendations. Include supporting visuals like process maps or workflow diagrams to make your points more understandable. APA referencing required. The report should be professionally written and follow a standard business report structure (for example, executive summary, introduction, analysis, recommendations, conclusion and appendices).

(10 marks)

(Word count guideline / Word limit: 1000 words)
(100 marks)