BUS9505 Assessment Brief

1. Course Information

Table 1: Course summary

Table 2: Classroom, time, and delivery

Table 3: Contact details

Appointments and Meetings

Students can schedule appointments via email. Meetings can be conducted via MS-Teams or in person. Alternatively, students can consult with tutors immediately after class.

2. Course Details

2.1. Course Aims/ Objectives

To provide ākonga (students) with an understanding of how artificial intelligence (AI) can be integrated into business operations and decisionmaking processes. Students will explore the potential and impact of AI across various business functions, examine ethical and legal considerations, and implementation challenges.

2.2. Learning Outcomes

1. Critically evaluate the role and impact of AI in contemporary business.
2. Identify and analyse AI applications across different business functions.
3. Develop strategies for integrating AI into business to drive innovation and efficiency.
4. Critically assess ethical and legal implications of AI deployment in business contexts.

2.3. Indicative Content  

• Historical context and evolution of AI in business
• Current trends and future prospects
• Ethical issues in AI deployment
• Data privacy and security
• Regulatory frameworks and compliance
• Change management and organisational readiness
• Skills and talent requirements
• Measuring and managing AI performance

At a level 9 course, students are expected to acquire:

• Knowledge: Possesses advanced technical and/or theoretical expertise in a discipline or practice, with a critical understanding of the fundamental principles involved.
• Skills: Analyse complex and unpredictable problems to develop solutions. Assess and implement various technological means and processes related to the specific field of work or study.
• Application: Building a sense of identification with a profession and/or discipline by applying advanced generic skills and/or specialist knowledge. Taking responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the profession or discipline.

2.4. Resources

Most of the course materials, including lecture notes, resources, reference materials, and assignments, will be available on WelTec/Whitireia Online Portal (Moodle). Students are encouraged to utilise books, journals, and other resources provided by the institution. As the subject matter is constantly changing and evolving, students should also explore emerging AI tools and related updates online.

3. Assessment Guidelines

3.1. Assessment Matrix

Various assessment methods can be used to evaluate student achievement of course aims, learning outcomes, and skills. These include group work, presentations, assignments, projects, essays, individual presentations, posters, and tests/exams.

Table 4: Assignments summary

3.2. Grades

Table 5: Grading system

Table 6: Marking Guide

3.3. Policies and Regulations

• All assignments must be submitted electronically via Moodle by the due date/time, unless advised otherwise. Students can refer to the Student Programme Handbook for information on applying for further assessment opportunities. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure all assignments comply with the WelTec/Whitireia plagiarism policy. Please check Student guide and Taikura Quality Management System for details. Students who submit late without an approved extension are not permitted to resit/resubmit the assessment task.
• Extensions can only be granted for the following extraordinary circumstances:
• Sickness: A medical certificate must be presented to the tutor.
• Bereavement: The tutor must be informed as soon as possible. Supporting documentation may be required.
• Extenuating circumstances: These circumstances must be explained to the tutor. Supporting documentation may be required.
• Students are responsible for making their own backup copy of any work done on a computer. This backup should be updated after any significant change (at least once a day). Students must not rely on WelTec/Whitireia systems to do a backup for them.
• If you believe that your assessment has been incorrectly graded, you have the right to appeal your mark upon written request to the program manager within five (5) working days of the return of the assessment result.
• Any application must be completed on the official Reconsideration of Marks Request Form available from the campus administrator and be directed to the Programme Manager along with the reconsideration fee.
• You will be notified of the reconsidered mark, which may be unchanged, raised or lowered within (10) working days of the written request for consideration being granted.
• Feedback and results are given to students within 15 working days of the assessment date unless otherwise specified in the programme regulations.
• Assessment marks will be published via the institute’s APlus+ Student Module All marks are provisional and will be finalised at the end of the trimester.
• Teamwork is a joint effort. Please be aware that while you are working in a group, you will be graded individually. Everyone may not receive the same final mark. Make sure you contribute to the group work.
• While discussion of assignment topics is encouraged, students must not use the work of others without proper acknowledgement. All sources used must be fully cited.
• WelTec/Whitireia take a serious view of plagiarism and cheating in any form of assessment and will take appropriate steps to detect plagiarism, including using Turnitin as an electronic plagiarism detector tool.
• According to Copyright Law (http://www.copyright.co.nz/), students are not allowed to copy more than 10% or one chapter from any book /text/copyright material. You must submit assessments that clearly acknowledge the work of others.
• You are expected to demonstrate academic writing skills. Several credible guides to APA style are available on the internet.
• Plagiarism and all other forms of cheating will be treated with the utmost seriousness. The Institute reserves the right to electronically scan students’ assessments to verify originality. Penalties for plagiarism are listed in detail in the institute policies. Refer to the policies related to academic integrity, including penalties (see Taikura A4 P8 Academic Integrity).
• For more information on Enrolment, Assessment, Health and Safety, Quality, Student Services, and policies on Academic Concerns,

Student Discipline and Complaints, please refer to the student Programme Handbook and get in touch with the students’ support team.

4. Course Outline

Table 7: Course outline

Every class will include three broader sections:

1. Concepts, theories, and practices on topics mentioned above.
2. Discussion of contemporary and latest AI tools (continuously evolving in this space)
3. Societal implications

5. Assignment Details

5.1. Assignment 1

• Weighting: 80% of the overall course
• Marks: 100
• Type: Individual report
• Length: 3000 words
• Learning outcomes assessed: 1, 2, 3

Task: Identify and strategically solve a business problem using AI.

For this assessment, you will

1. Diagnose a business problem (opportunity).
2. Critically evaluate the application of AI to the identified business problem, business functions, data, and ethics
3. Present a synthesis of AI tools you consider solving the business problem. Critically evaluate and discuss the role of the AI tool (or array of tools) you consider best to solve the problem.
4. Develop (or simulate) a prototype, illustrations, and/or evidence using AI tools.
5. Deliver an executive-grade report with a clear, value-driven strategy and an implementation plan.

Your report must:

• Be specific (e.g. industry, geography, product/service, customer segment).
• Have a clear business problem worth solving (e.g., churn, forecasting, pricing, supply chain, service quality, website development, fraud, taxation, HR recruiting).
• Critically evaluate the selection of AI tools in problem-solving.
• Allow measurement (define KPIs, baselines, and a plan to test impact).
• Clearly highlight what incremental business value you are adding.
• Diligently include prompts and samples wherever applicable.
• Disclose all AI assistance, including (not limited to) tool name, version, and date.

Support your discussions, explanations and evaluations with a variety of authentic resources. These resources must be referenced using the APA format.

Below are examples of a few business problems (opportunities). Students are encouraged to propose alternate innovative business problems that might suit this assessment.

• Developing an audiovisual advertisement/marketing campaign for a company.
• Customer churn prediction and next-best-action recommendations for a company. Banking/FinTech: Credit risk pre-screening with explainability and fairness
• Developing a healthcare app.
• Developing a website. Etc…

Please avoid generic business solutions.

Structure of assignment: address all requirements as stated below.

• Proper headings and sub-headings must be provided in this essay. All headings should be bold and sub-headings in italics.
• 12-point size and double-line spacing on an MS Word document.
• Number all pages.
• Keep the document formal and professional.
• Include your Name, Student ID number, Essay title, Course code and Course name on your cover page; and
• Insert your student ID number as the running header.
• Important: uses citations / in-text references/evidence appropriately and effectively, providing sufficient evidence.
• The title page, headings, sub-headings, and in- and end-text references are NOT included in the 3000-word count requirement.

Table 8: Marking Guide- Assignment 1

5.2. Assignment 2

• Weighting: 20% of the overall course
• Marks: 100
• Type: Individual presentation (20 Minutes)
• Learning outcome assessed: 4

Prepare a presentation highlighting and critically evaluating the ethical, social, legal and regulatory impact of the strategy you proposed in assignment 1. You may raise meaningful ethical/governance considerations (E.g. privacy, fairness, transparency, safety, compliance). A formal, professional presentation should be delivered in class. Keep it interactive. You should engage the audience and motivate them to ask questions.

Tip: Think of this presentation as a “Courtroom Defence”. You have already built the “Strategy” (Assignment 1), but now you must stand before a jury (the class and the tutor) and prove that your AI system is lawful, ethical, and safe for the stakeholders (E.g. society, business, and environment). If you cannot answer the “prosecutor’s” questions (Q&A), the whole strategy may be deemed a risk.

Table 9: Marking Guide- Assignment 2