HC1041 Information Technology for Business

Assessment 2 – Report: IT Impact on Business (T1 2026)

Unit and Assessment Overview

Unit Code: HC1041
Unit Title: Information Technology for Business
Assessment Title: Report: IT Impact on Business
Assessment Type: Individual written report
Trimester: T1 2026
Weighting: 30% of total unit marks
Length: 1,500–2,000 words (excluding title page, table of contents, reference list, and appendices)
Due: Week 10 (Sunday 11:59 pm local time, via Blackboard)
Submission Format: Word document (.doc or .docx) uploaded to Blackboard with completed Assignment Cover Sheet

Unit Learning Outcomes Assessed

This assessment task is designed to assess the following HC1041 Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs):

• ULO1: Evaluate and justify theoretical and practical knowledge of information technology in a business context.

• ULO2: Analyse information technology issues in a business environment and provide feasible, evidence-based solutions.

• ULO3: Apply research skills by analysing academic and industry literature and integrating ideas into a discussion of IT issues in business.

• ULO4: Demonstrate awareness of the ICT profession in contemporary business settings.

• ULO5: Communicate using effective written communication tools and present work in a professional business-report format.

• ULO6: Review and describe major privacy, legal, ethical and societal issues in managing digital information and information systems.

Assessment Purpose and Context

The purpose of this assessment is to deepen your understanding of how information technology (IT) shapes real organisations, not only in terms of operational efficiency and competitive advantage but also in relation to risk, governance, and the ICT profession. You will investigate a real business, analyse how IT is embedded in its operations and strategy, and critically evaluate both benefits and challenges, including information security, privacy and ethical dimensions. The report develops your ability to connect unit concepts with current practice and to communicate your analysis in a concise, professionally structured business report suitable for managerial audiences.

Task Description

1. Business Selection

Select a real organisation operating in one of the following industries:

• Healthcare

• Food processing

• Banking and finance

• Telecommunications

• Library and information services

• Transport and logistics

• Airlines

• Printing and publishing

• Media and entertainment

• Computer gaming

• Tourism and travel

You may select one of the example organisations below or choose another real business in one of the listed sectors:

• Tripadvisor (tourism and travel)

• Telstra (telecommunications)

• Commonwealth Bank of Australia (banking and finance)

• Qantas (airlines)

The organisation must have sufficient publicly available information (e.g. website, annual reports, media releases, industry reports) to support meaningful analysis.

2. Report Focus

You are required to research the chosen business and write a structured business report analysing the impact of IT on that organisation. Your report must address the following seven guiding questions explicitly and in balanced depth:

i. Need for IT: Does your chosen business need IT? Explain why, with reference to its business model, industry characteristics and competitive environment.

ii. IT and business survival: Why is IT important for the survival and ongoing viability of this business in its industry?

iii. Requirements to apply IT: What is required to apply IT in this business (e.g. cost categories, planning and design activities, infrastructure and software, implementation and integration, training and change management)?

iv. Use of IT (internal and external): How does the business use IT internally (e.g. employees, internal operations, decision-making) and externally (e.g. customers, suppliers, partners, regulators)? Provide concrete examples.

v. Benefits and advantages: What benefits and advantages does IT bring to the business (e.g. revenue growth, operational efficiency, flexibility, innovation, customer experience, data-driven decision making)?

vi. Risks and negative impacts: What types of risks does IT introduce (e.g. information-security threats, privacy and confidentiality issues, system failures, compliance and reputational risks)? Include reference to at least one relevant information-security breach in the chosen industry or a similar organisation.

vii. Maintaining and monitoring IT: How can the business maintain and monitor its IT resources over time (e.g. governance structures, service management, security controls, monitoring and auditing practices, staff training, vendor and cloud management)?

Your discussion must be grounded in the specific organisation selected. Avoid generic statements and demonstrate contextual understanding of the firm’s strategy and operations.

Structure and Presentation Requirements

Your submission must follow a formal business-report structure including:

• Title page

• Table of contents

• Optional list of abbreviations/glossary

• Executive summary (150–200 words)

• Introduction

• Body sections aligned to the seven questions

• Conclusion

• Recommendations

• Reference list (Harvard style)

• Appendices (if required)

Formatting

• File type: Microsoft Word

• Font: Arial, 12-point

• Line spacing: Single

• Margins: 2 cm

• Page numbers: Footer, right aligned

Research and Source Requirements

• Minimum 6–8 quality sources including:

  • 3 peer-reviewed academic sources (2018–2026)

  • 3 industry or organisational sources

• Avoid generic assignment websites

• Use Harvard referencing consistently

• Cite all non-original material

Academic Integrity

All submissions are subject to originality checking. Collusion, contract cheating and plagiarism constitute academic misconduct. Paraphrase appropriately and acknowledge all sources.

Marking Criteria and Rubric

1. Introduction (5%)

Performance ranges from unclear or missing introductions to highly contextualised and audience-aligned openings.

2. Use of Resources (25%)

Assesses quality, range, currency and integration of academic and industry evidence.

3. Content and Analysis (60%)

Evaluates depth of analysis across all seven required areas and relevance to the chosen organisation.

4. Organisation and Presentation (5%)

Measures report structure, logical flow, formatting and professional tone.

5. Citation Practice (5%)

Assesses Harvard referencing accuracy and academic integrity.

Suggested Working Steps

• Week 5–6: Choose organisation

• Week 6–7: Conduct research

• Week 7–8: Map evidence to questions

• Week 8–9: Draft report

• Week 9–10: Edit and finalise

Qantas relies heavily on integrated information systems to coordinate fleet operations, optimise route planning and manage real-time disruptions, therefore IT capability is fundamental to safe and profitable airline operations. Passenger-facing platforms such as mobile check-in and dynamic pricing support revenue growth and customer experience. Enterprise systems improve efficiency but expose the airline to cyber security and service continuity risks that require governance, auditing and incident response planning. A forward-looking IT strategy positions digital capability as both a competitive asset and a managed risk requiring executive oversight.

Beyond operational efficiency, contemporary organisations leverage enterprise analytics platforms and artificial intelligence to convert high-volume transactional data into predictive and prescriptive insights that inform strategic planning, customer segmentation and risk modelling. This evolution shifts IT from a support function to a core driver of business model innovation, enabling firms to design new digital products, automate complex decision processes and scale platform ecosystems across global markets while maintaining governance and compliance controls (Bharadwaj et al., 2013).

Recommended Scholarly and Professional References (Harvard Style)

• Al-Okaily, M., Alqudah, H., Matar, A., Lutfi, A. and Taamneh, A. (2022) Digital transformation and firm performance: The moderating role of digital organisational culture. Technology in Society, 68, 101910.

• Gacenga, F., Cater-Steel, A. and Toleman, M. (2019) Measuring the performance of IT service management. Information Systems Management, 36(1), pp. 28–44.

• Susanti, D., Arifin, Z. and Cahyo, E.D. (2021) The role of information technology capability in achieving competitive advantage and firm performance. Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 8(3), pp. 1143–1152.

• ISACA (2020) State of Cybersecurity 2020. ISACA.

• PwC (2023) 24th Annual Global CEO Survey: Winning in the Age of Continuous Reinvention. PwC.

• Bharadwaj, A., El Sawy, O.A., Pavlou, P.A. and Venkatraman, N. (2013) Digital business strategy: Toward a next generation of insights. MIS Quarterly, 37(2), pp. 471–482.

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