MS8104 Business Information Systems Group Assignment 2025-2026 | University of Galway Ireland

Group Assignment

Objective 

This group project is designed to help you:

• Apply core module concepts to a real-world small business sector.
• Develop analytical skills by examining how organizations create value through data, infrastructures, and digital systems.
• Understand digital transformation by exploring opportunities for change and the role of business models and platforms.
• Think strategically and critically about how businesses can improve through alternative digital futures.
• Evaluate feasibility by considering resources, risks, and long-term sustainability of proposed approaches.
• Enhance communication skills through a structured written report and a concise, engaging group presentation.

Lecturer

Dr. Simeon Vidolov: simeon.vidolov@universityofgalway.ie
Dr. Gianluca Guazzo: gianluca.m.guazzo@universityofgalway.ie

Marks Awarded

This assignment carries 50% of the overall marks for the module. It is marked out of 100, then weighted alongside the other assignment. Guidelines for grading this assignment are included at the end of this document.

Submission

You should submit your completed assignment through Canvas’s Assignment tool. Furthermore, you should only submit one document containing answers to your questions.

If you are unable to submit your assignment via Canvas, please email it to your lecturer by email at Simeon.vidolov@nuigalway.ie You don’t need to specifically name your assignment submission document if submitting it via Canvas, but if you need to email in your assignment, please name your document (as an email attachment) as follows:

Student ID number … Module Code … Discipline … Assignment title.pdf : e.g.

12345678 MS115 BIS Assignment.pdf

Group Project Report Submission Deadline: December 1

Presentation: November 17^th (live session) – presentation slides should be uploaded on Canvas prior to session.

Late Submission or No Submission

There are no facilities or opportunities to re-do the assignment before the next offering of the module, should student(s) fail to submit by specified deadlines in the first instance, or find that students are sitting the written examination at Autumn.

Marks for continuous assessment (including zero marks for non- submission) will be carried forward to Autumn.

Academic Integrity

Each module instructor reserves the right to follow up with a student by interview if there is any concern in relation to the integrity of the assignment.

For any assignments not submitted via Turnitin, we reserve the right to check it using Turnitin where required.

All students have received an email from the Registrar about integrity. In addition to this, you are required to include the following disclaimer statement as part of your submission:

“In submitting this work I confirm that it is entirely my own. I acknowledge that I may be invited to undertake an online interview if there is any concern in relation to the integrity of my submission.”

Deliverables

Weighting

This group project counts for 50% of the overall module grade, divided as follows:

• Written Report (30%) – 1,900–2,100 words (including references).
• Presentation (20%) – PechaKucha style.

An electronic file constructed using Microsoft Office or equivalent. Ideally your submission should be typed in 12-point font, 1.5 spaced, with pages numbered. Your document should ideally be in one of the following formats: pdf, Word, or Excel (where relevant).

Students can install Microsoft Office 365 on up to 5 devices, see https://www.nuigalway.ie/o365/overview/

However, if necessary you may handwrite your document and scan/photo it for submission, but it must be fully legible, page-numbered, organised and complete. In this instance, write only on one side of each A4 page, number each page at the bottom using ‘Page 1/5’ or ‘Page 2/5’, clearly number each question you’re answering, write your ID number at the top of every page, and ideally use a dark black pen. Combine scanned pages into one document before uploading or emailing it in, ensuring that all pages are the right way up (that is, don’t have some pages upside down).

Referencing

Supporting your arguments by citing academic sources in journals, conference proceedings, and books is an essential part of producing good answers.  Please use the Harvard referencing style, instructions for which can be found on the NUI Galway Library Website, section Styles & Styles Guide: Citing & Referencing: http://libguides.library.nuigalway.ie/c.php?g=672922&p=4791378

Plagiarism

University of Galway Plagiarism Code of Practice

All work submitted by students for assessment, for publication or for (public) presentation, is accepted on the understanding that it is their own work and contains their own original contribution, except where explicitly referenced using the accepted norms and formats of the appropriate academic discipline.

Plagiarism is the act of copying, including or directly quoting from the work of another without adequate acknowledgement, in order to obtain benefit, credit or gain. You are required to familiarise yourself with the NUI Galway Plagiarism Code and ensure that the work you submit does not contain plagiarized elements. http://www.nuigalway.ie/plagiarism/

Assignment Details

In this assignment, groups will select a small business (e.g., cafés, co-working spaces, local healthcare clinics, fitness clubs, independent retailers) and carry out a structured digital audit of how businesses in this sector currently use digital technologies.

Building on this analysis, groups will then propose strategies for improvement and digital transformation, considering different models, approaches, and their feasibility.

This project draws directly on module sessions 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7, covering data and knowledge, organizational systems, socio-technical infrastructures, digital transformation, and digital business models/platforms.

Deliverables

1. Written Report

• Length: 1,900–2,100 words including references.
• Format: Clear structure, academic references.
• Content: See Analytical Components

2. Presentation (PechaKucha style)

• 20 slides × 20 seconds each (total ~6 minutes 40 seconds).
• Slides advance automatically: concise delivery is essential.
• Focus: Key findings, strategies, and recommendations.
• Aim: Tell a clear, engaging story of your group’s analysis and digital futures proposal.

Analytical Components

Your report should include two main parts:

Part I – Current Digital Landscape

• Data, Information & Knowledge (Session 2) – What data is generated? How is it used or underused?
• Systems of Organization (Session 3) – How workflows, value creation, and coordination are organized. Role of digital systems.
• Socio-Technical Infrastructures (Session 4) – Platforms, apps, POS, cloud, networks. How these shape customer-facing and operational activities.
• Digital Business & Platforms (Session 7) – Existing digital business models and platform dependencies. How platforms shift power and value capture.

Part II – Strategies for Digital Improvement and Transformation

• Opportunities for Change (Session 5) – Where ICT-enabled change could reconfigure business models. Incremental vs. transformative perspectives.
• Alternative Strategies – Propose at least two or three digital improvement paths (e.g., platform partnerships, hybrid/coop models, subscription models, data-driven services).
• Feasibility Assessment – Costs, resources, risks, scalability. Short-term vs. long-term sustainability.
• Recommendations – Choose the most promising strategy and justify with evidence and theory.

Grading Rubric

Total: 100% (50% of overall module grade)