Support for Computer and Business Studies students
CBS Projects 2010-11
Please contact specific subject tutors or myself to discuss business-oriented projects in general. Consult http://www.hear-see-do.com/ISM/ViewByTopic.aspx to help. Write down your own suggestions, with a paragraph describing each of:- Objectives
- Client (if it is an applied project)
- Overall approach / methodology to be adopted
- Key relevant theories
- Data collection and analysis required
- Anticipated findings or outcomes
- Enterprise IT Architecture and Service Oriented Architecture
- Business Simulations/Games, including interactive networked simulations
- Project Management
- IS Governance
- Systems Analysis, Design and Development
- Innovative business application of IT
Some specific suggestions for this year follow ...
Re-factoring WAD resources
Further develop the module web site, examples and integrated Star Video application. More...Upgrading Project simulations to asp.NET
Convert and enhance two simulations that support the teaching and learning of Project Management (‘Contract and Construct’) and IS project development (‘MIS Project Manager’) from ASP to asp.NET. More...Enterprise IT Architecture as Strategy
Trace and document the origin, evolution, meaning and use of the term IT Architecture, especially Enterprise IT Architecture, and IT Strategy; assess the extent to which Enterprise IT Architecture is merely a re-incarnation of IT Strategy. More...Personal Custom Systems Integration
This project is to develop a systematic framework of integrated standards, techniques and resources to guide and assist the development of integrated personal applications to run on one or more platforms, especially the Internet. More...Meta / Template Web Site
Some organisations offer the service of a ready-templated web site to support their member organisations sub-sites, without the member organisation having to set up or maintain the site. An example is play-cricket, run by the England and Wales Cricket Board, for local cricket clubs throughout the country, for example Blossomfield Club where my son plays and I have helped to maintain. This project is to research and consider other original potential examples, either for a need that you can identify, or possibly as a suitable and motivating assessment for the WAD module.IS Teaching Staff interests
SThe Information Systems and Management teaching group at WBS has a small site that maintains and displays the interests of each staff member for the purposes of Masters students selecting summer projects. This project is to develop the site to be more functional, usable and better presented.CBS Projects 2009-10
Some specific suggestions for this year follow ...
Ongoing WAD web site development
Make an incremental development from the current site. More...GIKA update
Develop an update of the GIKA case study that was used in Managing IT Solutions Architecture. More...CBS Projects 2008-9
Some specific suggestions for this year follow ...
Teaching and Learning Technology: the Student Viewpoint
Gain a view of what technologies students would value, what purposes / objectives they would support, and how they might work efficiently and effectively. More...IT Architecture Tools & Techniques
Identify, understand, classify and evaluate technologies and tools that support IT Architecture implementation and the IT architect.An examination of Scott-Morton’s MIT90’s framework
Trace and document the use of this significant theoretical framework for IS Management. More...Ongoing WAD web site development
Make an incremental development from the current site. More...Networked simulations
Develop an approachable environment for networked simulations. More...CBS Projects 2007-8
Some specific suggestions for this year follow ...
WAD web site redevelopment in ASP.Net 2
Review the objectives of the site, re-design and implement in Microsoft VWD, in time for it to be used from the start of Spring Term 2008. More...Ajax, VWD and ASP.Net 2
Establish an appropriate introduction to AJAX for the Web Applications Development module. More...Style, VWD and WAD
Establish an appropriate treatment of style for the Web Applications Development module. More...Ajax, VWD and simulations
Evaluate the potential for AJAX to offer a mechanism for facilitating networked simulations. More...‘CommSec’ business project and architecture simulation
Redevelop the Excel-based ‘CommSec’ Business /IT project planning simulation using a more appropriate platform. More...CBS Projects 2006-7
Some specific suggestions for this year follow ...
Generic Web questionnaire generator.
Researchers frequently wish to elicit views on a wide variety of topics, and increasingly turn to the web as an instant and accessible medium. Further, organisations offer free or cheap services for this purpose. However there are often restrictions on volume, duration, type of question or analysis performed as well as site design. This project is to produce a home-owned service that performs a similar or enhanced function yet avoids the restrictions. It will involve some research on what is currently available as well as what is typically required by myself and other researchers, in particular about what types of question and what formats of response are required. It will need to be easily manageable, and at least one step of abstraction will be necessary. The choice of implementation medium will be important; Microsoft is currently marginally preferred.An applied investigation or within an organisation known to the student.
The student may actually engage in a small scale activity, or observe a larger scale activity. The activity may be an information analysis, a systems development project, and information systems strategy or other relevant topic as discussed in IS courses, including web-enabled or e-commerce initiatives. The student should expect to give significant emphasis to reflecting on the process to evaluating the exercise (for instance the implementation of a new system).Business Game
Specify and implement a business game to teach some concepts and strategies for elements of business. One possibility is to continue the development of one of two simulations that were started this year:- One uses a client-server architecture, implemented using Microsoft's Visual Web Development environment. It involves companies bidding competitively for business projects, and then delivering.
- Another uses a peer-to-peer architecture, enabled by a java server and java connections and game management. It also involves teams delivering a sequence of 'IS development' projects, and allows resource-sharing.
Simulated card games
Use either the java server / java connections framework described above or a standalone program to implement a card or board game. Use it to detect and observer strategies and evaluate their effectiveness over many games. Preferably include an artificial `computer' player with appropriate strategies. One focus might be the game of poker; another the game of Cluedo.Watch this space for evolving list of specific suggestions.
CBS Projects 2005-6
An applied investigation or within an organisation known to the student.
The student may actually engage in a small scale activity, or observe a larger scale activity. The activity may be an information analysis, a systems development project, and information systems strategy or other relevant topic as discussed in IS courses, including web-enabled or e-commerce initiatives. The student should expect to give significant emphasis to reflecting on the process to evaluating the exercise (for instance the implementation of a new system).Business Game
Specify and implement a business game to teach some concepts and strategies for elements of business. One example might be competitive bidding for business contracts, by simulating such a process. This would have to run on either a standalone PC, or over a local area network of PC's, or both. It would preferably include an artificial `computer' player with appropriate strategies.Custom on-line module resource catalogue
See my paper that describes the Web Applications Development module support web site. This paper makes the point that such a facility could be made available to any lecturer without IT skills, for their own module. The objective of this project is to follow up that idea, and deliver a working version for a suitable module in the coming year.Theory and Practice of IT
Research the differences between IT/IS theory and IT/IS practice, by consulting academics, consultants and practitioners. See the specification. See also my recent paper that introduces and motivates this topic.Business IT ‘fads’, fashions and foundations for the future: a life-cycle study
The IT industry is renowned for being driven by fads or bandwagons whereby the latest trend or ‘silver bullet’ follows a lifecycle of initiation, hype, early adoption, rapid growth, disillusionment, then more limited growth towards steady state, decline or incorporation into another bandwagon. Typically these trends focus on a new technology, a new or re-invented business/management process, or both. Examples are many, including (roughly chronologically) Management Information Systems, Personal Computing, Fourth Generation Languages, Expert Systems/ Artificial Intelligence, Open Software, Computer-Aided Software Engineering, Document Management, GroupWare, Competitive Advantage, Strategic IS Planning, Business Process Re-engineering / Transformation, Enterprise Resource Planning, Data Mining / Warehousing, Customer Relationship Management, Outsourcing, Agent-based systems and Offshore development/support. Some of these trends can indeed be called fads, passing from vogue relatively quickly; others have stood the test of time somewhat better and have become part of established business IT thinking. Some represent management processes, others relate more directly to technologies. This project will: - review the literature to identify a comprehensive set of these trends, and investigate a number of them in detail - track their life-cycle and classify them according to their nature, track record and contribution, drawing on appropriate general literature such as innovation theory to formulate a suitable set of attributes and metrics. These attributes might differentiate between the academic and practical aspects of their role, and may be drawn from academic and practitioner literature. - consider the extent to which IT is unique in this experience - consider what are the drivers of this cycle, what are the learning points that emerge from each trend, and what insights are generated into the essential characteristics of IT and the IT field - identify common patterns in events, functionality, adoption rates, contribution and attitudes. It will attempt to use the model(s) to predict or test the life-cycle trajectories for the next ‘fad’. By undertaking this project, the student will extend their literature search skills and develop a key perspective on the evolution of the IT field. Pre-requisite: this project is fairly open, and the student must be comfortable with the idea of an intensive search through the literature. Note: a student took this project in 04-05 and has made signficant progress: for 05-06 the idea would be to further develop this work. See Hartwick & Miller (2004) and Miller & Hartwick (2002).Watch this space for evolving list of specific suggestions.
CBS Projects 2004-5
This document includes some ideas for CBS students and some for CS or CBS students for the past year. Prospective students should be confident about the programming elements, where specified.CBS course assessed load calculator
Download this to help you work out whether you are within the university guideline of 50% assessed work total, weighted, over your three year course (year 1 as 0%, year 2 as 50%, year 3 as 50%). Let your personal tutor and course director know if you are in danger of breaching this rule. Note that the project counts as 'examined' since you are clearly individually accountable for this work through supervision.CBS Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I know whether I am within the university rules about total assessed work?
A: Use the calculator above.