Assessment 3 Information
Subject Code: DATA4900
Subject Name: Innovation and Creativity in Business Analytics
Assessment Title: Report: Wicked problem
Assessment Type: Individual report
Word Count: 2,000 Words (+/-10%)
Weighting: 40 %
Total Marks: 40
Submission: via TurnItIn
Due Date: Sunday 23:55pm (AEST) Week 9
Your Task
• This assessment is to be done individually.
• Students are to write a 2,000-word report in response to a “wicked problem” brief using Systems Thinking & Complexity Science principles and submit it as a Microsoft word file via the TurnItIn portal at the end of week 9.
• You will receive marks for content, appropriate structure and referencing.
Assessment Description
In this assessment, you will be writing an individual report that encourages you to be creative with business analytics, whilst also developing a response to brief containing a “wicked problem”, to be addressed using Systems Thinking & Complexity Science principles.
Assessment Instructions
This assessment is set in the year 2022. Your brief is to contain spread of a new type of coronavirus in
Australia that has emerged in 2022, known as Covid-22. Person Zero is identified in the United Kingdom. There is no known vaccine available to immediately curb the spread of this virus. Fortunately Covid-22 has a rate of infection similar to Covid-19 when it first arose, rather than the more highly transmissible later variants of Covid-19.
Problem
The transmission of COVID-22 has occurred through air travel, before being formally identified. It reached Australia within weeks of Peron Zero’s infection.
As was the case when Covid-19 first emerged, there is once again an
• absence of centralised policy and timeline combined with
• the complex dynamics of human mobility and …
• the variable intensity of local outbreaks
There is an immediate fear of a devastating impact, with loss of lives and of livelihood.
As an analytics professional, you are tasked with using data on Covid-19 and the spread of other infectious diseases to suggest a path of action moving forward and outline this in a report.
Firstly, you need to identify the nature and scope of the problem that you are trying to solve, then utilising available historical data. In the first instance, access data using the URL below.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
You are also encouraged to research other publically available data bases; for example, data publically available from World Health Organisation (WHO) and John Hopkins University (JHU). Students speaking a language in addition to English, may also find other data sources e.g. Chinese speaking students may be able to access data from the Chinese government.
In defining your “wicked problem”, some dimensions for consideration include:
- Should directives to shelter at home and temporarily close non-essential businesses and schools be made at the State level?
- How can we deal with the varying intensities of the outbreak around the country, with some States having many infections and others remaining in the early stages of the epidemic?
- What do we know about the effectiveness of lockdowns and social distancing policies in Australia?
- Are mobility patterns likely to be strongly correlated with COVID-22 case growth rates?
Examples of potential areas for investigation include:
1. What is the effect of changes in mobility patterns, given these changes are not likely to be perceptible for 9–12 days, and potentially for up to 3 weeks. This is consistent with the incubation time of COVID-19.
2. Which behavioural changes are already underway in households, when individuals are anticipating public health directives with social distancing?
In developing your answer:
• What are some proxy datasets you could access to reflect mobility?
• Are there datasets in other categories, besides mobility, that can help you understand your
“wicked problem” better?
• Note than Google Mobility tracks a total of 6 measures of activity:
o Retail & Recreation. o Grocery & Pharmaceuticals. o Parks & Nature. o (Mass) Transit. o Workplaces (offices and on-site). o Residential & Home-based Activities.
Consider examining a selection of these measures and comment broadly on trends across activity types and across geographical regions, in response to Covid-19 and now Covid-22. In so doing, apply Analytics techniques using infographics software (preferably Power BI, Tableau, Spotfire, RapidMiner or Neo4j).
Important Study Information
Academic Integrity Policy
KBS values academic integrity. All students must understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the Academic Integrity and Conduct Policy.
What is academic integrity and misconduct?
What are the penalties for academic misconduct?
What are the late penalties?
How can I appeal my grade?
Click here for answers to these questions:
http://www.kbs.edu.au/current-students/student-policies/.
Word Limits for Written Assessments
Submissions that exceed the word limit by more than 10% will cease to be marked from the point at which that limit is exceeded.
Study Assistance
Students may seek study assistance from their local Academic Learning Advisor or refer to the resources on the MyKBS Academic Success Centre page. Click here for this information.
Assessment Marking Guide
Section Criteria NN (Fail)
0%-49% P (Pass) 50%-64% CR (Credit) 74%-65% DN (Distinction) 75%-84% HD (High
Distinction)
85%-100%
Part A: Defining the “wicked
problem”
Students must define a “wicked problem”, taking into consideration Systems Thinking and Complexity Science principles
Student has not defined the
“wicked problem”
Student has produced a basic outline of the “wicked problem”, with minimal reference to Systems Thinking and Complexity Science principles. Student has produced a well written outline of the “wicked problem”.
The problem is clearly defined, reflecting good
research
Student has produced a well defined “wicked problem” with evidence of extensive research and
application of
Systems Thinking and Complexity Science
principles
Student has expertly defined a “wicked problem” with evidence of deep research into Systems Thinking and Complexity Science principles in doing so.
Part B:
Nominating and utilising data sources for producing a
solution/
recommendations to the “wicked problem”. Students must nominate and utilise data sources for producing a
solution/ recommendations to the “wicked problem”.
Student has omitted several parts of the task
or the content of their report is irrelevant
Student has produced
a basic solution only
The solution may not be evidence-based or realistic or clear.
Student has produced a well written report on an evidence based solution
to the wicked problem
Evidence of research
Student has produced a well integrated report on the wicked problem with a real evidenced based solution for moving forward.
Student has produced an outstanding report on the wicked problem with a strong evidenced based solution for moving forward.
Evidence of deep
research into the topic
Page 4 Kaplan Business School Assessment Outline
Part C:
Application of
Systems Thinking and Complexity
Science
Students explain
Thinking and
and support
their arguments with evidence from relevant references and some realistic suggestions
Suggestions may be practical but could be
Students integrate
Systems Thinking and Complexity Science
principles really well in their report and support their arguments with good evidence from
relevant references
Suggestions are practical, specific and integrated
principles Students must
realistically apply Systems Thinking and Complexity Science principles to their nominated
“wicked problem”
Students have not applied Systems
Thinking and
Complexity Science principles or the content of their report is irrelevant Students only briefly mention Systems Thinking and Complexity Science principles and general uses Systems Thinking and Complexity Science principles well and have some realistic suggestions for its use
Some evidence of research
Students explain
Systems
Complexity Science principles
for its use
integrated more
Part D:
References and structure
Students must use Harvard referencing style and list a minimum of five references
Case study report must have appropriate headings and logical structure
Incorrect referencing, irrelevant or no
references
Poor structure
Basic Harvard referencing with a few errors
Report structure logical
Harvard referencing with no errors
Report structure appropriate Harvard referencing with no errors
Report structure logical with some novelty Harvard referencing with no errors
Report structure logical, integrated and flows
well
Some novelty
Comments:
Page 5 Kaplan Business School Assessment Outline
Assignment Submission
Students must submit their individual document via TurnItIn on Sunday of Week 9 at 23:55pm AEST.
This file must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document. Uploaded files with a virus will not be considered as a legitimate submission. TurnItIn will notify you if there is any issue with the submitted file. In this case, you must contact your lecturer via email and provide a brief description of the issue and a screen shot of the TurnItIn error message.
Students are also encouraged to submit their work well in advance of the time deadline to avoid any possible delay with TurnItIn similarity report generation or any other technical difficulties.
Late assignment submission penalties
Penalties will be imposed on late assignment submissions in accordance with Kaplan Business School’s Assessment Policy.
Number of days Penalty
1* - 9 days 5% per day for each calendar day late deducted from the student’s total Marks.
10 - 14 days 50% deducted from the student’s total marks.
After 14 days Assignments that are submitted more than 14 calendar days after the due date will not be accepted and the student will receive a mark of zero for the assignment(s).
Note Notwithstanding the above penalty rules, assignments will also be given a mark of zero if they are submitted after assignments have been returned to students.
*Assignments submitted at any stage within the first 24 hours after deadline will be considered to be one day late and therefore subject to the associated penalty.
If you are unable to complete this assessment by the due date/time, please refer to the Special Consideration Application Form, which is available at the end of the KBS Assessment Policy:
https://www.kbs.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/KBS_FORM_AssessmentPolicy_MAR2018_FA.pdf
Page 6 Kaplan Business School Assessment Outline