BSC072 Strategic Information Management Coursework Brief 2026 | Loughborough University

University Loughborough University (LU)
Subject BSC072 Strategic Information Management

BSC072 Coursework Brief

Business Report and Personal Learning
Coursework Weight: 100%
Coursework Deadline(s): Wednesday 6th May 2026

Coursework Task

There are two parts to the assignment Part A represents 70% of the total mark and is based on the case study used in tutorials – “Barley Construction”. Part B 30% of the total mark is based on a reflective piece of writing on your learning points on the module and your team’s performance in tutorials. You must answer both parts.

Guidance Notes

Part A: What new digital technology(s) should Barley Construction look to invest in to help facilitate its new business strategy? (70% of total mark)

Barley Construction’s current information technologies have been developed individually over the last 40 years and are getting increasingly unstable, leading to unacceptable operating inefficiencies. The existing website is also over four years old and has not seen any significant changes besides minor modifications.

With your detailed understanding of the new business strategy, thanks to your group work in tutorials (a copy of the business strategy slides should be placed in the appendix), what new digital technology(s) and/or information management practices should the company look to invest in to help facilitate this strategy? (i.e., The strategy proposed by your group). The Board is expecting the following key questions to be addressed in the report – feel free to add to the list as you see fit.

a. What new digital technology(s) should Barley Construction be investing in and why?
b. How do these link to and support the proposed strategy?
c. What improvements can they expect because of this investment?
d. What rough timescales would the implementation require?
e. Would there be any organisational issues? (e.g., structure, change in job roles/communications required/training, etc.)
f. What key issues/actions/risks should be considered in the implementation plan?
g. What impact would these changes have on their key suppliers, if any?
h. What impact would these changes have, if any, on their customers?

Marks will be awarded as follows (70%)

CriteriaPercentage
Logical, coherent proposal of types of new digital technology(s) which clearly support your proposed company strategy and address the Board’s questions.25%
Recognition of practical issues and top-level integrated plan giving key milestones and events.20%
Identification of risks and potential mitigating actions (if possible)10%
Presentation of the report – clear, concise business report, sensible formatting, executive summary and relevant visualisation of material.15%
  • If you consider any critical information is missing, make sure your report reflects that and explain why you think it is essential. If you do make any assumptions, please make sure you clearly state them in your report.
  • This report is a Business Report to the Board of the company, and you should reflect that in the formatting and design of the piece.
  • There should be an “Executive Summary” at the beginning, which is no more than one page and covers the main recommendations. Note this executive summary is not included in the final word count.
  • Appendices and footnotes are not allowed, except for a copy of the business strategy slides. Any more will not be read.
  • You are encouraged to make your report readable and attractive, so consider using colour, images, tables and figures, and use correct English language, grammar and punctuation.
  • Words in tables and figures are not counted in the word count. But be aware it is possible to go too far with this or use these to manipulate the word count. If this seems to be what is presented, marks will be lost.
  • Note this is an individual piece of work. However, your digital strategy must support the business strategy.

Part B: Personal Reflection (30% of total mark)

This will require a piece of critical reflection regarding your specific learning points during the module and your own and your group’s performance over the module.

CriteriaPercentage
What have been the three most significant learning points you have made over the running of the module? Make sure that you justify these learning points. It should not just be a list with a simple description!10%
Reflect on your group performance. Critically evaluate (do not just describe it) how effectively your group worked. Did your group become a team? If not, why not?10%
What did you learn about yourself? Will you apply yourself differently in the future when faced with similar group/team working? If asked to lead a team in the future, are there any areas for personal improvement that you have identified and what specific actions might you take to support this development?10%

If you wish, feel free to consult within your group to gain insight into how your group viewed you. Please note that this should not just describe what happened in group work – to score high marks, you will need to show critical thinking to gain deeper insight into how you performed and what you learned from that experience.

Word Count and Format

Your complete report (Part A, the digital strategy integrating the business strategy’s recommendation, and Part B, the reflective piece of work) should be no longer than 2,500 words MAXIMUM.

The executive summary, title page, contents page and reference list are NOT included in the word count.

Appendices and footnotes are not permitted in the written report, except for a copy of the business strategy slides. If included they will not be read.

Part A will need to be a Business Report, the format and best practice we discussed in lectures (suggested length: 1,800 words).

Part B can be structured in any way you feel appropriate for the reflective discussion and the points you are trying to make (suggested length: 700 words).

All material (academic and other) that you cite should be properly referenced in the text and in the reference list (in Harvard style) at the end of your report.

Coursework Marking Rubric

Please see the rubric at the end of this coursework brief for further details of the criteria against which you will be assessed, and descriptors of performance on the coursework for each assessment criterion.

Acceptable use of Generative AI (GenAI) tools

Please note the university’s guidance on the use of Generative AI tools in assessed work is available here: Use of Generative AI tools | Student Handbook | Loughborough University

If the module team are concerned that the use of GenAI goes beyond what has been defined as acceptable under the above guidance you may be required to attend a meeting to explain your use of GenAI.

Coursework Submission

The deadline date is provided above. One electronic copy must be uploaded to the submission point for the module on LEARN by the submission deadline.

You must use the following file naming convention for your work. You should not include your name anywhere on your assignment. You should also include the filename in the header of your assignment.

StudentNumber – Module code – Coursework component (e.g. F123456-25BSP123-CW1)

Your submission should be one document only (i.e. no loose appendices etc), preferably in Word or as a pdf (not scanned copy). If your assignment consists of different documents in varying formats you will need to embed them in a Word document or convert them to pdf and upload one document. The file size limit for your submission is 20MB.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You need to ensure you back up your coursework and any other important documents. Information on data storage can be found here: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/it/student/storage/.

Losing your work through technical failure is not a valid reason for a Mitigating Circumstances claim or a coursework extension request.

Extensions and Mitigating Circumstances

If you have problems with meeting the deadline for this coursework, and you believe your circumstances may qualify you for an extension (please refer to: Coursework extensions | Student Handbook | Loughborough University) you may wish to request a 48-hour extension and/or submit a Mitigating Circumstances claim. This must be requested in advance via:

Coursework Extension Link: Coursework extensions | Student Handbook | Loughborough University

Mitigating Circumstances Link: Mitigating Circumstances | Student Handbook | Loughborough University

Please note that the maximum extension for a group coursework will be 48 hours.

Consultation and Feedback

The lecturer will be available for consultation and queries between class sessions via email (j.c.f.ravenwood@lboro.ac.uk) or during office hours (see Learn for details). Questions can also be asked during lectures and tutorials.

Please note, lecturers will not comment on draft versions of reports.

Provisional marks and feedback should be available by 27th May 2026. All marks are provisional until ratified by the formal examination boards.

Assessment Rubric

Marking Assessment Criteria0-39%40-49%50-59%60-69%70-79%80-100%
Coherence of Proposal 25%Simple proposal with very little detail, if any, not linked to any strategy. Virtually no recognition of the questions in the brief. Poorly written with no seeming logical approach to the problems given in the briefMinimal mention of strategy or a need for links between some of the proposals and strategic requirements. Generally, current operating problems are not identified and limited attempts to answer the questions posed in the brief. The answer may contain contradictory ideas and pointsSome mention of strategy, but the proposal may not cover or link to some of the strategic actions. Some critical operating problems are ignored or not identified. Some key questions not answered in the briefProvides recommendations which refer to the declared strategy and show appreciation of current operating problems. Addresses the majority of questions in the brief. Well written with logical steps.Takes into account the declared strategy, along with current operating issues. Provide a proposal which supports long-term actions and plans, answers current operating problems and addresses the specific questions set by the brief. Concisely and logically written.Excellent recommendations closely and clearly linked to proposed strategy. Addresses questions in depth, and addresses a comprehensive range of current operating issues with insight. Succinctly and professionally written.
Practicality of proposal and timeframes 20%No consideration of the practicalities of their proposal. Unable to provide or identify any timeframe at all. No recognition of wider business environments – or the suitability of proposals to the case study example. May give overall timeframe without identifying key events with no realistic view on practical timescale.Attempts to identify timeframes differ from products chosen or practical for implementation purposes.Some attempts at providing time frames (which may be impractical and/or considered in isolation without recognising interdependencies) and wider business environments (very little detail). Overall, proposals should still apply to the case study example.Appreciation of timeframes that links to the proposals made, with good justification given for practical suggestions made. Has considered some form of wider business environments but not in any significant detail. Plan in a sensible format showing consideration of the significant events (some acknowledgement of interrelationships) relating to the proposals.Full recognition of the key practicalities. Provides sensible justification for time frames for the project along with a recognition of wider business environments. A detailed plan is given in an appropriate format (e.g., Gantt chart) with clear interrelationships and links to mitigating identified risks. (likely to be 18 months minimum but dependant on specific recommendations)Comprehensive and convincing. Highly practical taking full account of business environments. A highly detailed and well thought through plan that takes account of significant events and other factors. Links clearly and convincingly to the rest of the report and to the context.
Risks and Mitigations 10% MaxNo evidence of any risk identification at allMentions risks but fails to provide any real detail or examples. Unlikely to identify any mitigations.Some risks identified may not understand those requiring priorities from a business perspective. Not able to mitigate all identified risks with sensible actionsA sensible and structured approach and identifies a significant number of priority risks with mitigating actions.A structured approach to the identification of all significant risks. Clear identification of potential risk-mitigation strategies. Excellent use of risk framework templatesIdentifies all significant risks with a thoughtful, highly structured and logical use of risk frameworks. Mitigating actions are highly sensible and well thought through for the context.
Presentation of Report 15% MaxVery little structure providing little or no evidence of understanding of how to produce a well-presented business report. Consequently, the messages could be easier to follow and leave the reader with little understanding or insight. Poor English, multiple spelling or punctuation errors and no attempt to provide sensible headings or paragraphs. No referencing.Some structure to the report, but it needs to provide a clear message that is easy to understand. As discussed in the lectures, there needs to be more signs of understanding or using the principles of designing a good business report. Poor English standard with multiple spelling and punctuation errors and, if used, poor referencing (e.g. Harvard style or other systems).Shows some understanding of the requirements of presentation style for a business report and able to provide some structure to the material. Able to make themselves understood through the use of sensible written English and some visualisations. Some basic errors in spelling or punctuation were used, and some issues with referencing (e.g., Harvard style or other systems).The presentation is professional and appropriate for a business report using concise and precise wording. Logical and coherent structure, with the use of proper headings and section numbering, and visualisations. Use of correct standard English grammar and spelling and, where relevant, use of referencing (e.g., Harvard style or other systems).Excellent understanding of designing business reports practically applied to the context of this case study. A very good structure which makes it easy for the reader and uses visualisations to support critical analysis and argument. Very good use of English grammar and spelling and, where relevant, referencing (e.g. Harvard style or other systems).Professionally presented report, clearly written, highly effective at getting key message across convincingly. Excellent use of language, visualisations etc. referencing is accurate. In short, it provides an excellent example of a business report which could be used as an exemplar for other students.
Significant Learning Points from the course 10%No genuine attempt at any learning points, no apparent understanding of the question or any reflective processesLimited identification, superficial learning points that are descriptive, not showing any critique. No real sign of meaningful reflection.Identifies some learning points from the module experience. Justification of points limited (more descriptive) with little critiqueIdentifies vital learning points from the work done on the module justification provided using module materials and experiencesAble to show very good critical reflection and identify key learning points. Takes a holistic view and relates to other experiences outside the module to justify comments.Excellent critical reflection on own learning points thoroughly embedded in module work. Clearly draws on highly relevant experiences within and outside the module.
Group Performance Reflection 10%Mentions team without any fundamental critique of the performance. May mention Belbin analysis.An elementary description of the team and little critical insight into the overall performance.Description of what the team did rather than critical or insightful critique.A good review of team performance offers insight. Identifies some team working models.Able to provide a critical analysis showing insight from understanding team dynamics and using team-working models.In depth critical analysis of group performance thoughtfully and convincingly drawing on models and literature from the module.
Personal Learning and Self-development 10%No critical review whatsoever – no understanding of how they operated within the team and unable to identify any strengths or weaknessesDescribing the team without providing real insight into their role may identify some strengths—little evidence of any development needs.Describes what they did within the team (may mention Belbin’s profile). Will not have considered the dynamics with other people necessarily. Does have some strengths and weaknesses identified. Identifies some general areas for development but without any actual specific actions.Can describe how they worked within the team and their role within it. Provides some insight into their relationship with others. Identifies some development needs but may need to offer specific actions to a development plan.Able to articulate very clearly personal learning from the team working experience. May bring in other team working experiences for a more rounded comparison. Provides specific, sensible actions for weaknesses identifiedExcellent reflection on personal learning from the module, in depth and thoughtful, utilising a variety of teamwork experiences to help reflection. Highly practical and specific actions suggested to overcome weaknesses identified.

Overall feedback comments and areas of strength:

Feedback to help you improve future work:

Student reflections:

List up to three actions you will take forward from this feedback.

Please refer to: Feedback on your work | Student Handbook | Loughborough University to help you reflect on the feedback provided to enhance future submissions.

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