Overview
Business computing is central to success in today’s dynamic digital economy, where organisations rely on data-driven decision-making and emerging technologies to remain competitive. This unit explores the application of business computing across diverse domains to address complex challenges and deliver effective solutions. You will investigate how technology supports business processes, improves efficiency, and fosters innovation in areas such as customer engagement, operations, and strategic planning. The unit emphasises the relationship between information systems and organisational practice, preparing you for your future career. On completion of this unit, you will have a sound knowledge of key concepts and terminology in hardware, software, data storage, and communication, while also developing skills in report writing and idea formulation.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from In-class student feedback
Answering weekly review questions (Assessment 2 - Part A) lacks interactivity.
To enhance interactivity, students can be required to review and reflect on their peers' answers by contributing their own content and insights on a weekly basis.
- Explain basic information systems concepts in the context of business organisations
- Demonstrate the impact of information systems on inter-organisational processes
- Discuss human factors associated with the use of computerised information systems, including managerial, ethical and social considerations
- Identify how information systems affect organisations and enable social innovation
- Illustrate the acquisition and development of information systems
- Develop report writing and communication skills in expressing and exchanging ideas, views and arguments using charts, graphs and presentation software.
The Australian Computer Society (ACS) recognises the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA). SFIA is adopted by organisations, governments and individuals in many countries and provides a widely used and consistent definition of ICT skills. SFIA is increasingly being used when developing job descriptions and role profiles. ACS members can use the tool MySFIA to build a skills profile.
This unit contributes to the following workplace skills as defined by SFIA 9 (the SFIA code is included):
- Business Intelligence (BINT)
- Business Situation Analysis (BUSA)
- Data Management (DATM)
- Emerging Technology Monitoring (EMRG)
- Feasibility Assessment (FEAS)
- Technology Service Management (ITMG)
- Problem Management (PBMG)
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Presentation - 20% | ||||||
| 2 - Practical Assessment - 30% | ||||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 50% | ||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||||
| 10 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||||
| 11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Office software (e.g. Microsoft Office, Open Office etc)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
g.galea@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
IT Impact on Business
Chapter
Various sources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Gaining Competitive Advantage
Chapter
Various sources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Managing IT Infrastructure
Chapter
Various sources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Submission: Quiz 1, 2 and 3 due Sunday 11.45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Artificial Intelligence in Business Systems
Chapter
Various sources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Submission: Quiz 4 due Sunday 11.45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Electronic Commerce
Chapter
Various sources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Submission: Quiz 5 due Sunday 11.45 pm AEST
Video Presentation Due: Week 5 Friday (10 Apr 2026) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Communication and Collaboration
Chapter
Various sources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Submission: Quiz 6 due Sunday 11.45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Business Intelligence
Chapter
Various Sources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Submission: Quiz 7 due Sunday 11.45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Enterprise Solutions
Chapter
Various sources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Submission: Quiz 8 due Sunday 11.45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Business Management Systems
Chapter
Various sources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Submission: Quiz 9 due Sunday 11.45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Acquiring Business Systems
Chapter
Various sources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Submission: Quiz 10 due Sunday 11.45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Securing Business Systems
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Oral Presentations Due
Module/Topic
Unit Review
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Unit Coordinator: Gitte Galea
Office: Cairns Campus
Email: g.galea@cqu.edu.au
1 Presentation
The objective of this assessment is to demonstrate your understanding of the acquisition and development of information systems by providing a recommendation for a common business problem. This requires you to critically think about the problem, communicate the problem analysis, and your recommendation in the form of a cost-benefit spreadsheet, written report and short video presentation.
You will demonstrate information technology competence using Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel to prepare your report and present it in a professional format.
You will then present your cost-benefit analysis spreadsheet and recommendation in a pre-recorded video.
This assessment uses the default 72-hour grace period after the deadline.
Please refer to the Moodle unit website for more details.
Students who receive 45-50% marks for this assessment will be allowed one re-attempt, supplied with new data.
AI ASSESSMENT SCALE - AI PLANNING
You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have
developed and refined these ideas.
Week 5 Friday (10 Apr 2026) 11:45 pm AEST
Within two weeks of submission
You will demonstrate your communication skills via a written report, well formatted spreadsheet using the template provided, and professional pre-recorded video presentation. In your video you will present your cost-benefit analysis spreadsheet, discuss the findings and your recommendation.
You are required to submit three files to Moodle:
1. Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet (cost-benefit spreadsheet)
2. Microsoft Word Business Report
3. Video file uploaded via Echo 360
Please refer to the Moodle unit website for more details.
- Illustrate the acquisition and development of information systems
- Develop report writing and communication skills in expressing and exchanging ideas, views and arguments using charts, graphs and presentation software.
2 Practical Assessment
This assessment requires you to complete a weekly online quiz designed to receive formative feedback. The quiz covers key content from each week and supports the development of your AI literacy skills. Quizzes are due at the end of each week on Sunday as stated in the Assessment Task Guide on Moodle, except for the first three quizzes, which are due at the end of Week 3 to accommodate late enrolments.
Re-attempts of this assessment are not allowed. This assessment is exempt from the 72-hour submission grace period extension and must be completed by the stated submission date/time.
Please refer to the Moodle unit website for more details.
AI ASSESSMENT SCALE - AI COLLABORATION
You may use Al to assist with specific tasks such as drafting text, refining and evaluating your work. You must critically evaluate and modify any Al-generated content you use. When using AI for editing, you must acknowledge the use of AI tools and both the 'before' and 'after' (the AI editing) versions of the document.
Must be completed by the stated submission date/time.
Within two weeks of submission.
Responses in the quiz will be assessed according to the degree to which you demonstrate your capability in meeting the following marking criteria:
- An understanding of the material and concepts
- Critical consideration and review of the main issues and points involved
- An ability to construct logical, coherent, rational arguments to support your propositions, assertions or opinions
- An ability to use the theory and other material to support your arguments
- A capacity to critically evaluate the topic material and not just repeat information without analysing or comprehending it
- Explain basic information systems concepts in the context of business organisations
- Demonstrate the impact of information systems on inter-organisational processes
- Discuss human factors associated with the use of computerised information systems, including managerial, ethical and social considerations
- Identify how information systems affect organisations and enable social innovation
- Develop report writing and communication skills in expressing and exchanging ideas, views and arguments using charts, graphs and presentation software.
3 Written Assessment
Your task is to investigate how technology supports a business organisation and provide a business report and oral presentation on your findings. Each student must select one organisation from the list provided in the Assessment Task Guide on Moodle and complete an individual report. Once you have chosen your business, email your Unit Coordinator to confirm your selection. You must choose your organisation by Friday of Week 3.
To complement your report, design and deliver an oral presentation on the business organisation you have chosen. You will deliver your oral presentation during your Week 11 tutorial or at another scheduled time in Week 11 arranged with the Unit Coordinator. Your presentation will highlight the most important findings and provide a concise conclusion. In the presentation, you are required to demonstrate an understanding of the business organisation (with critical context) and, demonstrate your presentation skills.
Re-attempts of this assessment are not allowed. This assessment uses the default 72-hour grace period after the deadline.
Please refer to the Moodle unit website for more details.
AI ASSESSMENT SCALE - AI COLLABORATION
You may use Al to assist with specific tasks such as drafting text, refining and evaluating your work. You must critically evaluate and modify any Al-generated content you use.
Week 12 Friday (5 June 2026) 11:45 pm AEST
On the day of Certification of Grades
The report and oral presentation will be assessed according to the degree to which you demonstrate your capability in meeting the following marking criteria:
- Selection and use of relevant/scholarly/academic articles and books
- Content and argument
- Communication, presentation and referencing skills
Please refer to the Moodle unit website for more details about this business report.
- Explain basic information systems concepts in the context of business organisations
- Demonstrate the impact of information systems on inter-organisational processes
- Discuss human factors associated with the use of computerised information systems, including managerial, ethical and social considerations
- Identify how information systems affect organisations and enable social innovation
- Illustrate the acquisition and development of information systems
- Develop report writing and communication skills in expressing and exchanging ideas, views and arguments using charts, graphs and presentation software.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
