The Hometown Deli was established by your grandfather in 1952 in your hometown.  It offers many different kinds of specialized coffees, teas, a full service bakery, homemade soups, sandwiches, and salads. The Deli has been a local hotspot for many years and has served as a community gathering place.  Your grandfather recently retired from the business and has asked you to take it over.  You are very excited about this opportunity!

Unfortunately, business has been steadily declining over the last five years. Although your grandfather was an expert at running the deli, it is outdated. There are no computers in the store and all ordering takes place manually. Your grandfather had a terrific memory and knew all of his customers by name, but unfortunately, none of this information is located anywhere in the store. The family recipes for the baked goods and soups are also stored in your grandfather’s memory. Inventory is tracked in a note pad, along with employee payroll, and marketing coupons. The Deli does not have a Web site, uses very little marketing except word-of-mouth, and essentially still operates the same as it did in 1952.

Throughout this course you will own and operate Hometown Deli, taking advantage of business practices discussed in the class, the Course Modules and the textbook to increase profits, keep the business running, and bring the Deli into the 21st century.

Note:  As you approach these assignments, you will find it helpful to think about your own experiences with a local deli or sandwich shop.  Making a trip to a local deli may help you think about the processes, challenges, and opportunities.

Upon completion of these assignments you will have performed an array of activities to demonstrate your ability to apply the course content to a “real world situation” to:

• Analyze the business environment and identify strategic areas for improvement  (Stage 1)

•  Propose an appropriate technology solution to improve a selected business process (Stage 2)

•   Evaluate various IT considerations of the proposed technology solution (Stage 3)

•   Communicate your solution and the IT considerations to stakeholders using a presentation format (Stage 4)

•   Identify and explain the next steps in implementing the solution (Stage 5)

The case study and assignments address the Course Outcomes to enable you to:

•   analyze business strategy to recognize how technology solutions enable strategic outcomes

•   analyze internal and external business processes to identify information systems requirements

•   identify and plan IT solutions that meet business objectives.

STAGED ASSIGNMENTS

The staged assignments are designed to follow the relevant course modules and chapters of the textbook in the class schedule, and are due on the dates shown in the Syllabus.

Stage 1 Project:  Business Environment Analysis (Word document with analysis)

Stage 2 Project:  Technology-Supported Solution Proposal (Word document with proposed solution)

Stage 3 Project:  Template for IT Considerations (Word table)

Stage 4 Project:  Executive Briefing Presentation (PowerPoint Presentation on proposed solution)

Stage 5 Project:  Outline of Next Steps (Word document outline with next steps)

The weight of the assignments is shown in the Course Syllabus. The due dates are shown in the Course Schedule.

Because these assignments require you to use Microsoft Word and PowerPoint (as indicated in the instructions), you may need to “brush up” on your familiarity with these or use functions that perhaps are new to you.  Therefore, do not wait until the last minute to begin an activity.  You should read through all the assignments in advance to ensure you (1) understand what is expected, and (2) allow enough time to effectively create the information being requested.

Assignments for stages 1, 2 and 5 require external research, outside of the textbook.  The grading rubric is included with each assignment.

These assignments are designed to help you identify how to effectively analyze and interpret information to improve the business.  This is an opportunity for you to apply critical thinking skills and think like a business professional.  When you are writing a paper or developing a presentation, prepare it as if it is going to a boss that you want to impress with your knowledge and abilities.  Don’t just go through the mechanics of pulling together information — think about what you are doing, why you’re doing it, whether it make sense, whether the information seems realistic, and what the results show.  Support your recommendations with your research.

One of the prerequisites for this course is that you have a fundamental working knowledge of word processing and presentation software.  Detailed instructions for each Staged Project, 1 through 5, are separately posted in the Course Content area.  You must prepare each assignment in the indicated format (i.e., memo, report, presentation or other specified format) and submit it as an attachment through your individual Assignments Folder in WebTycho.  No credit will be given for assignments submitted in file formats other than those stated in the assignment instructions.

Additional Information

There is a significant amount of information available to you to assist in developing your skills in using the Microsoft Office Products.  MS Word and PowerPoint are required for these exercises.  The textbook comes with access to the publisher’s website (http://www.mhhe.com/baltzan) where there are a number of resources, including Tech Plug-Ins for Office 2003, 2007 and 2010.  Don’t hesitate to use the on-line help and wizard tools built into the MS Office applications for help as you work with the software tools.  There are also other web sites, such aswww.eHow.com, and www.microsoft.com that provide tips.  Even YouTube has some useful videos demonstrating various techniques.