As discerning individuals, we frequently engage in an evaluation process. For example, before we make any major purchase, be it a house, a car, or a computer, we will evaluate/compare the purchase by examining similarities and differences between two or more items that make the most sense based on our own perceptions of value for money. Even a decision on which restaurant to eat at will involve comparing different features between restaurants such as the menu choice or ease of parking. For this assessment, you will engage in a thorough evaluation/comparison and write an internal document (memo) based on your findings. The purpose of this assessment is to teach you the skills of writing an effective evaluation/comparison.

Assessment task

Managers in almost every organisation have incorporated the Internet as a part of their information technology strategies. Most large organisations, and many small ones, are involved in some type of e-business (commonly defined as any business that takes place by digital processes over a computer network).

Your boss, the CEO of Silk Road Furnishings, a retail business that imports premium home furnishings from China and India, selling them through their stores in Melbourne and Sydney, is considering expansion; however, there are two schools of thought. One is to duplicate the success with more ‘physical stores', by expansion to Brisbane and Auckland. Others feel that the expansion and investment should be through the establishment of an online store.

Until now, the online presence has been just a small website without even much of a catalogue. In order to make a decision between these two strategies, your boss has asked you to review the online presence and physical store presence of any retail company already operating in these two markets. The aim of the evaluation is to identify the similarities and differences of having an online and physical store presence. You will need to visit the selected physical store. While there, take notes about the strengths and weaknesses of the operation based on your selected criteria that you will use to compare with the online presence.

Each student will need to select a different retailer to avoid duplication.

Based on your evaluation, you will need to inform your boss if expansion should be more physical stores or not. Your conclusion will form the thesis for your evaluation. Please note that your task is to evaluate, not make recommendations.

Please follow these guidelines to complete the assessment:

1. Whenever you are asked to evaluate something, the first step is to identify appropriate criteria (note: criteria is plural; criterion is singular) or perspectives. Your selected criteria will be the standard by which the specific features of the sources of information you review will be evaluated. As such, your selected criteria needs to reflect the desired standard; for example, ‘start-up costs', ‘service'.

2. Generate a short list of ideas for each perspective. (Strengths physical stores advantages)

3. Use the point-by-point structure.
A point-by-point structure takes each point related to the central question in the writing task in turn. It compares the items in the writing task in relation to each point.
(This will be discussed in your tutorial session). Online students will be sent guidelines.

4. Organise your ideas into a memo format.

5. Write your introduction.

6. Write the body of the memo using your structure and outline. Include language of comparison and contrast.

7. Write your conclusion.

8. Submit Assessment 2 to Turnitin via the Blackboard site no later that the due date: Friday 18th August, 11.00pm (QLD time).

9. Refer to the Marking Criteria Guide and Marking Rubriclocated in this document.

10. Your methodology should include both personal observation based on a visit to a retail store, as well as Internet research.

PRIOS/CDT brief for Assessment 2:

1. Purpose: The purpose for this document is to evaluate libraries and the Internet as the two main sources of information for use in academic research

2. Readers: Your boss (the CEO of Silk Road Furnishings).

3. Information: Based on Internet research.

4. Organization: Direct order approach (start with you most significant criterion, etc.)

5. Style: Formal. Focus on being clear and concise, not flowery or overly-descriptive. Be sure to proofread carefully to ensure that there are no sentence-level errors such as spelling mistakes, wrong word choice, incorrect punctuation, etc.

6. Channel choice: Written document.

7. Document design: Memo format.

8. Length: 750 words.