Charles Darwin University (CDU) (http://www.cdu.edu.au) was created on 1 January 2004 from the amalgamation of Northern Territory University (NTU) of Darwin and Centralian College of Alice Springs. CDUis an Australian public university with about 22,083 students as of 2011. The University offers a wide range of Higher Education degrees and Vocational Education and Training courses with flexible study options, including part-time, external and online.CDU has campuses in the Darwin suburb of Casuarina, the city of Palmerston, and the towns of Alice Springs, Katherine and Nhulunbuy, with smaller training centres in Jabiru, Tennant Creek and Yulara (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Darwin_University)
Unfortunately, despite the ongoing development outlined above. CDU finds it difficult to expand its services and improve profitability of the infrastructure. Due to the following factors:
• Many of the NT school graduates are living far away from the campuses and are not able to attend classes on a regular basis
• CDU programs are well-designed but few of the Interstate and International students are keen to undertake the programs due to the lack of interest in living in NT
In the light of the 2 obstacles to further growth & development outlined above. CDU is currently considering the possibility of making their programs available online via Open University (www.open.edu.au) and Seek Learning (http://www.seeklearning.com.au). However, the CDU management board does not have any experience in online learning and consequently no idea how to get started.
Your task here is to produce a compelling business report and argument to convince the CDU management board and other senior management that the effective use of IS/IT will be instrumental in making this project successful. You should specifically identify at least three (3) IS/IT applications that would be appropriate for the business in that regard. You may make any assumptions that are appropriate for the case as long as you note them in your report.
You should draw on case studies from other companies, perhaps in dissimilar industries, to help produce a persuasive, well-supported, superbly referenced, and robust defence of your position. Remember that your answers are to be demonstrations of the application of what you have learned in the subject to a real world business.
Rationale
The essay relates to all learning outcomes (subject objectives) and provides an opportunity for you to:
· demonstrate factual knowledge, understanding and the application of technology related issues;
· demonstrate coherent and logical presentation of issues in information systems (IS) and information technology (IT);
· demonstrate research andbusiness reportwriting skills;
· demonstrate knowledge and application of appropriate terminology;
· demonstrate ability to integrate and apply information from various topics and to apply understanding and knowledge to a practical situation;
· demonstrate a clear understanding of the IS/IT and management issues.