ECON1555: Business Data Analytics

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raduate School of Business and Law

ECON1555: Business Data Analytics

Assessment 2: Business Analytics Case Study

Overview

This assessment takes the form of case study analysis. The case study develops your ability to provide both high level insights into the business operation as well as make observations on detailed data. To complete this task, you are expected to demonstrate basic analytical capability which you’ll apply to the mining case study. Simple key data is provided which you will analyse to provide observations and business insights into the mining operation.

Assessment criteria and weighting

• Evidence of addressing the objectives of the case study for the assignment (8 points).
• Ability to identify and apply appropriate methods and data analysis techniques (9 points).
• Provide evidence of the analysis with appropriate details. (8 points).
• Quality of the style and structure (5 points).

Learning Outcomes

After completion of this assessment you should be able to:

• Research and critique business problems using a suitable paradigm and associated methodologies and methods and techniques.
• Analyse business data by applying data analytics techniques and models to develop business intelligence.
• Interpret business data and generate ethical and innovative solutions based on data analytics results.
• Assessment details Case Study Context: Open-Pit Mining This assessment exercise relates to “open-pit” (or “open-cast”) mining – a surface mining technique (in the open air) performed using heavy-duty mobile equipment to extract valuable mineral ore for later beneficiation and sale. • Effective and profitable open-pit mining revolves around the efficient use of costly equipment to perform a drill and blast process, and subsequently a load and haul process. • Equipment is costly both from a capital and operational expenditure perspective. • Mines often have a costly overhead component and rely on large volumes of ore throughput to operate profitably. Inefficiencies that decrease ore throughput and increase costs are a challenge that all open-pit mines face. • Equipment incurs a monthly fixed cost that is independent of the amount of ore extracted (even if the equipment is not used) as well as a variable cost component arising from fuels, lubricating agents, maintenance, and other metrics that are related to the use of equipment. Objectives • In this case study, you are expected to demonstrate some basic analytical capability applied to a mining case study for an open-pit coal mining operation. Simple key data is provided which you should analyse to provide any observations or insights you may draw into the operation. • A CSV file is provided with detailed truck information for a period of one day. This is described in more detail in the attached slides on the case study . The Excel spreadsheet provided contains the necessary detail for the summary monthly mining and financial data for the operation. • In this case study, Business Science Corporation (BSC) management will be looking at processing information to assist them in making the appropriate decision when evaluating how to optimise the trucks (i.e. you are required to process the given information and provide us with a suggested areas of improvement truck efficiency). • Firstly, the management would like you to review and assess whether there are any trends that they can identify from Geospatial Data over time (such as time spent during activities, sensitivities, ratios / rates, etc.). This table can be found in the attached Excel file under the “Truck Geospatial Output” tab. • Secondly, the management would like you to process the financial information and identify the reasons for the difference between budget and actual. Provide suggestions on improving the budgeting process and the benefits of improving operations (e.g. create three scenarios indicating how your suggestions will improve the financial position of the mine) • Lastly, the management is looking to see your presentation using 6 slides (in Power Point) in which you present your findings to the team (use numbers, charts and graphs to support your findings). To be clear this is 6 slides of context, charts or graphs; title / agenda slides can be additional to this. Please use Excel for all your analysis and submit the modified Excel file along with Word document containing your analysis electronically via the course Canvas.

  Communicate business solutions professionally and effectively to a varied set of stakeholders

Referencing guidelines

You must acknowledge all the courses of information you have used in your assessments.

Refer to the RMIT Easy Cite referencing tool to see examples and tips on how to reference in the appropriated style. You can also refer to the library referencing page for more tools such as EndNote, referencing tutorials and referencing guides for printing.

Use RMIT Harvard referencing style for this assessment.

Submission format

Upload your analysis document i(in a single Word or Pdf file) along with the modified Excel datasheet via the Assignments submission page within Canvas. 

NOTE: It is strongly recommended that you use the Canvas Studio tool to record and save your presentation. For guidance and support on using this tool to submit your assignment please follow this link: https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-9656-50736655688

Academic integrity and plagiarism

Academic integrity is about honest presentation of your academic work. It means acknowledging the work of others while developing your own insights, knowledge and ideas.

You should take extreme care that you have:

• Acknowledged words, data, diagrams, models, frameworks and/or ideas of others you have quoted (i.e. directly copied), summarised, paraphrased, discussed or mentioned in your assessment through the appropriate referencing methods,
• Provided a reference list of the publication details so your reader can locate the source if necessary. This includes material taken from Internet sites.
• If you do not acknowledge the sources of your material, you may be accused of plagiarism because you have passed off the work and ideas of another person without appropriate referencing, as if they were your own.

RMIT University treats plagiarism as a very serious offence constituting misconduct.

Plagiarism covers a variety of inappropriate behaviours, including:

• Failure to properly document a source
• Copyright material from the internet or databases
• Collusion between students.
• For further information on our policies and procedures, please refer to the University website.

Assessment declaration

When you submit work electronically, you agree to the Assessment declaration.

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