Overview of the Assignment:

The objective of this assignment is to allow student groups to apply the concepts taught in class and further their knowledge on IT and networking. When doing research beyond lesson materials, students are encouraged to check the validity of the sources before using it in the assignment.

This assignment will make use of what you have learnt in:

Read the following articles on Singapore’s digital  push to adapt and drive digital transformation within the Accountancy sector:

Article (1):Accountancy Industry Digital Plan (imda.gov.sg)

Article (2):Accountancy-IDP (imda.gov.sg)

Abacus Accountants LLP (“AALLP”), a well-known Mid-Tier accountancy practice, was established in 2007. Since then,AALLP has grown into one of the leading accountancy firms providing a full spectrum of professional services in Singapore. The firm is led by Mr. Aaron Ang (Managing  Partner) and  has a team of thirty (30) competent and qualified chartered accountants with experience in accounting, auditing, company incorporation, transaction structuring advice, corporate secretarial, and business tax advisory services.

Over the years, AALLP has undertaken innovative business improvement initiatives aimed at raising capabilities and standards to exceed the expectations of their clients, and stakeholders. To prepare for the future, AALLP intends to grow digitally and make the most of digital solutions to improve operations and generate new revenue by participating  in  SMEs  Go  Digital  Programme  initiated  by  IMDA  Singapore  and  is looking to hire Project Management Consultant to acquire and setup necessary digital infrastructure at their premises.

To qualify for this role, your team must demonstrate a broad understanding of IT and networking and how you would go about setting up the IT infrastructure for them.

Your task is to write a report that explains IT and networking concepts and a brief proposal to meet their current and future needs.

Task Instructions

1.  Make sure your report is related to AALLP and Articles (1) and (2).

2.  Please make use of definitions and concepts taught in ITS D003. You are allowed to  use  external  sources  to  further  support  the  concepts  but  not  replace  the definitions.

3.  You are advised to read and follow the Report Instructions in Annex A. Failure to do so will result in deduction of up to 20% of the total marks.

4.  The marking rubric for the assignment is provided in Annex B.

PART A (20%)

(i)     Write  a  summary, in  at  least  500  words, for Articles  (1)  and  (2).  In your summary, describe, with examples, Accountancy Industry Digital Plan, its importance, and impact, and the Accountancy Sector Roadmap that can be adopted by Small and Medium-sized Accountancy Practices (SMPs) in Singapore.

(ii)     List, describe and discuss, in at least 500 words, what are the essential digital solutions which the SMPs should consider at different stages of the Digital Roadmap  and  how  each  of  the  solutions  will  benefit  the  firms  in  digital transformation.

PART B (40%)

Abacus Accountants LLP (“AALLP”) is a full-service accounting firm that specialises in providing the services beyond the highest level of excellence to all its clients. It highly values all its clients and to ensure that its clients get the best yet economical services, it depends on its five partners including the managing partner Mr. Aaron Ang, thirty (30) qualified chartered accountants and twenty (20) staff in administrative and customer service roles.

Figure  1 below shows the floor plan of Abacus Accountants LLP’s premises. The managing partner Mr. Ang has decided to replace and upgrade all the IT systems and Network  infrastructure  appropriate  to  fully  implement  the  Digital  Roadmap  as discussed in PART A.

Your team’s task as their Project Management Consultant would be to propose, design and deploy the IT systems and the network infrastructure for their office located in Singapore’s Central Business District.

Propose and justify, in at least 1500 words, the appropriate set of IT systems and network infrastructure that will support AALLP to streamline its operations to improve productivity and maximize value to its customers.

Your proposal should include, with justification:

I.     an  itemized  list  of  computing  hardware  such  as  the  servers  for  various applications, desktops / laptops, smartphones / tablets, and printers based on the staff working for the firm,

II.     an   itemized   list  of  media  and  security  devices/systems  such  as  smart televisions and security cameras,

III.     an itemized list of network interconnection devices such as routers, switches, hubs, access points, nodes etc.), and

IV.     a simple network topology diagram that shows:

a.  the type of internet source (e.g., ADSL or fibre broadband),

b.  how the devices listed above are linked together through interconnection devices, and

c.  the wired / wireless media selected to provide network access to the devices above, and the advantages / disadvantages of each media.

Note: You can illustrate your proposal with a Network Diagram by using draw.io or PowerPoint icons from this link:

(https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en_us/about/ac50/ac47/icon-library-production- oct2016.zip)

PART C (30%)

While discussing and evaluating your team’s project proposal as prepared in PART B, Mr. Ang referred you to sections 5 of the Article (2) andAccountancy Future Leaders Programme (acra.gov.sg)which describes the “Digital Skills Needed” to support the digitalization journey for the staff and leaders of the accountancy firm.

To ensure that AALLP is well prepared to reap the benefits of digital transformation, Mr. Ang requested your team to study and analyse the skills and knowledge required and propose a digital training roadmap based on your team’s project proposal.

Your team’s task is to propose a training roadmap for all the job roles and leaders of AALLP. In this proposal:

(i)   List and justify, in at least 500 words, the broad-based digital literacy training required for all staff, and solution-specific training for relevant staff.

(ii)  List and justify, in at least 500 words, the higher proficiency training required for advanced users of the proposed digital solutions.

Report Instructions

Format

1.   The report should have a cover page, content page, introduction, write-up on the task,

conclusion, references, and appendices (if any).

2.   The cover page should include:

i.      Institution name and institution logo of this programme

ii.      Module name, term, and year

iii.      Date of submission

iv.      Each team members name and student ID number

3.   Start each section on a separate page. Task write-up must be in paragraph form. Bulleted points and tables may only be used to support the answer.

4.   The references and citations should be presented in Harvard style. Reference list should include at least FIVE (5) references.

Report Word Limit

4000 words including introduction, conclusions, and references.

Report Font and Spacing

Font: Calibri, Black

Font size: 12 with 1½ or double spacing

Penalty Marks for Late Submission

Late by one day: 20% of the total marks will be deducted.

Late by more than one day: submission will NOT be graded.

Plagiarism and Collusion

The submitted report must show evidence that this is assignment group’s own work. ZERO MARKS will be awarded if there are no workings, reasonable explanations, or citations. Please be reminded that plagiarism and collusion is a serious offence, and all cases will be referred to the administration. Grades will be withheld if the submission is suspected of plagiarism or collusion till investigations are completed.

Important Deadlines

CA003 Written Report Deadline: 14 August 2023, 11.59am. Submit the softcopy of your report via CANVAS.

Marking Rubric

The marking rubric for the written report can be found in Annex B of this document. Please understand the marking rubric carefully and allocate your time accordingly.

Lecturer Contact

You should contact your lecturer via your SIM email whenever you have any issue about your assignment. You may send your email through CANVAS CN module site.