Introduction This one assignment within the module will address all of the module’s learning outcomes. You are required to produce a report that addresses the five Tasks below. All five Tasks are related to Kool Kutz. An overview of the business is provided below. However, if you make any assumptions then you must identify these in your answers. Assignment Kool Kutz is a hairdressing company that has twenty-five branches across the country. The main branch in the city centre houses the Administration/Management Offices on the first floor and the hair and beauty salon on the ground floor. The Owner/MD, Financial Controller, Sales Director, Operations Director and two part-time administrators work in the Administration/Management Offices. In most of the salons there are six hair and beauty specialists (one of whom doubles up as Office Manager), and two full-time receptionists. Management of customer appointments, staffing requirements and staff bonuses is carried out at local branches and summary information sent by email to the main Administration/Management Offices on a weekly basis. Each local branch is equipped with a PC with general office software. The Owner/MD has noticed that customer preferences have changed over the last few years and she has decided on a strategic plan to take the company nation-wide. In pursuit of this goal she has decided to develop a brand image for the company by having centralised services that will control customer appointments, staff contracts and pay/bonuses. This will ensure, she believes, a consistency in service for its customers and thus help in developing the company brand. The Managing Director is aware that centralising the core activities by integrating the branch administration will require investment in information technology and systems. The Managing Director has commissioned your IT Company to produce a draft project plan that will realise her aims. She has set aside $250,000 (US) for the project that requires implementation of the IT/IS system within six months. You can make any other assumptions, but these must be made clear in your report. Additionally, the report must address the following Tasks: Task 1 – 15 Marks Identify the possible information systems requirements for Kool Kutz. Provide a short discussion on the constraints within which information system requirements will be specified. Your answer should address technical and non-technical issues. Task 2 – 25 Marks Using the Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), develop a project plan for Kool Kutz that will meet the stated aims. It is not necessary to provide a detailed project plan but more important to identify and provide a succinct summary of the key stages. a) In broad terms discuss how your plan will meet the stated aims of the project. b) Provide a short summary of each of the key stages of your project plan. c) Provide a short discussion on the importance of timescales and resource allocation. d) Identify the resources and timescales for each activity of your project. Task 3 – 20 Marks Identify the potential problems that may occur (technical and non-technical) during the implementation of the proposed system. In relation to your project plan, explain how effective leadership can overcome some of the problems that are likely to occur in implementing your plan. Task 4 – 20 Marks It has been suggested that many of the problems associated with project management can be overcome by effective means of communication. a) Identify and summarise key principles of effective communication. b) Identify and explain the types of communication problems your plan may encounter and explain how effective communication methods can alleviate these. Task 5 – 20 Marks Mentoring and coaching can be useful tools to assist in overcoming potential non-technical problems. Identify the difference between ‘mentoring’ and ‘coaching'', and explain how they can be used to overcome non-technical problems in your plan. Submission Requirements Candidates must: • Submit their work in a single word-processed report of no approximately 5000 words, excluding appendices. • Produce clear and specific reasoning and argument to justify answers. • Make appropriate reference to relevant concepts, techniques and theories • Appropriately cite all information sources. • Include project plan in the appendices. Important Notes: ?? You must familiarise yourself with the NCC Education Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism Policy and ensure that you acknowledge all the sources which you us in your work. ?? Please make a note of the recommended word count. You could lose marks if you write 10% more or less than this. ?? You must submit a paper copy and digital copy (on disk or similarly acceptable medium). Media containing viruses, or media which cannot be run directly, will result in a fail grade being awarded for this module. ?? All electronic media will be checked for plagiarism.