NMIMS Semester 4 December 2024 ITSM Assignments
Business: Ethics, Governance & Risk
Q1. “Business should conduct and govern themselves with integrity, and in a manner that is ethical, transparent and accountable” (Principle 1). Prepare an executive summary (in your own words) based on the disclosures given under Essential Indicators and Leadership Indicators, to showcase how the company is delivering on this principle from the Business Responsibility & Sustainability Report – 2023-24 (BRSR) of a company of your choice. You will find this report under Director’s Report section. Please select any ONE company that is listed as Large Cap. For this selection you must refer to the NSE’s Nifty 50 list by market cap. It is required that you include the name of the company in the brief introduction at the beginning. You must also go through the website of the company as well as its sustainability report, if available in public domain for relevant information on Principle 1. DO NOT copy paste.
Q2. Go through the ‘Management Discussion & Analysis’ section under the Director’s Report in the annual report (FY2023-24) of the company selected in question1 and prepare an executive summary (in your own words) on the following two topics:
Opportunities and threat
Internal control systems & their adequacy
You must mention the name of the company. DO NOT copy paste.
Q3. As Head of Sales in a medium size consumer durables company selling cooling systems and air conditioners you have just bagged a Rs 75 lac worth of order from an out-of-town company, (their first order with you). The purchase executive of the client company agrees to confirm the order on the condition that you will agree to pay for his and his wife’s travel and stay in your city, while visiting your office for finalizing and signing of the contract.
3a. What do you think are the ethical dilemmas involved in this scenario?
3b. Describe the process you will adopt to resolve the dilemmas in this scenario?
Research Methodology
Q1. Samsung mobile phones have been facing a significant decline in market share over the past one year in India, despite the growing overall demand for Mobile Phones. The company’s sales have decreased by 12%, while competitors have seen a growth of 18% in the same period. This decline is affecting the company’s profitability and brand position in the market. This decline is occurring despite an overall increase in industry demand. The problem impacts the company’s profitability, brand strength, and market position. Which type of research study is above and what can be the research questions for this study? Explain which research design you will follow and why?
Q2. You are working in the HR department of Havells India; who have 15 state-of-the- art manufacturing plants spread across 8 locations in India. You have to study the relationship of Annual Increment (three levels 5%, 8% and 10%) and employee productivity (in units). Explain the design of experiment, independent, dependent and extraneous variable (assume any) for the study. What can be the potential threat to internal and external validity in this experiment?
Q3. In recent years, the financial landscape has witnessed significant transformations driven by advances in technology and the widespread adoption of online banking platforms. The emergence of online banking has revolutionized the way consumers engage with banks. With the increasing adoption of digital banking channels, it is crucial to assess how traditional banking methods are affected in terms of customer behavior, service demand, Trust, Security, operational adjustments and the response to the socio-demography of consumers.
a. Develop a comprehensive research plan to compare customer satisfaction and service efficiency between online and offline banking.
b. Develop a Structured questionnaire for this study.
Digital Payments
Q1. Analyze the factors driving the widespread adoption of digital wallets among consumers and businesses, highlighting key benefits and functionalities they offer. Evaluate the potential challenges and risks associated with the use of digital wallets and Discuss strategies to mitigate these challenges and enhance the trustworthiness and resilience of digital wallet systems.
Q2. Analyze the factors contributing to the rise of Bitcoin as a decentralized digital currency. Assess the potential benefits and challenges of Bitcoin’s integration into the traditional financial landscape. Discuss the key technological innovations that underpin Bitcoin’s decentralized nature, including blockchain technology and cryptographic principles.
A local bakery has decided to implement digital payment options alongside its traditional cash-based transactions to accommodate changing consumer preferences and enhance convenience for its customers.
a) Assess the factors influencing the local bakery’s decision to adopt digital payments. Analyze the potential benefits and challenges associated with integrating digital payment solutions into the bakery’s operations.
b) Investigate how the introduction of digital payment options affects transaction volume, average transaction value, and customer retention. Discuss strategies the bakery can employ to maximize the benefits of digital payments while mitigating any challenges or risks
IT Security and Risk Management
Q1. What is the definition of Information Security, and how does it encompass the principles of confidentiality, integrity, and availability (commonly known as the CIA triad)? Why is maintaining information security critical in various industries and environments, such as business, healthcare, government, and education? Discuss the potential risks and consequences when one or more aspects of the CIA triad are compromised, providing specific examples or scenarios where these principles play a crucial role in protecting sensitive information and ensuring organizational resilience. Also explain how best practices in information security can help organizations mitigate threats, safeguard data, and maintain operational continuity.
Q2. Imagine you’re a cybersecurity consultant tasked with improving the access control system for a multinational corporation. In this scenario, the company operates in multiple regions with diverse workforce demographics, including remote employees, contractors, and on-site staff. Your objective is to enhance the existing access control mechanisms to ensure robust security while accommodating the organization’s dynamic environment. Describe the identification and authentication techniques you would recommend for this scenario. Provide examples of specific authentication methods, such as passwords, biometrics, multifactor authentication (MFA), and single sign-on (SSO), and explain their suitability in different usage scenarios within the corporation. Additionally, discuss any potential challenges or limitations associated with implementing these techniques on a large scale and propose strategies to address them effectively.
Q3. You are a cybersecurity analyst working for a major financial institution that has experienced several security incidents in recent months. The incidents include unauthorized access to sensitive customer information, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, and malware infections that have caused significant operational disruptions. In this scenario, you are tasked with preparing a report for the company’s executive team, explaining the differences between security threats, attacks, and vulnerabilities.
a) Describe the common types of security threats and attacks that can affect a financial institution like yours, outlining their potential impacts on data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Provide examples of specific threats such as phishing, ransomware, DDoS, SQL injection, and insider threats.
b) Explain how these threats differ from vulnerabilities, and why understanding the distinction is critical for effective cybersecurity strategy. Highlight typical sources of vulnerabilities, like outdated software, misconfigurations, or weak access controls, and describe how vulnerabilities can be exploited by various security threats and attacks. Conclude your report with recommendations for mitigating these threats, addressing vulnerabilities, and strengthening the organization’s overall security posture.
Managing Business Process Outsourcing
1. Your company, Acme Inc., is considering outsourcing its customer service department to a BPO provider in another country. You are the project manager responsible for selecting the best BPO partner. What key areas will you assess in your due diligence process? What specific steps will you take to gather information?
2 Describe the key factors a company should consider when developing a capability sourcing strategy.
3. BBC stands for the British Broadcasting Corporation, is a public service broadcaster which is headquartered in London. It is the world’s oldest and largest broadcasting company. It is recognised under the Royal Charter and operates for state for Culture, Media and Sport. It is often referred as ‘the Beeb’ by UK audiences. It has another nickname also, i.e. ‘Auntie’. Therefore, the two names may be clubbed together to be called as ‘Auntie Beeb’.
The BBC is a productive, extremely capable company which has won many awards for the outsourcing business. It serves a number of facilities like business process outsourcing, information technology, facilities management and serving the clients as per their needs. It generates the maximum customer centric vision so as to achieve maximum value to the company. According to Dave Wyer, Strategic Supplier Development Manager, Outsourcing Yearbook 2015, BBC has ranked best in outsourcing relationships. However, BBC faces some challenges also. The organisation thinks although it is best in outsourcing the business solutions, it lacks behind in many other contracts. In spite of information technology, more services need to be provided such as cloud, robotics, multi channel, single sourced, multi sourced, etc. Therefore, to achieve this, intelligent and proactive management of services are needed. The company always looks for collaboration with existing partners to innovate new technologies and methods.
However, this scenario can sometimes become complex due to market conditions which makes it difficult to smoothly execute all operations together. In addition to this, the license fee is also fixed which makes the task difficult due to the fixed income stream.
Dave Wyer says, ‘if you are expanding the outsourcing with multiple suppliers, then each of it is adding a certain risk with the value to the organisation’. Therefore, all these risks must be identified and monitored clearly for their occurrence. Another factor for eveloping the risk is due to the value leakage, which everyone tries in the organisation to mitigate throughout the life cycle of the contract. Hence, so as to avoid this, close attention is needed at all stages of the business by all the members of the organisation involved in it.
To deal with all kinds of related risks, a forum has been developed alled ‘The STAR Forum’. The BBC STAR Forum is an organisation-wide group dealing with the bringing of all contract managers and the sponsors under a common roof, so as to have a clear vision of the business like what is going on in the business, etc. i.e. the complete inside and outside details of the business outsourcing deals. This forum meet is organised quarterly and attended by all the senior management people and board executives also.
This approach exemplifies the barriers and risks of the BB’s strategic decisions for the business and thereby improves the value for the organisation. It builds more partnership opportunities for the company by engaging the staff efficiently with the designed strategy. Using the forum, robust communication links provide the BBC management to perform portfolio analysis for risks and develop the plan as per the risk for the removal from the system.
a. While achieving success, the BBC also faces challenges. Based on the information provided, identify two key challenges faced by the BBC in its outsourcing endeavors and explain their potential impact.
b. Explain how the STAR Forum, as described in the case study, helps address the challenges faced by the BBC in its outsourcing strategy.
