The Business School, RMIT VN

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ECON1612: Big Data, Machine Learning and Society
(S1-2025)

Assessment 1: Role and Impact of Big Data and Machine Learning in a Specific
Industry (Individual Assignment)

Assessment type: Written report.

Due Date: Week 3, Friday, 21 March 2025 by 5:00pm (Vietnam time)

Weighting: 20%

Word limit: 1000 (+/- 10%). Exclude tables, figures, references.

Submission:
The following assignment format requirements must be met:
• To be submitted through Canvas
• Save your completed paper with "Assignment_1_ECON1612_CLASSGroup_Yourname.docx" as your
filename. Example: Assignment_1_ECON1612_SGSG01_Peter.docx
• Text should be justified, 1.5 line spacing, character size 12 point, Times New Roman font,1-inch margins. Please
note that an Appendix contains information that is not essential to your report but supports your analysis and
discussion. If you put important information or discussion in an appendix, it will not be marked.
• References should be presented using the RMIT modified Harvard (author-date) referencing system.
• Quotations and sources of figures should be referenced.
• Clearly defined sections and sub-sections.
• You need to submit Word file and MS Excel files (if applicable).

Please note that RMIT treats plagiarism very strictly. All your work will be checked by
RMIT Online Detection Plagiarism System (ODPS). I recommend you write the report in
your own words and cite the information sources properly.

Overview
In this assignment, you will select a specific business within your assigned industry operating in Vietnam. You
will explore how Big Data can address business challenges, focusing on statistical tools and model analysis.
Assessment criteria
Each question in the assessment is awarded a number of marks, as indicated in the question.
Course learning outcomes
This assessment is relevant to the following course learning outcomes:

CLO1 Apply modern statistical tools to big data sets to answer real-world business and economic
questions.

CLO2 Critically analyse the validity of statistical models to answer policy questions and identify when
causality can be inferred.

CLO3 Assess the strengths and weaknesses of Machine Learning methods the conditions under which
the methods should be used.
Assessment instructions

Step Description

1 Read through the questions below.

2 Answer each of the questions using the information you have been provided.

Submit your answers in Canvas by the due date. All Word, Excel files must be
3 submitted along with your answers. Recommend 01 submitted files:
1. Your answers in MS Word format. We will mark on this file.

HINT: When calculating your answers, you may find it is easier and quicker to use spreadsheet software
such as Excel or Google Sheets.
Submit multiple files on Canvas:
To submit multiple files, you click on “Add Another File” and submit your assignment answers in one go.

Remember to include all your working files in your submitted answers.

Warning: Do not submit multiple times. If so, the latest submission will overwrite the previous submission.
 ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS
In this assignment, you select a business of where big data play a crucial role. Here are some common industries:

0. Technology: This industry includes companies involved in software development, hardware

manufacturing, telecommunications, internet services, and electronic devices.
1. Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals: This industry includes companies engaged in medical
services, pharmaceutical manufacturing, biotechnology, healthcare equipment, and healthcare
providers.
2. Energy and Utilities: This industry encompasses companies involved in the production,
distribution, and supply of energy resources, such as oil and gas companies, electric utilities,
renewable energy companies, and water utilities.
3. Manufacturing and Industrial: This industry includes companies involved in manufacturing
processes, such as automotive manufacturing, aerospace, machinery, chemicals, and industrial
equipment.
4. Transportation and Logistics: This industry comprises companies engaged in transportation
services, including airlines, shipping companies, logistics providers, railroads, and trucking
companies.
5. Real Estate and Construction: This industry includes companies involved in real estate
development, property management, construction, and engineering services.
6. Entertainment and Media: This industry encompasses companies engaged in media production,
broadcasting, publishing, film production, music, television, and online streaming services.

The industry is assigned to you randomly. You use the last 2 digits of your student ID, then divide it by 7 and
get the remainder (the remaining part or leftover value after performing the division). The remainder is the
number of the business type assigned to you above. For example, you have the last 2 digits in your student IDs
are 31. Divide 31 by 7, and you get the quotient which is 4 and the remainder which is 3. Manufacturing and
Industrial is the assigned industry for you. If you need help to find out the remainder, you can use the function
MOD in MS Excel.
After you identify your assigned industry, select a business or policy agency maker within the industry, that is
operating in Vietnam.
Your analysis should cover the following aspects:
1. Provide a concise overview of the selected business or policy-making agency. For a business, describe
its primary products or services and identify its target customer base in Vietnam. If a policy-making
agency is chosen, outline its role within the community. Support your description with the most recent
data or evidence available.
(25 marks)
2. Determine a significant business question or problem faced by the selected business in Vietnam, or
identify a policy need that could be addressed using Big Data. Specify the types of data required to
tackle this issue effectively.
(30 marks)
3. Propose methodologies for collecting the necessary data to resolve the identified issue or to inform
policy recommendations for the community.
(20 marks)
4. Recommend two statistical tools suitable for analysing the collected data. Explain your rationale for
selecting these tools, focusing on their appropriateness concerning the data types and the specific
business or policy issue.
(25 marks)
 TOTAL (100 marks)

(Total marks = 100 marks)

Submission format
Written format.
Do you want to ask questions?
If you have questions, please consult with your workshop lecturer.
Extensions
If your assessment preparation has been impeded by unforeseen circumstances (such as illness, injury,
unexpected work commitments or carer responsibilities) you may be eligible for an extension.
Requests for extensions must be emailed to the course coordinator Dr. Chung Thanh Phan, Email:
[email protected], at least one working day before the assessment deadline using the extension
request form (available from the RMIT Extensions website).
If you are seeking an extension on or after an assessment due date, or you require an extension of more than 7
days, you must apply for special consideration. This is a confidential process.
Please see the RMIT extensions website for details regarding grounds for extensions and special consideration
and the required supporting documentation.
Referencing guidelines
Use RMIT Harvard referencing style for this assessment.
You must acknowledge all the sources of information that 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 appropriate
style. You can also refer to the library referencing page for more tools such as EndNote, referencing tutorials
and referencing guides for printing.
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.