7610ICT Report: Analysis of G:Link's Information System

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of G:Link, also known as the Gold Coast Light Rail, focusing on its existing Human Activity System (HAS) and identifying areas for improvement through the implementation of a new Information System. The report delves into G:Link's operations, strategies, and market position, utilizing Mintzberg's organizational classification to characterize its structure as a Machine Organization. Porter's Value Chain model is applied to dissect the primary and support activities of the train network, while Porter's Five Forces model evaluates the competitive landscape. The analysis reveals issues within the current HAS, particularly concerning efficiency and passenger count, and proposes potential solutions involving infrastructure changes and enhancements to the existing system. The report also highlights the importance of factors like buyer power, substitute threats, and competitive rivalry in shaping G:Link's strategic approach. The report uses BPMn, Value Chain and Porter's Five Forces model to analyze the G-link.

Introduction to Information Systems
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Executive Summary
The main objective of this report is to completely analyze G: links/train’s
Human Activity System that already exists. This existing HAS has issues
that can harm the overall business of the firm and hence requires
improvements. To deal with the issues there is a need for an
implementation of an Information System that is new and this report
mention the measures to do so. To increase the performance and the
efficiency of the overall firm’s domains there are certain schemes that
needs to be followed and is mentioned in this report along with the
diagrams such BPMn, Value Chain and many more.
Keywords: G: Train/Link, HAS (Human Activity System), Information
System, BPMn, Value Chain.
1. Introduction
G: Link is a growing business but with its existing socio-technical complex system there
are various issues that is arising. G:Link also known as the Trans Link in the Southeast
Queensland is a network that has a reach far and wide. The focus point of this paper is
the analysis of the Human Activity System that needs some improvements made to it
and this can be done after implementing the new Information system to the G: Links
existing HAS. The improvements are with regards to cultural differences with the
environmental as well as the technical systems that needs to be upgraded. The paper
focuses on different measures that can help increase the efficiency and the productivity
of the business.
2. Part 1: G: Train’s overall analysis of the business.
2.1 Part 1- question a: Information of G: Train with the strategies
followed, the operations and the competition in the market place.
Gold Coast Light Rail is also referred to the G:Link/train which serves the Gold Coast of
Australia in Queensland with its railway network system. It has 19 stations and is a
public transport network with a single 20 km line (12 mi) with the name Translink’s
South-east railway. G:link was initiated in the year 2014 on 2oth of July with its
extension reaching the Northwest. Two terminus of this railway system forms the main
route of the G:Links railway lines and are Helensvale railway station which is the
Northern terminus and Broad beach south which is referred to as the Southern
Assignment Report – 1410ICT or 7610ICT (omit one)
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terminus. On 17th of December in the year 2017 there was an expansion made to the
railway system towards Helensvale from Gold Coast University Hospital1.
Operations of G: Link/Train:
The operator was Keolis Downer and the operation began on the year 2014 on 20 th of
July. The average lengths of the trains are 43.5m that is 143 ft. 2trans and 18 Flexibly
are the number of vehicles owned. The advancements of time is 70-30 minutes
depending on the coast2.
Strategies:
The strategies of the G:Train is following the responsibilities that includes safety for the
passengers, timely services and maintenance of the train. Transportation and delivery
are important tasks and requires a lot of planning that is precise with the right amount
of investments to practice a safe, timely and comfortable transportation which also
needs to be efficient. There are various domain of this railway network out of which one
of the most important is the public domain transport which is responsible for the safe
and precise public transportation with keeping in view all the infrastructure needs and
systems that runs it. This led to a partnership with the City Gold Coast which is the
strategy to get an outcome that is coordinated with the city. guided strategies of the
transportation and the objectives which are, a positive experience of transportation,
Providing efficient and safe travel options to the individuals using this mode of
transportation, maintaining the legacy of the transportation which also needs to be
sustainable and in an infrastructure that is new a complete balance of the investment
that is targeted with the existing capacity of the infrastructure.
1 Rainer, R. Kelly, Casey G. Cegielski, Ingrid Splettstoesser-Hogeterp, and Cristobal
Sanchez-Rodriguez. Introduction to information systems: Supporting and transforming
business. John Wiley & Sons, 2013.
2.Nagle, Thomas T., and Georg Müller. The strategy and tactics of pricing: A guide to
growing more profitably. Routledge, 2017.
2
2 Insert your name and S# here

Insert your Report Title here (up to 8 words)
2.2 Part 1- question b: Using Mintzberg Classification organizational
description form of G: Link:
An organization’s structure makes a great deal of difference in the way its functionality
works.. Consideration of an organizational form should have certain things that need
to be kept in mind and these are analyzing the environment, capacity and internal need
assessing the capacity and needs with regards to the same and making sure of the
strategy that is fit for the current situation at hand. The organizational form of G:link in
accordance to the Mintzberg’s Classification structuring is The Machine Organization
also known as bureaucracy. It is essential to have a comprehension of how the structure
relates to the different types of functions that are appropriate in situations that are
different in nature This is an appropriate structuring for the G:link , it is because this
organization form is defined by its standardization. Machine organization follows a
structure that is tight and vertical. The top managers maintain all the tasks because
there is a functional line that goes to the top. The methodology uses the work that is
done in a very formal manner with numerous procedures and routines that needs to be
followed3. The tasks are categorized based on their functionality and has a very
centralized decision-making. The top managers maintain all the tasks because there is a
functional line that goes to the top. Machine organization follows a structure that is
tight and vertical.
2.3 Part 1- question c: Using Porter’s Value chain Model the value chain
of the train with the description of Primary and secondary activities of
the train.
A methodology used to analyze the primary activities with the secondary activities of an
organization that can give a competitive advantage and value is the Value chain model.
The generic activities of company activities that were interconnected to each other was
made by Porter in the year 1998. The value chain has the Primary Activities with the
support activities and are :
Primary Value Chain Activities: The Five main activities which describes the Primary
Value Chain Activities and these are as follows:
 Inbound Logistics: Purchased inputs that are taken care of which enables
inbound logistics to be in communication with the suppliers.
 Operations: Requirement gathering when done internally it is required by
operations to convert these collected data into the product that is desired.
Operations phase consists of activity that converts the requirements into the
product that is final.
 Outbound Logistics: Operation related to the delivery of vehicle machinery4.
Product after its completion still needs to reach the market where people can use
it so the activities or phases related to the outbound logistics are collecting these
finished products and delivering it to the buyers.
 Sales and Marketing: A developed product is necessarily not a required product
for this purpose Sales and marketing is required. The marketing and sales people
need to make sure that the products advertisements reaches the potential
customers so that the product can be sold.
3
4 Janićijević, Nebojša. "The mutual impact of organizational culture and structure."
Ekonomski Anali/Economic Annals 58, no. 198 (2013).
5. Toker, Kerem, and Dilaysu Cinar. "Mintzberg’s Adhocratic Organization Structure." In
Globalization and Governance in the International Political Economy, pp. 319-333. IGI
Global, 2014.
3

 Services: Customer Centric services in an orderly manner after the consumer
buys the product is as important as the promotions itself because in this vast era
of internet reviews spread very fast. Hence providing after-sales service is a very
important part.
Support Value Chain Activities: The activities can also be termed as the functions
supporting activities and are divided into four categories and are:
 Procurement: Inputs that are purchased from the value chain of the firm that is
required for every activity that is a value activity which constitutes the support
activities too and is required to perform activities and support their functions.
 Technology Development: Includes departments like development and research
complete improvements in the fallbacks of the processes and the products.
 Human Resource Management: HRM exists to train and recruit individuals that
are exceptionally skilled and can give productive results to the firm,
Development and training.
 Firm Infrastructure: Consists of different activities that performs as the
backbone of the whole value chain activities and supports all the activities. Firm
infrastructure has strategic management which engages the whole project from
since the start and can impact all the other value chain functions5.
5
4 Insert your name and S# here
PRIMARY VALUE CHAIN ACTIVITIES
Marketin
g and
Strategies
Operation
s
Services Inbound
Logistics
Outbound
Logistics
SUPPORT ACTIVITIES
Human Resource ManagementFirm Infrastructure
Procurement

Insert your Report Title here (up to 8 words)
2.4 Part 1- question d: Analyzing the strategies using the porters five
forces model
The level of competition and the development of strategies related to the business is the
analysis method in Porter’s Five Forces Model. There are clusters in regards with the
five forces and these are attractive forces and unattractive forces, the attractive forces
increases the profitability whereas the unattractive forces degrades the profitability.
This has a tendency to reflect on the most notable aspects of the environment that is
competitive and gives a full understanding of the structure of the firm that emphasizes
the strategic possibilities that provides guide to compete with the forces that is the
profitability of the industry6. The strategies are developed after forces that shape the
industry competition is recognized. Industry profitability is determined using the five
forces which integrates the strategies of the industry condition.
Figure: Porter’s Five Forces Model and their interactions.
6
5
Technology Development
IMPACT OF FORCES

HIGH IMPACT: MEDIUM IMPACT: LOW IMPACT:
Power of Buyer:
Power of buyer has
high impact because
buyers are sensitive to
costs and prefer cost
effective methods
Substitute Threats:
Threat of substitute is
moderate because there are
alternatives for
transportation systems and
substitutes cannot provide
similar services.
Threats of New
Entrants:
Threat of new entry is
low because there is a
huge amount of
capital requirements,
few barriers that are
legal protect the firm
from new entrants,
and products
differentiation is
based on the quality of
engineering and
design7.
Rivalry based on
competition:
Competitive rivalry is
high because
competing firms are of
various types but all
compete for a certain
type of customer base
Power of Supplier:
Threat of new entry is
low because the
capital requirements
are large, few barriers
that are legal protect
the firm from new
entries, and
differentiation is
based on the quality of
design
3. Answer to Part 2: An Existing HAS analysis which has
issues and is Problematic:
Statement of the Problem: There were some issues that was detected from G:Train’s
analysis while inspections were done and these were related to the accuracy and
efficiency of the network of G:Link. The distance of G:Train that it covers is very short
and G:”Train has a very low passenger count as compared to the other railway across
Queensland. G:Link doesn’t cover a major part and an extension of this needs to be
done. Extending the Link would require a change that is major in the systems
infrastructure because everything needs to be done through scratch again and it would
also need additions to portions of the existing Human Activity System that would make
the process of rebuilding and reshaping the infrastructure feasible.
A Human Activity System is a combination of personals with resources that are
organized in order to have a possibility. The people in HAS are dependent on the system
. This whole process enables them to gain a known common purpose8. A systems model
of the HAS describes;
7 OriAde, Ade, and HArry CAmerOn. "Logistics and Supply Chain Management in Travel
Operations." Operations Management in the Travel Industry (2016): 1
6 Insert your name and S# here

Insert your Report Title here (up to 8 words)
 The purpose formulated by people in the system and interactions that formulates
the environment.
 Functions that needs to be selected to carry out the components of HAS which is
structured in the system. Sustainable relations among the components by
processes that regulates the system for attaining the purpose.
 HAS is a whole set of functions and components integrated. The rules that
sustain the system are relationships between the processes.
Figure: Problems related to the G:Link.
3.1 Part 2- question a: Identification of Human Activity System with
respect to stakeholders and role definition of these stakeholders
8 E. Dobbs, Michael. "Guidelines for applying Porter's five forces framework: a set of
industry analysis templates." Competitiveness Review 24, no. 1 (2014): 32-45
7
Referentia
l Level:
Governan
ce Level:
Transacti
onal
Level:
Outcomes
Beliefs that cause appreciation of priorities
and intentions
Organization of things, Directed, structured
plans, organizational structures and reporting
of accountability
Interactions between people, processes and
environmental that is physical with regards to
social relationships
Outcomes that are consequential
DIRECTION OF FLOW
PROBLE
MS
EXAMINATIO
N
Technical
Problems Terms and
Conditions
Manageme
nt of
Traffic
Skill Level of
the Workers

Figure: Human Activity System mapping and the flow of direction of factors caused by
different perspective level.
HAS factors are referenced using prompts and is traced in flows to see what causes are
involved and their interactions and how it affects the outcomes Identification of the
problems of G-Train in accordance to Human Activity System, mapping is done in which
causes of problems are looked upon from different views9. Human Activity System has
the ability for identification of issues that are immediate for improvements as well as
underlying key problems that are relevant for sustainable changes.
Stake holders Analysis:
Analysis of stakeholders ensures that all the relevant stakeholders are considered while
making decisions and evaluation of existing system is done to evaluate the earlier
version or a competitor system to check the usability problems and gain the usability
measurements. With the use of soft systems analysis method for both the profit and non-
profit10. The work is broken down into key activities to better achieve them. This
methodology involves the key activities breakthrough which is analyzed from top-level
objectives of G-train and developed through discussion and debate.
9 Yong, An Gie, and Sean Pearce. "A beginner’s guide to factor analysis: Focusing on
exploratory factor analysis." Tutorials in quantitative methods for psychology 9, no.
2 (2013): 79-94.
10 Andriof, Jörg, and Sandra Waddock. "Unfolding stakeholder engagement." In
Unfolding stakeholder thinking, pp. 19-42. Routledge, 2017.
8 Insert your name and S# here
(Activity/
decision/
role)
Process
Information
Description
Skills
referencing
with
regards to
people and
knowledge
Appropriat
e functions
of
technology
and user
Interface
Inputs
transformation
into Outputs
Activities that
are purposeful
are carried out
by the people
to deliver
outcomes that
are expected.

Insert your Report Title here (up to 8 words)
Figure: General Activities structure of the Human Activity System.
Human Activity System’s Stakeholder’s responsibilities: The stakeholders are divides
into two primary categories and are Internal Stakeholders and External Stakeholders.
External Stakeholders: Suppliers, the society, Government, Creditors, Shareholders
and the customers.
Internal Stakeholders: Employees, Manager and Owners.
Stakeholders can also be employees, business partners who rely on the success to keep
the supply chain going.The main role of the stakeholders is mostly the investments of
the G-train and their actions decide the business decision outcome11s.
3.2 Part 2- question b: Rich Picture showing the issues and concerns of
the stakeholders identified:
Figure: Rich picture showing the stakeholders responsibilities.
Responsibilities include:
 Improvement actions
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 Situations that are complex inspection
 Culturally feasible techniques implementations and Systematically desirable
 Expressing systems that are messy
 The relevant Human Activity System Building the root system
 Conceptual Models formulation
3.3 Part 2- question c: A process model using the BPMn notation for the
process of the existing human activity system you have identified.
Figure: A process model using the BPMn notation for the process of the existing human
activity system identified.
10 Insert your name and S# here

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3.4 Part 2- question d: The DeLone-McLean Model of Information
System Success to describe the existing Human Activity System which is
not successful.
Figure: DeLone-McLean Model of Information System in which HAS is not successful
The Information System success is never defined well as there are complexity,
interdependency and the quality of the Information System success was multi-
dimensional. IS success tool is evaluated based on the effectiveness of its achievements
to meet the organizational or individual goals.
3.5 Part 2- question e: Measures of success description.
To achieve the correlation there was sufficiency added to the system. There is an
efficiency that is logical that is attainable once sufficiency is included. This is the
adjudicator among one or more suffiency but conditions of desired effect. The
connection of the model of conceptualized Information Systems success is restricted to
the necessities.
11
Quality of the
System
Quality of the
Information
Usage Satisfaction
of the User
Individual Impact
Organizational Impact

Figure: Updated DeLone-McLean Model of Information System
4. Answer to Part 3: A new IS system to support HAS
suggestion
There are various components to be kept in mind while designing the new IS and these
are, Procedures and processes that define the specifications of the processed and
analyzed data to achieve the goals, hardware’s for computer-based IS, Software’s like
tools and programs that will enable the users to organize and analyze data, database
that will enable the system to maintain everything into structured folders and tables and
a Network that will connect different departments into one Information Systems12.
There is also a need of the Geographic Information System that should be included so
that it can manage all the geographical data the train reaches up to. The new IS to
support the Human Activity System of the G:Train should be a combination of the
software and specific analysis tasks to support a particular task with the help of HAS.
4.1 Part 3- question a: A new IS identification using Porter’s Value
Model (listing of stakeholders and creation of goals).
The Value Chain Model of Porter the new Information system will identify the measures
that can be cost effective to the organization with opportunities listed. The model
enables the organization to recognize goals that can economics of sales, learning
methodologies, utilization of capacities of the network, linking Human Activity System
with the value chain, Interconnections between the units the business follows,
Geographical location and many more activities. The IS will represent all the interlinked
activities with a weight that is equalized in every task and procedures. This also enables
the firm to changes. There is an advantage to the IS if integrated with the Porter’s
12 Costa, Roberta, and Tamara Menichini. "A multidimensional approach for CSR
assessment: The importance of the stakeholder perception." Expert systems with
applications 40, no. 1 (2013): 150-161.
12 Insert your name and S# here

Insert your Report Title here (up to 8 words)
Value model because it can influence the competitive advantage to the firm and the
HAS13. These benefits can be, cost reduction, differentiation in the competition with new
measures, increased business success and profitability, Increase in the efficiency,
decreased degradation of resources and waste, higher value to the organization.
LISTING OF STAKEHOLDERS: GOALS:
1. Referential Level(Executives) Systems related to Information
2. Senior Management Systems that Support other systems
3. Managers who are in Middle Information Systems that performs
Management
4. Workers/Employees Transmission Process System.
4.2 Part 3- question b: Information and Data of a new system (type of
knowledge creation and decision making information.)
Done with respect to the resolving issues in an environment that is enacted with the
means of behaviors of processes related to each other. It can also be termed as
processing of information to remove the equivocality from the informational inputs. This
is done looking at the views of the information gathered in the IS with an insight that is
creative and with the help of which the organization creates new innovation and
processes to mitigate existing problems from the existing system. The strategies of the
firms decision making and knowledge creation is the way the organization runs through
the organizing processes.
4.3 Part 3- question c: Process model using the BPMn notation for
the new information system you have identified
13 Sitzmann, Traci, and Gillian Yeo. "A meta‐analytic investigation of the within‐person
self‐efficacy domain: Is self‐efficacy a product of past performance or a driver of future
performance?." Personnel Psychology 66, no. 3 (2013): 531-568
13

Figure: Diagram of a process model using BPMn notation for a new IS.
4.4 Part 3- question d: New IS Classification of G-train (front-end,
back-end, customer facing) and explaining why it is being used
The new Information system within G-train is classified based on the information use
hence can be divided into two modules namely, Management supporting system and
Operations Supporting system. The aim of development of an operations supporting
system is to ease the business negotiation, production controlling, upgrade the database
that is central and support communication that is both external and internal. On the
other hand the Management supporting system comprises of other subsystems that can
be categorized as Information system related to accounting, management IS, decisions
supporting system and systems for experts. The frontend is the operations supporting
system that the user sees while the backend is the infrastructure supporting this system
that is management supporting systems. This system gives the higher authorities access
to the routine decision making procedures which facilitates specific solutions related to
issues at hand.
4.5 Part 3- question e: Dimensions of impact of proposed new IS for
identification of intended and positive effects and describe a new
system.
The IS should be able to track the communications generated from all the departments
including HAS. The new proposed IS can have a very significant impact on the G:train
industry. It can restructure the organizational activities in an efficient manner and can
help the firm to strengthen the position of competition and to change the process of the
business and how it functions. The formulation to a successful IS and stakeholder
management is to follow a constant set of protocols. There is a necessity to have a
reporting and tracking of data from the initial phase of the new implementation to
facilitate the employees and management departments.
14 Insert your name and S# here

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4.6 Part 3- question f: Success measures Triple E- Efficiency, Efficacy
and effectiveness of new proposed IS.
Success measures of proposed Information System with regards to Efficiency, Efficacy
and Effectiveness are, Efficiency shows the performance level with the least amount of
inputs and produces highest amount of output.
 Efficiency: Efficiency enables restructuring of resources and removal of
unnecessary resources so as to increase the production which can save personal
time and energy. Efficiency can be measured using the ratio of input and total
output. This helps the reduction of waste such as resources, energy and time
while getting the desirable outcome.
 Efficacy: Effectiveness of the proposed IS bridges the gap between the literature
conceptualization and fulfillment of the variables of the earlier discussed models
Delone and Mclean. This effectiveness assesses the performance between the
traditional IS and the new IS proposed and it reveals the classification of the
working environment.
 Efficacy: The success with regards to the efficacy of the IS revealed the impact of
the context and conceptualization of the cultures decentralization of the IS. The
efficacy reinforces the bridge between the operational systems and the detriment
of system of IS.
5. Answer to Part 4: Recommendations:
 The new proposed IS activities should have a substantial history researched
starting from the views of management systems and development units and also
sourcing of technology.
 The opportunities for future has been highlighted and revealed. The patterns
gathered from the literature study a framework that is very comprehensive is
being presented.
 The study found out the opportunities, methodologies and an expansion in the
control level of the management procedures.
6. Conclusion
From the discussion cited above it is clear that G-Link is an operations service that is
very precise and functions with lots of domains merged together as one. The existing
HAS needed an updating with the growth of the requirements. The rapid transport
system had a significant impact in the business of the firm and workload increased with
the increase in possibilities and opportunities. There are a lot of changes to be made in
the IS. To bridge the gap between the operations a new system of IS needed to be
created and implemented. The entire paper focuses on the development of new IS and
its implementation.
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7. References and Citations
1. Rainer, R. Kelly, Casey G. Cegielski, Ingrid Splettstoesser-Hogeterp, and Cristobal
Sanchez-Rodriguez. Introduction to information systems: Supporting and
transforming business. John Wiley & Sons, 2013.
2. Nagle, Thomas T., and Georg Müller. The strategy and tactics of pricing: A guide to
growing more profitably. Routledge, 2017.
3. McGrath, Rita Gunther. The end of competitive advantage: How to keep your
strategy moving as fast as your business. Harvard Business Review Press, 2013.
4. Janićijević, Nebojša. "The mutual impact of organizational culture and structure."
Ekonomski Anali/Economic Annals 58, no. 198 (2013).
5. Toker, Kerem, and Dilaysu Cinar. "Mintzberg’s Adhocratic Organization Structure."
In Globalization and Governance in the International Political Economy, pp. 319-333.
IGI Global, 2014.
6. Bornemann, Manfred, and Roswitha Wiedenhofer. "Intellectual capital in education:
a value chain perspective." Journal of Intellectual Capital 15, no. 3 (2014): 451-470.
7. OriAde, Ade, and HArry CAmerOn. "Logistics and Supply Chain Management in
Travel Operations." Operations Management in the Travel Industry (2016): 1.
8. E. Dobbs, Michael. "Guidelines for applying Porter's five forces framework: a set of
industry analysis templates." Competitiveness Review 24, no. 1 (2014): 32-45.
9. Yong, An Gie, and Sean Pearce. "A beginner’s guide to factor analysis: Focusing on
exploratory factor analysis." Tutorials in quantitative methods for psychology 9, no.
2 (2013): 79-94.
10. Andriof, Jörg, and Sandra Waddock. "Unfolding stakeholder engagement." In
Unfolding stakeholder thinking, pp. 19-42. Routledge, 2017.
11. Costa, Roberta, and Tamara Menichini. "A multidimensional approach for CSR
assessment: The importance of the stakeholder perception." Expert systems with
applications 40, no. 1 (2013): 150-161.
12. Leitner, Maria, Michelle Miller, and Stefanie Rinderle-Ma. "An analysis and
evaluation of security aspects in the business process model and notation." In 2013
international conference on availability, reliability and security, pp. 262-267. IEEE,
2013.
13. Sitzmann, Traci, and Gillian Yeo. "A meta‐analytic investigation of the within‐person
self‐efficacy domain: Is self‐efficacy a product of past performance or a driver of
future performance?." Personnel Psychology 66, no. 3 (2013): 531-568.
16 Insert your name and S# here