INFS5720 Individual Assignment
Sustainability at GPT: Deriving Insights
from Descriptive Analytics
Source: https://www.un.org/en/sustainable-development-goals
INFS5720 Individual Assessment: Descriptive Analytics for Sustainability
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Table of Contents
1. An Overview ................................................................................................................. 2
2. Key Dates ...................................................................................................................... 2
3. Case Description ......................................................................................................... 2
4. Tasks .............................................................................................................................. 4
5. Description of Data Attributes ................................................................................. 5
6. Formulas can be used for data analysis ............................................................... 6
7. The Use of Generative AI .......................................................................................... 7
8. Formatting and Deliverables .................................................................................... 7
9. Academic Honesty and Plagiarism ......................................................................... 8
10. Special Consideration ............................................................................................ 9
Appendix A. Definitions of Waste Recovery Outcomes at GPT ................................
2
Individual Assessment Instructions
1. An Overview
The objective of this assessment is to test your application of the business analytics
lifecycle model, as shown in Figure 1, by using visualization techniques on a real-world
data set from the company GPT. The data set from GPT documents its sustainability
data at various property assets that the company manages. Please read the following
sections of this instruction document and develop a business report based on the tasks
specified. Please refer to Appendix B for the marking rubric of this assessment.
Figure 1. Business analytics lifecycle model
2. Key Dates
Task Deadline
Submitting an individual report
Naming convention “StudentID-StudentName-
CourseID”
3:00pm Friday 23 June
(Week 4)
3. Case Description
GPT (https://gpt.com.au/) is a leading property group in Australia and manages a
portfolio of properties including offices, logistics, and retail assets. The company aims
to “provide high quality real estate spaces that enable people to excel, and customers
INFS5720 Individual Assessment: Descriptive Analytics for Sustainability
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and communities to prosper in a sustainable way”1. GPT ranked first among 800 real
estate companies listed in the S&P Global 2022 Annual Corporate Sustainability
Assessment. Sustainability is one of the top strategic priorities at GPT. Over the years,
the company has made significant achievements in attaining sustainability goals and
developing sustainability innovations, which are manifest in various aspects including
energy consumption, carbon emission, water consumption, and waste management.
Energy consumption:
GPT commits to reducing its energy consumption and increasing the use of renewable
energy. For example, the company developed a smart energy plan to prioritize
renewable energy (e.g., on-site solar energy) and innovative technologies (e.g., smart
meters) for monitoring energy usage. The energy reduction commitments have directly
contributed to the company’s carbon neutrality.
Carbon emission:
GPT is the first organization that attain carbon-neutral certification issued by Climate
Active across Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions (for a definition of each emission type,
please refer to https://www.sustaim.earth/post/scope-1-2-and-3-emissions). The
company has retained the highest GRESB (Global Real Estate Sustainability
Benchmark) rating of 5 Stars. The company’s decarbonization has greatly benefited
from the use of renewable energy (e.g., solar, battery storage).
Water consumption:
GPT also has deliberately reduced its water consumption and strategically managed
stormwater. The company has achieved 62% improvement in its water intensity (i.e.,
net water usage per square metre of the lettable area of managed space) since 2005.
GPT proposes a “clean up/slow down” approach to ensure the quality of the water that
flows into the environment. Specifically, “clean up” includes activities such as
minimizing potential pollutants that could enter into stormwater. “Slow down” includes
activities such as reducing the speed of stormwater leaving a building so that it
reduces potential damage to the local environment. Based on its experiences in
1 https://gpt.com.au/sites/default/files/inline-
files/GPT%202022%20Climate%20Disclosure%20Statement_10.pdf
INFS5720 Individual Assessment: Descriptive Analytics for Sustainability
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managing energy consumption, the company is moving towards achieving water
neutrality.
Waste management:
GPT proposes a close-loop waste management approach with the aim of maximizing
A-grade recycling and minimizing materials that end up in the landfill. The company
classifies waste into four categories: A-, B-, C- grade, and landfill. A-grade recycling
(also refer as close-loop) is about recovering materials without subsequent hazards to
the environment. For example, if cardboard is separated and processed properly, it
can be recycled into new cardboard. B-grade recycling is about downcycling original
materials to less valued materials, with a limited number of recovery cycles. C-grade
recycling is about waste materials that can be used for only one additional application.
Over time, GPT has Over 7,000 tonnes of materials being recovered based on close-
loop principles. The company also has achieved 3.3 NAMBERS (National Australian
Built Environment Rating System) waste rating for its office portfolio.
4. Tasks
Assuming you are a business analyst at GPT. You have been provided with a data
set: GPT data-individual assessment-INFS5720 (see data set uploaded to Moodle:
Assessments). Each student needs to upload this data set to SAS Viya platform by
following the instruction file and video provided on Moodle. Using this data set and
SAS Viya platform, you should use data visualization analytics to help the board of
directors understand the sustainability performance of GPT, and its financial
implications (e.g., cost reduction). Based on your visualization analysis, you also need
to identify the opportunities for GPT to improve its sustainability activities in the future.
You shall perform the following tasks:
• Identify specific sustainability issues (e.g., energy consumption, water
consumption, etc) that you aim to gain insights;
• Select and justify appropriate variables to analyze the performance of a
sustainability issue you identified;
• Apply visualization techniques (e.g., bar chart, histogram, line chart, etc) to
describe the sustainability performance;
INFS5720 Individual Assessment: Descriptive Analytics for Sustainability
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• Recommend actionable insights for GPT to improve their sustainability
performance in the future.
Some generative questions for you to consider:
• What is GPT’s sustainability performance such as energy consumption, water
consumption, waste management, or carbon emission?
• What are the changes in GPT’s sustainability performance over time?
• What are the changes in GPT’s sustainability performance across geographical
regions?
• What are the factors (e.g., renewable, non-renewable energies) that have
contributed to GPT’s decarbonization?
• Are there associations between GPT’s sustainability performance and its
financial performance? If so, how would you explain the associations you
discovered?
• Are there changes in GPT’s sustainability performance before and after
COVID-19? If so, how would you explain the changes?
5. Description of Data Attributes
Attribute Label Meaning
Location Name Location of a GPT asset
Region Geographical region (e.g., Melbourne, Sydney)
Year Calendar year when sustainability data is
collected
Total Portable Water Total consumption of potable water
Total Non-portable
Water
Total consumption of non-portable water
Total Non-Renewable
Energy
Total consumption of non-renewable energy
Total Renewable
Energy
Total consumption of renewable energy
Gas Avoided Cost Financial cost avoided due to the reduction of
gas consumption compared to an estimated
baseline
Electricity Avoided Cost Financial cost avoided due to the reduction of
electricity consumption compared to an
estimated baseline
Energy Avoided Cost The sum of gas avoided cost and electricity
avoided cost
INFS5720 Individual Assessment: Descriptive Analytics for Sustainability
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Total Scope 1
Emissions
Total emission in scope 1 – refer to the
footnote for explanations of scope 1, 2, and 3
emissions2
Total Scope 2
Emissions
Total emission in scope 2 – refer to the
footnote for explanations of scope 1, 2, and 3
emissions3
Total Offsets Carbon emissions (in tonnes) that have been
offset
Emission Avoided Carbon emission avoided (in tonnes) in scope
1 and scope 2 compared to an estimated
baseline
Landfill Weight (in tonnes) of material categorized as
landfill
A Grade Weight (in tonnes) of material categorized as
landfill A grade – refer to Appendix A for a
classification of recovery outcomes at GPT
B Grade Weight (in tonnes) of material categorized as
landfill B grade – refer to Appendix A for a
classification of recovery outcomes at GPT
C Grade Weight (in tonnes) of material categorized as
landfill C grade – refer to Appendix A for a
classification of recovery outcomes at GPT
Total Material Recycled Weight (in tonnes) of material recycled
NLA Net lettable area
6. Formulas can be used for data analysis
To obtain more insights into GPT’s sustainability performance, please consider using
the following formula based on variables provided in the data set.
• Total Energy Use = Total Renewable energy + Total Non-Renewable Energy
• Energy Intensity = [Total Energy use] * 1000 / NLA
• Total Water = [Total Non-Portable Water] + [Total Portable Water]
• Water Intensity = [Total Water] * 1000 / NLA
• Scope 1 Emissions Intensity = [Total Scope 1 emissions]*1000/NLA
• Scope 2 Emissions intensity = [Total Scope 2 emissions]*1000/NLA
• Net Emissions = Scope 1 + Scope 2 – Total Offsets
• Energy Avoided Cost = Gas Avoided Cost + Electricity Avoided Cost
2 https://www.sustaim.earth/post/scope-1-2-and-3-emissions
3 https://www.sustaim.earth/post/scope-1-2-and-3-emissions
INFS5720 Individual Assessment: Descriptive Analytics for Sustainability
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7. The Use of Generative AI
As this assessment involves business recommendations for GPT’s sustainability
activities, you are permitted to use software to generate initial ideas. However, you
must develop or edit those ideas to such a significant extent that what is submitted is
your own work. Any output of generative software within your assessment must be
attributed with full referencing.
To cite: OpenAI (Year Accessed). ChatGPT. OpenAI. https://openai.com/
Please note that the outputs from these tools are not always accurate, appropriate,
nor properly referenced. You should ensure that you have moderated and critically
evaluated the outputs from generative AI tools such as ChatGPT before submission.
If the outputs of generative AI such as ChatGPT form part of your submission
and is not appropriately attributed, it will be regarded as serious academic
misconduct and subject to the standard penalties, which may include 00FL,
suspension and exclusion.
You need to keep copies of the initial prompts if there is any uncertainty about the
originality of your work. The best practice for using generative AI is to apply critical
thinking to select and improve the answers suggested by an AI tool. These practices
can be demonstrated by the following examples:
• Attach the prompts you used in a generative AI tool as an Appendix of your
report;
• Explain the process of how to improve the answer generated by AI by
comparing answers based on the same query made to generative AI or
modifying incorrect suggestions.
8. Formatting and Deliverables
• UNSW Coversheet. Submit your assignment with a signed cover sheet.
Fail to include the UNSW coversheet will lead to a 10% penalty, and no
marks will be released until the coversheet is received.
• Length. The total length of the report should be 1200 words with a leeway
of 10%, excluding cover sheet, table of contents, tables, and references.
INFS5720 Individual Assessment: Descriptive Analytics for Sustainability
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Fail to comply with the word limit will lead to a 10% penalty. Please note
that essential information should be presented in the main text of your
report. Tables or figures are not used to avoid word limitation.
• Table of Content. Should not exceed one page, restricted to two levels of
headlines.
• Format. You should use headings, sub-headings, page numbers, bullet
points, diagrams, and tables as appropriate. The file format of the report
is PDF.
• References. References and citations should follow Harvard Referencing.
• Appendices. All assessment items should be included in the main
document. An appendix can be used to present the prompts from
generative AI, where applicable.
• File naming: should be “StudentID-StudentName-CourseID”. Fail to use
the correct file naming will lead to a 5% penalty.
9. Academic Honesty and Plagiarism
As a student at UNSW you are expected to display academic integrity in your work
and interactions. Where a student breaches the UNSW Student Code with respect to
academic integrity, the University may take disciplinary action under the Student
Misconduct Procedure. To assure academic integrity, you may be required to
demonstrate reasoning, research and the process of constructing work submitted for
assessment.
INFS5720 has specific requirements for this industry-collaboration-based
assessment. Breaching the items below will result in academic misconduct.
• The use of the GPT data is limited to this assessment ONLY, and is NOT to be
used for any other purposes.
• Except for SAS Viya, students are NOT allowed to upload GPT data to any
other software platform including generative AI.
• Students are NOT allowed to contact GPT for any questions about the data set
and/or this assessment; Any questions about this assessment should be
answered by INFS5720 teaching team.
INFS5720 Individual Assessment: Descriptive Analytics for Sustainability
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10. Special Consideration
You can apply for special consideration when illness or other circumstances beyond
your control interfere with your performance in this assessment task.
Applications can ONLY be made through Online Services in myUNSW (see the
UNSW Current Students page). Applications will not be accepted by teaching staff.
The lecturer-in-charge/course coordinator will be automatically notified when your
application is processed.
Special consideration applications will be assessed centrally by the Case Review
Team, who will update the online application with the outcome and add any relevant
comments. The change to the status of the application immediately sends an email to
10
Appendix A. Definitions of Waste Recovery Outcomes at GPT
A-grade recovered products:
• Meet the closed loop objectives;
• May be used over and over again, constantly being returned to the same
production cycle, and;
• Can be recovered without any consequent hazardous material build-up in the
environment.
B-grade recovered products are:
• Downcycled to a lower value product;
• Have a limited number of recovery cycles;
• Produce valueless by-products after several recycling cycles.
C-grade recovered products are those which are produced in a waste diversion
process but are only available for a single additional application.
Landfill is the non-recovered waste. Sources include:
• General waste processes;
• Contamination within a recycling stream;
• Losses from recovery processes.
The above definitions are extracted from a GPT report:
Ford, S. 2014. Taking the rubbish out of the recycling data. The GPT Group.
Appendix B. Individual Assessment Marking Rubric
Criteria High Distinction (HD)
85–100 marks
Distinction (DN)
75-84 marks
Credit (CR)
65-74 marks
Pass (PS)
50-64 marks
Fail (FL)
<50 marks
Sustainability Issues
(20%)
• Identify 3 or more
issues.
• Justify each issue
to be critical using
valid examples.
• Identify 3 issues.
• Justify each issue to
be critical.
• Identify 2 issues.
• Justify each
issue to be
critical.
• Identify 1 issue.
• Justify the issue to
be critical.
• There is no
specific mention
of the issue.
Analytics Techniques
(20%)
• Use 3 or more
visualization
techniques4.
• Justify your
choice using
supporting
evidence and the
justification for
each technique
is accurate.
• Explain the insights
derived from each
visualization
analysis and the
explanations are
mostly accurate and
informative.
• Use 3 visualization
techniques.
• Justify your choice
using supporting
evidence and the
justifications are
occasionally
erroneous.
• Explain the insights
derived from each
visualization analysis
and the explanations
are occasionally
erroneous.
• Use 2 techniques.
• Justify your
choice using
supporting
evidence and
the
justifications
are sometimes
erroneous.
• Explain the
insights derived
from each
visualization
analysis and the
explanations are
sometimes
erroneous.
• Use 1 technique.
• Justify your
choice using
supporting
evidence and the
justifications are
mostly absent or
inadequately
support the
choice of a
technique.
• Explain the
insights derived
from some (not
all) visualization
analysis and the
explanations are
mostly
erroneous.
• There is no
relevant
analytical
technique
identified.
Or,
• Identify
techniques
without
appropriate
descriptions,
explanations, or
justifications.
4 Note: the number of visualization techniques are not the sole criterion to evaluate the quality of your analysis. In other words, using 3 or more visualization techniques do not
guarantee that your analysis will arrive at the HD category. The quality of your analysis is evaluated based on aforementioned criteria collectively.
INFS5720 Individual Assessment: Descriptive Analytics for Sustainability
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Variables (20%) • Explanations of the
variables identified
are thorough and
adequate.
• Explanations of the
suitability of selected
variables for
analyzing associated
sustainability issues
are thoroughly
adequate.
• Explanations of the
variables identified are
occasionally
erroneous.
• Explanations of the
suitability of selected
variables for analyzing
associated
sustainability issues
are occasionally
erroneous.
• Explanations of
the variables
identified are
sometimes
erroneous.
• Explanations of
the suitability of
selected variables
for analyzing
associated
sustainability
issues are
sometimes
erroneous.
• Explanations of the
variables identified
are mostly absent
or inadequate.
• Explanations of
the suitability of
selected
variables for
analyzing
associated
sustainability
issues are mostly
absent or
inadequate.
• No specific
variables
are
identified.
Or,
• Variables
are not
relevant to
the
sustainabili
ty issue.
Sustainability
Recommendatio
ns (20%)
• All recommendations
are logically and
consistently linked to
each sustainability
issue analyzed.
• All recommendations
are evidence-based,
and thoroughly
supported by your
visualization
insights, academic
references, or
references.
• All recommendations
are thoroughly
feasible and
actionable, with
critical thinking
• Most
recommendations are
linked to the
sustainability issues
analyzed, and
recommendations and
analytical results are
occasionally
inconsistent.
• Most
recommendations are
evidence-based, and
largely supported by
your visualization
insights, academic
references, or
references.
• Most
recommendations
• Some
recommendations
are linked to the
sustainability
issues analyzed,
and
recommendations
and analytical
results are
sometimes
inconsistent.
• Some
recommendations
are evidence-
based, and
largely supported
by your
visualization
• The majority of
recommendations
are not linked to the
sustainability
issues analyzed,
and
recommendations
and analytical
results are mostly
inconsistent.
• The majority of
recommendations
are not evidence-
based, and
supporting results
are absent.
• The majority of
recommendations
• Recommendation
s are largely
absent from the
report.
• No connections
between
recommendations
and the
sustainability
issues that were
analyzed.
• Feasible or
actionable
recommendations
are merely
identified from the
report.
INFS5720 Individual Assessment: Descriptive Analytics for Sustainability
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manifested in the
recommendations.
are thoroughly
feasible and
actionable, with
critical thinking
manifested in the
recommendations.
insights,
academic
references, or
references.
• Some
recommendations
are thoroughly
feasible and
actionable, but
critical thinking is
lacking.
are not feasible or
actionable.
Professional Writing
and Communication
(10%)
• Your writing is
professional in
tone and presented
in an outstanding
manner with no
spelling or
grammatical errors.
• Your written
expression provides
a strong and
coherent indication of
the flow between
each section of the
report that has
enabled key
arguments to fully
develop.
• All sources are
referenced
throughout the report
and the sources are
used very well, with
no significant errors
• Your writing is
professional in tone
and presentation
with a few very
minor spelling and/or
grammatical errors.
• Your written
expression provides
a strong indication of
the flow between
each section of the
report.
• All sources are
referenced throughout
the report with only
minor errors in
referencing.
• Your writing is
mostly
professional in
tone and
presentation, but
there are
occasional
spelling and/or
grammatical
errors.
• Your written
expression
provides an
adequate
indication of the
flow between each
section of the
report.
• Most sources are
referenced
throughout the
report, with only
minor errors in
• Some attempt has
been made to use
a professional tone
and presentation in
your writing, but
there are some
spelling and
grammatical
errors.
• You have
endeavoured to
provide flow
between each
section of the
report.
• Some sources are
referenced
throughout the
report, but there
are errors in your
referencing of
sources.
• Your writing is
not professional
in tone and there
are major
spelling and
grammatical
errors
throughout.
• Your written
expression does
not indicate a
flow between
each section of
the report.
• Your sources
have not been
referenced
and/or there are
excessive errors
in applying
Harvard
Referencing in
the report.
INFS5720 Individual Assessment: Descriptive Analytics for Sustainability
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in referencing. referencing. • No cover sheet
is provided with
the needed
information.
• No table of
content is
provided.
• The word limit has
not been adhered
to.
Use of Generative AI
(10%)
• Demonstrate
critical thinking in
justifying the use of
answers provided
by generative AI.
• Adequately acknowledge the use of generative AI by citing the tool as
specified in the assignment instruction.
• Does not cite
generative AI
where
arguments are
developed
based on
answers
suggested by AI.