Building e-business (MSc Module Guide)

Written by: Jonathan Briggs

November 16, 2004 [4956 views]

This module is being offered at MSc Level and explores current trends in electronic business including technology and business aspects of online stores and services. Students registered on this module need to read the following instructions carefully and complete a number of activities before the taught component of the module which starts on December 13th. Please add comments or questions at the end of this page.

At the end of this module students should be able to:

• Make technical and business recommendations to organisations as to how they either take advantage of new e-business opportunities or improve existing online aspects of their business
• Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of existing online stores including design aspects, customer service, business integration and accessibility
• Describe current technical trends in e-business including the use of XML, Web Services and modern approaches to web development
• Describe a range of business models through which an organisation can make or save money through electronic business and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each
• Create an estimate for a client organisation on the likely costs, timescales and benefits for a specific e-commerce project
• Discuss some of the social, ethical and political issues that surround electronic business
• Describe some of the business to business (B2B) aspects of e-commerce and the importance of partnerships in delivering successful online results.
• Outline the importance of promotion and discuss promotion tools and techniques in driving significant online business

Approaches to teaching and learning
This module will be delivered through a mixture of online preparatory work, lectures, supported workshops and a live case study. Students will then be expected to complete a design exercise to draw together the ideas from the module.

I make extensive use of online tools in my teaching including my own site www.jonathanbriggs.com and surveying sites such as www.zoomerang.com. Any feedback on this approach would be welcome.

Preparatory work (estimated 38 hours)

1. Read some background books
There is no single set text for this module because no one book covers all the material. I would recommend that all students read one of the following general e-business texts and one of the background books before the module.

General:

Mastering E-Business, Jonathan Groucutt, Paul Griseri, 2004
This a great introductory book covering many of the business issues. It would be the sort of book to hand to a skeptical client.

E.Biz, Geoffrey Sampson, 2003
Another introduction and at a higher level than Mastering E-Business. It will help with thinking about the role of e-business.

  

Background:

Dot.con, The Real Story of Why the Internet Bubble Burst, John Cassidy, 2003
This is a very readible overview which describes how the bubble grew, why everyone wanted to be part of it and why it failed.

The Perfect Store, Inside eBay, Adam Cohen, 2002
eBay is probably the most successful retailer on the web and this book describes in detail how it grew from small to dominating the auction space.

Boo Hoo, a dotcom story, Ernst Malmsten et al, 2002
I resisted reading this book for ages because Boo.com was the most hyped retailer on the web and a spectacular failure. I read it this summer and would recommend it if you are interested in how dotcom companies were financed and how they ran out of money.

 

2. Survey of Existing Experience
There are two activities that you need to complete before the module, both of which require the completion of an online questionnaire.

Before we start
The first will help establish the current level of knowledge and experience within the group:

Before we start (survey)

This first survey must be completed by the 30th November and should take less than 30 mins.

UK retailer site review
Download this activity/review form, choose a site from the list provided and then critically review your chosen site.

Site Review (activity) (28 KB)

Finally feedback your findings using the following online survey.

UK Retailer Review (survey)

3. Module case study
Building e-business case study: promoting and selling cars online

The goals of this case study are to allow us to look at an existing business and work together to make suggestions as to how its online component could be improved. The business we have chosen is Subaru Canada (www.subaru.ca) and we will be working with Iain Forsyth, one of their designers.

Here is some introductory information about the company:

• Subsidiary of Japanese parent company Fuji Heavy Industries
• Cars are sold though dealership network
• Most dealerships are independently owned and run
• Manufacturer Recommended Selling Prices are defined by Subaru Canada
• Cars are manufactured in Japan and Indiana, USA
• Cars are sold to the dealerships who sell them on to customers
• Dealerships are able to arrange trade-ins and finance
• New models are introduced regularly (throughout the year)
• Subaru owners tend to be loyal to the brand
• Models are sold as specified with very limited customisation possible

Case study preparation

1. Have a look at the existing site and make notes about how you might improve its look, visibility and functionality
2. Research the online car selling business here, in Canada and elsewhere. Make notes of current trends
3. Consider the stakeholders and partners in the business and the factors that might effect its use of online channels
4. Create a set of questions that we can ask Iain at the start of the module

During the module we will be working together on this case study to make recommendations to the client as to how they could improve their e-business. We will have daily access to the client via live instant messenger chat.

Module sessions
The exact sequencing and timetable for the 3 module days will be tuned in response to your feedback to the first survey (above).

Lecturing will include versions of sessions run during my final year undergraduate module on Electronic Commerce. Here are pointers to these lectures. You will notice that other students are asking questions and making comments. Feel free to join in. Further materials will be added here following your responses to the initial surveys.

1. An Introduction to E-Commerce
2. London Theatre Tickets Case Study
3. Building e-commerce without coding
4. Building an e-commerce site using Active Server Pages
5. Business Models
6. What went wrong with dotcom?
7. Promoting Online Stores
8. How much will an e-commerce project cost?

Design exercise
The exercise for this module involves the creation of a costed improvement strategy for the existing online business within an organisation of your choice.

Outline plans should be suitable for presentation to a potential manager or investor and can in bulleted list form (8-10 pages)

The following headings are indicative of what should be included and provide a guideline of the maximum length:

1. Management summary including outline budget estimate (1 side)
2. Outline of proposed idea (1) - Set out the major components of your idea. Who is it for? Why is it needed?
3. Review against competitors / similar ideas (1)
4. Top-level technology plan including choices for tenchology components (3)
5. Story board for user experience (2) - What will the system feel like for the customer or user? Sketch out the major components of the system so that the flow/dialogue can be understood.
6. Budget& revenue – Sources of revenue or cost savings together with likely costs (1) What are the benefits of your proposed system? Will it make money or save money for the organisation?
7. Background to the organisation (1) - Include background information about your organisation and perhaps your department if you feel this is necessary to understand your proposal
8. Critical review of feasibility (1) - Once you have completed your proposal you should stand back and review it. Is it really feasible? Are your cost savings or revenue projections realistic? What are the problems that you are likely to face?

You may plan this assignment before the start of the module and refine your ideas during the taught sessions. Deadline dates will be advised.

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