Description

College of Administrative and Financial Sciences
ECOM101 – E-commerce
E-commerce Project (Part B)
Second Semester 2021-2022
Submission: Saturday 30 Apr. 2022 = 15 Marks
Requirement:
This is a continuous activity for part A, keep working on the same website you have chosen in
part A. In this part you are required to evaluate one of the websites below based on what you
learn from this course and your perspective. The evaluation will cover the different aspects of
ECommerce such as business idea, website design, marketing, security … etc.
You will need to analyze the business and provide suggestions to improve the current business
situation.
The following questions require critical thinking to be answered successfully. The answers to
these questions will drive the ways of improvement of the current e-commerce business.
1. Site Design 3 marks
 Evaluate the website design focusing on the eight most important factors in successful
ecommerce site design (ease of use, ease of purchase, simple graphics … etc.). You are
required to evaluate each factor. (Refer to Chapter 3 – Page 212 in the book and/or Slide
43).
o Discuss possible suggestions to improve the site design.
2. Business software 2 marks
The development of an e-commerce website requires more interactive functionalities, such as the
ability to respond to user input (name and address forms), capturing customer orders for goods
and services, clearing credit card transactions on the fly, consolidating price and product
databases, and even adjusting advertising on the screen based on user characteristics.
 Explain the different types of software used on the website to perform the current
functionalities.
• What can be done to improve the software?
3. Payment and Security 3 marks
 What are the methods of payment available in the online store?
(See the book: page 295-296)
o What other methods can be added? Explain why?
 What are the technologies used on the website to secure the online transactions?
 o What other technologies can be added? Explain why?
 What is the current privacy policy of the online store? Outline how the information is
collected and used? o What can be added to the privacy policy? Explain why?
4. Categorize marketing and advertising strategy and method. 2 marks
 Explain the current online, offline, and social media marketing strategies of the e-commerce
business? Provide photos or screenshots of your business marketing activities.
• What can be done to improve the marketing aspects of the business?
5. Know your competitors. 3 marks
 Choose a website of one competitor in the same industry (locally or globally) and compare it
with your chosen company’s site. Indicate why the competitor’s website is better or worse
than the chosen company’s website. Provide one competitor SWOT analysis with
screenshots of their website activities.
o What can be done by learning from your competitor’s experience?
6. Conclude your report. 2 marks
Summarize the above points and include your recommendation to improve the e-commerce
business.
Guidelines for the assignment:
The answer sheet must include the following:
• Cover page
• Questions
• Answers
Make sure to include the cover page with all information required.
TWO marks will be deducted if there is no cover page
This is a group project (4-5 students), which is part of your course score. It requires
effort, research, and critical thinking.
You are required to choose one current business from the list.
Each website can be chosen by one group only.
Use font Times New Roman, 12 font size
Use 1.5 line spacing with adjust to all paragraphs (alignment).
Use the footer function to insert page number.
Ensure that you follow the APA style in your project and references.
The minimum number of required references is 5 references using APA style.
Your whole project report length should be between 1250 to 1600 words.
You must check the spelling and grammar mistakes before submitting the assignment.
Up to 20% of the total grade will be deducted for providing a poor structure of
assignment. Structure includes these elements paper style, free of spelling and grammar
mistakes, referencing and word count.
Your file should be saved as Word Doc. Follow this pattern to name the file:
Your name_CRN_ECOM101_ Project_B.docx
E-Commerce 2018: Business. Technology.
Society
Fourteenth Edition
Chapter 1
Introduction to
E-commerce
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Learning Objectives
1.1 Understand why it is important to study e-commerce.
1.2 Define e-commerce, understand how e-commerce differs from ebusiness, identify the primary technological building blocks underlying
e-commerce, and recognize major current themes in e-commerce.
1.3 Identify and describe the unique features of e-commerce
technology and discuss their business significance.
1.4 Describe the major types of e-commerce.
1.5 Understand the evolution of e-commerce from its early years to
today.
1.6 Describe the major themes underlying the study of e-commerce.
1.7 Identify the major academic disciplines contributing to e-commerce.
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Everything On Demand: The
“Uberization” of E-commerce
• Class Discussion
– Have you used Uber or any other on-demand service
companies?
– What is the appeal of these companies for users and
providers?
– Are there any negative consequences to the
increased use of on-demand services like Uber and
Airbnb?
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
The First Thirty Seconds
• First 20 years of e-commerce
– Just the beginning
– Rapid growth and change
• Technologies evolve at exponential rates
– Disruptive business change
– New opportunities
• Why study e-commerce
– Understand opportunities and risks
– Analyze e-commerce ideas, models, issues
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Introduction to E-commerce
• Use of Internet to transact business
– Includes Web, mobile browsers and apps
• More formally:
– Digitally enabled commercial transactions between
and among organizations and individuals
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The Difference between E-Commerce and
E-Business
• E-business:
– Digital enabling of transactions and processes within
a firm, involving information systems under firm’s
control
– Does not include commercial transactions involving
an exchange of value across organizational
boundaries
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Technological Building Blocks Underlying
E -Commerce
• Internet
• World Wide Web
– HTML
– Deep Web v s. “surface” Web
ersu
• Mobile platform
– Mobile apps
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Insight on Technology: Will Apps Make the
Web Irrelevant?
• Class Discussion
– What are the advantages and disadvantages of apps,
compared with websites, for mobile users?
– What are the benefits of apps for content owners and
creators?
– Will apps eventually make the Web irrelevant? Why or
why not?
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Major Trends in E-Commerce
• Business trends include:
– All forms of e-commerce show very strong growth
• Technology trends include:
– Mobile platform has made mobile e-commerce reality
• Societal trends include:
– Increased online social interaction and sharing
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Unique Features of E-Commerce
Technology (1 of 2)
1. Ubiquity
2. Global reach
3. Universal standards
4. Information richness
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Unique Features of E-Commerce
Technology (2 of 2)
5. Interactivity
6. Information density
7. Personalization/customization
8. Social technology
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Types of E-Commerce
• Business-to-Consumer (B2C)
• Business-to-Business (B2B)
• Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C)
• Mobile e-commerce (M-commerce)
• Social e-commerce
• Local e-commerce
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Figure 1.5 The Growth of B2C E-Commerce
in the United States
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Figure 1.7 The Growth of B2B E-Commerce
in the United States
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Figure 1.8 The Growth of M-Commerce in the
United States
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E-Commerce: A Brief History (1 of 4)
• Precursors
– Baxter Healthcare modem-based system
– Order entry systems
– Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) standards
– French Minitel
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E-Commerce: A Brief History (2 of 4)
• 1995–2000: Invention
– Sale of simple retail goods
– Limited bandwidth and media
– Euphoric visions of
▪ Friction-free commerce
▪ First-mover advantages
– Dot-com crash of 2000
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
E-Commerce: A Brief History (3 of 4)
• 2001–2006: Consolidation
– Emphasis on business-driven approach
– Traditional large firms expand presence
– Start-up financing shrinks
– More complex products and services sold
– Growth of search engine advertising
– Business web presences expand
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
E-Commerce: A Brief History (4 of 4)
• 2007–Present: Reinvention
– Rapid growth of:
▪ Web 2.0, including online social networks
▪ Mobile platform
▪ Local commerce
▪ On-demand service economy
– Entertainment content develops as source of
revenues
– Transformation of marketing
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Figure 1.10 Periods in the Development of
E-Commerce
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Insight on Business: Rocket Internet
• Class Discussion
– What are the benefits of investing in a company that
Rocket Internet has launched?
– Is an incubator the best solution for start-ups to find
funding? Why or why not?
– Why is Rocket Internet controversial?
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Assessing E-Commerce (1 of 2)
• Stunning technological success
• Early years a mixed business success
– Few early dot-coms have survived
– Online sales growing rapidly
• Many early visions not fulfilled
– Price dispersion
– Information asymmetry
– New intermediaries
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Assessing E-Commerce (2 of 2)
• Other surprises
– Fast-follower advantages
– Start-up costs
– Impact of mobile platform
– Emergence of on-demand e-commerce
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Understanding E-Commerce: Organizing
Themes
• Technology:
– Development and mastery of digital computing and
communications technology
• Business:
– New technologies present businesses with new ways
of organizing production and transacting business
• Society:
– Intellectual property, individual privacy, public welfare
policy
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Figure 1.11 The Internet and the Evolution
of Corporate Computing
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Insight on Society: Facebook and the Age
of Privacy
• Class discussion:
– Why are social networks interested in collecting user
information?
– What types of privacy invasion are described in the
case? Which is the most privacy-invading, and why?
– Is e-commerce any different than traditional markets
with respect to privacy? Don’t merchants always want
to know their customer?
– How do you protect your privacy on the Web?
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Academic Disciplines Concerned with
Technology
• Technical
– Computer science, management science, information
systems
• Behavioral
– Information systems research, economics, marketing,
management, finance/accounting, sociology
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Careers in E-Commerce
• Position: Category specialist in E-commerce Retail
Program
• Qualification/Skills
• Preparing for the Interview
• Possible Interview Questions
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
E-Commerce 2018: Business. Technology.
Society
Fourteenth Edition
Chapter 2
E-Commerce Infrastructure
Slides in this presentation contain
hyperlinks. JAWS users should be
able to get a list of links by using
INSERT+F7
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Learning Objectives
2.1 Discuss the origins of, and the key technology concepts
behind, the Internet.
2.2 Explain the current structure of the Internet.
2.3 Understand the limitations of today’s Internet and the
potential capabilities of the Internet of the future.
2.4 Understand how the Web works.
2.5 Describe how Internet and web features and services
support e-commerce.
2.6 Understand the impact of mobile applications.
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Tech Titans Target a Prize: Bringing Internet
Access to Rural India
• Class Discussion
– How can the business opportunities of rural India be
assessed?
– What is rural India’s biggest potential?
– Which of the various methods described for bringing
the Internet to rural India do you feel might be most
successful?
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
The Internet: Technology Background
• Internet
– Interconnected network of thousands of networks and
millions of computers
– Links businesses, educational institutions,
government agencies, and individuals
• World Wide Web (Web)
– One of the Internet’s most popular services
– Provides access to billions, possibly trillions, of web
pages
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
The Evolution of the Internet 1961–Present
•
Innovation Phase, 1961–1974
– Creation of fundamental building blocks
•
Institutionalization Phase, 1975–1995
– Large institutions provide funding and legitimization
•
Commercialization Phase, 1995–present
– Private corporations take over, expand Internet backbone and local
service
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
The Internet: Key Technology Concepts
• Internet defined as network that:
– Uses IP addressing
– Supports TCP/IP
– Provides services to users, in a manner similar to
telephone system
• Three important concepts:
– Packet switching
– TCP/IP communications protocol
– Client/server computing
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Packet Switching
• Slices digital messages into packets
• Sends packets along different communication paths as
they become available
• Reassembles packets once they arrive at destination
• Uses routers
• Less expensive, wasteful than circuit-switching
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Figure 2.3 Packet Switching
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TCP/IP
• Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)
– Establishes connections among sending and receiving Web
computers
– Handles assembly of packets at point of transmission, and
reassembly at the receiving end.
• Internet Protocol (IP): provides the Internet’s addressing scheme and is
responsible for delivery of packets
• Four TCP/IP layers (The purpose of TCP/IP is to provide high-speed
communication network links.)
– Network interface layer
– Internet layer
– Transport layer
– Application layer
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Figure 2.4 The TCP/IP Architecture and
Protocol Suite
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Internet (IP) Addresses
• IPv4
– 32-bit number
– Four sets of numbers marked off by periods:
201.61.186.227
▪ Class C address: Network identified by first three
sets, computer identified by last set
• IPv6
– 128-bit addresses, able to handle up to 1 quadrillion
addresses (IPv4 can handle only 4 billion)
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Figure 2.5 Routing Internet Messages:
TCP/IP and Packet Switching
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Domain Names, DNS, and URLs
• Domain name
– IP address expressed in natural language
• Domain name system (DNS)
– Allows numeric IP addresses to be expressed in
natural language
• Uniform resource locator (URL)
– Address used by Web browser to identify location of
content on the Web
– For example: http://www.azimuth-interactive.com/
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Client/Server Computing
• Powerful personal computers (clients) connected in
network with one or more servers
• Servers perform common functions for the clients
– Storing files
– Software applications
– Access to printers, and so on
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The Mobile Platform
• Primary Internet access is now through tablets and
smartphones
• Tablets supplement PCs for mobile situations
– Over 160 million people in U.S. use Internet with
tablets
• Smartphones are a disruptive technology
– New processors and operating systems
– Over 220 million in U.S. access Internet with
smartphones
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
The Internet “Cloud Computing”
Model (1 of 2)
• Firms and individuals obtain computing power and
software over Internet
• Three types of services
– Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
– Software as a service (SaaS)
– Platform as a service (PaaS)
• Public, private, and hybrid clouds
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The Internet “Cloud Computing”
Model (2 of 2)
• Drawbacks
– Security risks
– Shifts responsibility for storage and control to
providers
• Radically reduces costs of:
– Building and operating websites
– Infrastructure, IT support
– Hardware, software
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Other Internet Protocols and Utility
Programs
• Internet protocols
– HTTP
– E-mail: SMTP, POP3, IMAP
– FTP, Telnet, SSL/TLS
• Utility programs
– Ping
– Tracert
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The Internet Today
• Internet growth has boomed without disruption because of:
– Client/server computing model
– Hourglass, layered architecture
▪ Network Technology Substrates (telecommunications networks,
protocols, and infrastructure (including cables and switches))
▪ Transport Services and Representation Standards (houses the
TCP/IP protocol)
▪ Middleware Services (the “glue” that ties the applications to the
communications networks)
▪ Applications (contains client applications)
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Figure 2.10 The Hourglass Model of the
Internet
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Figure 2.11 Internet Network Architecture
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The Internet Backbone
• Tier 1 Internet Service Providers (Tier 1 ISPs) or transit
ISPs
• Numerous private networks physically connected to
each other
• Undersea fiber optics, satellite links (across continents)
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Internet Exchange Points (IXPs)
• Regional hubs where Tier 1 ISPs physically connect with
one another and with regional Tier 2 ISPs.
• Tier 2 ISPs provide Tier 3 ISPs with Internet access.
• Originally called Network Access Points (NAPs) or
Metropolitan Area Exchanges (MAEs).
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Tier 3 Internet Service Providers
• Retail providers
– Lease Internet access to home owners, small businesses
▪ Large providers: Comcast, Verizon, Time Warner Cable
▪ Smaller local providers
• Services
– Narrowband (telephone modem connection)
– Broadband (communication technology that permits clients to play streaming
audio and video at acceptable speeds)
– Digital subscriber line (D S L) (delivers high-speed access through ordinary
telephone lines => FiOS)
– Cable Internet (faster speeds and a “triple play” subscription- shared services).
– Satellite Internet (remote areas)
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Campus/Corporate Area Networks (CANs)
• Local area networks operating within single organization
– Ethernet (a local area network protocol (LAN))
• E.g. NYU, Microsoft Corporation
• Lease Internet access directly from regional and national
carriers
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Intranets
• Intranet
– TCP/IP network located within a single organization
for communications and information processing
– Used by private and government organizations for
internal networks
– All Internet applications can be used in private
intranets
▪ Cheaper & Private
▪ Providers: MS, Linux
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Who Governs the Internet?
• Organizations that influence the Internet and monitor its operations
include:
– Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
– Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
– Internet Research Task Force (IRTF)
– Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG)
– Internet Architecture Board (IAB)
– Internet Society (ISOC)
– Internet Governance Forum (IGF)
– World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
– Internet Network Operators Groups (NOGs)
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Insight on Society: Government Regulation
and Surveillance of the Internet
• Class discussion:
– How is it possible for any government to “control” or
censor the Web?
– Does the Chinese government, or the U.S.
government, have the right to censor content on the
Web?
– How should U.S. companies deal with governments
that want to censor content?
– What would happen to e-commerce if the existing
Web split into a different Web for each country?
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Limitations of the Current Internet
•
Bandwidth limitations
–
•
Slow peak-hour service
Quality of service limitations
– E.g. steaming videos
• Latency
– delays in messages caused by the uneven flow of information packets
•
Network architecture limitations
–
•
Identical requests are processed individually (e.g. music)
Wired Internet
–
Copper and expensive fiber-optic cables
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The Internet2 Project
• Consortium of 450+ institutions collaborating to facilitate
revolutionary Internet technologies
• Primary goals:
– Provides leading-edge very-high-speed network for
national research community
– Environment for developing and testing new
technologies
– Distributed and collaborative computing environments
for sciences, health, arts, and humanities initiatives
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The First Mile and the Last Mile
• Most significant private initiatives
– Fiber optic trunk-line bandwidth (first mile)
– Wireless internet services (last mile)
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Fiber Optics and the Bandwidth Explosion
in the First Mile
• “First mile”: Backbone Internet services that carry bulk
traffic over long distances
• Fiber-optic cable: hundreds of glass strands that use light
to transmit data
– Faster speeds and greater bandwidth
– Thinner, lighter cables
– Less interference
– Better data security
• Substantial investments in fiber optic by
telecommunications firms in last decade
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The Last Mile: Mobile Internet Access
• “Last mile”: From Internet backbone to user’s computer,
smartphone, and so on
• Two basic types of wireless Internet access:
– Telephone-based (mobile phones, smartphones)
– Computer network–based (wireless local area
network–based) WLAN = WiFi
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Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) –
Based Internet Access
• Wi-Fi
– High-speed, fixed broadband wireless L A N (W L A N)
– Wireless access point (“hot spots”) (radio signals)
– Limited range but inexpensive
• WiMax
– High-speed, medium-range, broadband wireless metropolitan area
network
• Bluetooth
– technology standard for short-range wireless communication under 30
feet
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Figure 2.13 Wi-Fi Networks
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Other Innovative Internet Access Technologies:
Drones, Balloons, and White Space
• Google: Project Loon
• Facebook: Facebook
Connectivity Lab/Acquila drone
• Microsoft: White spaces project
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The Future Internet
• Latency solutions
– diffserv (differentiated quality of service)
• Guaranteed service levels and lower error rates
• Declining costs
• The Internet of Things (IoT)
– Objects connected via sensors/RFID to the Internet
– “Smart things”
– Interoperability issues and standards (compatibility)
– Security and privacy concerns
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Insight on Business: The Apple Watch:
Bringing the Internet of Things to Your Wrist
• Class Discussion
– Are you or anyone you know using the Apple Watch?
If not, why not? If so, what apps do you use most?
– What are the potential benefits of wearable
technology? Are there any disadvantages?
– What effects will features like the Apple Pay button
and Taptic Engine have?
– Are there any privacy issues raised by wearable
technology?
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The Web
• 1989–1991: Web invented
– Tim Berners-Lee at CERN
– HTML, HTTP, web server, web browser
• 1993: Mosaic web browser w/GUI
– Andreessen and others at NCSA
– Runs on Windows, Macintosh, or Unix
• 1994: Netscape Navigator, first commercial web browser
• 1995: Microsoft Internet Explorer
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Hypertext
• Text formatted with embedded links
– Links connect documents to one another, and to other
objects such as sound, video, or animation files
• Uses Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and URLs to
locate resources on the Web
– Example URL:
http://megacorp.com/content/features/082602.html
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Markup Languages
• Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
– Fixed set of pre-defined markup “tags” used to format
text
– Controls look and feel of web pages
– HTML5 the newest version
• eXtensible Markup Language (XML)
– Designed to describe data and information
– Tags used are defined by user
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Insight on Technology: the Rise of HTML5
• Class Discussion
– What features of HTML5 are changing the way
websites are built?
– Is HTML5 a disruptive technology, and if so, for
whom?
– Are there any disadvantages in websites and mobile
apps moving to an HTML5 platform?
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Web Servers and Web Clients
• Web server software (Apache)
– Enables a computer to deliver web pages to clients on a network
that request this service by sending an HTTP request
– Basic capabilities: Security services, FTP, search engine, data
capture
• Web server (Lenovo, Dell, and HP)
– May refer to either web server software or physical server
– Specialized servers: Database servers, ad servers, and so on
• Web client (Windows/ Mac)
– Any computing device attached to the Internet that is capable of
making HTTP requests and displaying HTML pages
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Web Browsers
• Primary purpose is to display web page, but may include
added features
– Google’s Chrome: 60% of desktop market, 56%
mobile market
▪ Open source
– Internet Explorer: 17% of desktop, >1% mobile
– Mozilla Firefox: 12% desktop, >1% mobile
▪ Open source
– Apple’s Safari: 4% desktop, 33% mobile
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The Internet and Web: Features
• Features on which the foundations of e-commerce are
built:
– Communication tools
– Search engines
– Downloadable and streaming media
– Web 2.0 applications and services
– Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR)
– Intelligent digital assistants
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Communication Tools
• E-mail
– Most used application of the Internet
• Messaging Applications
– Instant messaging
• Online message boards
• Internet telephony
– VOIP
• Video conferencing, video chatting, telepresence (Zoom)
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Search Engines
• Identify web pages that match queries based on one or
more techniques
– Keyword indexes
– Page ranking
• Also serve as:
– Shopping tools
– Advertising vehicles (search engine marketing)
– Tool within e-commerce sites
• Top three providers: Google, Bing, Yahoo
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Figure 3.17 How Google Works
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Downloadable and Streaming Media
• Downloads:
– Growth in broadband connections enables large
media file downloads
• Streaming technologies
– Enables music, video, and other large files to be sent
to users in chunks so that the file can play
uninterrupted
• Podcasting
• Explosion in online video viewing
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Web 2.0 Features and Services
• Online Social Networks
– Services that support communication among networks of
friends, peers
• Blogs
– Personal web page of chronological entries
– Enables web page publishing with no knowledge of HTML
• Wikis
– Enables documents to be written collectively and
collaboratively
– E.g. Wikipedia
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Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
• Virtual reality
– Immersing users within virtual world
– Typically uses head-mounted display (HMD)
– Oculus Rift, Vive, PlayStation VR
• Augmented reality
– Overlaying virtual objects over the real world, via
mobile devices or HMDs
▪ Pokémon GO
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Intelligent Digital Assistants
• Computer search engine using:
– Natural language
– Conversational interface, verbal commands
– Situational awareness
• Can handle requests for appointments, flights, routes,
event scheduling, and more.
– Examples:
▪ Apple’s Siri
▪ Google Now
▪ Google Assistant
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Mobile Apps
• Use of mobile apps has exploded
– Most popular entertainment media, over TV
– Always present shopping tool
– Almost all top 100 brands have an app
• Platforms
– iPhone/iPad (iOS), Android, Blackberry
• App marketplaces
– Google Play, Apple’s App Store, RIM’s App World,
Windows Phone Marketplace
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
E-Commerce 2018: Business. Technology.
Society
Fourteenth Edition
Chapter 3
Building an E-Commerce
Presence
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Learning Objectives
3.1 Understand the questions you must ask and answer, and the steps
you should take, in developing an e-commerce presence.
3.2 Explain the process that should be followed in building an ecommerce presence.
3.3 Identify and understand the major considerations involved in
choosing web server and e-commerce merchant server software.
3.4 Understand the issues involved in choosing the most appropriate
hardware for an e-commerce site.
3.5 Identify additional tools that can improve website performance.
3.6 Understand the important considerations involved in developing a
mobile website and building mobile applications.
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Ltd.
The Financial Times: A Remodel for 21st
Century Publishing Profitability
• Class Discussion
– What were the Financial Times’ objectives in
redesigning its e-commerce presence?
– What considerations, if any, unique to the newspaper
business were involved?
– What did the Financial Times do to meet the needs of
mobile device users?
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Imagine Your E-Commerce Presence (1 of 3)
• What’s the idea? The vision includes:
– Mission statement
– Target audience
– Intended market space
– Strategic analysis
– Marketing matrix
– Development timeline
– Preliminary budget
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Imagine Your E-Commerce Presence (2 of 3)
• Where’s the money?
– Business model(s)
– Revenue model(s)
• Who and where is the target audience?
– Demographics, lifestyle, consumption patterns, etc.
• What is the ballpark? Characterize the marketplace
– Size, growth, demographics, structure
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Imagine Your E-Commerce Presence (3 of 3)
• Where’s the content coming from?
• Know yourself—SWOT analysis
• Develop an e-commerce presence map (4 kinds of presence)
• Develop a timeline: Milestones
• How much will this cost?
– Simple website: up to $5000
– Small startup: $25,000 to $50,000
– Large corporate website: $100,000+ to millions
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Figure 3.1 SWOT Analysis
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Figure 3.2 E-Commerce Presence Map
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Building an E-Commerce Site: A Systematic
Approach
• Most important management challenges:
1. Developing a clear understanding of business objectives
2. Knowing how to choose the right technology to achieve those
objectives
• Main factors to consider
– Management
– Hardware architecture
– Software
– Design
– Telecommunications
– Human resources
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Planning: The Systems Development Life
Cycle (SDLC)
• Methodology for understanding business objectives of a
system and designing an appropriate solution
• Five major steps:
– Systems analysis/planning
– Systems design
– Building the system
– Testing
– Implementation
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Figure 3.5 Website Systems Development
Life Cycle
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System Analysis/Planning
Site specific business objectives:
• Business objectives:
– List of capabilities you want your site to have
• System functionalities:
– List of information system capabilities needed to
achieve business objectives
• Information requirements:
– Information elements that system must produce in
order to achieve business objectives
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Table 3.2 System Analysis, Business Objectives,
System Functionalities, and Information
Requirements for a Typical E-Commerce Site (1 of 2)
Business Objective
System Functionality
Information Requirements
Display goods
Digital Catalog
Dynamic text and graphics catalog
Provide product
information
Product database
Product description, stocking numbers,
inventory levels
Personalize/c