module specification

This module provides an in-depth knowledge of ecommerce and ebusiness. It introduces the concepts and practical techniques for ecommerce and ebusiness. Ebusiness strategy, models, processes, opportunities in marketing, CRM and procurement as well as legal, ethical, social and global issues are covered. The module also equips students with knowledge and skills to build a themed on-line interactive ecommerce web site with shopping cart for an SME, incorporating a range of software applications and script programming.

The module will enable students to:-
• provide students an understanding of key concepts and techniques of ecommerce and ebusiness
•  equip students with knowledge and skills to build a themed on-line interactive ecommerce web site with shopping cart for an SME, incorporating a range of software applications and script programming
• develop skills to reflect on the practical objectives through the provision of documentation recording the problem-solving experience

Successful completion of Level 5 or equivalent

ecommerce and ebusiness fundamentals: business adoption, digital technologies, ebusiness capability LO1,LO2,LO6
ecommerce and ebusiness strategy: strategy analysis, objectives, definition, and implementation      LO1, LO3
server-side programming for ecommerce: creating dynamic web pages with a server-side programming language (e.g. C#.NET) LO1,LO4,LO5
ebusiness process management: the value chain, process management, characteristics of process, types, role of IT LO1, LO2
displaying and searching products from a database: database connectivity, creating the product catalogue, displaying products, search the catalogue and products LO1,LO4, LO5
e-marketing: marketing  plan, situation analysis, strategy, tactics, action, control LO1,LO2, LO3,LO6
search engine optimisation: domain registration, search engine tools, page rank LO1, LO4,LO6
transaction processing in ecommerce website: customer registration, marking order, shopping cart, check out LO1, LO4, LO5
security management in ecommerce: password protection, security and session management LO1, LO4, LO6
e-procurement: supply chain management, risks and impacts, implementation LO1,LO2, LO3,LO6
e-CRM: conversion marketing, customer acquisition, retention and extension LO1,LO2, LO6
legal, ethical, social and global issues in the context of ecommerce and ebusiness LO6

Topics will be introduced through a combination of formal lectures, tutorials, supervised workshop sessions, and blended learning as follows:
- Lecture (1 hour / week):
Introduce the designated topics in the syllabus, ranging from key aspects of database management and development to current database technologies.
- Tutorial/ Workshop (2 hour / week):
Tutorial sessions aim to consolidate the understanding of topics covered in the lectures including class and group discussions in the tutorial sessions.
Practical skills of ecommerce and ebusiness will be further developed through lab-based workshops. Specific practical exercises are set to support students' development of skills in building a themed on-line interactive ecommerce web site with shopping cart for an SME.
- Blended learning
Lecture notes and other support learning material will be available on the university VLE network (e.g. WebLearn)
-Reflective learning:
Students will be expected and encouraged to produce reflective commentaries and an action plan for personal development on the learning activities and tasks that they carry out to complete their work, e.g. in the form of an assessed section of their coursework report.
In addition, students are strongly advised to read widely of relevant materials from books, journals and the internet in order to acquire a better understanding of the subject.

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:-

LO1.Understand the key concepts and techniques of ecommerce and ebusiness
LO2.Appreciation of the e-business opportunities in a variety of application contexts
LO3.Develop effective e-business strategies for the delivery of products and services
LO4.Design and develop a themed on-line interactive ecommerce web site
LO5.Critically evaluate and reflect on the problem-solving process
LO6.Appreciation of legal, ethical, social and global issues in the context of ecommerce and ebusiness

The assessment strategy for the module aims to enable the students to demonstrate their achievement on the stated learning outcomes. The module will be assessed by a piece of coursework (60%) and a 2-hour unseen examination (40%).
• The coursework is designed mainly to assess the practical aspects of the module. It is divided into two parts: writing a business plan (LO2, LO3) and building an ecommerce website (LO4). It requires the student to apply their knowledge from theoretical study on the module to produce a business plan. It also requires students to build a themed on-line interactive ecommerce web site with shopping cart for an SME to demonstrate their practical skills for problem-solving and critical thinking/evaluation. (LO5)
• The unseen examination will provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate their understanding of the key concepts and techniques of ecommerce and ebusiness (LO1) and their ability to apply these techniques appropriately to the solution of given problems/scenarios. (LO2,LO6) The examination will test the students' retention, understanding and insight of material drawn from the module.

Arrangements for formative and summative feedback:

• Formative feedback to the students is provided on an on-going basis both through informal tutorial/workshop discussions and on a one-to-one basis, covering major topics of study and students’ progress on the module.

• Summative feedback will be available following the exam and the coursework.

Where possible, the most current version of reading materials is used during the delivery of this module.  Comprehensive reading lists are provided to students in their handbooks.  Reading Lists will be updated annually.

Textbooks:

Core Text:
• Chaffey, D., 2014. Digital Business and E-Commerce Management, 6th ed., Pearson.

Other Texts:
• Kenneth C. Laudon and Carol Guercio Traver, 2018. E-Commerce: Business, Technology, Society, 14th ed., Pearson.
• Sharp, J., Microsoft Visual C# Step by Step, 9th Edition, 2018, Miscrosoft Press.
• Darie, C. & Watson, K., 2009. Beginning ASP.NET E-Commerce in C#: From Novice to Professional. Apress.

Journals:
• IJEC International Journal of Electronic Commerce, ISSN 1086-4415. Taylor & Francis
• The Computer Journal of the British Computer Society, ISSN 1460-2067 (Electronic); Publisher: Oxford: Oxford Journals, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Websites:
• Student support site for text - http://wps.pearsoned.co.uk/ema_uk_he_chaffey_ebus_4
• ASP.NET Tutorial - http://www.w3schools.com/aspnet/default.asp
• Electronic Databases (available from the University Library)
• ACM Digital Library
• IEEE Xplore/IET Digital Library
Other
• Lynda.com