Course Title:

E - Commerce

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION

Course Code: IT 260
Credit Hours: Three (3)
Semester: 7
th
Semester
Prerequisite: IT 161

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course focuses on principles of E-Commerce from a business perspective. It provides
an overview of business and technology topics, business models and marketing strategies.
The course emphasizes the organizational issues i.e. business issues and technical issues,
related to electronic commerce. This includes studying business models for Business to
Business (B2B) and Business to Consumer (B2C) e-commerce systems, technology
infrastructure, electronic payment mechanisms, information privacy and competitive
advantage in the e-commerce arena. The primary focus will be on the business issues that
determine when and why an e-commerce system must be set up; this includes its
relationship with supply chain management to determine whether a business is suited for the
e-commerce environment. The secondary focus will be the technical issues; i.e. the main
technologies for supporting e-commerce systems and how these technologies fit together to
form a cohesive system. The idea is to provide students with a comprehensive study of the
technologies used to support all aspects of electronic business; from site design to system
security.




COURSE OBJECTIVES

Main objectives of this course are:
To introduce the environments in which e-commerce, e-business, e-government, e-health
etc. takes place.
The primary focus will be on the business issues that determine when and why an e-
commerce system must be set up; this includes its relationship with supply chain
management to determine whether a business is suited for the e-commerce environment.
The secondary focus will be the technical issues; i.e. the main technologies for supporting
e-commerce systems and how these technologies fit together to form a cohesive system.
The idea is to provide students with a comprehensive study of the technologies used to
support all aspects of electronic business; from site design to system security.

COURSE OUTCOMES

After completion of this course students would be able to:

Explain how electronic commerce can be used to create a competitive advantage for an
organization.
Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of different business models related to B2B and
B2C electronic commerce.
Analyze a business case and identify strengths and weaknesses in the organizations e-
commerce strategy.
Understand the difference between the main technologies behind electronic commerce
systems and how these technologies interact;
Have an understanding of how e-commerce and web based applications are designed,
built and implemented.
Have knowledge of the tools, technologies, concepts and processes that comprise the
technical infrastructure of e-commerce sites; thereby be able to solve problems about site
design, hardware and software architecture.
Explain many ethical and policy issues in electronic commerce (e.g., data mining,
security, privacy, and intellectual property rights) as well as how individuals,
organizations, and policy makers are addressing these problems.
Explain the effects of policy decisions on e-commerce and businesses.

RECOMMENDED TEXTBOOK(S)

Laudon, K.C. & Traver, C.G. (2008) E-Commerce: Business, Technology, Society, 4
th

Ed., Pearson

Reference Books:

Turban, E. & King, D. (2008) Electronic Commerce: A Managerial Perspective, 4
th
Ed.,
Pearson
Schneider, G.P. (2004) Electronic Commerce, 4
th
Ed., Thomson

ASSESSMENT EVALUATION

Final Exam 40%
Midterm Exam 25%
Quizzes 15%
Assignments 20%

COURSE CONTENTS

Introduction to E-commerce
E-commerce business models and concepts
Supply Chain Management in E-commerce
The Internet and World Wide Web
Building an E-commerce platform
Security and Encryption
Web Payment Systems
Web Marketing Concepts
Web Marketing Communications
Auctions, Portals, and Communities


LECTURES DELIVERY PLAN


Week 1 Introduction to E-commerce

- The difference between e-commerce and e-business
- Unique features of e-commerce technology
- Types of e-commerce
- Growth of the Internet and the Web
- Origins and Growth of E-commerce
- E-commerce I and E-commerce II eras
- Organizing themes of e-commerce
Weeks 2

E-commerce business models and concepts

- Elements of a business model
- Eight essential ingredients of a business model
- Five main types of e-commerce revenue models
- Business models in other emerging e-commerce areas
- How the Internet and Web change business, strategy,
structure, and process
Weeks 3

E-commerce business models and concepts

- Business-to-consumer (B2C) business models
- Portals, E-tailers, Content Providers
- Market Creators, Transaction Brokers, Community Providers
- Business-to-business (B2B) business models
Weeks 4

The Internet and World Wide Web

- Evolution of the Internet
- The Internet Key technology concepts
Packet switching
TCP/IP
IP Address
Domain names and URLs
- Internet Protocols
Email: SMTP, POP, and IMAP
FTP: File Transfer Protocol


Weeks 5

The Internet and World Wide Web

- Internet Protocols
Telnet
Ping: Testing the address
Tracer: Checking routes
- The Internet today
The Internet Backbone
Network access points and metropolitan area exchange
Internet Service Providers Intranets and extranets
Weeks 6

Building an E-commerce Platform

- Planning
- Systems analysis and design
- Building the system: In-house vs. outsourcing
- Website hosting: In-house vs. outsourcing
- System Testing
Weeks 7

Building an E-commerce Platform

- Implementation and maintenance
- Website optimization factors
- Choosing server software
- Application servers
- E-commerce merchant server software functionality
- Merchant server software packages
- Choosing the right hardware for your e-commerce site
- Right-sizing your hardware platform
The demand side
The supply side
- Other e-commerce site development tools
Interactive tools
Week 8 Midterm Exam
Week 9

Security and Encryption

- The e-commerce security environment
- Types of threats
- Technology solutions
Protecting Internet communications
Encryption
Week 10

Security and Encryption

- Technology solutions
Securing channels of communication
Secure socket layers (SSL)
Protecting networks - Firewalls
Protecting servers and clients OS controls/Anti-virus
software
Week 11

Web Payment Systems

- Payment systems
- E-commerce transactions
- E-commerce digital payment in the B2C arena
- Electronic billing and presentment systems
Week 12

Web Marketing Concepts

- The Internet audience
- Internet traffic patterns
- Type of Internet connection: broadband impacts
- Consumer behavior models
- What consumers shop for and buy online
- How shoppers find vendors online
Week 13

Web Marketing Concepts

- Basic marketing concepts
- Internet marketing technologies
Web transaction logs
Cookies and web bugs
- Advertising networks
- Branding strategies
Week 14

Web Marketing Communications

- Online advertising
- Direct email marketing and spam explosion
- Online catalogs
- Online chat
- Public relations
- Benefits of online marketing communications
- The cost of online advertising
- Websites as marketing communication tools
Domain names Search engine optimization
Week 15

Auctions, Portals, and Communities

- Benefits of auctions
- Risks and costs of auctions
- The growth and evolution of portals
- Types of portals
- What are online communities?