The eLearning Center for Jacob's The eLearning Centre

Distance learning course of 6 in depth units

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E-business is everywhere. Most newspapers and magazines carry articles about the hottest new idea for conducting commerce over the Internet. But what is the truth behind the e-business world? How does it operate? How and why does a business go on-line? As e-commerce increasingly creeps into all facets of everyday life we need to understand how e-business evolved, the technologies and business models that drive it, the threat it poses to traditional business models, and how it is likely to grow in the future.

This course aims to provide insight how e-business operates. It examines how e-business evolved, the technologies and business models that drive it, the threat it poses to traditional business models, and how to develop a fuller understanding of e-business opportunities.

Tutor Support

With this course you will have unlimited access to your own personal tutor who specialises in their field of study. It is your personal tutor's role to ensure that you receive constructive feedback and to deal with any queries you may have. You are more than welcome to telephone, fax or email your personal tutor.

You will also have access to a dedicated and friendly team of administrators and course advisors who offer sound and professional guidance and advice when you need it. This ensures that you will never feel neglected and that you will always succeed!

Assessment Method

After each lesson there will be a question paper, which needs to be completed and submitted to your personal tutor for marking. This method of continual assessment ensures that your personal tutor can consistently monitor your progress and provide you with assistance throughout the duration of the course.

What's Included

All study materials

Study Guide

Full Tutor and Admin support

Unit 1: Introduction to E-Business

Section 1: Historical development of the Internet and e-business
1.1 The rise of the Internet
1.2 The Internet moves from academia to mainstream
1.3 The growth in accessible technologies
1.4 The first �dot-coms�

Section 2: Defining e-business
2.1 e-commerce versus e-business
2.2 Types of e-business transactions
2.3 The components of m-commerce

Section 3: e-business versus traditional business models
3.1 Introducing e-business models
3.2 The threat of new entrants
3.3 Low barriers to entry
3.4 The threat of disintermediation
3.5 The threat of customer power

Section 4: Drivers for change
4.1 Why embrace e-business?
4.2 Where can e-business be applied in an organisation?
4.3 Identifying the cost benefit

Section 5: Looking to the future
5.1 After the dot.com bubble
5.2 Trends in e-business models
5.3 Clicks and mortar as a future strategy

Unit 2: E-business - Applications, Models and Technologies

Section 1: E-business applications
1.1 E-business applications in context
1.2 On-line ordering
1.3 E-procurement
1.4 What is e-CRM?
1.5 B2B marketplaces
1.6 On-line training and learning
1.7 Customisation of web content
1.8 Secure customer access to websites

Section 2: Introduction to e-markets
2.1 From marketplaces to marketspaces
2.2 Portals and B2B marketplaces

Section 3: Main technologies
3.1 HTML
3.2 Database technologies
3.3 EDI and XML
3.4 Content creation tools
3.5 Catalogue tools
3.6 Multimedia tools

Section 4: Inter- and intra-organisational information systems
4.1 E-mail
4.2 Intranets and extranets

Unit 3: E-Business and the Consumer

Section 1: Consumer-based models in e-business
1.1 E-shops and e-malls
1.2 E-auctions
1.3 Information brokerage
1.4 Aggregated buying

Section 2: On-line consumer demographics
2.1 The typical Internet customer
2.2 Internet demographics
2.3 Demographic variations
2.4 Growth markets of the future

Section 3: Market research on-line
3.1 Sourcing market research information on-line
3.2 Data mining

Section 4: Internet promotional strategies
4.1 Using search engines for marketing
4.2 Approaches to web advertising
4.3 Case studies of success and failure of web advertising
4.4 Off-line advertising
4.5 Permission and relationship marketing
4.6 Legal implications of marketing on-line

Unit 4: Impact of E-Business on Business Processes

Section 1: Effect of e-business on business processes
1.1 Modelling business processes
1.2 Identifying the potential impact on all processes
1.3 Specific process examples

Section 2: Logistics and JIT delivery issues
2.1 E-business issues of logistics, fulfilment and JIT delivery
2.2 Case studies of e-business in fulfilment
2.3 Case study of e-business in JIT delivery

Section 3: E-business and procurement
3.1 How does e-business affect the procurement process?
3.2 Case studies of e-procurement
3.3 Investigating e-procurement solution providers

Unit 5: E-business in the Service Sector
Section 1: Internet service delivery
1.1 Service industries
1.2 Atoms versus bits: Tangibles versus intangibles
1.3 Applicability of service delivery to the Internet
1.4 Factors restricting service delivery on-line
1.5 The future of the service sector on-line

Section 2: E-business in the service sector
2.1 Travel agents
2.2 Financial services
2.3 Legal services
2.4 Publishing
2.5 Lessons learned from case studies

Section 3: Regulating the service sector on-line
3.1 Legislation governing service provision on-line

Unit 6: Legal, Fiscal and Ethical Issues of E-Business

Section 1: Legal considerations
1.1 Identifying the legal implications of e-business
1.2 Taxation and the Internet

Section 2: Financial considerations
2.1 Managing e-business risk
2.2 Return on investment
2.3 Sources of funding

Section 3: Ethical issues
3.1 Internal e-business ethics
3.2 Using personal data
3.3 Regional issues on a global stage
3.4 Intellectual property

Section 4: Privacy, security and trust
4.1 Privacy
4.2 Security
4.3 Trust
4.4 Dealing with internal and external security � firewalls
4.5 Security of transactions- public key infrastructure
4.6 Digital signatures