Learning objectives and graduate skills tested
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the key drivers and challenges faced by digital enterprises that include technology infrastructure, business processes, social media, consumer behaviour and global markets (Problem solving)
2. Demonstrate the ability to research and critically evaluate e-commerce business models to gain an understanding of their business application for transforming digital enterprises (Academic, professional and digital literacy)
3. Demonstrate the practical skills required to formulate and evaluate a coherent plan for a digital enterprise, develop a prototype business website based on this plan and document and critically evaluate the end-product (Problem solving).
4. Demonstrate the ability to write effectively in a clear and concise manner in report style for senior management (Written and oral communication)
Assignment requires you to plan and develop an e-commerce business model report including building a prototype website using Joomla! based on the online business category
Report: E-commerce Business Model:
1) Report Structure and Presentation:
Your report should include a title page, Table of Contents (including List of Tables and List of figures if applicable) and Appendices.
Note: Make sure to state your name and student number in the report on the title page. State the word count of the report (Introduction to Conclusions & Recommendations)
2) Report Letter of Transmittal, Executive Summary and Introduction: (Approx. 300 words)
Your report should include a letter of transmittal, executive summary, and introduction to the report.
Note: Make sure to nominate a name for your prototype website and provide a brief rationale why you used this name in the Introduction to the report.
Report Section 1 – Industry Structural Analysis (approx. 600 words)
An industry structural analysis can help to identify the impact that your online business can make on the overall business environment, primarily in terms of profitability within the relevant industry.
Conduct an industry structural analysis relevant to your proposed online business and assigned business category.
When you conduct an industry structural analysis, you have to discuss the nature of competition in the relevant industry of your online business, including the nature of substitute products or services, the barriers to entry, and the relative powers of consumers and suppliers in the supply chain. Some of the frameworks you may use for the analysis and discussion are:
- Porter’s Five Competitive Forces
- PESTLE/ PEST Analysis
- SWOT Analysis
Report Section 2 – E-commerce Business Model (approx. 1200 words)
Simply put, a business model is a plan for making money. The textbook explains eight components of a business model. Discuss the following four components of the e-commerce business model for your online business:
a) Value Proposition – how does your online business fulfil customer needs?
b) Revenue Model – how does your online business earn revenue and have a positive return on investment?
c) Market Opportunity – what is the marketspace and its size that your online business intends to operate in?
d) Competitive Environment – what other companies are operating in the same marketspace offering similar products and services?
Report Section 3 – Online Consumer Behaviour (approx. 600 words)
Research has shown that many consumers use the Internet to investigate prices rather than actual buying, which is often done in a physical store. Do you want to entice more online buying rather than just researching on your website? What implications does this have for your online business?
Report: Conclusions and Recommendations to the Business (approx. 300 words)
Your report should include a separate conclusions and recommendations section.
a) Conclusions provide a summary of your key findings from the body of the report.
b) Recommendations provide a summary of the recommendations to your online business based on the research conducted in the report.
Report: Referencing and Appropriateness of Sources
a) References are requisite and the Harvard AGPS standard of referencing must be employed.
b) Make sure that your reports are completely referenced, comprising any reference to the text-book. Your report must comprise in-text references and a list of References.