FIT2052 Electronic business - Semester 1, 2010 (Information Technology)

Chief Examiner:

Dr Linda Dawson
Senior Lecturer
Phone: +61 3 990 32415
Fax: +61 3 990 31077

Lecturer(s) / Leader(s):

Caulfield

Mr David Grant
Sessional Academic Staff Member
Phone: +61 3 990 34326
Fax: +61 3 990 31077

Contact hours: Consultation by appointment (email or phone)

South Africa

Ms Stella Ouma

Malaysia

Eugene Siew

Introduction

Welcome to FIT 2052 Electronic Business. This unit emphasises the concepts involved in using the internet and related technologies to conduct core e-business activities.

Unit synopsis

This unit introduces students to the ways organisations and businesses use the Internet and related technologies to securely conduct business activities. Students will acquire an understanding of the way e-business is carried out across all kinds of organisations for transactions and other business purposes. Students will analyse and design an e-business solution as part of a preliminary business case in order to gain an understanding of how e-business concepts can be applied to specific organisational and business environments.
Topics include:

The nature of e-business and its infrastructure components - for businesses, services sector, government, health, communities, not-for-profit etc
Using Internet concepts and technologies for developing Intranets and intra-organisational systems and integration
Web site development and implementation issues
Web interfaces and back office systems integration
E-business implementation, business process integration and change management
Inter-organisational systems (IOS) - including current developments in EDI, VANS and VPNs
Electronic Payment Systems
Demand chains, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in electronic marketing
E-procurement and supply chain management
Mobile systems and e-business
The use of Web Services (.NET, XML etc), middleware and object-broking in e-business systems
Legal, Privacy and security issues in e-business
E-business models and cases
Trends for e-business

Learning outcomes

At the completion of this unit students will have:
A knowledge and understanding of:

the concept of e-business, that is, how organisations and businesses organise their activities using the Internet and associated technologies to communicate, carry out and record transactions both internally and externally;
the nature of e-business activities across business, government, community and not-for-profit sectors;
core e-business activities and processes e.g. change management, EDI, electronic record keeping, negotiation;
the legal, privacy and security issues and implications of using the internet to conduct e-business;
the implications for businesses and organisations of trends in e-business; and
the need for the integration of web interfaces with back office systems and other business processes.

Developed attitudes that enable them to:

appreciate the complexity of legal, privacy and security issues and their implications for conducting e-business; and
appreciate the impetus of the internet and related technologies in driving internal integration and external business relationships and service provision (including mobile systems and web services).

Gained practical skills to:

analyse the potential for an e-business approach in a specific business or organisational environment and to prepare a simple e-business case.

Demonstrated the communication skills necessary to:

work in a small team to analyse the potential for an e-business approach in a specific business or organisational environment and to contribute to the preparation of a simple e-business case.

Contact hours

2 hrs lectures/wk, 2 hrs laboratories/wk

Workload

Workload commitments are:

two-hour lecture and
one-hour studio (requiring advance preparation)
a minimum of 2-3 hours of personal study per one hour of contact time in order to satisfy the reading and assignment expectations.

You will need to allocate up to 5 hours per week in some weeks, for use of a computer.

Unit relationships

Prerequisites

FIT1003 or IMS1704 or equivalent

Prohibitions

BEW1601, CPE3008, ELC1000, GCO2803, IMS2704, IMS3280, FIT1009

Teaching and learning method

Teaching approach

Lectures
Studios - individual and group participation
Assignments - individual and group

Timetable information

For information on timetabling for on-campus classes please refer to MUTTS, http://mutts.monash.edu.au/MUTTS/

Tutorial allocation

On-campus students should register for tutorials/laboratories using the Allocate+ system: http://allocate.its.monash.edu.au/

Unit Schedule

Week	Date*	Topic	Key dates
1	01/03/10	Introduction to e-Business
2	08/03/10	Technology Infrastructure: The Internet and the World Wide Web
3	15/03/10	Business Models for e-Business
4	22/03/10	Electronic Marketing and Internet Customer Management
5	29/03/10	Web Site Development Issues for e-Business
Mid semester break
6	12/04/10	Business-to-Business and Electronic Supply Chain Management	Assignment 1 Due in tutorial
7	19/04/10	Electronic Payment Systems
8	26/04/10	E-Business Security
9	03/05/10	Guest Lecture
10	10/05/10	Mobile Business
11	17/05/10	Legal and Ethical Issues
12	24/05/10	Trends in e-business	Assignment 2 Due in tutorial
13	31/05/10	Review

*Please note that these dates may only apply to Australian campuses of Monash University. Off-shore students need to check the dates with their unit leader.

Unit Resources

Prescribed text(s) and readings

See recommended reading.

Text books are available from the Monash University Book Shops. Availability from other suppliers cannot be assured. The Bookshop orders texts in specifically for this unit. You are advised to purchase your text book early.

Recommended text(s) and readings

Schneider, G (2009). Electronic Commerce. (8th ed.), Thomson Learning, ISBN 1-4239-0305-6.

Turban, E., King, D., McKay, J., Marshall, P.,Lee, J.K., and Viehland, D. (2007). Electronic Commerce: A ManagerialPerspective (5th ed.). Prentice Hall, New Jersey,ISBN 9780135135440.

Required software and/or hardware

To access weekly lecture/class materials, you will need an Adobe Acrobat reader, and Microsoft Office software (PowerPoint, Word, and Excel).

Equipment and consumables required or provided

Students will need access to:

a personal computer with Windows XP
the internet via dial-up connection or preferably by broadband
a printer for assignments

On-campus students may use the facilities available in the computing labs. Information about computer use for students is available from the ITS Student Resource Guide in the Monash University Handbook.

Study resources

Study resources we will provide for your study are:

The unit web site available through Moodle
Lecture notes/PowerPoint slides, tutorial sheets, assignment specifications and other relevant materials and links available on the web site each week.
A sample exam available on the web site in week 11.

Assessment

Overview

Examination (3 hours): 60%; In-semester assessment: 40%

Faculty assessment policy

To pass a unit which includes an examination as part of the assessment a student must obtain:

40% or more in the unit's examination, and
40% or more in the unit's total non-examination assessment, and
an overall unit mark of 50% or more.

If a student does not achieve 40% or more in the unit examination or the unit non-examination total assessment, and the total mark for the unit is greater than 50% then a mark of no greater than 49-N will be recorded for the unit.

Assignment tasks

Assignment coversheets

Assignment coversheets are available via "Student Forms" on the Faculty website: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/forms/
You MUST submit a completed coversheet with all assignments, ensuring that the plagiarism declaration section is signed.

Assignment submission and return procedures, and assessment criteria will be specified with each assignment.

Assignment task 1

Title:

Assignment 1 (Individual)

Description:

Research an e-business marketplace.

Assignment specification will be handed out in lectures and also be available on the web site

Weighting:

15%

Due date:

Tutorial, week 6

Assignment task 2

Title:

Assignment 2 (Group)

Description:

Design a solution to a business problem.

Assignment specification will be handed out at lectures and also be available on the web site

Weighting:

30%

Due date:

Tutorial, Week 12

Assignment task 3

Title:

Tutorial Participation

Description:

Students will be assessed on their contribution to tutorial discussions.

Weighting:

5%

Due date:

Examination

Weighting: 50%
Length: 3 hours
Type (open/closed book): Closed book

See Appendix for End of semester special consideration / deferred exams process.

Due dates and extensions

Please make every effort to submit work by the due dates. It is your responsibility to structure your study program around assignment deadlines, family, work and other commitments. Factors such as normal work pressures, vacations, etc. are not regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. Students are advised to NOT assume that granting of an extension is a matter of course.

Students requesting an extension for any assessment during semester (eg. Assignments, tests or presentations) are required to submit a Special Consideration application form (in-semester exam/assessment task), along with original copies of supporting documentation, directly to their lecturer within two working days before the assessment submission deadline. Lecturers will provide specific outcomes directly to students via email within 2 working days. The lecturer reserves the right to refuse late applications.

A copy of the email or other written communication of an extension must be attached to the assignment submission.

Refer to the Faculty Special consideration webpage or further details and to access application forms: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/equity/special-consideration.html

Late assignment

Late assignments submitted without an approved extension may be accepted (up to one week late) at the discretion of the lecturer, but will be penalised at the rate of 10% of total assignment marks per day (including weekends). Assignments received later than one week after the due date will not normally be accepted.

Return dates

Students can expect assignments to be returned within two weeks of the submission date or after receipt, whichever is later.

Appendix

Please visit the following URL: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/units/appendix.html for further information about:

Continuous improvement
Unit evaluations
Communication, participation and feedback
Library access
Monash University Studies Online (MUSO)
Plagiarism, cheating and collusion
Register of counselling about plagiarism
Non-discriminatory language
Students with disability
End of semester special consideration / deferred exams

FIT2052 Electronic business - Semester 1, 2010