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Course Syllabus and Schedule Spring, 2012
MET AD 648 INTRODUCTION TO ECOMMERCE
BOSTON CAMPUS - HYBRID
DR. KIP BECKER (www.bu.edu/goglobal)
Hybrid Format
The course will meet in CAS room 326, Met Computer lab (808 commonwealth ave.) and online. The
hybrid format is designed to combine the flexibility and technology features of on line education with the
personal instruction advantages of the classroom. The class will meet in the classroom, computer lab and will
have on line sessions. We will have class sessions, online sessions and lab sessions. Be certain you keep track of
the location of each meeting.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The objective of the course can be summed up quickly as helping you to appreciate the rapid growth
associated with internet enabled business as well as some of the difficulties. It is my objective to introduce you
to the general issues, technical (security, WEB and Internet systems, payment mechanisms, etc) and non-
technical (strategy, marketing, business development, etc.). In addition I will want you to become acquainted
with some development tools. One such tool is the Blogger which is a general communications tool. Blogger is
being used by teenagers and private publishers to discuss everything from a teen’s favorite record to comments
by private individuals (and now companies) concerning your company. Politicians, TV anchors and firms have
underestimated the power of the Blog. Several have been very sorry for this underestimation. Blogs are easy
and kind of fun. They are a rapidly growing national and international communications medium and something
you should understand.
Throughout the course the student is introduced to the Ecommerce environment relating to B2B, B2C as
well as B2G. We will also briefly discuss the controversial, and rapidly growing, area of P2P. In pursuing these
objectives, the course will employ the following:
1. On line Lectures reviewing text information in a valued added manner with enhanced discussions of
chapter topics
2. Present Ecommerce related simulations to assist in the better understanding of specific Ecommerce
issues.
3. Development of a Blog
4. Interaction in discussion groups to communicate about on-going text, lecture and discussion
questions.
5. Development of a draft ecommerce website (for profit or not for profit) with explanations of the
design, purpose, audience and interactions.
6. Readings from text, cases and recent information sources
In an effort to:
1. Combine theory and practice
2. Combine the strategic with the tactical
3. Use relevant concepts to analyze and assess complex Internet enabled business situations.
4. Gain an understanding of the different areas of the company that are affected by internet
enabled technologies.
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5.
KIP BECKER
Dr. Kip Becker is an Associate Professor and the Chairman of the Department of Administrative Sciences. He has
published over thirty articles and book chapters both nationally and internationally in the areas of international
management, Electronic Commerce, strategy, marketing and global service sector issues. He is on the Board of the
International Management Development Association and the Editor of the Journal of Transnational Management.
He is on the editorial review boards of: Advances in Competitiveness Research. International Journal of
Organizational Analysis,PRAGYAA – Journal of Management, Strategic Outsourcing, The Journal of Teaching
in International Business, and the Journal of Business and Information Technology. He has owned a waterfront
restaurant and is president of Northwind Management International which conducts management training and
consulting with companies, governments and associations worldwide. Prior to entering academe' Dr. Becker's experience included positions
with: TDX systems of Cable and Wireless Ltd. in marketing, the U.S. Department of Justice, a special task force in the Regan
administration and as a U.S. army helicopter pilot during Viet Nam and Desert Storm. He holds a second degree black belt in TKO Karate.
For a complete resume with publications see: www.bu.edu/GoGlobal
COURSE MATERIALS:
I am very much aware of the climbing cost of text so have attempted to reduce your costs by reducing the number of books
we will use and offering online digital text and options in ordering.
The material for the textbook and cases is provided below and the University Bookstore has the text and cases. I do want to
point out a caution should you decide to order a used text online. I have found that ordering times can greatly vary if you are not
ordering directly from source. In some cases students have not received text or they have been too late to be of use. Be careful if you
select to go to other sources for your text that you are sure that you will receive it in sufficient time for the course. You must have the
book the first day of class as we start off with a lengthy reading assignment the first week. No excuses! There is some merit to
checking with the sender as to when you will receive the book if time is short.
Text:
E-commerce: Business, Technology,Society (2011) Laudon and Traver 7th edition
ISBN: 10: 0-13-609119-9
ISBN: 13: 978-0-13-609119-6
CASES: (COURSE PACKAGE FROM BU BOOKSTORE)
NOTE: You MUST have this material by the beginning of the course as # 1 is required reading for the
first weeks.)
1. "Ford Fiesta Movement: Using Social Media and Viral Marketing to Launch Ford's Global Car in the
United States (INSEAD 510-015-1) (01-2010-5664)
2. “Sunsilk Gang of Girls: Crafting a Brand Positioning with Reference Groups” (Ecch 510-123-1)
3. Lady Gaga: Born this way? (Ecch 311-099-1)
COURSE GRADING:
Your final grade will be based upon the following:
Note: some weeks have two discussions or assignments and in those cases they will be averaged to provide one discussion
or assignment grade for the week.
1. In Class and On-Line: blog, interaction, written assignments & discussions 25%
2. Web Project to include functional design and lab class participation 20%
3. Exams (2 exams of 30% Each) 55%
TOTAL 100%
ASSIGNMENTS WEB EXAMS
BLOG Functional Design Mid Term
Social Network Web Site design Final
assignment presentation
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Online discussions
Wk 2 Blog
Wk 4 Security
Wk 7 Social Networks
GRADING PROCESS:
While there is no fixed absolute number of grades in any one level, it is important to note that high grades reflect
an excellence in the understanding of class material and organization of thought. In addition, as an important aspect of any
class, whether on line or in a classroom, is the shared thoughts and insights of the class members grades will also reflect
an individual’s contributions to the class. I will follow the Boston University, Metropolitan College, recommendations
concerning grading standards. As such, A and A- grades are awarded for superior class work and normally represent the
top 20% of the class. Please note that the Department does not allow extra work to be used to change a course grade. This
is considered “off syllabus” and not fair to the others in the class. Please do not ask for off syllabus work as you will be
referred to this section of the syllabus.
Power Point Slides for Lectures: please note that I expect you to take notes in class. It is impossible to me to conceive
that you could get a good grade in class without good notes. I do post some of the power point slides from the lectures on
my website (http://www.bu.edu/goglobal) I suggest that you print these out BEFORE the class and use them as a means to
pace your notes. It is a good format and provides much of the material so you can listen. Some of the slides are not present
and, of course, the slides are only an outline and the background for the outline is in the class lecture.
Class Participation
You are asked to keep up on a weekly basis. The essence of this course is learning a set of ideas and knowing
how they apply in international business situations. Mastering the material requires you to assess, think, and form
judgments, so high quality on line participation is essential. High-quality participation includes substantive contribution to
case discussions, insights into topics we are discussing, questions regarding relevant topics, and on-line interactions with
others. There is not much time to accomplish quite a bit so it is essential that you do not fall behind. Please see timely
presentation section regarding assignments and due dates. I would recommend that you attempt to keep ahead to provide
some individual flexibility in case a problem arises during the course.
Please note that I expect you to participate in the weekly class and when noted, online. Remember that
online discussions should be like classroom discussions. That is to say they should be a discourse and on going
throughout the week. Often students ask, “When should I post my discussion to the board?” The answer to that
is you should be active throughout the week and post early to stimulate discussion and several additional times
to respond to others. If everyone waited until the end of the week or Saturday, there certainly would not be
much of a discussion. There would be a list of single postings. It would also not be possible to give much
thought to other’s contributions. This would leave the discussion board without much enthusiasm or interactive
spirit. I truly want you to be part of the Boston University community and the community of my classroom. I
look forward to reading your postings when we are online for the week and learning from them. I know that the
other students do as well.
On Informed Contributions:
Informed discussion is not to be confused with opinion. Each student came into the class with an opinion
on lots of things. I have rarely found a member of a class not to have opinions on most everything. Some are
even strong opinions. Some of the opinions are founded in fact and some are treated as fact but are really
judgments that have been formulated by association with printed or verbal inputs coming from newspapers,
magazines, family and friends. Understanding what you believe is one important aspect of maturity.
Understanding what others believe, and why they believe it, is equally (if not more) important and may be what
education is really all about.
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ASSIGNMENTS:
You will have different types of assignments in this class. Some will be for class discussion (e.g. cases), some will be turned
in and there will be online discussions and assignments. Be sure to keep track of what assignments are due and if they are written or
for discussion. Check the assignments section of the syllabus as well as the assignment area of the online course management system
(vista).
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Timely Presentation of Materials Due
Please Note: All work requests (Tests, assignments, paper etc.) have due dates. These are the LAST DATES that stated
material is due. This means that it is a good idea to personally target dates before that date as your personal completion date to avoid
difficulties. Please consider this a fact and not a subject for discussion. Dates are often viewed by students as the date to turn in an
assignment. I view assignment due dates as the LAST DATE in which to turn in an assignment. With this warning please note that I
am not inclined to accept late work and if late work should be accepted it will only be done only after considerable weighting of
rationale and with penalty.
Exams : There will be a Mid Term test and a second c Comprehensive Exam. These exams will cover information from
lectures, discussions, videos, cases and readings. Each exam is closed book/closed notes and (please note) closed on line
material. The course overall and the exams will be structured to promote and reward learning, thinking and understanding. This
will require memorization of important issues and terms as well as the ability to discuss concepts in an informed manner. The test
will contain both true/false, fill in blanks and Short Answer responses. Please note that you certainly need to take notes in class if
you expect to do well on the exam. Be organized; take notes and study as the semester progresses (not the few days before an exam)
and you will do well. Do not and it is difficult for me to envision you will. It is important to keep up with the reading, refer to the
back of the chapter for important terms and concepts and learn as you go along. There is too much material to try to learn it at the
end of the class. Think ahead and be prepared as there are no “off syllabus” ways to raise a grade. Such accommodations are
unfair to others in a class whom would not have the same opportunity.
On Memorization: I would expect you to represent what you have learned from this course well (as well as representing me
well) in the future. Since I would not expect you to carry notes or the text once you complete the course it is paramount that
you either tattoo on your body, or impress in your mind, important concepts so you can speak and act intelligently once we
have parted. As tattoos are awkward to refer to and often not viewed positively by most business cultures that leaves me not
many alternatives other than requesting you put to memorization important material. Many students tend to commiserate
with each other claiming they will only forget. I can only respond that I will admit that I have forgotten a lot of what I learned.
I will also acknowledge as well that it is difficult for me to speak intelligently about things that I have not learned.
REQUESTS FOR MAKE UP EXAMINATIONS OR LATE ASSIGNMENTS:
I strongly advise you to avoid requesting a make-up exam as it is a disservice to others in the class who have organized
their schedules to assure the timely presentation of materials and examinations. Requests for a make-up exam (see above) are rarely
acceptable and are handled on a case-by-case basis. Since written or presented material can be (and should be) done in advance there
would be no situation that I can think of that would allow this material to be late. Please consider the dates for assignments to be the
last date that this material can be presented and not the day that it is to be presented. This will help you to make deadlines should
unfortunate situations arise at the last minute.
I recognize that, infrequently, devastating situations arise that could make it essential to miss the exam. Any request to make
up the examination must relate to a fairly catastrophic event which made fulfilling the requirement impossible. Such requests will be
reviewed, by me, on an individual basis and verification of the incident will be expected to be submitted at the time of any such
request. I hope that you will understand that I do not do this to penalize any individual student but to attempt to assure that there is a
level playing field and the total class feels confident that no one has a unique or unfair advantage.
Academic Conduct and Intellectual Honesty –
I expect students in my class to act according to the academic codes of Boston University and Metropolitan College.
I consider submitting work that is not your own on any assignment or test in this course to be a serious issue and would take the
necessary actions should this be suspected. As such, you are expected to do your own work in any aspect of this course. In cases of
copying another’s work unreferenced, accepting or giving help on exams and assignments both students (the one giving and the one
receiving assistance) will receive a zero for the work with the possibility of the case being forwarded to the Metropolitan Student
Conduct Committee.
This course will strictly follow the Code of Academic Conduct of Boston University. Please keep this in mind. Academic
conduct promoting the desired educational environment of the College involves behavior which refrains from cheating on exams,
plagiarism, misrepresentation or falsification of data, theft or destruction of examinations or papers, or alteration, forgery, or
knowing misuse of academic records or documents or other similar behavior. The internet has made plagiarism even easier, and be
aware that simply copying text from the Internet is a bona fide form of plagiarism that could result in dismissal from Boston
University. This applies in any course at Boston University.
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WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS
ECOMMERCE TM 648
Fall 2009, Course Calendar and Assignments
WEEKLY SCHEDULE OF COURSE CALENDAR AND ASSIGNMENTS
CLASS LOCATIONS: The locations are listed by week but since we are in three different location here is a
quick “where to meet” chart
CLASSROOM CAS 326 ONLINE http//vista.bu.edu COMPUTER LAB 808 comm
January 17 February 7 January 31
January 24 February 28 February 28
February 7 March 20 March 27
February 14 April 10
March 6
April 3
|April 17
April 24
NOTE ON DUE DATES:
The items listed in each week are due for that week. When assignments are listed in the
syllabus please note that these are the LAST DATES that material is due. This means that
it is a good idea to personally target dates before that date as your personal completion
date to avoid difficulties.
CLASS TOPICS, READINGS AND REQUIREMENTS
WEEK 1 – January 17 (Classroom CAS 326)
INTRODUCTION TO HYBRID STRUCTURE, USE OF VISTA AND FRAMEWORK FOR E-
COMMERCE
You MUST have a BU login, password and email to take this class and you need it for the first class
(Today). You can establish an account through http://www.bu.edu/pcsc. You can forward your BU email to
another address using the simple forwarding instructions found at that pcsc address. If you do not have these I
would suggest that you accomplish this prior to the first class meeting. The university service to establish this
will be open through the night of our first class to assist you in setting up your login etc. but it is frequently
quite busy during the first week of classes.
Course requirements, overview of course and topics to be covered as well as assignments and expectations.
Introduction to Ecommerce :When Assignments are due, discussions on line expectations and Grading
Discussion of Hybrid http://vista.bu.edu (note no www in address)
Online expectations and Vista demonstration and Lab exercises for introduction to hybrid, vista, on line.
Vista demo: Examples of postings in vista for communications, discussions & assignments.
Chapter reading: Preface to text
Go online to Vista and do introduction. http://vista.bu.edu
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WEEK 2 January 24 (Classroom)
FRAMEWORK FOR E-COMMERCE, INTERNET HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY
Discussion of “Invention” of the Internet, reasons for its development, individuals involved, evolution and the
infrastructure structure
Payments and Internet Payment Security
Text:
Chapter 1. The Revolution is just beginning
Chapter 3. The Internet and world wide web: E-commerce infrastructure
On line Discussion - BLOGS
WEEK 3 January 31 (Computer Room 808 2nd Floor)
BLOGS FOR COMMUNICATIONS
LAB SESSION Lecture on Blogs and Individual Development of Personal Blog and design of Blog
PROJECT: Development of a personal WEB BLOG
NOTE: See assignment 1 for full description of assignment
BLOG ASSIGNMENT Dates Please follow the instructions in the Assignment section about your posting of
your blog site location. You will post your blog address AS A HYPERLINK in the Discussion Section noted as
“Discussion 1 in vista “Posting of Blogs and Comments” PLEASE post as a hyperlink using the LINK features
(HTML on). If you do not do this your classmates will have to cut and paste rather than clicking on a link to get
to your blog. Trust me, this will not be pleasing.
On Line Readings:
World of Blogs
Assignment Blog design. URL Posted to discussion 1.2 by Friday: handout and Online assignment details
On line assignment: Post your comments of others blogs to 1.2 Starting Friday and closing Sunday evening.
WEEK 4: Week of February 7 (Online)
SECURITY, POLICY ISSUES AND LEGAL ISSUES:
ROLE OF GOVERNMENT AND INTERNATIONAL INTERNET ISSUES
On Line Readings:
Epayments and Security
The role of Government and International Issues
Regulation of the Internet
TEXT
Chapter 5, online security and payment systems
Chapter 8, Ethical, Social and political issues in Ecommerce
Online Discussion: Security discussion question> you are to have an initial value added post and then comment
a minimum of two additional times to other’s first posts. This is meant to be like a classroom discussion.
WEEK 5 – February 14 (Classroom)
LECTURE: SECURITY, POLICY ISSUES AND LEGAL ISSUES:
ROLE OF GOVERNMENT AND INTERNATIONAL INTERNET ISSUES
Security and payment issues
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Discussion of how the internet has been affected and has shaped Public Policy
See reading from online security/policy week be prepared to discuss
February 21 go to Monday classes
WEEK 6 February 28 (Computer Lab)
TOPICS: Begin WEB design instruction: Learn about file structure, design of a site, posting, construct a home
page and post that home page to the department website.
Bring a flash drive to class to store your in class assignment the lab machines are wiped out weekly and your
material can be lost so save to a personal drive
We will discuss the functional design elements and get started with web design.
WEEK 7 March 6 (On Line) SOCIAL NETWORKS,MARKETING ISSUES AND BUSINESS
MODELS
Assignment: Social Networks - complete the written assignment on line for the week and participate in the
discussion on line.
Website consumer interface and design elements / archetypes
Use of metrics and value clusters to determine customer profiles and business strategy
Text Chapters
Chapter 6Ecommerce Maketing Concepts
Chapter 7 Ecommerce Marketing Communications
Chapter 2. E-commerce business models
ONLINE DISCUSSION: Social Networking possible impact on business operations
Assignment: written assignment relating to Cases
CASES:
"Ford Fiesta Movement: Using Social Media and Viral Marketing to Launch Ford's Global Car in the United
States (INSEAD 510-015-1) (01-2010-5664)
“Sunsilk Gang of Girls: Crafting a Brand Positioning with Reference Groups” (Ecch 510-123-1)
Lady Gaga: Born this way? (Ecch 311-099-1)
NOTE: Group Website URL turned in to be linked on index page by November 20th
Spring Break March 10 – 18 No class march 13
WEEK 8 March 20 – Midterm Exam: please review syllabus for format and content
Bring functional Specification hard copy to turn in
WEEK 9 March 27– (Computer Lab)
WEB SITE DEVELOPMENT
Have Web group organized by this class ( 1 to 6 people in a group) 2. Development of your WEB Site
Basics of web design using Dreamweaver
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You MUST bring a flash drive to save work to class. You may work from you personal computer if
you desire.
Bring in 2 copies of functional specification to class. Turn in One &one to work from in lab class
WEEK 10 April 3 (classroom)
SOCIAL NETWORKS, BUSINESS MODELS AND STRATEGY FORMULATION
Internal and external strategy development
Online Readings: Review of Week 7
Business Strategy
Website consumer interface and design elements / archetypes
Use of metrics and value clusters to determine customer profiles and business strategy
Be prepared to discuss cases:
"Ford Fiesta Movement: Using Social Media and Viral Marketing to Launch Ford's Global Car in the United
States (INSEAD 510-015-1) (01-2010-5664)
“Sunsilk Gang of Girls: Crafting a Brand Positioning with Reference Groups” (Ecch 510-123-1)
Lady Gaga: Born this way? (Ecch 311-099-1)
WEEK 11 April 10 (Computer Lab)
WEBSITE DESIGN CONTINUED
Complete you website in class with individual attention provided
There will be a quiz on Dreamweaver this class
WEEK 13 – April 17 (Classroom)
Presentation of Web Projects
PRESENTATIONS: Selected Web projects presented
WEEK 14 – April 24 (Classroom)
Second Examination There will be a comprehensive second exam. The exam will cover information
from lectures, discussions, videos, cases and readings. The exam is closed book/closed notes.
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