Name e-Business Planning Report Due Date Week 10 – Semester 2, 2012, Friday, 5:00 pm Worth 25% (60 marks) Course Objectives This assessment task relates to the following course objectives:
- discuss the meaning of e-Commerce from a business and technical perspective
- appreciate the business environments conducive to the use of successful e-Commerce applications
- compare and report on the types of e-Commerce and their application to business
- review the technologies used to deploy an e-Commerce solution
- apply an understanding of the development needs of a basic e-Commerce web site using one of these technologies
- illustrate understanding of the design, maintenance, business principles and administration of an e-Commerce site
- discuss ethical, social and political issues in e-Commerce
Overview You have the task of developing an e-commerce business plan for the client described in the case study below. Your planning document must meet the needs of the client and you may not choose to develop a plan for any other client (i.e. business or website). However, this case study is not intended to limit your creativity or the scope of your e-commerce business proposal.
Your must submit a report (as an MSWord format document) for the client. You may/will need to research a number of different aspects of your proposal, but some of these aspects will not be covered in lectures until Week 10 of semester – however, do not wait until that time to begin this assignment as it will take considerable time, thought and work to be successfully completed. You may refer to any authentic source in conducting your research and all references must be included in your report. You may also employ any analysis or design tool in the preparation of your report – so long as the results are suitable for presentation in the required Word document and are your own work.
Remember: this is a report intended to convince a board of directors to adopt your proposal. Your report must therefore be complete, yet concise; be clear and convincing, and professionally presented. Above all, the report must be specific to the needs of the business!
Case StudyAusNat is a SME company based in Creswick, Victoria, with a shop front retailing a range of horticulture products (including a range of propagation equipment, greenhouses, pots, sprinkling systems, and watering accessories, fertilisers and washes, hydroponic equipment, gardening products, sprays, tree guards and stakes, plants, seedlings, seeds, and bulbs). In addition to the retail business, the company operates a wholesale export business specialising in Australian native fauna. AusNat propagate the native species locally. They are a small family-owned business with capitalisation of $A12M, annual sales of $A3M, increasing at two percent per annum, and net profits of eight percent of total sales. The younger members of the management team are university educated, with the others industry experienced. However, in an ever-changing industry, their future business is uncertain.
Their main business is the wholesale sale of Australian native seeds and seedlings to International commercial retailers, however they do supply to Australian domestic and commercial retailers (currently 50 percent of sales and 50 percent of profits).
While AusNat grows its own stock, the main suppliers for the related horticulture products are based in to the AusNat are based in Perth and Sydney, although several product lines are imported directly from the UK. Supplier relations are all paper-based transactions, while long-term contracts are managed using email and facsimile transmission of orders.
The AusNat management team is keen to expand the retail sales, which are potentially very profitable for the company and to improve relations with suppliers, and growers. To do this one member of the management team (who recently graduated from the University of Ballarat) has suggested the company create new online channels for sales, marketing, and supply chain management.
You have been called in as an internet and management consultant. AusNat wants to know how e-commerce business technologies could be used to improve the company’s operations. The company is keen to leave as much open as possible – you have been told that it is a ‘clean sheet’ strategy but cannot consume more than half the profits of next year’s business. The Chief Executive, Ms Grower, needs a report from you to give the board a specific brief, along with an e-Commerce website.
Requirements
TasksYour e-Commerce business proposal should address:
- clearly identified e-commerce business model(s)
- how the e-commerce business will derive revenue (i.e. revenue models)
- what network and communications infrastructure will be required
- what applications will be required to meet specific e-commerce business goals
- how you will address security issues
- how you will address e-marketing requirements
- what choice of payment systems will be used
- how you will address privacy and other relevant ethical concerns
- how you will address legal issues connected with the e-commerce business
- how you will address customer service issues
- how you will measure the success of your proposal (metrics, tools)
PresentationPlease refer to the
General guide for the presentation of academic work, available electronically on the universities website. URL: http://www.ballarat.edu.au/generalguide. Present your evaluation in a business or management style report, as outlined in the guide.
SubmissionPlease submit an ELECTRONIC copy only via Moodle (Mt Helen students only). Please refer to the “Course Description” for information regarding late assignments, extensions, special consideration, and plagiarism. A reminder all academic regulations can be accessed via the university’s website.
URL: http://www.ballarat.edu.au/handbook
Assessment Criteria
Students work will be assessed upon:
- evidence of completion of all proposal tasks comprising a solution based on theoretical concepts outlined in the literature, with practical supporting examples from industry, and your own ideas. A quality discussion will provide an analysis and comparison of multiple potential options for each task
- an accurate business report including elements, such as table of contents, executive summary etc., evidence of quality written expression including good grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence construction etc, reports should adhere to the university style guide including formatting, layout and structure, and should not exceed word limit of 2800 words
- evidence of formatted bibliography and in-text references which comply with the APA style guide, a quality piece of work will provide a wide range of authentic references for example books, journals, reputable websites, podcasts, etc, in-text references should be used in such a way as to provide support and validation for the work
- a quality conclusion, which draws together all the ideas that have been presented and validated. The detail should arise clearly from the data given in the body of the report, and explain why one conclusion is preferred to another, offering recommendations
Assessment Feedback
e-Business Planning Report | Elements | Marking Scale |
| Poor Excellent |
| 1 XXXXXXXXXX5 |
| Proposal – e-commerce business model |
| – revenue model |
| – applications |
| – security |
| – e-marketing requirements |
| – payment system |
| – privacy |
| – legal issues |
| – customer service issues |
| – analytics |
| Business report elements and academic writing |
| Bibliography and in-text referencing |
| Conclusion and recommendations |
| Total Mark [65 marks] |
| Total Worth [30%] |