Online businesses, consumer advocates, and government regulators disagree about the proper balance between industry self-regulation and government regulation to protect online consumers from unfair and abusive business practices. What are the advantages and disadvantages of these two approaches? Which areas of consumer protection do you think are adequately protected and which ones are in need of reform or additional protections? Will the Internet environment help or hinder in devising solutions?

700-900 words

There are two parts to this project A and B. The headers for each section are bolded. A written model for each section is provided at the end
PART A (Headers in Bold)
A. Develop a proposal for an online business expansion in which you do the following:
1. Discuss how the product or service that the business offers will be viable in an online environment (e.g., market demand, business functionality). The work should present how well the business would perform.
2. Assess the current online competition for the business product or service, including positive and negative aspects of at least 2 online competitors.
3. Develop three to five online marketing strategies directed at your target audience.

The Business expansion proposal will be based on a fictitious company called Hot Dragon. Hot Dragon is a small specialty store that sells hot sauces and spicy mustards. Hot Dragon will sell its specialty sauces and mustards online instead of in a store location. Allowing for the flexibility of personal shopping or online shopping. Hot Dragon orders it specialty sauces through various vendors in and out of country. The plan is to offer the specially hot sources and mustards online. This will allow for direct sales to the consumers via direct shipping. We will use various media outlets to increase our customer base giving us a viable presence in the online market place. Online sales will allow for personalized shopping and shipping to anywhere at affordable prices in little time.
The 8 page research document will be broken into 4 sections.
A1. Viability of Product or Service
Provide a logical discussion, with substantial support, of how the product or service that the business offers will be viable in an online environment.
A2. Current Online Competition
Assess with substantial support, the current online competition for the business product or service including positive and negative aspects of at least two competitors..
A3. Online Marketing Suggestions and Strategies
Develops 3??"5 online marketing strategies, with substantial support, directed at the target audience.
A4. Social Media Integration
Provide a discussion, with substantial support, of 2??"3 ways social media tools will be used to expand the business web presence.

PART B (headers in Bold)
B. Based on the proposal in part A on the online business expansion:
1. Discuss how you will facilitate customer payment using e-commerce solutions (e.g., how the transaction will take place, including the tools customers will use).
2. Develop three to five search engine optimization strategies to improve the findability of your business on the Internet.
3. Discuss how to make the website accessible to a diverse customer base, making it internationally friendly. Consider the business climate, language, culture, and infrastructure requirements. Include at least three considerations in the discussion.
4. Discuss how you will implement customer relationship management software on the website.

B1. E-Commerce Solutions
Provide a discussion, with substantial support, of how to facilitate customer payment using e-commerce solutions.
B2. Search Engine
Develops 3??"5 search engine optimization strategies, with substantial support, to improve the findability of the business on the Internet
B3. International Considerations
The candidate provides a discussion, with substantial support, of how to make the website as internationally friendly as possible including at least three considerations in the discussion .
B4. Online Customer Relationship Management
The candidate provides a discussion, with substantial support, of how to implement customer relationship management, software on the website.

I will send resoruce
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You are working to develop an online venture. It is your goal to make a difference. Whether your project is for-profit or not-for-profit, you must raise revenue (in the case of a not-for-profit you must sustain the cause), so you will need to use one of the online business models. In developing a plan, you must take into consideration the potential ethical concerns, social impacts and legal issues involved in undertaking the venture.

In a well-written paper, develop a plan that addresses the above considerations. You should include the following in your plan:

? A basic overview of the online venture, including its mission
? The type of online business model to be used for the venture
? A summary of how this venture will appeal to various cultures
? An analysis of the affects this venture might have on various cultures
? Any ethical issues this business can address, could encounter, or both
? Potential risks associated with operating an online venture such as this one
? Strategies for protecting privacy
? Discussion of any needed copyrights, trademarks, patents, or trade secrets, if applicable
? Potential benefits brought about by this venture

Research paper should be based on the various issues of corporate threats and vulnerability analysis. An overview of vulnerability analysis and assessment tools should be included. Consult resources outside of a specific companies website and/or self-promotional books that individuals within the company have written. Some key points to include are: 1) select a specific issue or threat within the online business industry 2) research regarding the issue or threat 3) compare and contrast strategies that will allow the business to stop their loss and gain market share in the US. Use Amazon.com, Ebay and other web-based businesses for comparison. Please use Ariel 12 pt. with 1" margins and double spaced.

Go to page 366, and do questions 1 and 3. Then go to p. 408 and do question 1.

1. Think of an online business idea. Evaluate what kind of requirements you would need for the website based on the 11 factors involved in choosing an architecture functionality, flexibility and adaptability , scalability, performance, maintenance, required skills, security, reliability, metrics, cost, and time. Is this a site that collects lot of personal data and therefore needs to very secure? Is it a site that will need to change a lot in the next few years? Will there be a large increase in users?

2. Go to IFilm website (www.IFILM.com) and to ESPNs website (www.espn.com). What third-party pug-ins do you see?


1. Go to your favorite website. Think about what the business plan for the company would have looked like and answer the following questions: What is the value proposition? What is the market opportunity? How does the company reach costumers? How does it implant strategy? What are the external influences that act on the business? How does the company generate revenue? What kind of people need to be hired to make the business plan work? What would the milestones have been? What is the advantage? Now, think of your own online business idea. Answer the same questions.

Cooper, D. & Schindler, P. (2011). Business research methods. 11th Ed. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.

Other supplement references:
Antonacopoulou, E. P. (2010). Making the business school more critical: Reflexive critique based on phronesis as a foundation for impact. British Journal of Management, 21(Suppl 1), s6-s25. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8551.2009.00679.x

Blackman, D., & Sadler-Smith, E. (2009). The Silent and the Silenced in Organizational Knowing and Learning. Management Learning, 40(5), 569-585. doi:10.1177/1350507609340809

Camuffo, A., Gerli, F., Borgo, S., & Somi, T. (2009). The effects of management education on careers and compensation. Journal of Management Development, 28(9), 839-858. doi:10.1108/0262170910987683

Doh, J. P. (2009). Introduction: The Real World Via Simulation. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 8(4), 558.

McCrea, E. A. (2010). Integrating Service-Learning into an Introduction to Entrepreneurship Course. Journal of Management Education, 34(1), 39-61.

Soudain, L., Deshayes, P., & Tikkanen, H. (2009). Positioning of the stakeholders in the interaction project management??"project marketing: A case of a coconstructed industrial project. Project Management Journal, 40(3), 34-46. doi:10.1002/pmj.20120

Syed, J., Mingers, J., & Murray, P. A. (2010). Beyond rigour and relevance: A critical realist approach to business education. Management Learning, 41(1), 71-85. doi:10.1177/1350507609350839
Teo, T. H., & Koh, T. (2010). Lessons from multi-agency information management projects: Case of the Online Business Licensing Service (OBLS) Project, Singapore. International Journal of Information Management, 30(1), 85-93. doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2009.07.004

Vince, R. (2010). Anxiety, Politics and Critical Management Education. British Journal of Management, 21s26-s39. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8551.2009.00678.x

The Assignment
Case Study Analysis
The ability to analyze existing research by comparing and contrasting existing knowledge in the field,
to analyze the format, vernacular, and construction of existing research studies and synthesizes the ideas into a new body of research.

Introduction
Analyze 3-5 existing research studies in marketing that represent current topics that are invaluable to your field of management.
The topic select for this assignment is: Teo, T. H., & Koh, T. (2010). Lessons from multi-agency information management projects: Case of the Online Business Licensing Service (OBLS) Project, Singapore. International Journal of Information Management, 30(1), 85-93. doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2009.07.004
Additionally, evaluate the selections using the steps that are suggested on how to conduct business research, located on p.13
Conclusion


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It a argumentative paper about online business or store, introduction paragraph at the end of the paragraph is the thesis statment with a containing a the main idea controlling, background paragraph ,body paragraphs for each body paragraphs relate directly to the thesis statment and conclusion. illustrate major ideas with specific details and examples use connecting words to show the relation between ideas inclued in text citation for any source used sources can not be from .com or newspapers it should be from a library or Googlescholar articles or any other .org. here are the source i used on my first essay add 2 more.

sources
Chakrabarti, R. & Kardile, V. (2002). The Asian Managers Handbook of E-C0mmerce. New Delhi: Tata Mcgraw-Hill Publishing Company.
Keen Web Templates. (2011). Advantages and why online stores work so well. Retrieved March 13, 2011 Web Site: http://www.keenwebtemplates.net/freewebsitetutorialarticles/advantages-and-why-online-stores-work-so-well.php.
Levin, A. M., Levin, I. P. & Heath, C. E. (2005). Finding the Best Ways to Combine Online and Offline Shopping Features. In Curtis, P. Haugtvedt, Karen, A. Machleit & Richard, F. Yalch (Eds.), Online Consumer Psychology: Understanding and Influencing Consumer Behavior in the Virtual World (pp. 401-418). Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Lohse, P & Spiller, G. L. (2003). Internet Retail Store Design: How the User Interface Influences Traffic and Sales. In Charles Steinfield (Ed.), New Directions in Research on E-Commerce (pp.11-32). West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press.
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As a business manager, you will often be asked to evaluate and expand current business and marketing models. For this task, you will be selecting a business that has no current online system or that would like to expand its online presence. When selecting a company, you should consider the types of services or products that the company offers and how they would translate to an online environment. For example, it would be easy for a book store to sell books online. However, a beauty salon would have a harder time. Though the salon might be able to sell services online, customers would actually have to go to the physical location to receive the service. Whatever type of company you choose, make sure it fulfills the objectives of the task.

Note: Any information that would be considered confidential, proprietary, or personal in nature should not be included. Fictional names could be used instead of the actual names of people, suppliers, the company, or other identifiable information. Also, company specific data, including financial information, should not be included, but should be addressed in a general fashion as appropriate.

Task 1:

A. Develop a proposal for an online business expansion in which you do the following:
1. Discuss how the product or service that the business offers will be viable in an online environment (e.g., market demand, business functionality). The work should present how well the business would perform.
2. Assess the current online competition for the business product or service, including positive and negative aspects of at least 2 online competitors.
3. Develop three to five online marketing strategies directed at your target audience.
4. Discuss two to three ways that you will use social media tools to expand your business? web presence.

Task 2:

A. Develop a proposal for an online business expansion in which you do the following:
1. Discuss how you will facilitate customer payment using e-commerce solutions (e.g., how the transaction will take place, including the tools customers will use).
2. Develop three to five search engine optimization strategies to improve the findability of your business on the Internet.
3. Discuss how to make the website accessible to a diverse customer base, making it internationally friendly. Consider the business climate, language, culture, and infrastructure requirements. Include at least three considerations in the discussion.
4. Discuss how you will implement customer relationship management software on the website.

Please read the attached essay that I have started. It is all of Task 1. It was sent back because additional detail is needed to clarify aspects of the discussion including viability, marketing, and social media. I want to keep what was written for task 1, I would just like to elaborate on it. Please continue to use Sunny Day Salon as the mock business for task 2.

Research Paper Assignment

We live in rapidly changing times, and nowhere is that more apparent it is in the world of business. As student preparing to enter (or having already entered) this realm, you need to understand the current environment in order to best be prepared for your success in it. For this assignment, select the industry in which you are most interest in working. Then write a paper in response to the following propt:

How can newcomers to this industry be better prepared to meet the current demands brought by the changes occurring in the field?

In order to accurately and effectively respond to this prompt, you will need to research this industry in depth. Discuss what it used to be like, what current local/national/global conditions are affecting this industry, and what you anticipate the future of this industry to be. Based on that information, and your own brilliant insight, argue what steps need to be taken by those about to enter this field so that they might best succeed in it.

Each student in this class has a different passion, and each one of these industries is being affected by the current market crunch, globalization, the trends towards greening or other forms of Corporate Social Responsibility. Other industries are being criticized for ethical violations, or being praised for their preparedness to meet the demands of the changing world. Select the field that interests you most creates the argument for the best strategies for the newcomers to this field; you will be better preparing yourself.

As this is a research paper, you must use a minimum of four reputable, reliable sources, at least three of which from the deep/invisible web. Use M.L.A. or A.P.A format.


Some information about myself:

? I am one of the owner (total 2) of a online retail store with monthly revenue $100,000 USD, 5 employee, selling heavy duty tools, Solar products (Solar light, solar pumps etc.), Patio products (Patio heater etc.), some medical products, and car products. We usually sell on ebay, amazon, and our own website. I have a lot of confident with the online business because more and more people shop online ( as you can see the ebay and amazon become bigger and bigger).

? You can also choose the industry of investment banking because I think this industry is kind of fun, although it need to be very hardworking.

Mary OLeary is the owner of Marys Gourmet Baskets, a brick-and-mortar business that specializes in gourmet gift and picnic baskets. Mary keeps up with the fancy food and gourmet food trends, and is a great fan of the fancy food show that is held several times a year. She thinks that she should tap into this sector by creating an online business that will supplement and complement her on-ground business. This would make her baskets available to a wider market.

Online Business Model

Value proposition,
Why should the customer buy from Mary?
Revenue Model
How will Mary earn money?
Market Opportunity
What market space does Mary intend to serve and what it its size?
Competitive environment
Who else occupies Marys intended space?
Competitive advantage
What special advantage does Marys firm bring to the market space?
Market strategy
How does Mary plan to promote her products or services to attract her target audience?
Organizational development
What types of organizational structures within the firm are necessary to carry out the business plan?
Management team
What kind of experiences and background are important for the companys leaders to have?

I would like an original 7 page research paper in case study form that explains the background and how-tos of starting and operating an online retail business via www.atomicmall.com.

Please spend the first 4 pages and provide lots of details about online retail businesses, e.g. how many, who owns them, how successful they are. The conclusion should be that online businesses contribue a great deal to the overall economy and hence, is very important.

Then 3 pages on how to set up and manage an online business using atomicmall.com.

Please answer the below questions in a MS Word document. Use examples from the readings, or from your own research to support your answers. The Questions must be a minimum of 2-pages in length with 2-3 outside sources.

No title pages

1. How do business-oriented networks and enterprise social networks differ?

2. Why do organizations need a business continuity plan? List at least three issues that a business continuity plan should cover. Identify two factors (explain in detail) that influence a company's ability to recover from a disaster.

3. In Chapter 10 read the Opening Case on pages 514-515 and answer the following questions:

a) What sort of micropayment system should it use in order to run this business profitably?

b) What types of business and legal issues would it encounter in this business?

c) Besides the book and music business, describe some other online business where micropayments are or would be critical to success.

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Task 2: Develop an online business expansion proposal

E.E.O.C. Youth Program (Excellence, Effective, Optimistic and Courageous Youth Program)
1. E-Commerce Solutions (Ability to Pay Online)

a. Keep the company and the customer perspective in mind.

i. Discuss the vendor you are going to use.

ii. How will the vendor benefit the company?

iii. How will the vendor benefit

2. Search Engine Considerations & Optimization Strategies

a. Explain Importance of SEO

b. Give specific recommendations and strategies. Choose three or four strategies.

i. Define the strategies you chose and why

ii. How can you make sure your company lists on the first or second page if a person was to search Yahoo, Google, Bing, etc.?

iii. How does the strategy benefit the customer?

iv. How does the strategy benefit the company?

3. International Consideration

a. Make sure your website is global friendly.

b. How are you going to integrate the following points into the website?
i. Market

ii. International Strategy

iii. Organizational

iv. Language

v. Cultural

vi. Infrastructure

vii. Currency

4. Online Customer Relationship Management

a. Need to have an outbound Strategy.

i. Keeping a connection with the customers in between each time they buy off of the website.

ii. How to connect (outbound) with the customers to get them back to the websites?

iii. Once the customer gets to the website, what information is important to the company and why? (Examples: How long was the customer on the website, areas visited, did they order a product or service, etc?)

b. CRM software

i. Which CRM Software program is recommend and why?

ii. How are they going to capture data from the customers for the business?

c. Improvement of customer experience

i. How to use this information to better the customer experience?



This task should complete the following:
1. Articulation of Response (clarity, organization, mechanics) - The candidate provides substantial articulation of response.
2. A1. E-commerce Solutions - The candidate provides a discussion, with substantial support, of how to facilitate customer payment using e-commerce solutions.
3. Search Engine - The candidate develops 3 - search engine optimization strategies, with substantial support, to improve the findability of the business on the Internet.
4. A3. International Considerations - The candidate provides a discussion, with substantial support, of how to make the website as internationally friendly as possible including at least three considerations in the discussion.

I'm not sure if this should be term or research paper. This paper is about how to create an ecommerce business such as dell.com or ebay com, it's about how to build a online store. It is also about how to develop a complete marketing plan for an e-commerce business or software/multimedia product whose main marketing channel is the Internet. So you need to build or create an online business, any kind of products you want. But i'm thinking about opening online wheels company such as wheelmax.com or home audio online store such as exclusiveaudio.com . So you need to make up online store that you also create the name of the store it self and create the marketing plan. This are the requirement how to do this project:
There are 7 sections total.

1. Executive Summary: Product or Service Description.

2. Industry analysis: The Industry and How your Product fits in to that Industry.

3. Competitive Analysis: Who are Major Competitors; Competitors Strengh/Weaknesses; Competitors Advantages.

4. Unique Selling Position:
a.Customer needs/ MOtivation to buy;
b.4P (Product,Price,Place,Promotion) and
c.WIIFM(What's In It For Me).

5. Acquisition Plan:
a.Grass Roots Marketing(spend NO money)
b.Contest or Sweepstakes: Create one
c.Advertising (spend money):Where will you advertise and how?
d.SEM:Chose 30-40 keywords for your product or service from http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/ and Write a short ad with headline, description, URL

6. Retention Plan:
a.House List:How will you create one ? how will you collect email addresses from visitors?
b.Email Marketing Plan:Find a list rental on the Net, state the list you will rent, and write a brief promo email?
c.Newsletter:What are the parts of your email newsletter? Should have 4 ? 6 sections.

7. Monetization Plan
a.Partnership: What non-competitive web sites will you partner with? What are their URLs and what do they sell?
b.Whose affiliate program will you join to generate extra revenue and why?


That should be all, Each section should should be cover such as this: 1. Executive summary: and then you explain what is inside. 2. Industry analaysis: you explain what is inside.....and so on until section number 7.

Please email me if you are confused, this paper is like you build up an online business and sell your products or services and do the marketing plan, so you can create anything you want, as long as you cover all sections that i want. thank you much

Do you think 10 pages is enough to cover all the things that i want? or it should be more than 10 pages? let me know, i am willing to pay more.....thank you

Arif Sunjoto

Unit Title: Business Data Analysis

This assignment is an individual piece of work and NO collusion, help or copying from another person or source is allowed. This should be your own individual work only.

Assignment Title: Fortune names RIM fastest growing company... in the world



Learning outcomes:
4 Critically appraise the techniques employed/models formulated. Discuss the appropriateness/shortcomings of the solutions presented.
5 Propose/analyse policy alternatives based on the analysis of the data/models. Provide an analysis of alternative policies and recommend appropriate solutions

Assessment Criteria: Learning Outcomes with the corresponding Assessment Criteria
Grading/
Criteria A+ A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- E
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4
LO4:
Critically appraise the techniques employed/models formulated. Questions: 5 and 6 have been accurately calculated and comprehensively discussed. Questions: 5 and 6 have been accurately calculated and discussed. Questions: 5 and 6 have been calculated and discussed. Questions: 5 and 6 have been calculated. Questions: 5 and 6 have been attempted.

Grading/
Criteria A+ A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- E
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4
LO5:
Propose/analyse policy alternatives based on the analysis of the data/models. Questions: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 have been accurately calculated and comprehensively discussed. Questions: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 have been accurately calculated and discussed. Questions: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 have been calculated and discussed. Questions: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 have been calculated. Questions: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 have been attempted.
?
Fortune names RIM fastest growing company... in the world
by Donald Melanson posted Aug 18th 2009 at 12:22PM


It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that RIM is doing pretty well even in the face of an economic downturn, but it looks like it's been doing really well -- at least according to Fortune, which has just named the Canadian company the fastest growing firm in the world. That's apparently based on a combination of profits, turnover, and investment return over three years which, in RIM's case, translates an 84% growth in profits in the past three years, a 77% growth in revenue, and a total return of 45%. It's also actually the first time RIM has made the list, although that's at least partly due to the fact that Fortune didn't include non-US firms last time around.
In September of every year Fortune Magazine publishes its Fastest Growing Companies list. The companies are ranked on revenue, earnings growth, and their stock returns over the past three years. This is a list dominated by traditional business areas, even though it is a list of fastest growing rather than biggest or most profitable. eBay is an online business, and a couple of the others do some significant online business, but overwhelmingly this is a list of pre-internet areas of business: steel, food, energy, medicine and so on.
What makes these companies performance to be considered as fast growing companies, how do they perform in the long run and what advantages and disadvantages do fast growing companies face? These are all interesting questions to be considered. Table 1.0 below gives data concerning the 30 fastest ??"growing companies as listed on March 16, 2005, on the Fortune magazine website.


Tabel 1.0: data concerning the 30 fastest ??"growing companies as listed on March 16, 2005, on the Fortune magazine website
Rank Company EPS Growth Revenue Growth Total Return
1 InVision Technologies 222% 93% 135%
2 eResearch Technology 256% 43% 218%
3 New Century Financial 85% 91% 89%
4 Central European Distribution 98% 49% 135%
5 eBay 92% 70% 39%
6 National Medical Health Card Sys 85% 44% 107%
7 Countrywide Financial 78% 71% 46%
8 Neoware Systems 76% 70% 47%
9 Friedman Billing Ramsey Group 93% 52% 44%
10 Bradley Pharmaceuticals 59% 59% 76%
11 Middleby 91% 33% 109%
12 Hovnanian Enterprises 71% 40% 69%
13 Websense 162% 60% 23%
14 Sanders Morris Harris Group 185% 35% 36%
15 Career Education 66% 51% 45%
16 American Healthways 167% 48% 28%
17 United PanAm Financial 65% 39% 62%
18 FTI Consulting 105% 61% 19%
19 Jarden 99% 25% 109%
20 Par Pharmaceutical 143% 87% 5%
21 Capital Title Group 84% 87% 21%
22 Advanced Neuromodulation 128% 46% 24%
23 Possis Medical 76% 38% 42%
24 Symantec 85% 30% 59%
25 ASV 128% 33% 32%
26 Chico's FAS 47% 43% 66%
27 Rewards Network 152% 29% 38%
28 Fidelity National Financial 64% 38% 38%
29 NetBank 107% 60% -1%
30 Electronic Arts 254% 32% 24%

Source: Fortune magazine website


Required:
1. Develop a stem-and-leaf display of the revenue growth percentages for the 30 fastest-growing companies and describe the shape of the distribution.
2. Develop a frequency distribution and a frequency histogram of the EPS (earnings per share) growth percentage. Then describe the shape of the distribution.
3. Construct a percent frequency polygon of the total return percentages and then describe the shape of the distribution.
4. Construct cumulative frequency and cumulative frequency distributions of the EPS (earnings per share) growth percentages. Then construct a relative frequency ogive of these percentages.
5. Calculate and provide a clear interpretation of the price/earnings ratio for each of the companies, provide a dot plot and describe the distribution of the P/E ratios.
6. Construct a dot plot of the total return percentages for the 30 fastest-growing companies and describe the distribution of return percentages.
7. How would you summaries your findings about the fastest-growing companies, pay particular attention to the questions posed earlier and the result of your data analysis.
Please note:
Your completed report must have a clear structure. It should be neatly and clearly presented and easy to follow. Diagrams and tables should have clear labels and be appropriately numbered. Please make sure you answer each question as fully as you can.


P.S. Pathick recomment you to me, please let me know that you can do this.

Thank you...

Peter
Customer is requesting that (gamemaster) completes this order.

The body of the Sample APA Paper is poorly organized and lacks sufficient comparison and synthesis of research. Rewrite part of the body of the paper by focusing on one of the following topics: 1) Motivation, 2) Demographics, or 3) Products. Read through the Sample APA Paper and gather the information--paragraphs, parts of paragraphs, or sentences--that relates to your chosen topic. Then, reorganize the information in to a clearly organized section of the paper. You may may need to rewrite portions of the information you gathered for clarity. Additionally, may need to do some original writing to fill in areas you think lack proper synthesis/comparison. Use the pertinent sources from the reference page to gather the additional information that you need. Refrain from doing any new research.

Your rewritten section should be 1 - 2 pages and should include the following:
1. A properly formatted title page
2. An introduction
3. A single heading (as if the section was somewhere in the middle of the paper)
4. A properly formatted reference page (with only the references used in your section on it)
This assignment is due by the end of Module/Week 7.





Abstract
Internet usage has skyrocketed in the past few decades, along with this increase comes the increase in internet shopping by consumers. This research examines the behaviors, motivations, and attitudes of this new form of consumer entity. Online consumer behavior has been studied for over 20 years and will undoubtedly be the source of many future researches as internet consumerism expands. This paper will examine the following research questions: (1) How do factors previously researched affect the online purchasing behavior of consumers and (2) what are the significant consumer behaviors both positive and negative that affect internet consumerism? By identifying these factors and variables, new strategies can be formulated and both consumer and supplier can gain knowledge and understanding of behaviors which exist. The purpose of this research paper is to integrate the varied research information together and draw coherent linkages to how consumer thoughts, attitudes and motivational behavior affect online buying, thus building a broader framework of analysis in which to build upon.












Introduction

The Internet has been accessible to the public for over twenty years. It came upon the scene and has exploded in popularity like few things have ever done in the history of the world. Since the introduction of the World Wide Web, the interest in the value of commerce and individuals has been growing. Skeptical at first, online consumerism has steadily increased and along with it has come some positive and negative behaviors. The purpose of this research is to understand how individual behaviors affect online consumerism. According to Lars Perner, consumer behavior is defined as ?the study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society? (2008). By identifying the behaviors that support buying online and those which do not, businesses can help to increase profits and will help to assure their share of the market, as electronic trade may well out-step traditional buying in the not to distant future.
There are many variables to consider when outlining behaviors of Internet consumerism. According to Delia Vazquez and Xingang XU , online consumer behavior is affected by three main things: ?attitudes towards online shopping, motivations, such as price, convenience and hedonic motivations, and online information search? (2009, p.409 ). If a person is positive about the experience of shopping on the Internet then that attitude will affect the outcome of purchasing online. Also online consumers feel more in control when they can search with relative ease, prices and special offers. This price comparison is in itself, a great motivational tool. The fact that more information is available online concerning products also allows the consumer to feel that better information, will lead to better decision making on their part.
Research was conducted through a self-given online questionnaire. Important data was collected concerning the scale items of attitude, motivations and searches of information. The group consisted of students in three different age categories. The first were between 15 and 24. The second group was between 25-34 years old. The last group fell between the ages of 35 and 44. The 35-44 year old group was rated as first in Internet buying. The 25-30 year olds were next, followed by the younger group. A further study was done through the use of email and administered questionnaires. Two hundred students were surveyed in person and 300 students were asked to fill in an email survey. Between the two groups, 406 responded and participated in the research. Data analysis using a quantitative approach was used. Reliability analysis was formulated and used to test the data obtained. Canonical analysis was also used to help understand the data and build a framework around online consumer behavior.
The analysis showed that 49.8% of those surveyed were women and 50% were male. The group under age 24 made up a little less than two thirds of the total. Those over 24 accounted for the rest. Respondents who had used the Internet for five years or more represented 79% of the study. The results clearly showed that online shopping motivations, information searches, and attitude all had a significant affect on online purchases.
Other variables to consider in online consumer behavior are online experience, sexual preference, and the primary place in which the Internet is accessed. In a study performed by Cuneyt Koyuncu and Donald Lien, research showed that all three of these had ?large statistically significant effects on online shopping? (2003, p.721 ). They concluded that consumers, who had more experience with the internet, felt more comfortable navigating it. Consumers also felt safer in using the internet at their residence or on the job, rather than community computers. Sexual preference, according to their research, showed that bisexuals bought online in greater numbers than heterosexuals. This behavior may have resulted because of the bias against this portion of the population that is present in society. The survey which supports this data was conducted by Georgia Institute of Technology. There were over 10,000 participants. The total amount of samples used was 8717. Data such as an individual?s demographic; economics, sexual preferences, and primary places of online access were collected. The findings showed 7026 considered themselves online shoppers, while 1691 did not. The average for education was considered, ?some college? for both groups. Online shoppers? income was between $50 and $74K. The non-online shoppers? income was between $30 and $40K. The average ages of both groups were between 36 and 40 years old. Almost 90% were white and 60% were male. A little under half of all the participants were married. The conclusion of this research clearly identified that both the primary place to access the Internet and sexual preference had very important positive effects on online shopping.
Unlike shopping in a store on-site, making purchases online has other positives associated with it. According to Anthony Ammeter and Donghyun Kim, they stated ?one of the most important traits of online shopping is bidirectional communication capability? (2008, p.9). They go on further to explain how online shoppers have greater assess to communicate with those they are buying from. This communication can take place in such ways as bulletin boards and e-mails. This gives consumers a perception of personalized assistance. In contrast to this scenario, is the fact that we are losing our ability to maintain a high level of customer service on-site. The employees many shoppers encounter seem more to be filling a spot than actively engaging in helping consumers with purchases or becoming knowledgeable about what they sell.
Online consumerism is not however without its apprehensions. Set forth in the research by Janda Swinder were concerns. She stated in her article that there were, ?four consumer online concerns, identified as privacy, security, credibility, and virtual experience? (2008, p. 339). Each of these factors is considered when people think of making online purchases. Privacy issues, security, credibility and virtual experience have all shown to have negative effects on consumer purchasing. It is relatively simple for information to be collected from consumers whenever one logs onto a site or makes a purchase. Some information, such as name, address, phone number and credit card, is gathered through direct questioning and other information is gathered through tracking software. This transference of information makes some consumers nervous and they do not want to take the risk. Another point to consider is the credibility of the person or business in which one is dealing with. Questions arise about trust, description of merchandise, warranties, shipment, returns, and follow-up correspondence. Although this concern, though valid, has according to research, had very limited negative effect on consumer buying habits (2008).
Another negative behavioral pattern well documented is that of compulsive buying tendencies. These tendencies to over buy can have detrimental affects on the consumer, notably affecting monies, feelings, and relationships. According to ?The Relationship Between Consumers? Tendencies to Buy Compulsively and Their Motivation to Shop and Buy on the Internet,? somewhere between 5 and 9 percent of America?s population could be identified as people who have a propensity to compulsively buy (Kukar-Kinney, Ridgway, and Monroe, 2009). Motivators of this type of behavior include the very key ingredients of online shopping. These motivations are the following; items may be purchased at any time, shopping can be done frequently, a broader variety exists, and also purchases may be brought in private.
The actual detailed research conducted involved many aspects. The first method of research was a survey of over 300 people in 42 states. As quoted from the article, ?the sample consisted of 98.5% women, 63% of the respondents were married, the average age was 53 years, and the average household income was $82,000? (2009, p.300). The penchant to buy compulsively was measured using a buying scale that included six focuses. These scale items included, unopened packages at home, labeled by others as a shopaholic, how much time actually spent shopping, buying unneeded items, buying unplanned items, and if the surveyed considered themselves an impulse buyer.
Research was also conducted using a 22 statement survey in which the surveyed agreed or disagreed with the following statement, ?In comparison to retail stores, I shop on the Internet when buying clothing and accessories for myself because? (2009, p.301). The 22 statements included areas that linked to, ?buying unobserved, product variety, social interaction, and immediate positive feelings.? An analyses of the information was obtained through a series of ?linear regression analysis, with individual shopping and buying motivations in the role of the dependent variable, and compulsive buying index as an independent variable? (2009, p.302).
The final research was defined as cluster analysis. Taken into account were such categories as demographics, age, gender, income, education level, marital status, average income spent at retail and internet stores, frequency of purchase, and the number of credit cards used. All of this research data was well defined and explained. The findings of each method was then charted and analyzed with easy to understand tables and terminology. In keeping with the theme of the method section, the interpretations and conclusions made by these researchers were very detailed and data supported. The results showed that compulsive online consumer behavior was in part explained by motivations of the shopper. All motives set forth in this study exhibited an important positive connection to the compulsive buying scale except for one and that was the product variety motive. The overall findings concluded, as the researchers had hypothesized that
compulsive buying strongly affected consumers? decisions to make purchases using the Internet.
This research group acknowledges that one of its weaknesses was the sampling of consumers used. Subjects were relatively wealthy women, who frequented expensive internet retailers. I believe, as they do, that this assessment represents a bias in the general population. The research also only tracked the behavior of women. Compulsive online consumer behaviors are not gender specific and therefore this research, in my opinion, is somewhat flawed. Another weakness noted in this study was the amount of people surveyed in the first example with a total number of a little over 300. I do however think that one of this study?s greatest strengths was the broad base of surveys conducted (2009).
There are differences in online behaviors as identified by gender in the research of Janda (2008). Main differences account for shopping behaviors, attitudes to technology, and processing of information. Women were found to be more venerable to risks and perceived risks as higher than that of the male population. It was also found that women used the Internet less often and were less confident about their online ability. Females were found to enjoy the experience of shopping more than men. Women leaned more toward the sites which provided information and education about items.
The data for this gender research was gathered through surveys that were handed out. The opinions were taken from a quota sampling of different age groups. Responses totaling 404 were collected. The sample included a total of 196 men and 208 women. The median age was 32.8 years old. Another noted point was that the participants each had a history of Internet usage for about five years(2008 ). This is valuable research and asserts that these differences must be addressed in order for online distributors to appeal to both sexes in a meaningful way.
In research done by Christy Crutsinger, Sua Jeon, and Haejung Kim, they identified seven motivators of online auction participants. These motivators were, ?search costs, product assortment and price, brand equity, transaction costs, customer orientation, perceived quality, and social interaction? (2008, p.31). Never before has there been such a vehicle for buying and selling merchandise and services. Online auctions are tapping into this relatively new trend. More than 1,660 sites have been procured and are available to cater to this type of consumer.
The study on online auctions was done through a questionnaire, based on 36 auction motivators, online behavior, and demographics of participants. The Likert scale was used to determine responses. These participants totaled 410 and were selected from a pool of college students. Data was retrieved from 341 responses. There were 74.8% female and 42.6% labeled as
white. The ages ranged from 18 to 40 years old. The collected data revealed 90.9% were regular
users of the Internet. A low 20% revealed they had no online auction experience. The remaining who did have experience with online auctions were identified as follows; 5.3% used the Internet daily, 15.2% weekly, 29.9% monthly, and 29.3% said one to two times per year. An interesting note to this research was that although most of those surveyed had participated in online auctions, the majority of them (80.6%) conveyed that they had never sold anything online.
According to this research the following results showed that, ?search costs were the most important motivation, followed by product assortment/price, brand equity, transaction costs, customer orientation, and perceived quality. Social interaction was the least important motivation associated with online auction behaviors? (2008, p. 36). There is no doubt that college students
are very involved Internet participants. Studies like this one show the need for businesses to see the value of online auctions and use this prospect to increase their customer base. This research, however did not addressed the negative component of online auction consumer behavior. These types of behavior may fall into one of two categories, such as impulse buying or compulsive buying. Further research would need to be done in order to fully understand online consumer
auction behavior.
A major part of esthetics is how information is arranged on the web page. Too much information can overwhelm a consumer, too little can decrease consumer confidence. J.M. Stibel conducted research which included this topic of interest. Tests performed by him showed how online information presentation failed in many ways. His results showed clearly that ?category information presented in an alphabetical list allowed consumers the ability to navigate to their destination much faster than when they were asked to traverse a hyperlinked hierarchy? (2005, p.
149). Simplicity is the key. Consumers want to navigate with the least amount of effort. Clarity in the web design gives consumers the confidence in their ability to do so. This research led Stibel to identify a mental model of consumers, which concluded that people wanted information presented in concise and understanding ways. The ability of online businesses to do this is imperative because it leads to a ?more intuitive and compelling online experience (2005, p.149). There is a sub-group of online consumers that have been recently identified. This group has been termed, the ?net-geners or net generation.? This term is defined as, ?individuals born between 1977 and 1997 and is the first generation to grow up surrounded by digital media and the Internet? (Donghyun Kim & Anthony Ammeter 2008, p.7). This group understands technology and is comfortable with Internet commerce. The net-geners are the first generation that will actually surpass the baby-boomers in population size. Because of their knowledge and their numbers, it is safe to say that business as usual is in for a transformation. As the elderly portion of our population die and new individuals are born, this new way of doing business will be the reality that is known throughout life. The sky is indeed the limit in the progression of online consumerism.
Method

References
Crutsinger, Jeon, Haejung, (2008). Exploring online auction behaviors and
motivations. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, 100(2), 31-40.
Janda, Swinder (2008). Does gender moderate the effect of online concerns on purchase
likelihood? Journal of Internet Commerce, 7(3), 339-358.
Koyuncu, C., & Lien, D. (2003). E-commerce and consumer?s purchasing behavior.
Applied Economics, 35(6), 721-726.
Kukar-Kinney, M., Ridgway, N. M., & Monroe, K. B., (2009). The Relationship Between Consumers? Tendencies to Buy Compulsively and Their Motivations to Shop and Buy on the Internet. Journal of Retailing, 85(3), 298-307.
Stibel, J. M. (2005). Mental models and online consumer behavior. Behavior & Information
Technology, 24(2), 147-150. doi:10.1080/01449290512331321901
Vazquez, D., & Xu, X. (2009). Investigation linkages between online purchase
behavior variables. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 37(5),
408. doi: 10.1108/09590550910954900

Attached is the assignment Task 1. Kindly do the following:

1. READ THE ASSESSMENT CRITERIA given below and try to answer the questions to meet the assessment criteria

2. Use practical examples and suggest clear recommendation inclined to meet the Assessment criteria

3. Also refer back to the case and the situation in the case

4. Proof read there should be no spelling mistakes

6 Follow the FORMAT which is very important. (Times New Roman 12)

7 Do not make a question answer issue - rather make it a report with heading of the question (eg. the report starts with an introduction or Executive summary then TOC - use word indexing - then body of the report do not cut paste any questions

8 The most important point _ DO NOT CUT PASTE anything from internet - PLAGIARISM

9. Have a conclusion and recommendations - Don't forget your body referencing and your end Bibliography. - USE HRS system of referencing


Learning Outcome 1

Understand the Value of an E-Strategy in Organizations

Assessment Criteria (AC) to Test Outcomes

AC1.1 - Explain the Benefits of Having an E-Strategy in Organizations
AC1.2 - Evaluate the Contribution of an E-Strategy to the Achievement of an Organization?s Objectives.

AC1.3 - Discuss How to Align an E-Strategy with an Overarching Organizational Strategy.

Tasks

Task 1 (1.1)

Task 1 (1.2)

Task 1 (1.3)

Learning Outcome 2

Be able to develop an e-strategy for an organization

Assessment Criteria (AC) to Test Outcomes

AC2.1 - Analyze the business factors that underpin the requirement for an e-strategy in an organization.
AC2.2 - Discuss the benefits of e-commerce to an organization.
AC2.3 - Develop a plan for an e-strategy that ensures an organization retains its competitive advantage in a global market
AC2.4 - Specify the technical infrastructure required in an e-strategy plan for an organization.

Tasks

Task 1 (1.4)
Task 1 (1.5)
Task 1 (1.6)
Task 1 (1.7)

Required Task 1: Leading E-strategy

Assessment and Grading:

This assessment is based on achievements in learning outcomes. In order to pass, all criteria identified in the assignment with reference to learning outcomes of the module must be met.
Word Count/Limit:
3,500 words (+/- 10%)

Please study the following case Study on Amazon available at http://www.smartinsights.com/digital-marketing-strategy/online-business-revenue-models/amazon-case-study/ or amazon.com and complete the following tasks

Amazon Vision & Strategy

?Relentlessly focus on customer experience by offering our customers low prices, convenience, and a wide selection of merchandise.? The vision is still to offer ?Earth?s biggest selection and to be Earth?s most customer-centric company. Consider how these core marketing messages summarising the Amazon online value proposition are communicated both on-site and through offline communications. Of course, achieving customer loyalty and repeat purchases has been key to Amazon?s success. Many dot-coms failed because they succeeded in achieving awareness, but not loyalty. Amazon achieved both. In their SEC filing they stress how they seek to achieve this. They say:?We work to earn repeat purchases by providing easy-to-use functionality, fast and reliable fulfillment, timely customer service, feature rich content, and a trusted transaction environment.
A good summary of the latest business model initiatives is available in this Amazon annual report summary for 2011. For Q4, 2010:
? North America segment sales, representing the Company?s U.S. and Canadian sites, were $7.21 billion, up 45% from fourth quarter 2009.
? International segment sales, representing the Company?s U.K., German, Japanese, French, Chinese and new Italian sites, were $5.74 billion, up 26% from fourth quarter 2009. Excluding the unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, sales grew 29%.
Amazon performs exceptionally efficiently measured against revenue per visitor, which is one of the key measures for any commercial website, whether it?s a media site, search engine, social network or a transactional retailer or offers travel or financial services. Of course profit per user would be quite different due to the significantly lower costs of other .coms like Facebook and Google. Key features of our websites include editorial and customer reviews; manufacturer product information; Web pages tailored to individual preferences, such as recommendations and notifications; 1-Click? technology; secure payment systems; image uploads; searching on our websites as well as the Internet; browsing; and the ability to view selected interior pages and citations, and search the entire contents of many of the books we offer with our ?Look Inside the Book? and ?Search Inside the Book? features. Our community of online customers also creates feature-rich content, including product reviews, online recommendation lists, wish lists, buying guides, and wedding and baby registries.?In practice, as is the practice for many online retailers, the lowest prices are for the most popular products, with less popular products commanding higher prices and a greater margin for Amazon.
Free shipping offers are used to encourage increase in basket size since customers have to spend over a certain amount to receive free shipping. The level at which free-shipping is set is critical to profitability and Amazon has changed it as competition has changed and for promotional reasons. Amazon communicate the fulfillment promise in several ways including presentation of latest inventory availability information, delivery date estimates, and options for expedited delivery, as well as delivery shipment notifications and update facilities.
This focus on customer has translated to excellence in service with the 2004 American Customer Satisfaction Index giving Amazon.com a score of 88 which was at the time, the highest customer satisfaction score ever recorded in any service industry, online or offline. Round (2004) notes that Amazon focuses on customer satisfaction metrics. Each site is closely monitored with standard service availability monitoring (for example, using Keynote or Mercury Interactive) site availability and download speed. Interestingly it also monitors per minute site revenue upper/lower bounds ? Round describes an alarm system rather like a power plant where if revenue on a site falls below $10,000 per minute, alarms go off! There are also internal performance service-level-agreements for web services where T% of the time, different pages must return in X seconds.


Visions and importance of technology
According to founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, technology is very important to supporting this focus on the customer. In their 2010 Annual Report (Amazon, 2011) he said:
?Look inside a current textbook on software architecture, and you?ll find few patterns that we don?t apply at Amazon. We use high-performance transactions systems, complex rendering and object caching, workflow and queuing systems, business intelligence and data analytics, machine learning and pattern recognition, neural networks and probabilistic decision making, and a wide variety of other techniques. And while many of our systems are based on the latest in computer science research, this often hasn?t been sufficient: our architects and engineers have had to advance research in directions that no academic had yet taken. Many of the problems we face have no textbook solutions, and so we ? happily ? invent new approaches?? All the effort we put into technology might not matter that much if we kept technology off to the side in some sort of R&D department, but we don?t take that approach. Technology infuses all of our teams, all of our processes, our decision-making, and our approach to innovation in each of our businesses. It is deeply integrated into everything we do?.
The quote shows how applying new technologies is used to give Amazon a competitive edge. A good recent example of this is providing the infrastructure to deliver the Kindle ?Whispersync? update to ebook readers. Amazon reported in 2011 that Amazon.com is now selling more Kindle books than paperback books. For every 100 paperback books Amazon has sold, the Company sold 115 Kindle books. Kindle apps are now available on Apple iOS, Android devices and on PCs as part of a ?Buy Once, Read Anywhere? proposition which Amazon has developed.
Amazon Customers
Amazon defines what it refers to as three consumer sets customers, seller customers and developer customers. There are over 76 million customer accounts, but just 1.3 million active seller customers in it?s marketplaces and Amazon is seeking to increase this. Amazon is unusual for a retailer in that it identifies ?developer customers? who use its Amazon Web Services, which provides access to technology infrastructure such as hosting that developers can use to develop their own web services.
Members are also encouraged to join a loyalty programme, Amazon Prime, a fee-based membership program in which members receive free or discounted express shipping, in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan.
Competitions
In its SEC (2005) filing Amazon describes the environment for our products and services as ?intensely competitive?. It views its main current and potential competitors as:
1) physical-world retailers, catalog retailers, publishers, vendors, distributors and manufacturers of our products, many of which possess significant brand awareness, sales volume, and customer bases, and some of which currently sell, or may sell, products or services through the Internet, mail order, or direct marketing;
(2) Other online E-commerce sites;
(3) A number of indirect competitors, including media companies, Web portals, comparison shopping websites, and Web search engines, either directly or in collaboration with other retailers; and
(4) Companies that provide e-commerce services, including website development; third-party fulfillment and customer-service.
It believes the main competitive factors in its market segments include ?selection, price, availability, convenience, information, discovery, brand recognition, personalized services, accessibility, customer service, reliability, speed of fulfillment, ease of use, and ability to adapt to changing conditions, as well as our customers? overall experience and trust in transactions with us and facilitated by us on behalf of third-party sellers?.
For services offered to business and individual sellers, additional competitive factors include the quality of our services and tools, their ability to generate sales for third parties we serve, and the speed of performance for our services

From Actions to Marketplaces
Amazon auctions (known as zShops) were launched in March 1999, in large part as a response to the success of eBay. They were promoted heavily from the home page, category pages and individual product pages. Despite this, a year after its launch it had only achieved a 3.2% share of the online auction compared to 58% for eBay and it only declined from this point. Today, competitive prices of products are available through third-party sellers in the ?Amazon Marketplace? which are integrated within the standard product listings. The strategy to offer such an auction facility was initially driven by the need to compete with eBay, but now the strategy has been adjusted such that Amazon describe it as part of the approach of low-pricing.
Although it might be thought that Amazon would lose out on enabling its merchants to sell products at lower prices, in fact Amazon makes greater margin on these sales since merchants are charged a commission on each sale and it is the merchant who bears the cost of storing inventory and fulfilling the product to customers. As with eBay, Amazon is just facilitating the exchange of bits and bytes between buyers and sellers without the need to distribute physical products.

Amazon Media Sales

You may have noticed that unlike some retailers, Amazon displays relevant Google text ads and banner ads from brands. This seems in conflict with the strategy of focus on experience since it leads to a more cluttered store. However in 2011 Amazon revealed that worldwide media sales accounted for approximately 17% of revenue!

Amazon Marketing

Amazon does not reveal much about its marketing approach in its annual reports, but there seems to be a focus on online marketing channels. Amazon (2011) states ?we direct customers to our websites primarily through a number of targeted online marketing channels, such as our Associates program, sponsored search, portal advertising, email marketing campaigns, and other initiatives?. These other initiatives may include outdoor and TV advertising, but they are not mentioned specifically. In this statement they also highlight the importance of customer loyalty tools. They say: ?while costs associated with free shipping are not included in marketing expense, we view free shipping offers and Amazon Prime as effective worldwide marketing tools, and intend to continue offering them indefinitely?.
Questions to be addressed in completing the Assignment tasks: 1

1.1 Explain the benefits of having an e-Strategy in organisation like Amazon? Critically evaluate using examples with particular emphasis on meeting strategic business objectives of Amazon? (Criteria 1.1)

1.2 From the information given in the case study evaluate contributions of an e-Strategy to the Achievement of Amazon?s objectives, analyse all the aspects in detailed manner?
(Criteria 1.2)

1.3 Critically analyse how the Amazon?s e-strategy is aligned with over overarching organisational strategy justify your statements with examples (Criteria 1.3)

1.4 Critically analyze the business factors that underpin the requirement for an e-strategy in the context of Amazon? (Criteria 2 .1)

1.5 Discuss the benefits of e-commerce to Amazon? As an e-commerce consultant proactively advise what are the future value additions (Criteria 2 .2)

1.6 Assume that you are heading the e-strategy initiatives at Amazon. Develop a plan for Amazon?s e-strategy to retain its competitive advantages in the global market place ? justify with relevant example (Criteria 2 .3)

1.7 Identify and conclude the technical infrastructure required for the strategy plan developed by you in task 1.6
(Criteria 2 .4)

e-Retailing
Semester 1 2009
The e-retail plan (2500 words): Individual 30%

PLEASE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE E-RETAIL PLAN FORMAT AND THE E-RETAIL PLAN MARK SHEET

Aim:
To develop an e-retail plan for a product or service. The e-retail plan is based on a new business, not on an existing business.

Rational:
The assessment item is designed to engage the students in integrating e-retailing theory and practice. REMEMBER, your role is to act as an entrepreneur or an e-marketer whos planning a venture startup.

Process:
1. Select a product or service. According to De-Kare Silver, different product categories have more or less virtual appeal.
2. Define and describe the product/service from a customer-centric perspective. REMEMBER, consumers purchase the benefits of the product/service, not the product/service itself.
3. Determine the target market.
4. Analyse the current operating environment for all companies within the product class you choose. REMEMBER, you have competitors (high street, online, or both). It is YOUR DECISION to use any analysis models that are appropriate: PESTE, SWOT, SNAKE DIAGRAM, PORTER GENERIC STRATEGIES MATRIX, ANSOFF MATRIX, etc. The purpose is to clearly understand your market opportunities and where your product/service fits into the market place (market positioning).
5. Develop an e-retail plan
REMEMBER, a new online business presents a lot of challenges such as high perceived risks and lack of consumer trust. As an e-marketer, you should consider how to attract consumers to your store (website), how to build an engaging website (website design), how to effectively communicate with your target audience (the e-retailing mix and the communication mix), and especially how to create CUSTOMER VALUE and how to develop a long-term customer relationship. A unique e-retail plan requires a high degree of creativity. To ensure the quality of the e-retail plan, it is ESSENTIAL for you to integrate market research and e-retailing theories.

Report:
The group report is 2500 words maximum

Specific Format Requirements:
1. Report length 2500 (maximum) words for the body of the report. The word length excludes the title page, the table of contents, the reference list (APA style) and the APPENDIXES.
2. Use 1.5 line spacing; 12pt New Times Roman or 11pt Arial Font. At least 2.5cm margins.
3. Add a Table of Contents.
4. Print the body of the report double-sided if possible.
5. Add a COMPLETE AND ACCURATE reference list of all academic works, business materials and websites, cited using APA style.
6. Include a copy of the e-retail plan Mark Sheet.

___________________________________________________________

E-retail plan format:

Title

Preface

Table of contents

References

List of Tables

List of Figures

Appendix


1.0 Overview
Who What Where When How
2.0 Brand, Product and Service offering
define & describe current activities
3.0 Situational analysis
Briefly state you feel is the operating environment
3.1 Existing plan and other information
Review of existing plan and any other secondary information on firms brand that may be useful
3.2 Analysis Models
use any traditional or adaptive marketing models that you feel are appropriate
Number accordingly
Explain why you are using the models
Present the table / diagram
Briefly comment on the highlights of each model
3.x PESTE
3.x SWOT
3.x Perceptual maps
3.x PLC
3.x Snake Diagram
3.x etc etc (BCG, Ansoff, Porter ------)

3.x e-retailing metrics
Review e-retailing plans & objectives, strategies & performance metrics
3.x Situational Summary
What are the highlights of the situation analysis
4.0 Strategies
Link e-retailing with e-marketing strategy
4.1 Revenue streams
Identify revenue streams identified by e-retail models
4.2 Market opportunity analysis
Perform market opportunity analysis
4.3 Segmentation & Target
Target stakeholders
4.4 Brand differentiation
Method of brand differentiation
4.5 Market positioning strategy
Market positioning strategy
4.6 Market/partner distribution strategies
Market/partner distribution strategies
4.7 Distribution
Distribution process
4.8 Communication
Communication issues & approaches
4.9 Strategy Summary
What are the highlights of the proposed strategies
5.0 Implementation plan
Briefly state your approach to implimentation
5.1 e-retailing mix (7Cs)
Use the 7c define, describe, support suggested activities
5.2 product/service offer
define, describe, support suggested activities
5.3 Pricing strategies
define, describe, support suggested activities
5.4 Distribution/supply chain
define, describe, support suggested activities
5.5 Integrated Marketing Communications
define, describe, support suggested activities
5.6 Relationship management
define, describe, support suggested activities
5.7 Organisational structure/integration
5.8 Implementation Summary
What are the highlights of the proposed implementation
6 Budget

6.1 Revenues
What is likely to be sold and why
6.2 Costs
What are the likely costs
6.3 Budget comments

7 Evaluation and control

7.1 Contingency plans

7.2 Monitoring procedures

References
It is expected that the majority of your references will relate to the theoretical concepts discussed rather than the product category itself
Appendicies

____________________________________________________________

e-Retail plan Mark sheet:

Degree of relevance of issues to e-Retailing strategy.

Clarity and richness of the explanations and analysis. Evidence of integrating theory and practice

Logical structure of argument.

Breadth of research and quality of source material (relating to e-Retailing issues)

Written expression - concise, straightforward and easy to read as well as grammatically correct

Correct referencing, lack of typos' spelling and grammatical errors, a bibliography and table of contents.

TOTAL

There are faxes for this order.

Write a 5 Page analysis of the affect that outsourcing would have on IT functions in the Information Systems area (email, databases, Web servers, etc.) of an online business.

Minimum subjects that must be covered:
1. Technology assessment of the IT department tasks dealing with the company Information Systems.
2. Recommendation on potential outsourcing of these IT functions associated with the Information Systems.
3. Address the following questions in the paper:
a. What are the determining factors which may lead to a decision to proceed with outsourcing, as well as what factors might lead the manager NOT to consider outsourcing?
b. What are the risks associated with outsourcing the IT function?
c. What are the benefits associated with an outsourcing effort?
d. Where do the costs originate in an outsourcing agreement, and what are some examples of the dollar impacts that might be expected?
e. What are the implications to the business organizational structure by using an outsourced IT department as well as the potential personnel issues which may arise?

Use strict APA format

Cite and Reference all sources used. (2 Minimum)

Please be advice that there are two assigments one case and one session long project. I need two pages for the case and one page for the session long project.

Case 4

One interesting aspect of distribution channels occurs when a retailer, in this case, Amazon, integrates backwards with the intent of attracting suppliers (authors with brand names?) and the expectation of utilizing other outlets (traditional bookstores) for full distribution of its products. In this case, the largest traditional bookstore chain, which also has a significant online business, has decided not to stock Amazon's products in the hope of discouraging authors from signing publication contracts with Amazon. Effective distribution channels call for vertical cooperation, here among authors and their agents, publishers, and retail outlets. But vertical integration invites conflicts.

These articles also relate to recent developments in book retailing:

Bosman (2012). The bookstore's last stand. New York Times (January 28). Available 5/5/12 through ProQuest database.

Haq, H. (2012). Barnes & Noble refuses to sell Amazon-published books. Christian Science Monitor (February 1). Accessed 5/5/12 at http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2012/0201/Barnes-Noble-refuses-to-sell-Amazon-published-books

Turner, K. (2012). Independent retailers [bookstores] turn page on business. Toledo Blade (February 5). Accessed 5/5/12 at http://www.toledoblade.com/Retail/2012/02/05/Independent-retailers-turn-page-on-business.html

Your assignment: Develop a report in terms of the following guidelines. A well written report should have a brief introduction, headings or subheadings, and a brief concluding comment. Note that you should use some keywords as headings or subheadings such as "Facts Recap", instead of a sentence or a question.

Briefly review the facts reported in the article.

Was Amazon wise to get into publishing in addition to its very strong position in retailing new and used books? Explain your answer.

If you were a popular author of children's fiction (with a successful past relationship with a traditional publisher) and your agent (another member of the book publishing channel) asked you whether to approach Amazon regarding the publication of your latest project, what would you say? Why?

Would it matter if you were working on your first book and had no previous relationship with an editor or publisher? If "yes." why would this make a difference?

In your judgment, do you think that either Amazon or Barnes & Noble are likely to change the strategic decisions reported in this article? Why?

Submit your 750-1000 word CASE4 to https://coursenet.trident.edu/.

Expectations with regard to your References and Defense of Your Positions
Write clearly, simply and logically. Your paper should be 750-1500 words long excluding title pages and references, but quality of writing is more important than length. Please use double space, Verdana or Times Roman font type, black font color only, with 12 pt font size.


It is expected that you will back up your positions or opinions with references to the required readings found in Background1-2-3-4 and Ongoing Useful Resources. In using those references, it is expected that you will demonstrate your understanding of the concepts presented. Therefore, rather than grade on how much information you find about the product that is the subject of CASE4; the emphasis in grading your paper will be on your defense of the positions you take with regard to the issues in the above directives and questions. In effect, you are expected to write clearly, simply and logically. And, in terms of that logic, remember that:

(1) the "why" is more important than the "what," and
(2) the defense of your positions on the issues is more important than the positions you take..


It is expected that you will NOT repeat or quote definitions. Your use of the required readings to support your opinions (that is, contentions or positions) should demonstrate that you understand the concepts presented in those required readings.

It is expected that you will not include definitions or summaries of the readings. It is also expected that you will not describe what the company did. Instead, your responses to the Questions should be analytical and should demonstrate that (a) you understand the principles from the background reading and (b) you can apply them to this particular case. Vague, general answers about targeting will not earn a good grade.

It is expected that you will avoid redundancy and general statements such as "All organizations exist to make a profit." It is expected that you will make every sentence count.

It is expected that you will paraphrase the facts you find into your own words and ideas. In other words, use quotes sparingly. And, as a rule of thumb, quotes, if absolutely necessary, should be no longer than 5 words.

It is also expected that when you write an academically-oriented paper of this type, much of the information you uncover will be facts about the product. Even if you paraphrase those facts, you should cite in your text the source for those facts and link those citations to references at the end of your paper.


And session long project

SLP 4
In this SLP, your assignment is to examine the distribution elements of your branded product's marketing strategy

In the appropriate sections of your SLP:

(1) Explain the several components of the distribution strategy for your product. How does it fit with the designated target market?

(2) Does the distribution of the product seem to fit the product's target as well as harmonize with other elements of the marketing mix?

You may use the following outlines to organize SLP4.

Distribution

1. Channel

a. Describe and characterize intermediaries and retail outlets and vertical relationships with them.

b. Location(s)

c. Amenities and ambience

2. Logistics ? Transportation, storage, ordering and inventory policies

Finally, make any revisions your instructor suggested in prior modules. Make these revisions in colored type.

Write a business proposal in which you provide recommendations to the company for increasing revenue for the company, achieve ideal production levels, determine how fixed and variable costs should be adjusted to maximize profit, and identify methods to reduce costs.

Describe your process to make recommendations.

Include economic concepts to provide support for recommendations.

Answer the question: What assumptions did you make about the organization and its values?



Will Burys Price Elasticity Scenario

Will Bury, enterprising inventor, is convinced that soon everyone will be reading or listening to everything digitally, including all the great books that have been mostly available in hardcopy. He knows that there are books on CD, but these are relatively expensive and have been recorded using human readers. He also knows that there is technology that will transform the printed word into audio, but the sound is somewhat inhuman. Will plans on speeding up the transformation with a proprietary technology he has developed and patented. This technology takes the printed word for text materials and creates a file with the option of reading it digitally or listening to it with a realistic synthetic voice. Will knows that he has free access to books no longer under copyright protection, and he figures he can pay a royalty fee of $5 per title for copyrighted books that will greatly expand his catalog. So far, he has limited himself to English language books but is working on a language translation option as well.

To date, Wills technical skills outpace his business acumen. He is struggling with some basic decisions. He has been doing this as a garage operation for the last few years and has missed many of his daughters soccer games while he held down his job at High Tech Digital Industries to keep his family comfortable on his $200,000 annual salary and benefits package. Will may eventually have to decide whether to devote most of his time to his invention. Moreover, he is not sure how to determine all the applications for his technology, who would want it, how it would be delivered to customers, how many books would be bought at what price, and so forth. Even after he has secured the rights to copyrighted material, he needs some help acquiring the books he wants to digitally transform and scanning them into his digitizer. It is not difficult to train others to do this, but it takes about an hour per 500 pages to complete the transformation into the digital files that enable them to be read. To make sure the process works well, Will has been doing this himself, but he realizes this is neither a good use of his time nor will it get many books digitized. Fortunately, the digitizer Will uses is inexpensive to reproduce for others to use, and Will is certain that the security he has encoded into it will prevent others from unauthorized replication of the device. Where are the people whom he can hire to do the work, and how much should he pay them? If it is easy to train workers in the United States to do this, could Will pay $10 an hour for someone with the skills of a high school graduate? If this is the skill level, could he pay a worker overseas $2 an hour for the same service?

To address some of these issues, Will has been doing some research. First, he checked online to discover that a 500-page book on CD costs about $20. This is a good substitute for his audio files of a book, and further research suggests that he could apply his digitizing process to more recent copyright-protected books for a royalty fee of $5 per book. He would still incur the labor charge of scanning the book. Will continues to wonder whether people want to read digitally or listen to the books they enjoy for pleasure, or whether they still prefer a physical book to read. Will found an article from a reputable source that suggests customers of digital and audio books are relatively affluent, their household incomes are above average, and acceptance of digital reading for pleasure is lagging behind acceptance of digital reading for business. The article found that digital listening is attracting the same audience who download music to digital devices.

Further research has suggested that price is an important feature driving the appeal of digital book files. Will is trying to apply some earlier experiences in movie distribution to his digital book project. When movies were first released for general consumer distribution as videotapes, they were expensive??"about $80 per title. When the price was lowered closer to $20 per title, evidence suggests that volume sales typically went up 600%. Of course, not everything stayed the same. In recent years, movie titles have been released more quickly following their showing in theaters, there have been more extra features on the DVDs because of greater storage capacity, and the format changed from videotape to disk. Some have hinted that although there are fewer blockbuster hits now, there are more titles appealing to a broader audience. Will is trying to find more evidence of the effect of price on volume demand, but this is all he has discovered so far.

Nevertheless, Will must determine a launch price for when he first introduces his digital titles to the market. He set up a Web site offering his small catalog of books and set the price at $10 for a title on which copyright has lapsed, and $15 for a title that includes a royalty fee. He is a little disappointed in his sales in the first 6 months of operation, selling only 1,000 of the older books with a lapsed copyright and 2,000 of the newer books. Moreover, he is confused as to why he sold twice as many of the more expensive books. He wonders whether he should lower or raise prices to increase his revenues. What might he expect to happen to his volume sales if he does change prices? If he decides to increase or decrease prices, is it better to make a small change and observe the effects on quantity, or will customers more likely react to a change in price of at least $1 per title? If he does change his prices, will this have any effect on the prices charged by big-volume sellers for conventional hardcopy books?

While Will is pondering his pricing strategy, he visits a friend, Elsa Budley, who has had experience selling online. Elsa started an online business selling her artwork. Although her initial sales were a bit disappointing, she offered some shocking advice. She discovered that she sold more artwork when she raised her prices at the same time that she expanded her online advertising budget. Elsa thinks Wills key to success is to raise prices and sell more books!

Will Bury senses that he is on the brink of great success and fortune with a proprietary technology that transforms how people access books and other materials currently offered only in print. He is also on the verge of making some fundamental business mistakes, however, that could rob him of his success. He may be more successful if he observes some basic concepts included in the early part of this course.

Case study Setting up Your own Web site
Domain Registration
Website Creation
Website Designing
Enhancing Your Website with Graphics
Putting Everything on the Front Page Rookies are usually tempted to put everything on the home page ( use stategically placed links akin to a table of contents showing prospects what you can offer them)
Questions
1 Is this an example of a perfectly competitive market?
2 Would it be difficult to calculate MC and MR for these small online retailers?
3 Will competition be enhanced domestically with these online businesses? How about globally?
4 Are the retailers' price takers?
5 Are the customers' price takers?

You'll remember that we're using a common basic format for the Project assignments in all Modules -- that is, the review of relevant professional development websites. You can review the rationale and purpose of these assignments here if you need to.

Specifically, for the Session Long Project for this Module, your assignment is to become familiar with the free strategic and business planning tools from Planware.com. In their own words, here's what they have available:

Business Plan Freeware
Channel Contents




Free Exl-Plan Free, high-level financial planner for Excel for creating projected income statements, cashflows and balance sheets for 2 years ahead. Includes a free comprehensive 150-page business plan guide and Word-based template.
Free Cashflow Plan Free, an Excel-based, business cash flow planner with roll-forward facility for short-term projections.
Free-Plan (Biz-Plan), a free Business Plan Template for Word (48 pages) and complementary Guide (supplied as a 90+ topic Help file and as a 100+ page PDF file for printing).
Free Online Strategy Planner for compiling a 2-3 page strategic business plan.
Free Online Business Plan Presentation & Outline Plan Compiler for developing a 12-slide presentation and linked 5-6 page outline plan.
Free Online Financial Planner for generating high-level, first-cut five-year projections of income statements, cashflows and balance sheets.
Free Business Plan eGuides, compilation of papers on business planning matters.
Free Online Advice Service for problems relating to the compilation of a business plan.





Check out as many of these free tools as you wish. Then prepare your review.




There are faxes for this order.

Book
Cooper, D. & Schindler, P. (11th Ed.). (2011). Business research methods. 11th Ed. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 9780073373706

Supplemental References & Readings:
These resources are not required, but may provide assistance in completing your work for this course. Please copy and paste any web links listed below into your browser to view the websites.
American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, (6th Ed.) Washington, DC: Author.

Antonacopoulou, E. P. (2010). Making the business school more critical: Reflexive critique based on phronesis as a foundation for impact. British Journal of Management, 21(Suppl 1), s6-s25. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8551.2009.00679.x

Blackman, D., & Sadler-Smith, E. (2009). The Silent and the Silenced in Organizational Knowing and Learning. Management Learning, 40(5), 569-585. doi:10.1177/1350507609340809

Camuffo, A., Gerli, F., Borgo, S., & Somi, T. (2009). The effects of management education on careers and compensation. Journal of Management Development, 28(9), 839-858. doi:10.1108/0262170910987683

Doh, J. P. (2009). Introduction: The Real World Via Simulation. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 8(4), 558.

McCrea, E. A. (2010). Integrating Service-Learning into an Introduction to Entrepreneurship Course. Journal of Management Education, 34(1), 39-61.

Soudain, L., Deshayes, P., & Tikkanen, H. (2009). Positioning of the stakeholders in the interaction project management??"project marketing: A case of a coconstructed industrial project. Project Management Journal, 40(3), 34-46. doi:10.1002/pmj.20120

Syed, J., Mingers, J., & Murray, P. A. (2010). Beyond rigour and relevance: A critical realist approach to business education. Management Learning, 41(1), 71-85. doi:10.1177/1350507609350839

Teo, T. H., & Koh, T. (2010). Lessons from multi-agency information management projects: Case of the Online Business Licensing Service (OBLS) Project, Singapore. International Journal of Information Management, 30(1), 85-93. doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2009.07.004

Vince, R. (2010). Anxiety, Politics and Critical Management Education. British Journal of Management, 21s26-s39. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8551.2009.00678.x


The literature review should meet the following criteria:
-Create a literature review by analyzing different key underlying theories and themes that will support your proposed research study. Use 7-10 peer-reviewed journal articles and contain a critical analysis and synthesis of the literature that provides a context for the proposed study. Your review should be comprehensive, organized, and flow logically.

-Introduction

- Select a topic of interest to be used: Teo, T. H., & Koh, T. (2010). Lessons from multi-agency information management projects: Case of the Online Business Licensing Service (OBLS) Project, Singapore. International Journal of Information Management, 30(1), 85-93. doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2009.07.004.

- Use themes and/or subtopics as headings.

- Identify the themes or subtopics around which the literature review has been organized into a coherent narrative discussion.

- Contain a review of at least 7 -10 of the most important works or studies that touch upon the proposed topic or problem statement.

- Include works that provide alternate or opposing perspectives on the proposed topic area to demonstrate unbiased research.

- Include historical and germinal works as well as current works (within the last 5 years).

-Conclusion

There are faxes for this order.

we are going to create a "strategic toolkit

Jack Welch opinion: STATE YOUR BUSINESS; Too many mission statements are loaded with fatheaded jargon. Play it straight
By Jack & Suzy Welch. Business Week. New York: Jan 14, 2008. , Iss. 4066; pg. 80
http://www.mcgraw-hill.com

Like most startups, we launched with a big mission that was going to change the game. Now, several years out, it appears our mission isn't going to deliver to the extent we had hoped. How do we come up with another? -- Gerald McLaughlin, Shanghai
What an honest and admirable question. First, because so few leaders have the candor to admit: "Our approach to the market seems to be tanking. We need to change direction." And second, because few leaders actually get the point of forging a mission with real grit and meaning. Even fewer work with their people to come up with a short list of values that will make their mission come alive. We just don't get it! Sure, as your case seems to suggest, having a mission doesn't guarantee winning. But not having one invariably spurs the opposite.
Sound obvious? We would have thought so, too, except that for each of the past three years, we've conducted a two-day seminar with about 100 CEOs. The first year we thought we would breeze through mission and values in about a half-hour before moving on to matters more pertinent to top executives, like M&A. To our shock, more than 60% of the CEOs in the room did not have a company mission, and 80% had no explicit set of company values describing how employees should behave in order to achieve the mission. The second and third years were basically no different except that we were prepared for several hours of discussion on these two messy topics.
Messy because the terms mission and values, hijacked by business school professors and consultants, have largely devolved into fatheaded jargon. Almost no one can figure out what they mean. And so, like the CEOs we've worked with, they sort of ignore them or gussy up a vague package deal along the lines of: "Our mission is to be the best fill-in-the-blank company in our industry" and "Our values are excellence, integrity, and customer service."
In other words, "Business as usual."
To answer your question, then, here's how we'd suggest you create a new mission for your company, and just as important, a new set of values.
Basically, the mission starts with you, the leader, since you'll be held accountable for it. Yes, listen to everyone with something smart to say about your market and product-- especially contrarians and customers. Gather and grok data galore. But then make a choice about how your company will win. Don't mince words! Remember Nike's old mission, "Crush Reebok"? That's directionally correct. And Google's mission statement isn't something namby-pamby like "To be the world's best search engine." It's "To organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." That's simultaneously inspirational, achievable, and completely graspable.
With your mission set, more of your team must get involved in establishing values. After all, you are trying to describe the best behaviors of your best employees on their best days with enough clarity to make those behaviors easy to emulate, measure, and reward. Consider some of the best values we've heard: Never lose a superstar. Communicate bad news quickly. Take personal ownership of results, not process. Unlike the usual drivel, those mean something. They compel action.
And that's what you want, both with your mission and your values--especially as you change course. Good luck setting sail again.
Would you hire someone with an online business degree? -- Robert Rodriguez, Chicago
Sure, if the person was smart and talented enough. That's our answer today. If you'd asked us a year ago, we would have hesitated. But recently we've met people with online degrees, and they tend to have a few traits in common. They're older, working, and are unable financially to pause for two years. Yet they're hungry to break open new possibilities in their careers. An MBA from a top school will always have cachet. And attending a campus program has inimitable virtues. But to count out a candidate based on an online degree may be shortsighted. People working all day and studying online all night have the kind of "grrr" most companies could use.

Step Two: Do some research on websites dedicated to writing mission statements. You may rely solely on the websites in the background materials or suppliment them if you find websites that are more useful to you. Identify five criteria that you think are crucial to good mission statements.

Step Three: Research websites dedicated to writing vision statements. Identify five criteria you think are critical to good vision statements.

Step Four:

In a 2-3 page paper

List the five criteria you have chosen for mission and vision (5 each). This can be a bulleted list.
Justify your choices. Explain why these particular criteria are important.
Compare what the two lists have in common and in what ways they differ.
SLP Expectations:

Be sure to document where you obtained your information through in-text citations and a full reference list. This paper does not have to include an executive summary, but should have an introduction, conclusion and major headings