MIS 434
e-Commerce

I.    Instructor Information:

II.  Course Objectives: e-Commerce (or electronic commerce) is an increasingly important part of most organizational strategies. As a topic of study, e-commerce is an interesting area because it brings together a number of different organizational functions, such as marketing, management, supply chain, and, of course, MIS. In addition, to understand e-commerce, it is also necessary to understand the complex nature of the consumer purchasing process, the characteristics of products and services, and the role of human behavior. This course is designed to cover both theoretical and practical aspects of e-commerce technology and concepts. While the primary focus of the course will be on the development, implementation, and management of e-commerce technologies, the course will also cover topics that bring together both organizational and environmental factors that create the environment in which e-commerce systems operate. Hands-on experience in the design and implementation of e-commerce applications will be provided in the course using web-based development software.

III.  Course Textbooks:

      Required:

    (GS)    Gary Schneider, Electronic Commerce, Seventh Annual Edition. Thomson Course Technology, 2007, ISBN 1-4188-3703-2

IV. Instructor's Philosophy: It is my opinion that you will learn best through active learning and engagement in practical cases and exercises. As a result, many of the class periods will consist of a discussion of cases, completion of exercises, or other student-centered activities. Because of the nature of the material being covered in this class, it will be necessarily to also have lectures and similar presentations. However, because of the complex nature of the topics under consideration, it is imperative that you do your part by diligently preparing for class, by reading the book prior to class, and by otherwise doing what you need to in order to be prepared.

I would also encourage you to feel free to approach me outside of class, either by visiting my office or by using electronic forms of communication (e.g., email and the course portal). In a class like this, I believe that you will find it helpful to consult with me individually if you have difficulty understanding concepts. Therefore, please do not hesitate to see me when you need to. To facilitate this dialogue, I have implemented, via WebCT, discussion boards for you to communicate with me and with other students.    

 V. Requirements and Evaluation: The evaluation of work in the course is based on performance in major areas covered over the session. Assignments will be given in class or via the class web portal.  Students will be responsible for all announcements via these various media (send me an email if you have questions).

Participation: This class will emphasize active learning. Active class participation is expected and will be part of your final grade. Students are expected to contribute to discussions, exercises, problems and other activities during class and lab sections. For example, there will be frequent in class cases, assignments, and other activities that will require active class participation (and your presence). Most of your participation grade will be derived from your participation in discussions of several articles that will be read during the semester.  Repetitive absence or tardiness for class may negatively influence your grade. You will be asked to fill out a team evaluation form for each of the major team projects (this evaluation will be used to adjust grades if a student is not pulling his or her weight in the team).

Exams: Two examinations will be given, one at mid-semester and one at the end of the semester. The exams will deal with the concepts discussed in class and in the projects. The final exam will be comprehensive. The material covered will be from lectures, the textbook, assignments, lab work, and practical exercises. If there is an in-class component to the exam and you are going to miss this event, you must contact the instructor prior to the exam for any special consideration.

Assignments: Students will be expected to complete several assignments in 3-4 person teams. The assignments will provide students with an opportunity to learn about e-commerce applications and environments. Assignments are due at at the end of class on the due date (assignments turned in after this time will be assigned a 50% deduction and will not be accepted after 48 hours subsequent to the class).

Case Presentation: All teams are also required to develop and present a classroom presentation consisting of an analysis and/or critique of one of the e-commerce cases from the textbook or one of the articles form the reading list. The presentation should be designed to last approximately 30-45 minutes. The presentation should be completed by each team; however, all participants will receive the same grade on the presentations. All presentations will be evaluated by other students and by the instructor. I will post a sign up sheet during the first several weeks of classes and ask you to select a date during which your team will make the presentation.

E-practicum: Students will also be asked to actively engage in "ecommerce" by experiencing a virtual world through the use of either Second Life or Active Worlds.  You and your team members will be asked to register for one of these sites, experience the site by using it, and write a report designed to be both an experiential report and a business model.  The goal is to understand how these virtual worlds will change social interaction and how, as a participant in one of these worlds, you can set up and run a viable business or organization.  You will be expected to document your experiences and to document via the business model how you could maintain a viable e-business (note, although I recommend you try to start a business, you don't have to actually set up the business).

Team Project: A team project will also be part of the evaluation of your work.  The project will consist of a strategic analysis of a web initiative for a local business. The details about the team project will be provided on other pages referenced from the course portal.

Case Summaries: You as an individual will be asked to generate approximately a 500 word synopsis of the case and reserve readings that we will look at during the semester. This summary will be due on the day of the reading/presentation and should be submitted online (or to the instructor's graduate student). 

Prerequisites:  MIS 330, MKT 340, TRLOG 360 

The course schedule is tentative and subject to change, if necessary.  Changes will be announced in class.  If you miss class, you are still responsible for these changes.

VI.       Disability Issues: I would like to hear from anyone who has a disability that may require some modification of seating, testing, or other class requirements so that appropriate arrangements may be made. Please contact me about these issues after one of the first few class periods.