E-business Strategy And Architecture For Online Sale Of Chicken Products, An Essay.

Critical Analysis and Evaluation of the E-business Strategy

This coursework contributes 50% of the final marks for the module.  Check the grading / assessment sheet (see last page) for how marks will be allocated.  Work on your own for all parts of the work.  You are encouraged to discuss the meaning of the tasks with other students, but the content of your answers must be your own original and individual work.  You will need access to the library, Internet, the module blackboard site and other resources such as journals, textbooks et..

Quotations and referencing

Your main report should have a bibliography and reference section in a recognised academic style (e.g. Harvard referencing).  List all sources, including ideas and suggestions taken from others.  All words, diagrams, etc. taken from another source must be properly marked in the text and listed in the references.  See the DMU library site for further guidance.

• Hand in maximum of three A4 pages – hard copy to Advice Centre, electronic copy via Turnitin.

Management report (80% of coursework, 40% of module mark):

• Hand in maximum of 2500 word report (in the case of a practical realisation, such as a system design, the expectation word count will be significantly less than this) – hard copy to Advice Centre, electronic copy via Turnitin.

Blank grading sheet – hard copy via the Advice Centre marked clearly with your name.

Deadline

All submissions close on Friday the 26^th of May at 16.00PM and must be handed in to FOTAC before 16.00

If you have a valid reason for late submission, apply to me before the deadline.  Appropriate 3rd party written evidence must be provided in support of all such requests.

Summative feedback and provisional grades normally within four  weeks of submission (annotated copy of report returned with grading/assessment sheet.  These should be available for collection from the Student Advice Centre around the end of June. You will be emailed via Blackboard when these are available.

Any attempt to obtain a pass by unfair means is very serious.  All reports will be checked using plagiarism detection software.   Cases of copying the work of another student or supplying solutions to fellow students will normally result in a fail grade of zero marks for the assignment.  Any other use of unacknowledged material will be dealt with as appropriate.  Formal disciplinary action, as in the University Regulations, may be taken against plagiarists. The disciplinary panel has the power to inflict serious penalties including expulsion from the course. 

Viruses and backup

Make sure you are protected as far as possible against virus attack or other possible loss by retaining two backup copies of your work. In particular, please ensure that the disk or email that you submit is free of viruses.

Detailed specification of work

1. An original question about e-business that would be worth further research (20% of total).

• This section is concerned only with defining the problem/.question.
• Include a short paragraph that explains why it is interesting and a page of plan / research method that shows how your question could be answered.
• Your idea can be interesting for its own sake – pure research. Or it might be useful to a specified organisation – applied research.

2. A report to a senior manager of a real organisation on one of the following (80% of total). Or propose a topic of your own, this may include undertaking a full research study in your original question in 1 above  – but get my approval for it before you start work. Clearly identify which option you are answering.

Outline Marking Scheme

To help you pick a topic suitable for the coursework, first, consider choosing a scenario type from the options below:

1. Analysis and critical evaluation of current e-business strategy and activities. (There must already be some significant e-business activity.)

• You decide how to carry out the appraisal, using your own selection or those techniques taught on the module.
  1. Proposal and justification for a systems architecture to support e-business. (The organisation must have little or no significant e-business activity now).
• Summarise the applications that are needed.
• Outline their interfaces with each other, and any necessary standards.
• Explain how the applications differ from current systems.
• Identify the benefits and how they will be measured.
  1. A migration plan to develop e-business capability from scratch. (The organisation must have little or no significant e-business activity now.)
• Identify impacts on the organisation and changes to infrastructure.
• Identify major benefits, with suggestions for how to measure them.
• Identify major risks, with strategies to avoid or minimise them.
  1. High level design for a completely new e-business application. (Must be relevant to the needs of the organisation and not closely based on any existing system.)
• Explain the need and justify the design decisions in a brief report.
• Design to include systems architecture, functional requirements, technical interface requirements, data storage requirements and sample user interfaces.
• May consist mainly of diagrams and models.
  1. Proposal and justification for an e-business strategy. (The organisation must have little or no significant e-business activity now.)
• Outline the strategy and summarise the main changes expected in the organisation.
• Implementation plan should show how the changes will be achieved.
• Identify the benefits and explain how they can be measured.

Once you have made your choice of topic type, progress to the report, which will contain the following two sections, addressing the specified components in the marking scheme.

1. Research questions will be marked mainly for:-

• Originality and interest of the question.
• Feasibility of the outline plan / research methodology.

2. The research or management report will be marked for its:-

• Factual basis.
• Overall coherence.
• Analytical depth, logical argument, critical questioning of others (including published sources).
• Originality of thought, synthesis, new ideas and insights.

More detailed marking criteria are shown on the grading/feedback sheet (see next page).

Original Question - Example topic       Brexit and E commerce. To what extent is Brexit likely to impact on  the legal and or security  e commerce aspects for SME businesses

Critical Analysis and Evaluation of the E-business Strategy

The question is quite intriguing and interesting as this online trend has not been extensively embraced by all the companies that are dealing with the sale of chicken products. This realization has been sourced from secondary data within the company’s normal operations in matters relating to the product launching held recently (Alexandrescu, Butincu, Craus, 2017, p.340). The use of the internet in the sale of these chicken products is very much possible whose eventuality is increased revenue for the Broad Chick Company. Positive results associated with this online selling have been registered in other organizations dealing with different products as affirmed and confirmed by the numerous interviews conducted within their areas of jurisdiction. Having such confirmations from these well-known establishments should serve the purpose of greatly motivating and encouraging the company at hand towards following the very same direction (Ab Aziz, Mohamed, Zakaria, 2015, p.590).

Critical analysis and evaluation of the e-business strategy

To begin with, adding this e-business component into the Broad Chicks Company will require an elaborate amount of input in the name of the esteemed workforce as well as the bit of revenue to be pumped into the idea (Anwar, Daniel, 2017, p.6). This strategy has not been birthed merely by the competitive instincts usually associated with numerous business entities with the aim and purpose of staying relevant in the current market but has been rolled into play so as to be at par with other successful and well-established organizations.

An elaborate critical review and preview of the internal and external resources revolving around the company are paramount in the facilitation of the selling of the products online (Armstrong, Kotler, Harker, et al, 2015, p.20). The e-business strategy has underlying elaborate principles that need to be put under close consideration for its effectiveness to be fully realized. The Broad Chicks has sources, resources and even processes that when rolled into play in the appropriate way will greatly facilitate the introduction and well establishment of the online selling business strategy. The up to date infrastructure in the name of websites and other renowned digital platforms will effectively enhance the establishment of this tact and strategy for the general good of the entire organization in terms of the increased sales that will be experienced as a result (Cho, Sagynov, 2015, p.21). The better part of the company’s workforce is enlightened in the area of digital skills which will tremendously work towards the realization of this tactful approach as far products sales are concerned.

Proposal and Justification of Systems Architecture

The immediate competition is also quite extreme and expansive as explained by the external environment round about the company. This brings to light the urgency and significance of embracing this e-business strategy of online selling of goods so as for the organization to achieve an upper hand and command quite an expansive territory towards satisfying the high demand from the esteemed clientele (Daniel, Domenico, Sharma, 2015, p.800). This strategy will also work towards a thorough and comprehensive comparison between online and offline trading with the customers, suppliers and distributors. This elaborate check will work towards eliminating any forthcoming potential threats which will be for the general well-being of the organization at hand.

As it is normally the case with numerous companies, investment appraisals are not usually conducted with the aim and purpose of bringing to light the actual costs and elaborate benefits associated with the online selling of products and commodities (Holmes, Gupta, 2015, p.150). This, however, will not be the case in the company at hand because it is a new incorporation of a business component which calls for thorough checks with regard to the already set up infrastructure. The performance appraisal associated with the introduction of this online selling and marketing of the chicken products will skyrocket as there will be an improved customer experience both from within the local set up as well as the utmost parts of the neighbouring regions. The extreme demand of these products will be easily slaughtered out as once orders are placed, the accompaniment will be the immediate delivery of the chicken products to the satisfaction of the entire clientele resulting to increased sales (Hermawan, Wijayanti, Aba, et al, 2017, p.130).

Proposal and justification of systems architecture in support of the online sale of the chicken products.

            Several applications will be needed to bring to the realization this online sale of products. One such application revolves around online banking. The previously used ways and forms of payments in the name of cash, checks or whichever forms of paper-based modes of payment will not be used in the facilitation of this new trend (Kresh, Laible, Lam, et al, 2018, p.50). Alternatives forms of payment under the bracket of online banking will take course and charge in bringing this elaborate idea to a vivid manifestation.

This will go on towards the reduction of the operation cost quite extensively as the draining avenues of money in the names of marketing and advertising will no longer appear anywhere in the picture. The submission of cash orders online will also be at great play (Kawaf, Tagg, 2017, p.230). Other avenues of rendering payments online will include, smart and encrypted credit cards so as to increase the sales as well as upgrading the sufficiency of the services offered by the company. Several other applications involved in this online business strategy have to do with online tailing and publishing which will work towards propelling the Broad Chicks Company to greater heights of prosperity and success in the long run.

Applications Needed for Online Sale of Products

            Extreme advancements revolving around online retailing as far as the company is concerned will be greatly at play (Lu, C.T, Xie, et al, 2016, p.3800). For instance, consumers will have the opportunity to place a reasonable and well elaborate bargains with regard to the product at hand. Avenues relating to the refund of consumers money in the occurrence of any malpractices have already been established with the purpose of improving the accountability and responsibility of the said firm. The only difference between the current forms of payment either in solid cash or even credit cards and online banking is simply the idea of the introduction of electricity as the conveying medium as far as online businesses are concerned. Payments are made electronically with the case of the online business strategy while as the manual rendering of money is made with the case of the current forms of buying and selling.

            The benefits and demerits of this newly to be established online sell of goods are numerous and quite expansive. This goes on to usher in the commonly known saying in the business world that management and measurement are inseparable as one cannot remain relevant without the other. The advantages presented by the embracing and implementation of this online strategy have to be clearly outlined In the attempt of laying grounds and firm foundations that will enhance the easier management of this selling technique of the chicken products. This will also serve the purpose of bringing to light whether the laid down set objectives of the strategy have seen the dawn of the day.

For instance, if the projected sales of the company within a stipulated period of time will be achieved, then viewing sales as benefits both to the clientele and the business at large success will have been achieved (Miller, Steier, Breton?Miller, 2016, p.250) The strategy’s maturity will also be put under close scrutiny so as to evaluate whether there are any accrued benefits and merits. Its ability and capability of registering tremendous sales for the company within a given period of time will have served the purpose of affirming and confirming that it is indeed working for the good of the organization. This, in the long run, will be viewed as a benefit to the Broad Chicks Company as well as the entire clientele both from within the local set up as well as expansive regions of the nation at large.

Benefits and Demerits of Online Sale of Goods

            Another avenue to be employed in the measuring of the benefits associated with the new online applications, as well as the general performance of the selling strategy, is with regard to the financial metrics. It is with no doubt that the money saved through online banking is a force to reckon with. The normal and usual charges closely connected to the current forms of payment will be reduced a great deal. Online forms of payment charges in the name of cash and credit cards is tremendously lower than the current means of payment which in general will work both for the good of the esteemed customers as well as the overall good of the organization at hand.

Online publishing in the idea of marketing the company as well as the products of chicken it sells will not mainly be appearing as has always been the case in the normal routines of clients visiting the shop outlets (Pulizzi, 2016, p.95). This normally requires elaborate initiated attention through the idea of marketing and advertising. When it comes to the thought of this other establishment in the name of online selling of the chicken products, minimal or no advertising will be at play. This will comprehensively reduce the general operating cost of the Broad Chicks Company that will get translated into increased and numerous profits further facilitating the performance and productivity as a whole.

Elaborate impacts on the organization as well as the advanced changes to the infrastructure

            The organization at hand in the name of Broad Chicks company will get exposed to an intriguing and somehow terrifying experience as it is normally said that change is not on very many occasions embraced. Some of the quite reserved members of the organization might take this online business strategy lightly as compared to the aggressive ones who with no possible doubt will be out and about sampling it on citing the strengths and presumably weaknesses in its performance (Rust, Kannan, 2016, p.100). Positive effects will be experienced without any question both from within the organization in the idea of the staff as well as the general overall performance of the entire organization.

This will manifest and unfold in a number of ways and avenues. One such possible way is through the increased sales of the chicken products. The high demand that the organization has not been having the capability of the meeting will be sorted out. This will roll out in the abilities of the new online selling of products reaching out to the many and numerous customers in the utmost parts of the world. This expansion of the size of the target market will greatly facilitate the pumping up of accrued revenue within a given period of time. The elaborate speciality that this new selling trend brings to light will work towards facilitating these sales. Effective and efficient narrowing of the market that serves the purpose of giving the clientele an undivided attention will grant the organization competitive advantages of serving the customers appropriately to their joy and satisfaction (Sowell, Binkert, Harizopoulos, 2014, p.100).

            Another added advantage to this new tact and strategy of selling the chicken products online revolves around an expanded geographical reach. The organization will penetrate into new and alien grounds both nationally as well as internationally resulting in increased sales of the assorted chicken products. This will greatly affect the Broad Chicks Company positively for the well-being of the members of the organization as well as the entire clientele in general. Tremendous profits will be amassed as a result for the good and well-being of the entire institution. This will also be accompanied by an expanded customer base sourced from all those expansive geographical areas within the nation as well as the global international market as a whole (Singh, Irani, Rana, 2017, p.350). This divine enablement will facilitate the sale of numerous chicken products resulting to the garnering of numerous revenue in the name of profits. With such a positive impact both on the organization as well the entire clientele, in general, will serve the purpose of mutual gains scaling the involved parties in tremendous heights of the land.

            Effective and efficient opportunities for managing the organization from anywhere in the world is also another accrued and associated benefit of the online selling business strategy. As has been always the case, managers must be within close proximity to their areas of jurisdiction so as to properly run the day to day affairs of their respective organizations. This, however, will not be the case with the Broad Chicks Company. The top cream management in the name of managers and other elaborate business executives can decide to oversee their responsibilities from afar without compromising the credibility and accountability of their respective areas of jurisdiction.

With such an ample time to meditate on how the organization is fairing will serve the purpose of enhancing and affecting the performance and productivity of the involved managers and executives. These elaborate timeouts on a regular basis that are facilitated by the online selling strategy are very much effective. The accumulation of roles and responsibilities on the managers can at times result to poor performances that generally affect the well-being of the involved business entity. This, however, will not be the case with the Broad Chicks as the involved managers and executives will have ample time to themselves diminishing any form accumulation that will eventually result to improved and effective performance as brought about by the online selling of products strategy (Siqueira, Webb, Bruton, 2016, p.180).

            However, there are some limitations and risks associated to the online business that if not keenly put to check have the power and ability to affect negatively the organization at hand as well as the involved clientele both from within the local set up and also the utmost parts of the world. One such derailing issue revolves around data security of the involved company as well the serviced clientele. On the hand of the customers, in order to access the company’s website and eventually going on to buying a chicken product in this particular scenario, a considerable amount of sensitive information has to be relayed so as for a sale to be effectively registered and sold.

This private information ranges from phone to credit card numbers in the attempt of establishing accountability so as for a sale to efficiently go through. This clear and elaborate information if mishandled and falls into the wrong hands some unpleasant outcomes might be forthcoming at the expense of the organization's credibility and accountability. This can result in the involved company receiving hefty fines which can be a great liability to it. On the part of the clientele, loss of faith with regard to the organization at hand can be forthcoming resulting in derailed business activities and prospects. This calls upon the institution to establish effective security measures in the names of secure sockets layer encryption in the attempt of combating the issue head-on (Thananuraksakul, 2018, p.45).

            The other trying issue boils down to the website availability. In as much as quite a substantial amount of money is used for its establishment and development with the idea of hiring top data security agents, a bad web hosting service remains the main challenge. There being no elaborate pertaining to the availability of the website all the time still remains to be a force to reckon with. This can be caused by extremely crashed servers as well as bad hosting services. With this issue being frequent to the extent of numerous customers finding the site unavailable on a regular basis, they will eventually stop going to it and this will spell trouble for the involved organization. The remedy to this if it ever occurs in the Broad Chicks Company will be an elaborate search for well-known and established hosting providers and stick by them whatsoever the circumstances. The other remedy to the situation can be elaborate and extreme consultation with the organizations that have an upper hand in this as far as experience and expertise are concerned. Such consultations will give the Broad Chicks Company an elaborate avenue to follow in sorting out this matter.

The development of a new online business application dealing with enterprises, distribution and consumer collaboration.

            This newest online application is well founded in the computer system as is the case with the other common applications. It garners support from numerous diverse and different databases in the attempt of boosting and enhancing its efficiency and effectiveness. The interfaces involved as mentioned earlier on revolve around the distribution and customer collaborations. More to this architectural model has to do with an elaborate scrutiny as to the strategic direction the company purposes to assume under the extensive oversights from the esteemed managers as well as the highly involved executives. The enterprise bit of this developed model serves the purpose of creating a common ground for both the distribution avenue as well as the consumer’s involvement bringing to light the need of their collaboration for an improved and assured performance.

 There is more to the enterprise level that mainly brings to light the elaborate processes that are involved in the entire business prospect. One such process according to this new creation will be serving the purpose of developing the products at hand in the attempt of providing effective grounds for their easier and efficient penetration into the intended and targeted market. Supply chains will also be placed under close scrutiny in this online business model. Potential possible sites of elaborate supplies will be identified by this model serving the purpose of the general well-being of the involved entity at hand. Branching off from the products and the element of their distribution the issue of customer relation will also be at this new development disposal. It will work towards establishing appropriate avenues that the customers will easily use in their accessing the involved organization.

Well-founded customer contracts will also be established, developed and maintained by this newest invention as far as online prospecting is concerned. Elaborate updates on these contracts will be regularly conducted as per the programmed inbuilt system for the efficiency and effectiveness of the numerous activities of the company at hand. Extensive marketing is also placed under the jurisdiction of the newest online model. With regard to the numerous products sold by the involved business entity comprehensive and thorough blowing of the trumpet in the name of marketing will be extremely conducted for the general good of the involved organization (Wiener, Hoßbach, Saunders, 2018, p.200).

Customer collaborations, on the other hand, will be mainly dealing with the extensive processes, customer support, information technology needed in conducting elaborate sales, rules, data as well as the general customer service. Elaborate measures have already instituted with regard to the genuine professional support and service offered to the esteemed clientele. This will bring about an appropriate enlightenment as far as the customers’ needs and demands are concerned. The involved company will on the other hand work towards the realization of these needs and demands to the effective satisfaction of the highly esteemed customers both from within the local perimeters as well as those from the global territories.

The above three services offered in this new online model will be facilitated through the internet mainly as well as via the telephone accompanied by one on one interactions and associations. This will greatly contribute to cost-effective business solutions for the general good of the involved business entity. These solutions are brought to light by that direct involvement of the consumers as well as the distributors with the purpose of creating well-established grounds and avenues of scaling the involved organization to the already scaled heights as presented and stipulated in the set objectives.

Distribution collaborations have also been dealt with comprehensively in the newly established online application model. The underlying principles steering the moving forward of this expansive collaboration have to do with the establishment of the mainly used business processes. This will serve the purpose of creating elaborate guidelines for their effective and efficient performances for the general and overall good of the business entity at hand. Data availability is also comprehensively dealt with under these collaborations. This will mainly boil down to data retrieval as well as the maintenance of its security for the well-being of the esteemed clients as well as the general good of the involved company (Wijayanti, 2017, p.150). 

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Ab Aziz, N.H., Mohamed, I.S. and Zakaria, N.B., 2015. Security, Risk and Trust Issues among Muslim Users for Online Businesses. Procedia Economics and Finance, 31, pp.587-594.

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Cho, Y.C. and Sagynov, E., 2015. Exploring factors that affect usefulness, ease of use, trust, and purchase intention in the online environment. International Journal of Management & Information Systems (Online), 19(1), p.21.

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Wijayanti, S.H., 2017. The Canvas Model as a Strategy for Improving Financial Profits: A Casey Study of Online Businesses in Indonesia (No. jber148). Global Academy of Training and Research (GATR) Enterprise.