Report on Business and Environmental Analysis for an E-Business Initiative

Section 1: Business and Environmental Analysis

Your report should include the following sections:

1. Business and environmental analysis using the appropriate tools presented during the module and a brief analysis of the value of the ebusiness initiative to the organisation under study

2. Identification of the areas of improvement and suggestion of the ebusiness concepts and tools that are needed

3. Assessment of the organisational transformation focusing on people, processes and organisational aspects

The exercise will be assessed according to the following criteria and students must present the strategic models, tools and techniques learned in the course: Section 1: A good answer presents the following:

• The selection, justification and use of the tools to describe the environment in which the organisation operates (explain why you used each strategic analysis tool and what you get out of the use of the above mentioned tools)

• Clear description and analysis of the organisational environment

• Value proposition describing the added value and the competitive advantage it provides

Section 2: A good answer presents the following:

• Clear description of the e-business tools that are needed for the new IT enabled service described earlier in the value proposition and the way that these tools could improve the current situation in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, innovation and justification of the proposals

• Justification and feasibility of the proposals according to the environmental analysis carried out in section 1 (explain how the ebusiness tools will help the organisation at its strategic direction)

Section 3: A good answer presents the following:

• Discussion of the organisational transformation and change management issues

• A change management plan Presentation: A good answer presents the following:

• Report organisation in sections/ subsections

• Flow between sections

• Conclusions, critique and discussion

• Document format and typography (including spelling)

• Appropriate style for an academic report (proper referencing)

The exercise for this part B of the main course is to write a report that consists of the creation of a budgeted improvement strategy document for the existing online business within an organisation of your choice. You must choose the website you are going to investigate and you may plan this assignment during the module and refine your ideas during the taught sessions.

You must justify academically all the design choices you make utilising as many state-of-theart e-business concepts you have learned in the course. Your justification should reference academic journals, conference papers, appropriate books and Internet site. Higher marks will be achieved for relevance, depth, detail,

Section 2: Areas of Improvement and E-Business Tools

accuracy, completeness, academic vigor, writing style. The following headings are indicative of what should be included and provide

a guideline of what should be included:

a. An academic critical discussion on the Ebusiness trends for your business domain.

b. Management summary. Outline of your specific proposed idea. Set out the major components of your idea. Critical view of the feasibility. Who is it for? Why is it needed? Include an outline budget estimate.

c. Review against competitors / similar ideas

d. Top-level technology plan including choices for technology components

e. Website improvement strategy to increase the influence for customers to buy. Including the buying cycle in terms of Traffic, Acquisition, Conversion and Retention and put it into context of Marketing, Social, Engagement and Channeling.

f. Story board for user experience What will the system feel like for the customer or user? Sketch out the major components of the system so that the flow/dialogue can be understood.

a. An academically based critical discussion on the Ebusiness trends for your business domain. (5%)

A good answer will:

• present an academic research discussion on the trends in your business domain

• academic rigor including a good set of research papers cited and referenced accurately using the Harvard Style

b. Management summary. Outline of your specific proposed idea. Critical view of the feasibility. Set out the major components of your idea. Who is it for? Why is it needed? Include an outline budget estimate. (5%)

A good answer will:

• present the idea clearly and succinctly,

• show how the ideas fit the business and demonstrate demand

• outline budget table

c. Review against competitors / similar ideas (10%)

A good answer will:

• provide evidence of book and online research

• describe similar projects (successes and failures)

• present the lessons that need to be taken into the project

• Analytics results of competitor ecommerce sites

d. Top-level technology plan including choices for technology and security components A good answer will:

• illustrate the technologies and security (hardware and software) that will be used

• make appropriate use of diagrams

• show how these will integrate with existing systems

• show how 3rd party services will be involved e. Website improvement strategy to increase sales by applying various ecommerce 2.0 ideas to influence the customers to buy (20%) A good answer will include improving Traffic/Acquisition/Conversion and Retention and also address these in terms of:

• Marketing 2.0

• Social 2.0

• Engage 2.0

• Channel 2.0

f. Story board for user experience (5%) A good answer will:

• provide a persona analysis and discussion

• will illustrate and explain the customer journey in terms of theses personas

• discuss the design decisions taken for different personas