MARKETNG
462: Electronic Commerce
Syllabus
| Links
| Calendar
This
section contains the outline of the class, broken down by
individual class sections. Click on a link on the table of
contents below to see the contents of a particular session.
Class
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Class
Date
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Thursday,
January 17
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Thursday,
January 24
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Monday,
January 28
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Thursday,
January 31
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Monday,
February 4
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Thursday,
February 7
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Monday,
February 11
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Thursday,
February 14
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Monday,
February 18
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Thursday,
February 21
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Monday,
February 25
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Thursday,
February 28
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Class
1
Introduction
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In class we will discuss the flow of the course to enable
you to start early planning for your group presentation
and essays. Chapter 1 in our text provides a good overview
of its focus-to understand the role of e-commerce to
current businesses. The case note "Online retailers,"
offers one of the best available accounts of the reason
for the e-commerce bubble in the e-retailing sector.
Respond to at least one of the following questions on
the discussion board for the first class.
- In
what general ways has and will the Internet change
society?
- A
major theme of Weill and Vitale text is that the Internet
will alter the ways all companies do business. Elaborate
on an aspect of those changes.
- A
major hypothesis of Eisenman and Brown in "Online
Retailers" is that the Get Big Fast strategy
was accounted for the speculative bubble in e-retailing.
Do you agree or disagree?
- Very
smart people were mistaken by Internet hype. What
can we learn from that and how can we avoid making
the same kind of mistakes in the future?
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Readings: |
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Chapter
1, Place to Space |
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"Online
Retailers" |
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Back
to Top
Class
2
The Cost of Transition
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Case: |
InPart
- To
be successful InPart requires the integration of three
groups: parts manufacturers, CAD vendors and designers.
Detail the costs and benefits for any one of these
groups and implications to InPart's system with respect
to (1) segmentation, (2) pricing and (3) selling strategy.
There will be a separate discussion thread for each
of three groups.
- Build
an e-business model schematic such as those in Chapter
2 of Place to Space. What insights can you gain from
the schematic? PowerPoint is quite good for building
such schematics. In your schematic, note who owns
the transaction, the data, and the relationship in
the system. If you build a schematic with PowerPoint,
send it directly to me via the submission system.
- Do
a search for what happened to InPart, putting your
results in the Case Update discussion board.
- Discuss
the framework for Place to Space developed in chapters
1-3. Why is their framework useful? How is it different
from what you have seen before? This is a discussion
board topic. We will leave this discussion board open
for future comments or elaborations on Place to Space.
|
Readings: |
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Chapter
2, Place to Space |
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Back
to Top
Class
3
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Due: |
Your
first essay topic is due today. You also need to turn
in your group identity and project topic. |
Case: |
Charles
Schwab Corp (A)
This
case chronicles Schwab's strategy as it moved from a
storefront to a web-based company. Please come to class
with the price Pottruck should charge to regular and
electronic companies, and how, if at all, services should
be allocated. We will begin class by putting your prices
for electronic trades on the board. In addition to preparing
for the class electronically submit one of the following:
- Following,
chapters 2 and 3 in Place to Space, build a business
schematic for e-Schwab. Note who owns the relationship,
the data and the transaction in each case. Submit
your schematic directly to me via the submission system.
(Note, this is a good assignment for a team). What
do you conclude from the schematic?
- The
discussion board for this session has three threads:
customer needs, competitive threats, and company requirement.
Post a comment in one of these areas.
- What
has happened to Schwab following the market and dotcom
meltdown? Follow up on Schwab and electronic trading
generally and place it on the Case Update thread.
|
Readings: |
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Chapters
3-4, Place to Space |
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Back
to Top
Class
4
Revolutionary E-businesses
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Case: |
Priceline.com:
Name Your Own Price
This
case covers airline tickets, hotel rooms, home financing
and new cars. We will constrain our discussion to the
first two. Priceline acts as an intermediary between
consumers and suppliers of these services. The discussion
board will have sections for both air travel or hotel
rooms discuss the benefits and costs of Priceline's
innovative system to the supplier and the consumer.
- What
are the costs and benefits of Priceline's innovative
system to the supplier and the consumer?
- Discuss
Priceline's revenue model. What are its growth prospects?
- What
happened to Priceline? How do you evaluate its prospects
today?
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Readings: |
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Chapter
7, Place to Space |
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Back
to Top
Class
5
Evaluating Web Sites
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- Evaluate
the current website for Schwab or Priceline or their
competitors using some of the criteria for direct
to consumer on page 108 of your text.
- Participate
in an auction or Priceline bidding process and report
your experience on the Auction Experience discussion
thread.
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Back
to Top
Class
6
Bringing Buyers and Sellers Together
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Overview: |
Today
we will consider how the pattern of social relationships
in a firm affects the flow of information and the accumulation
of power. The article by Burt argues that certain locations
within network patterns bring benefits to the person who
occupies that position. In our case, we will see how a
middle level manager leveraged a backwater network position
into a base of power. |
Case: |
ChemUnity.com
This
case is also available as an electronic case. Information
on how to reach it is on the discussion board for this
session. Please test the electronic version. We need
to know if this will work in the future. We expect to
have a representative from ChemUnity in electronic contact
during the class.
- What
is ChemUnity's value proposition for suppliers and
buyers?
- What
is your view of ChemUnity's revenue generation model?
- What
should ChemUnity do about their future challenges?
In
addition, examine the website of at least one of their
competitors (e.g. Chemconnect.com, Fobchemicals.com,
CheMatch.com). Describe the ecological niche in which
this competitor competes. To what extent does it pose
a threat to ChemUnity?
|
Readings: |
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Chapter
10, Place to Space |
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Back
to Top
Class
7
Community Sites
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Assignment: |
First
essays must be in before this session.
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Case: |
Alloy.com
- Report
on a competitive (Gap.com, Guess.com, Daisymaze.com,
jcrew.com) or possibly allied site (Yahoo.com, aol.com).
What unique features does the site have that can either
complement or threaten Alloy.com?
- Criticize
the current Alloy.com website (remember it is not
aimed at you!). What are its strengths? How could
it be improved? Use the criteria found on pages 219-220
in Place to Space.
- Give
arguments for and against the AOL deal.
- Evaluate
Alloy's business model. What is the appropriate role
of their website in that model?
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Readings: |
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Chapter
9, Place to Space |
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Back
to Top
Class
8
Content Providers
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Case: |
Bizrate.com
There
are two reasons we are studying the BizRate case. First,
it is very useful when you want to evaluate shopping
sites. For example, use it to evaluate how others view
the Alloy, Priceline or the Schwab website. Second,
as business case it reflects the changes that a dotcom
must suffer in response to market and fiscal pressures.
- What
are the costs and benefits of BizRate to participating
companies it evaluates?
- What
are the benefits to consumers of the BizRate's system,
how could it be improved from the consumer's perspective?
- Consider
the options given on page 10 of the case. Give arguments
as to which you would do. How would you lead BizRate
through this fork in the road?
- Contrast
BizRate's website at the time of the case and now.
How has it changed? What do you infer about BizRate's
strategy from that change? Do you agree with the changes?
|
Readings: |
 |
Chapter
8, Place to Space |
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Back
to Top
Class
9
Essay Evaluations
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You
will be assigned 5 essays for which you will provide feedback
to the authors. Send the authors a e-mail indicating what
you like about the essay, how it could be improved and
any extensions elaborations on what they found. Examples
of feedback for essays are provided in Example Essay folder.
During
class we will have presentation of selected essays or
group projects.
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Back
to Top
Class
10
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Due: |
Group
projects due today. |
Live
Case: |
SciQuest.com
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Back
to Top
Class 11
Web Intermediaries
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Case: |
Autobytel.com
- What
are the costs and benefits to consumers of Autobytel's
system?
- What
is its value proposition for dealers?
- Evaluate
Autobytel's revenue generation model. How much can
they grow?
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Back
to Top
Class 12
Wrap Up and Group Presentations
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Due: |
Second
individual essays due today |
Back
to Top
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Any attempt to reproduce the contents contained within, in part
or in whole, is punishable as a United States federal offense, and
is subject to investigation by confirmed authorities. For technical
problems or questions regarding this web site, contact Andy Whitfield
at [awhit@mail.duke.edu].

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