course material

1. (Mt) – ECOM 201 Saudi Electronic University Daway Medical Company
Essay
Content Introduction Learning Outcomes: 1. Understand why it is important to study e-
commerce. 2. Describe the major types of e-commerce. 3. Identify and describe the unique
features of e-commerce technology and discuss their business significance. 4. Explain the
process that should be followed in building an e-commerce presence. 5. Explain the current
structure of the Internet. Readings • • Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Recommended E-Commerce
Trends 2022: What The Future Holds
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/03/14/e-commerce-trends-2022-
what-thefuture-holds/?sh=65d0b1b458da Video Case Study Facebook’s Data Centers
Businesses today run on the Internet, and the Internet runs on data centers. Today, data
centers might be more accurately called business centers. Data centers drive nearly every
aspect of many businesses, especially ones with a significant online presence like Facebook.
But data centers are significant users of expensive electricity to cool their servers, and they
make a significant contribution to pollution and global warming. Cloud data center
operators are using a variety of new techniques to become more efficient in their use of
electricity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r97qdyQtIk Think & Discuss After
watching the video think about these questions and write your thoughts about them on the
discussion board: 1. 2. 3. Why does Facebook’s data center specialist argue that “The
Internet is not a cloud?” What are some of the techniques Facebook uses to cool its data
centers? Facebook had over 2.3 billion users as of December 31, 2018. If Facebook
continues to employ engineers at the same rate as stated in the video, how many engineers
does Facebook have? Test your knowledge Q1: E-commerce is centred on three major
trends, which are ….. A: Business, Technology, and Society B: Business, Technology, and
Security C: Business, Telecommunications, and Society D: Brands, Technology, and Society
Q2: The worldwide network that communicates data by packet switching over the ______
Internet Protocol is referred as Internet. A: Private B: Separate D: Joined C: Public Q3: One
of the following is a unique feature of E-commerce technology ….. A: Information
asymmetry B: Information poorness C: Information density D: Information scattering
References Laudon, K., & Traver, C. (2018). E-commerce: Business, technology, society.
2018. (14th). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN: 978-1-292-25170-7
Content Introduction Learning Outcomes: 1. Understand the questions you must ask and
answer, and the steps you should take, in developing an e-commerce presence. 2. Identify

2. and understand the major considerations involved in choosing web server and e-commerce
merchant server software. 3. Understand the issues involved in choosing the most
appropriate hardware for an ecommerce site. 4. Identify additional tools that can improve
website performance. Readings • Chapter 3: Building an E-commerce Presence
Recommended 3 Proven Tips To Boost Your E-Commerce Growth
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jiawertz/2019/03/08/3-proven-tips-to-boost-your-
ecommerce-growth/?sh=779351872cb1 Video Case Study E-commerce Platforms:
Salesforce Commerce Cloud Watch the video: •
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rGesr2TviI Think & Discuss In 2016, Salesforce.com,
a cloud-based software company originally focused on customer relationship management,
acquired Demandware, an e-commerce platform provider, for $2.8 billion and rebranded it
as Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Salesforce Commerce Cloud is a highly scalable, hosted SaaS
(software as a service) omni-channel e-commerce platform. Some of Salesforce Commerce
Cloud’s strengths include its scalability, omni-channel capabilities (enabling merchants to
unify e-commerce, order management and offline store operations), advanced
merchandising functionality, including the ability to manage multiple product catalogs and
complex product data, 1:1 level personalization functionality via its Einstein personalization
engine, built in A/B testing capabilities, localization capabilities (including multi-language,
multi-currency, and multi-store capabilities), and machine learning abilities. As a SaaS
solution, technology issues such as server maintenance, software updates, and other
associated services are handled by Salesforce, rather than the merchant itself. Companies
using Salesforce Commerce Cloud, in addition to PetSmart and Rituals, include Adidas, the
GAP, Brooks Brothers, GoPro, Converse, Godiva, New Balance, L’Oreal, among others.
Competitors include Magento Commerce (owned by Adobe), SAP Hybris, Oracle Commerce,
Sitecore, Intershop, and Elastic Path, among others. Video Case Questions: Why did
PetSmart switch to Salesforce Commerce Cloud? PetSmart implemented Salesforce
Commerce Cloud just prior to “Black Friday.” Why was this of concern to PetSmart? 3. What
are the challenges that Rituals faces in translating its brand to the online channel? 4. How
does Salesforce help Rituals meet these challenges? 1. 2. Test your knowledge Q1: In the
systems ______________ of the SDLC, you try to answer the question, “What do we want this e-
commerce site to do for our business?” A. Design step B. Analysis/planning step C. Testing
step D. Implementation step Q2: A good e-commerce website design should avoid: A:
Annoying graphics or sounds that you cannot turn off B: Pages that work, load quickly, and
point the customer toward your product offerings D: One or two clicks to purchase C: Multi-
browser functionality Q3: ________________ verify that links on pages are still valid and identify
orphan files, or files on the site that are not linked to any pages. A: Dynamic Page Generation
Tools B: Web Content Management Tools C: Merchant Server Tools D: Site Management
Tools References Laudon, K., & Traver, C. (2018). E-commerce: Business, technology,
society. 2018. (14th). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN: 978-1-292-
25170-7 Week 4 :Interactive learning COLLAPSE 1. What are the three classes of
cyberattacks and their efects, according to Zertag? 2. What metaphor does Zertag use to
describe the idea that online, there are “no safe’neighbourhoods?” What does she mean? 3.
What does Zertag mean when she says that the Internet has a “huge attack surface”? 4. What

3. are the five differences between cyberwarfare and traditional warfare, accordingto Zertag?
Week 5 Content Introduction Learning Outcomes: 1. Identify and describe the unique
features of e-commerce technology and discuss their business significance. 2. Describe the
major types of e-commerce. 3. Describe the major B2C and B2B business models. 4. Explain
the key business concepts and strategies applicable to e-commerce. Readings • Chapter 5: E-
Commerce Business Strategies Recommended 10 eCommerce Strategies to Reach More
Customers https://devrix.com/10-easy-ecommerce-strategies-help-reach-customers/
Video Case Study From Startup to Success
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afWLOm0p264 Think & Discuss Direct-to-consumer
retail companies have become all the rage, with companies like Warby Parker (eyeglasses),
Harry’s (razors), Glossier (makeup), and Casper (mattresses) all disrupting established
industries. These companies have used e-commerce to bypass traditional retail sales
channels, allowing consumers to purchase high-quality goods for extremely low prices.
Luggage manufacturer Away is poised to become the next prominent example of direct-
toconsumer e-commerce. Away manufacturers carry-on luggage in China and sells it online.
Away’s founders, Jen Rubio and Stephanie Korey, both previously worked at Warby Parker;
Korey also spent time at Casper. The two sought to use their experience at these companies
to create a luggage brand in the same vein that would excite consumers and inspire loyalty.
Both felt that the existing luggage marketplace, expected to be as large as $34 billion by
2020, was not doing enough to serve their customers, creating an opportunity for Away.
Away’s flagship carry-on costs $225, far less than the $525 price tag of a similar model from
Tumi, a high-end brand owned by industry leader Samsonite. The carry-on features a hard
polycarbonate shell with 360-degree spinning wheels, high-quality YKK zippers, a
compression pad to help squeeze in extra items, and even a removable lithium-ion battery
for charging phones. The low price point for such a high-quality item is only achievable
because of the company’s direct-to consumer model, allowing Away to avoid splitting
revenues with department stores and other middlemen. Away is on track to earn $150
million in revenue in 2018, and the company is already profitable, often a rarity among
start-up companies. Away has raised $81 million in venture capital to date and its latest
funding was secured at a valuation of $700 million, bringing Away very close to the coveted
$1 billion “unicorn” milestone. The company has 200 employees and expects to add over
200 more jobs in the next five years. Away has also opened several brick-and-mortar stores
in major metropolitan markets, such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Austin,
with plans to open more overseas in London, Berlin, Paris, Milan, and Copenhagen. To date,
the company has sold over 500,000 suitcases. Away’s revenue and sales statistics are
impressive for a relatively new company, and investors have taken note. Away has found
that establishing physical stores in high-traffic locations improves online sales in those
markets, just as it has for Warby Parker and other similar directto-consumer brands. Away
is also very active on social media channels, including Instagram, where the company has
hundreds of influencers that market the product. Away has also launched several innovative
marketing campaigns, including a pop-up hotel in Paris, a travel magazine, and a podcast, all
of which furthers the company’s goal of creating exciting travel experiences for its
customers. Video Case Questions: 1. What event inspired the founders of Away to create

4. their company? 2. How did Away’s founders determine whether or not there was a market
for the company they hoped to build? 3. What is the objective of Away’s customer
experience team? 4. Does Away see itself as purely a luggage company? 5. How does CEO
Korey’s attitude towards expertise differ from that of other CEOs, in her own words? Test
your knowledge Q1: What types of business models does eBay use? A. B2B only B. B2C only
C. B2B and B2C D. None of the above Q2: Facebook is an example of: A: Community provider
B: Market creator D: Service provider C: Content provider Q3: What distinguishes an e-
commerce business plan from a traditional business plan? (Essay question) Answer the
essay question in the discussion board, your answer needs not to exceed 100 words.
References Laudon, K., & Traver, C. (2018). E-commerce: Business, technology, society.
2018. (14th). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN: 978-1-292-25170-7
Week 6 COLLAPSE 1. What is the “ethical ad blocker” described in the video? 2. Why are
algorithmic advertising technologies increasingly important to advertisers? 3. Where do
you stand on the use of ad blockers?