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FIT2052 Electronic business - Semester 1 , 2008

Unit leader :

Linda Dawson

Lecturer(s) :

Caulfield

  • Linda Dawson

Malaysia

  • Eugene Siew

Tutors(s) :

Caulfield

  • David Grant
  • Ambica Dattakumar

Malaysia

  • TBA

Introduction

Welcome to FIT 2052 Electronic Business. This unit emphasises the concepts involved in using the internet and related technologies to conduct core e-business activities.

Unit synopsis

This unit introduces students to the ways organisations and businesses use the Internet and related technologies to securely conduct business activities. Students will acquire an understanding of the way e-business is carried out across all kinds of organisations for transactions and other business purposes. Students will analyse and design an e-business solution as part of a preliminary business case in order to gain an understanding of how e-business concepts can be applied to specific organisational and business environments.

Learning outcomes

At the completion of this unit students will demonstrate an understanding of:

  •  the concept of e-business, that is, how organizations and businesses organise their activities using the Internet and associated technologies to communicate, carry out and record transactions both internally and externally
  •  the nature of e-business activities across business, government, community and not-for-profit sectors
  •  core e-business activities and processes e.g. change management, EDI, electronic record keeping, negotiation
  •  the legal, privacy and security issues and implications of using the internet to conduct e-business.
  •  the implications for businesses and organisations of trends in e-business.
  •  the need for the integration of web interfaces with back office systems and other business processes
  •  the complexity of legal, privacy and security issues and their implications for conducting e-business
  •  the impetus of the internet and related technologies in driving internal integration and external business relationships and service provision (including mobile systems and web services)
  • analysing the potential for an e-business approach in a specific business or organisational environment and to prepare a simple e-business case
  • working in a small team to analyse the potential for an e-business approach in a specific business or organisational environment and to contribute to the preparation of a simple e-business case

Workload

Workload commitments are:

  • two-hour lecture and
  • one-hour studio (requiring advance preparation)
  • a minimum of 2-3 hours of personal study per one hour of contact time in order to satisfy the reading and assignment expectations.

You will need to allocate up to 5 hours per week in some weeks, for use of a computer.

Unit relationships

Prerequisites

Before attempting this unit you must have satisfactorily completed FIT1003 or IMS1704 or equivalent.

Relationships

FIT2052 is a core unit in the IS major of the BITS.

Before attempting this unit you must have satisfactorily completed FIT1003 or IMS1704 or equivalent.

You may not study this unit and IMS2704, ELC1000, IMS3280, BEW1601, CPE3008, GCO2803, FIT1009 (Translation for IMS2704) or units deemed to be equivalent in your degree.

Continuous improvement

Monash is committed to ‘Excellence in education' and strives for the highest possible quality in teaching and learning. To monitor how successful we are in providing quality teaching and learning Monash regularly seeks feedback from students, employers and staff. Two of the formal ways that you are invited to provide feedback are through Unit Evaluations and through Monquest Teaching Evaluations.

One of the key formal ways students have to provide feedback is through Unit Evaluation Surveys. It is Monash policy for every unit offered to be evaluated each year. Students are strongly encouraged to complete the surveys as they are an important avenue for students to "have their say". The feedback is anonymous and provides the Faculty with evidence of aspects that students are satisfied and areas for improvement.

Student Evaluations

The Faculty of IT administers the Unit Evaluation surveys online through the my.monash portal, although for some smaller classes there may be alternative evaluations conducted in class.

If you wish to view how previous students rated this unit, please go to http://www.monash.edu.au/unit-evaluation-reports/

Over the past few years the Faculty of Information Technology has made a number of improvements to its courses as a result of unit evaluation feedback. Some of these include systematic analysis and planning of unit improvements, and consistent assignment return guidelines.

Monquest Teaching Evaluation surveys may be used by some of your academic staff this semester. They are administered by the Centre for Higher Education Quality (CHEQ) and may be completed in class with a facilitator or on-line through the my.monash portal. The data provided to lecturers is completely anonymous. Monquest surveys provide academic staff with evidence of the effectiveness of their teaching and identify areas for improvement. Individual Monquest reports are confidential, however, you can see the summary results of Monquest evaluations for 2006 at http://www.adm.monash.edu.au/cheq/evaluations/monquest/profiles/index.html

Unit staff - contact details

Unit leader

Dr Linda Dawson
Senior Lecturer
Phone +61 3 990 32415
Fax +61 3 9903 1077

Lecturer(s) :

Dr Linda Dawson
Senior Lecturer
Phone +61 3 990 32415
Fax +61 3 9903 1077

Contact hours : Consultation by appointment (email or phone)

Eugene Siew

Tutor(s) :

Miss Ambica Dattakumar
Mr David Grant
Sessional Academic Staff Member
Phone +61 3 990 34326

Teaching and learning method

  • Lectures
  • Studios - individual and group participation
  • Assignments - individual and group

Timetable information

For information on timetabling for on-campus classes at all Australian campuses please refer to MUTTS, http://mutts.monash.edu.au/MUTTS/

Malaysian timetable available from Dr Eugene Siew

Tutorial allocation

On-campus students should register for tutorials/laboratories using Allocate+.

Communication, participation and feedback

Monash aims to provide a learning environment in which students receive a range of ongoing feedback throughout their studies. You will receive feedback on your work and progress in this unit. This may take the form of group feedback, individual feedback, peer feedback, self-comparison, verbal and written feedback, discussions (on line and in class) as well as more formal feedback related to assignment marks and grades. You are encouraged to draw on a variety of feedback to enhance your learning.

It is essential that you take action immediately if you realise that you have a problem that is affecting your study. Semesters are short, so we can help you best if you let us know as soon as problems arise. Regardless of whether the problem is related directly to your progress in the unit, if it is likely to interfere with your progress you should discuss it with your lecturer or a Community Service counsellor as soon as possible.

Unit Schedule

Week Topic Key dates
1 Introduction to e-Business Feb 27
2 Technology Infrastructure: The Internet and the World Wide Web Mar 5
3 Business Models for e-Business Mar 12
4 Electronic Marketing and Internet Customer Management Mar 19
Mid semester break
5 Web Site Development Issues for e-Business Apr 2
6 Business-to-Business and Electronic Supply Chain Management Apr 9
7 Electronic Payment Systems Apr 16
8 E-Business Security Apr 23
9 Guest Lecture Apr 30
10 Mobile Business May 7
11 Legal and Ethical Issues May 14
12 Trends in e-business May 21
13 Review May 28

Unit Resources

Prescribed text(s) and readings

See recommended reading.


Text books are available from the Monash University Book Shops. Availability from other suppliers cannot be assured. The Bookshop orders texts in specifically for this unit. You are advised to purchase your text book early.

Recommended text(s) and readings

Schneider, G (2007). Electronic Commerce. (7th ed.), Thomson Learning, ISBN 1-4188-3703-2.

Turban, E., King, D., McKay, J., Marshall, P., Lee, J.K., and Viehland, D. (2007). Electronic Commerce: A Managerial Perspective (5th ed.). Prentice Hall, New Jersey, ISBN 9780135135440.

Required software and/or hardware

To access weekly lecture/class materials, you will need an Adobe Acrobat reader, and Microsoft Office software (PowerPoint, Word, and Excel).

Equipment and consumables required or provided

Students will need access to:

  • a personal computer with Windows XP
  • the internet via dial-up connection or preferably by broadband
  • a printer for assignments

On-campus students may use the facilities available in the computing labs. Information about computer use for students is available from the ITS Student Resource Guide in the Monash University Handbook.

Study resources

Study resources we will provide for your study are:

  • The unit web site available through Blackboard
  • Lecture notes/PowerPoint slides, tutorial sheets, assignment specifications and other relevant materials and links available on the web site each week.
  • A sample exam available on the web site in week 11. 

Library access

The Monash University Library site contains details about borrowing rights and catalogue searching. To learn more about the library and the various resources available, please go to http://www.lib.monash.edu.au.  Be sure to obtain a copy of the Library Guide, and if necessary, the instructions for remote access from the library website.

Monash University Studies Online (MUSO)

All unit and lecture materials are available through MUSO (Monash University Studies Online). Blackboard is the primary application used to deliver your unit resources. Some units will be piloted in Moodle.

You can access MUSO and Blackboard via the portal (http://my.monash.edu.au).

Click on the Study and enrolment tab, then Blackboard under the MUSO learning systems.

In order for your Blackboard unit(s) to function correctly, your computer needs to be correctly configured.

For example :

  • Blackboard supported browser
  • Supported Java runtime environment

For more information, please visit

http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/students/downloadables-student.html

You can contact the MUSO Support by: Phone: (+61 3) 9903 1268

For further contact information including operational hours, please visit

http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/students/contact.html

Further information can be obtained from the MUSO support site:

http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/index.html

If your unit is piloted in Moodle, you will see a link from your Blackboard unit to Moodle at http://moodle.med.monash.edu.au.
From the Faculty of Information Technology category, click on the link for your unit.

Assessment

Unit assessment policy

To pass this unit, a student must obtain :

  • at least 40% of the marks available for every deliverable component of assessment including the presentation
  • at least 40% in the unit's examination
  • at least 50% of the total marks for the unit


In order to obtain a credit or better for this unit, a student must also gain the following:

  • at least 50% of the marks available for the exam
If a student does not achieve 40% or more in the unit examination or the unit non-examination assessment then a mark of no greater than 44-N will be recorded for the unit.

Assignment tasks

  • Assignment Task

    Title : Assignment 1 (Individual)

    Description :

    Assignment specification will be handed out in lectures and also be available on the web site

    Weighting : 15%

    Criteria for assessment :

    TBA

    Due date : Tutorial, week 6

  • Assignment Task

    Title : Assignment 2 (Group)

    Description :

    Assignment specification will be handed out at lectures and also be available on the web site

    Weighting : 30%

    Criteria for assessment :

    TBA

    Due date : Tutorial, Week 12

  • Assignment Task

    Title : Tutorial Participation

    Description :

    Students will be assessed on their contribution to tutorial discussions.

    Weighting : 5%

    Criteria for assessment :

    contribution to tutorial discussions

    Due date :

Examinations

  • Examination

    Weighting : 50%

    Length : 3 hours

    Type ( open/closed book ) : Closed book

Assignment submission

Assignments will be submitted by paper submission in tutorials with the appropriate cover sheet correctly filled out and attached.

Assignment coversheets

All assignments should include an appropriate signed FIT assignment cover page. Assignments submitted without an appropriate signed FIT assignment cover page will NOT be assessed. See the FIT web site for downloadable (PDF) copies of FIT assignment cover pages.    

(URL: http://infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/assignments/

Unless otherwise instructed, all assignments are to be submitted to your tutor during a specified tutorial. Assignments will also be returned during specified tutorials or at specifed times.

University and Faculty policy on assessment

Due dates and extensions

The due dates for the submission of assignments are given in the previous section. Please make every effort to submit work by the due dates. It is your responsibility to structure your study program around assignment deadlines, family, work and other commitments. Factors such as normal work pressures, vacations, etc. are seldom regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. Students are advised to NOT assume that granting of an extension is a matter of course.

If you believe that your assignment will be delayed because of circumstances beyond your control such as illness, you should apply for an extension prior to the due date. All applications for extensions must be made in writing to your lecturer. Medical certificates or other supporting documentation will be required. 

Late assignment


Late assignments submitted without an approved extension may be accepted (up to one week late) at the discretion of the lecturer, but will be penalised at the rate of 10% of total assignment marks per day (including weekends). Assignments received later than one week after the due date will not normally be accepted.

Return dates

Students can expect assignments to be returned within two weeks of the submission date or after receipt, whichever is later.

Assessment for the unit as a whole is in accordance with the provisions of the Monash University Education Policy at http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/assessment/

Plagiarism, cheating and collusion

Plagiarism and cheating are regarded as very serious offences. In cases where cheating  has been confirmed, students have been severely penalised, from losing all marks for an assignment, to facing disciplinary action at the Faculty level. While we would wish that all our students adhere to sound ethical conduct and honesty, I will ask you to acquaint yourself with Student Rights and Responsibilities (http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/about/committees-groups/facboard/policies/studrights.html) and the Faculty regulations that apply to students detected cheating as these will be applied in all detected cases.

In this University, cheating means seeking to obtain an unfair advantage in any examination or any other written or practical work to be submitted or completed by a student for assessment. It includes the use, or attempted use, of any means to gain an unfair advantage for any assessable work in the unit, where the means is contrary to the instructions for such work. 

When you submit an individual assessment item, such as a program, a report, an essay, assignment or other piece of work, under your name you are understood to be stating that this is your own work. If a submission is identical with, or similar to, someone else's work, an assumption of cheating may arise. If you are planning on working with another student, it is acceptable to undertake research together, and discuss problems, but it is not acceptable to jointly develop or share solutions unless this is specified by your lecturer. 

Intentionally providing students with your solutions to assignments is classified as "assisting to cheat" and students who do this may be subject to disciplinary action. You should take reasonable care that your solution is not accidentally or deliberately obtained by other students. For example, do not leave copies of your work in progress on the hard drives of shared computers, and do not show your work to other students. If you believe this may have happened, please be sure to contact your lecturer as soon as possible.

Cheating also includes taking into an examination any material contrary to the regulations, including any bilingual dictionary, whether or not with the intention of using it to obtain an advantage.

Plagiarism involves the false representation of another person's ideas, or findings, as your own by either copying material or paraphrasing without citing sources. It is both professional and ethical to reference clearly the ideas and information that you have used from another writer. If the source is not identified, then you have plagiarised work of the other author. Plagiarism is a form of dishonesty that is insulting to the reader and grossly unfair to your student colleagues.

Register of counselling about plagiarism

The university requires faculties to keep a simple and confidential register to record counselling to students about plagiarism (e.g. warnings). The register is accessible to Associate Deans Teaching (or nominees) and, where requested, students concerned have access to their own details in the register. The register is to serve as a record of counselling about the nature of plagiarism, not as a record of allegations; and no provision of appeals in relation to the register is necessary or applicable.

Non-discriminatory language

The Faculty of Information Technology is committed to the use of non-discriminatory language in all forms of communication. Discriminatory language is that which refers in abusive terms to gender, race, age, sexual orientation, citizenship or nationality, ethnic or language background, physical or mental ability, or political or religious views, or which stereotypes groups in an adverse manner. This is not meant to preclude or inhibit legitimate academic debate on any issue; however, the language used in such debate should be non-discriminatory and sensitive to these matters. It is important to avoid the use of discriminatory language in your communications and written work. The most common form of discriminatory language in academic work tends to be in the area of gender inclusiveness. You are, therefore, requested to check for this and to ensure your work and communications are non-discriminatory in all respects.

Students with disabilities

Students with disabilities that may disadvantage them in assessment should seek advice from one of the following before completing assessment tasks and examinations:

Deferred assessment and special consideration

Deferred assessment (not to be confused with an extension for submission of an assignment) may be granted in cases of extenuating personal circumstances such as serious personal illness or bereavement. Information and forms for Special Consideration and deferred assessment applications are available at http://www.monash.edu.au/exams/special-consideration.html. Contact the Faculty's Student Services staff at your campus for further information and advice.