INFS 640 section 001/EC 511 section 001 Introduction to Electronic Commerce
Dr. E. H. Sibley

Robinson B 205 Tuesdays 4: 30—7:10 PM
Please arrive at class on time. We will start at 4.30, have a short break, and finish promptly.

Class Date

Topic

Assignment

08/26/2008

Introduction, Syllabus,

Introduction to E-Commerce Concepts

Read EC-LT: Chapters 1-2

09/02/2008

Ch 1 & 2 -Revolution is Just Beginning and E-Commerce Business Models and Concepts

Read EC-LT: Chapter 3

09/09/2008

Web 2.0 Topics, Research Paper and Project Requirements

Papers & Notes;
Read EC-LT: Chapter 3

Homework 1 Due

09/16/2008

Ch 3: The Internet and World Wide Web: E-Commerce Infrastructure

Research Paper Title Due;

Read EC-LT: Chapter 4

09/23/2008

Ch 4: Building an E-Commerce Site

Project Topic Due with Team Members;
Homework 2 Due

09/30/2008

E-Commerce Performance

Read EC-LT: Chapter 5

10/07/2008

Customer Behavior and CBMG

 Read EC-LT: Chapter 5

10/14/2008

Fall Columbus Day - No Class

 

10/21/2008

Ch 5: E-Commerce Security & Encryption

Read EC-LT: Chapter 5

10/28/2008

Ch 5: E-Commerce Security & Encryption

Read EC-LT: Chapter 6 & 7

Homework 3 Due

11/04/2008

Project Progress; Online Payment Systems

Read EC-LT: Chapter 7

11/11/2008

B2C & B2B Marketing and Branding Strategies

Read EC-LT: Chapters 10 & 11

11/18/2008

Retailing on the Web; Online Service Industries

iTunes Case Study

 

11/25/2008

Research Paper Presentations

Project files due

12/02/2008

Project Presentations

Take Home Portion Posted

12/09/2008

Final Exam (In class portion).

Take Home Portion Due.

 

Course Overview

The Internet and the World Wide Web are revolutionizing the way people, businesses and governments transact business via electronic commerce. This process is just beginning and will have enormous impact on our activities and the way we relate to people and organizations. This course will examine the major technologies and trends that enable E-Commerce, including the Internet, security, software and hardware architectures, policy and social/economic issues.
Topics

The topics correspond to chapters in the textbook:

"E-commerce: business, technology and society, Third Edition"

by Kenneth C. Laudon and Carol Guercio Traver.

There will be additional readings made available through GMU's Digital Library, and supplemental material presented during class sessions. 

Grades

Student grades will be determined based on class participation, homework assignments and papers, a project and a final exam:

Component

Weight

Class participation

10%

Homework 3 @5%

15%

Research Paper

25%

Project

20%

Final

20%

Office hours:

 Mondays and Tuesdays, 2:00-4:00 pm, or by appointment

Honor Code

All work performed in this course will be subject to GMU's Honor Code. Students are expected to do their own work in the course unless a group project is pre-approved. In papers and project reports, students are expected to write in their own words, rather than cutting-and-pasting from sources on the Internet or elsewhere. If you do use material from books, articles, or the Web, enclose the material in quotes and provide a reference.  This should never be excessive! If a paragraph is used then it should be indented in the text (both left and right margins).

Writing Style

You are encouraged to download the EndNotes Program (free to GMU students) which automatically formats references in conjunction with MS Word.

Assume that your audience is an intelligent reader with computer knowledge but who is not familiar with your specific paper topic.  Do not use slang or colloquialisms; some readers whose first language is not English may not understand phrases such as "the system was wedged,"  Do not misuse terms nor use those whose meanings are unclear, like "increased exponentially", or "steep learning curve."  Check your grammar and spelling; if you need help expressing yourself, get help from GMU's Writing Center at http://writingcenter.gmu.edu  Read the paper aloud to yourself or to a friend to help you indentify misused words and phrases.  Avoid jargon.  Explain and reference concepts critical to your topic.  Expand NTAs [Non-Trivial Abbreviations] on first use.  Avoid meaningless marketing terms (like "seamless integration")

Read http://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/SRC/publications/levin/SOSPhowto.html for some useful guidance on writing technical papers

 [Last updated: August 14, 2008]