Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
an understanding of e-commerce; an understanding of B2B, B2C, and business-to-govern-
ment (B2G) commerce; and an ability to develop their own business model that meets their
requirements, so they remain in control of the process. The successful graduate will possess
the specific skills in information analysis, requirements determination, detailed logical design,
physical design, implementation planning, and development of business strategies for using
e-commerce within an organization.
Managing through Leadership in the E-Environment
A working knowledge of the principles of electronic commerce from the business
perspective is necessary. The origin and growth of e-commerce and the differences and
similarities between e-commerce/e-business and traditional commerce are important. Specific
skills the graduate should possess include project management (PERT, Gantt), the e-
procurement cycle, SLAs, RFP, project contract structures, communications and negotiating
skills, collaborative team participation in decision making, and critical thinking and reasoning
so that creative solutions can be developed and discussed as possible implementation
models.
Fundamentals of Local and International Marketing
These topics provide the basis for understanding the complexities of marketing the
organization's goods and services using Internet technologies. An awareness of interna-
tional marketing, with its focus on reviewing the important strategic advantages that flow to
firms that learn how to compete globally, and an ability to present an integrated global
marketing strategy are necessary. Graduates must have the skills to analyze situations that
marketing managers encounter, locally and globally, in promoting growth and recognizing
opportunities that exist in new and existing markets. These topics emphasize the importance
of business owners being able to apply marketing principles “outside the box,” identifying
marketing forces and their competitors, and analyzing data and strategizing to make
opportunities within the local and global markets. Topics include marketing management,
buyer behavior, product policy, pricing, distribution, advertising and promotion, and
competitive strategy.
User Interface Design for the Web
Users of the Web are becoming sophisticated and are demanding more and more, but
they become frustrated with delays in downloading pages, accessing and completing online
forms, or downloading files. While commercial packages have reduced the burden on user
interface designers, they are still required to possess skills in mark-up languages, particularly
in cleaning code of unwanted clutter. Topics would include HTML authoring; an overview
of VRML, XML, SGML, PERL, and CGI; page composition tools; server technology and
server-side processing; active server pages: ActiveX, JavaScript, and applet usage; browser
technology; engineering a quality Web site; solving usability issues; site and server
management.
Key elements associated with effective Web design that need to be incorporated into
the course are related to its stickiness and the probability in fostering customer loyalty.
Factors that affect this include the business name, contact information, ease of navigation,
use of graphics, company logo, current and up-to-date information, colors, use of multimedia
plug-ins, forms, frames, uncluttered design, and the ability to update information without the
