SENECA COLLEGE, TORONTO

MRK 610   SECTION A © ESSENTIALS of e-COMMERCE As Taught by Prof. Tim Richardson School of Marketing and e-Business, Faculty of Business

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In the first section of this course these are the following things for you to do. attend class on a regular basis regularly read the material on the class webpage so that you may understand what the professor will discuss in class each day respond to questions in class based upon having read the material in the course outline take the important points from each lecture and consider how to work them in to your Storefront Project - due in March Team Web Site Project - due in April make an index.html page for MRK610 under which you will have other pages and content so that the professor has a place to see your work example http://learn.senecac.on.ca/~studentname/MRK610/ create an assignment.htm page for your first assignment "Web Report Assignment" example http://learn.senecac.on.ca/~studentname/MRK610/assignment.htm due in first week in February WTGR

5. content to put on the pages on the web site content is usually described as including text (a fancy way of saying the words on the page) images (photos and drawings + moving images in the form of .mpegs) audio (sounds in wav files, midi and MP3) 6. software to make and edit web pages (HTML editors) simple editors like Netscape Composer, Frontpage complicated editors like Dreamweaver, HoTMetaL 6.0 7. software to send the pages to the hosting server - eg. WS FTP

Creating a web page to create a web page you need 1. computer 2. modem in the computer - or some way of connecting to the net like cable access 3. an account with an ISP Internet Service Provider company - the account has to include web page hosting - meaning they have to give you space on their server to which you can upload your pages and images and audio content 4. browser - to see web pages - usually Internet Explorer or Netscape

Creating a web page - to create a web page you need 6. software to make and edit web pages (HTML editors) Microsoft Frontpage Dreamweaver Allaire Home Site HoTMetaL Pro by Softquad Netscape Composer . The purpose in discussing these various editors is not intended to make you proficient in making complete web sites, rather simply "empower" you with making a basic web page with which to complete your project for the course. You should burden yourself with learning HTML code from scratch, rather you should pick a WYSIWYG editor and use it to make your pages. WTGR For the purposes of this course, it might be best to use Netscape Composer - which is free, and comes with Netscape Communicator, which you can download free from www.netscape.com Regardless of what editor you use, a basic page has some key structural elements which you need to know - even if you will not be the person making the web pages, it helps to understand these fundamentals.   . One of the characteristics of the "new economy" is that people cannot afford to be only aware of the theoretical aspects and ignorant of the practical aspects- things overlap too much. So, what we are saying is that you may be the person strategizing about the marketing aspects of the web page (and hire someone else to do the HTML) but you do need to something about the basics). Like going to a garage to get your car fixed and the mechanic spins a line about needing a new alternator for $3,000. You don't need to know how an alternator works, but you do need to know that it won't costs $3,000 and roughly what part of the car it is in [its in the engine and used to run the electrical services of the car - off the power off the engine] http://www.misterfixit.com/alterntr.htm WTGR .

Creating a web page - to create a web page you need 6. software to make and edit web pages (HTML editors) Netscape Composer . Some of you may want to work on your website at home. The easiest way to do this is download Netscape at home, and use Netscape Composer to edit your pages, and then download FTP at home, and upload your pages to the Seneca server. WTGR . This is where you can get Netscape - netscape.com - however, this is a big site, best to get Netscape 4.79 - that version is the easiest to use as an editor and it will work fine for what you want to do. If you make a webpage in Netscape 4.79 Composer, it will allow the features to be shown (95%) of the time in I.E. and Netscape.   From http://www.netscape.com go to "browser central", this will take you to http://channels.netscape.com/ns/browsers/default.jsp From http://channels.netscape.com/ns/browsers/default.jsp, go to "product archive" http://wp.netscape.com/download/archive.html and you will see   From http://channels.netscape.com/ns /browsers/default.jsp, go to "product archive" http://wp.netscape.com /download/archive.html and you will see the screen to the left, click on the Versions 4.7x from this page you can select Netscape 4.79 or 4.8 - (it doesn't matter which) download it, and use it .

Creating a web page - Web Document Structure Tags   <HTML> tag   <HEAD> tag     <META> tag     <TITLE> tag</TITLE>    </HEAD> tag   <BODY> tag   </BODY> tag </HTML> Case Western Reserve University has an extensive web site about how to make web sites and the basics of HTML coding.  http://www.cwru.edu/help/introHTML/TCh2.html This page specifically talks about the document structure tags in  simple to understand format.

HTML Editors Rick Darnell says that "one of the main drawbacks to working with HTML is that many Web page editors don't display a page the way it will look on a browser ...this situation is changing with the advent of WYSIWYG editors that display a page using the standard accepted by most browsers."  There are 2 basic types of HTML Editors:  Tag Editors - provide the author with direct control of the tags. Requires reasonably good understanding of HTML.  Representational Editors (also called WYSIWYG editors) - use menus and wizards to allow you to roughly see how it will look, as you go. Requires minimum knowledge of raw HTML. Go to Tucows (click on icon to the left) to browse through several of the Advanced HTML editors. You will find HoTMetaL, HotDog and WPC on the list as well as others. A short list Review of some of the more popular HTML Editors, including links to their downloads http://www.qsystems.net/pub/html.htm     HoTMetaL Pro, at  www.hotmetal.com  is the product of a SoftQuad Software Inc., a Canadian company based in Toronto. Various sources say HoTMetaL has the largest number of users. Homesite, which is now selling version 4.5, is also well know with experienced webmasters, and is easy enough to use for novices.

HTML basics

HTML basics can be viewed at  http://www.witiger.com/senecacollege/BCS500.htm This is a course taught at another institution but you are free to use these pages to teach yourself HTML cause the pages for the course are hosted by Prof. Richardson on his own domain. .  . It is not advisable for MRK 610 students to spend a lot of time learning the HTML tags so you can "hard code" your own pages - it would be kewl, but,, too time consuming, better to know a few tags just so you can understand how to use them, and to understand how things can go wrong with a WYSIWYG editor. WTGR .

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Plug-ins

.  . In order to see the wide diversity of images and sound available on the WWW in 2003, it is necessary to obtain particular plug-ins [also called Browser Extensions] because Netscape and Internet Explorer (the two most popular browsers) are not always installed in a way that allows you to see 95% of all the images, and hear all the audio, on pages you might visit. WTGR .  A plug-in, sometimes called a browser extension, enhances the ability of the browser to see and read content (images and text) on the displayed page, which your browser might not normally be able to see with the standard installation. Most plug-ins are developed by third party vendors who create plug-ins and make them available through various web sites.   go to this page and look around .  Apple QuickTime Adobe Acrobat Reader Macromedia Flash Player  Shockwave by Macromedia RealPlayer

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where to find an image editor when you are using the BSC labs at Seneca.

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Creating a web page : to create a web page you need 7. software to send the pages to the hosting server - eg. WS FTP Once you have made the pages, either in an editor like Netscape Composer, or HoTMetaL, or Frontpage, you need to "upload" these pages to the server which is hosting your site. This means your ISP must give you a URL, something like www.isp.com/~mysection and a password, which you then use to upload. Uploading is easy using WS-FTP. It's like using Windows Explorer - with the left hand of the screen showing the files on your computer, and the right half of the screen showing the files on your server. . . If you do not have WS-FTP, you can download it from witiger's site. go to.  http://www.witiger.com/downloads/ WTGR

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Before we get involved in the details of e-commerce, it is useful to look at some examples of things people have done which did not work out so well - so, we will make sure we do not make the same mistakes

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Terminology

It used to be in 1998 / 1999 that e-commerce was the general term used to explain the aspects of setting up a web site to actually conduct transactions over the WWW and e-business was a catch-all phrase for everything else. However by early 2000,  e-commerce is becoming more closely associated with B2C , that is business-to-consumer circumstances  having a web page that allows you to buy a product with a credit card and  e-business is more closely associated with B2B business-to-business circumstances e-business (in an older context) is also used to describe having a webpage that is simply an electronic brochure that shows your product online, but doesn't have a payment mechanism to allow you to buy the product or service online WTGR

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Interdisciplinary nature of e-Commerce (e-Business)  (1st edition p. 13, 14) (2nd edition p. 14, 15) - these books are not necessary to buy for MRK 610 - most of the material you need to understand will be listed in www.witiger.com Interdisciplinary nature of e-Commerce (e-Business) - meaning, e-commerce covers a lot of different areas Marketing Computer Sciences Consumer behaviour and psychology Finance Economics MIS - Management Information Systems  Accounting and Auditing Management Business Law and Ethics Linguistics

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Chapter 1

Benefits to organizations that use e-Commerce (e-Business) - you should understand some of these points in order that you can explain it so someone else that might be a posible client Expands the size of the market from regional to national or national to international decreases costs costs of creating the product costs of distribution costs of processing (orders from the customers) costs of storing information minimizes Supply Chain inefficiences reduces inventories reduces delivery delays enables efficient e-procurement Pull-type processing enables customization of products allows for innovative business models allows for a high degree of specialization reduces the time exposure supports BPR - Business Process Reengineering (2nd ed, p. 19) increases productivity lowers telecommunication costs improves customer service (in some cases)

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Chapter 1

Benefits to consumers that use e-Commerce (e-Business)  can buy when you want, from more locations (internet connected terminals) more choices sometimes products are less expensive can receive more information about the product, make a more informed decision greater information leads to enhanced customer satisfaction quicker delivery (for online products) Benefits to society (when consumers and business use e-Commerce)  cocooning - more individuals can work offsite less affluent people can buy more and increase standard of living (questionable says WTGR) facilitates delivery of public services (Toronto water bills online now)

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Chapter 1

Limitations of e-Commerce (e-Business)  - you should understand some of the and be able to explain these to a potential client because not everyone is convinced the internet will be a major way to conduct business - example TV has been around for a long time - but only a small percentage of all companies advertize on TV !! Technical Limitations some protocols are not standardized around the world reliability for certain processes insufficient telecommunications bandwidth software tools are not fixed but constantly evolving (ie. Netscape 3,4,4.7,4.75 etc.) access limitations of dial-up, cable, ISDN, wireless some vendors require certain software to show features on their pages, which is not common in the standard browser used by the majority Nontechnical Limitations costs security and privacy lack of trust and user resistance tactile limitations legal issues outstanding limitations of support services lack of critical mass in certain market areas for sellers and buyers accessibility outside of urban/suburban and areas effects universality

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Chapter 1

The Driving forces ; or the 5 Environments effecting e-Business Political and Legal Environment rules and regulations you need to follow Sociocultural Environment languages and ethnic groups effecting your target market gender issues Technological Environment can give you an advantage - but costs money Economic Environment cost of living, currency exchange rates, unemployment rates Competitive Environment other companies watching what you do to avoid your mistakes, or copy your success, and always trying to take your customers . Of all the environments noted above, Witiger personally believes that the Competitive Environment has the biggest impact on E-business since so much of your success and failure depends on what the competition does - and if you have no competition, your success will attract people to copy you so you will get competition. WTGR .

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from the introduction to Kim Bayne's book from the introduction to Kim Bayne's book     from the introduction to Kim Bayne's book from the introduction to Kim Bayne's book

.  You do not have to buy the Bayne book, it is here just for reference. Bayne has some wise words at the beginning of the book about the "environments", which merit summarizing here. "When the first edition of the book was published, the climate for Internet marketing was very different. Much has happened in the past few years to change the e-business landscape . For one thing, the major players are no longer "pure Internet players" ... The Web is now just another mainstream den of big business ...today, companies jump online without much forethought or are driven into the situation by outside forces" Let's look at those "outside forces" The forces that effect companies who are moving from "brick and mortar" to "click and mortar" are competitive forces economic forces technological forces political / legal / regulatory forces social cultural forces to some extend geographic forces Bayne says the purpose of her book is "you will be able to create a coherent and integrated Internet marketing presence to enhance your overall general marketing communications program"   . This statement of Bayne's presumes 2 things. 1. that the company has a marketing communications program 2. that the reader of the book understands that the role of the Internet is to contribute to what is already in place - not create something totally new and unique For students using this book, it presumes 2 things 1. that you understand the basics of marketing product price promotion place 2. that you know the basics of marketing communications mass selling advertising publicity sales promotion personal selling WTGR .

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