Reference no: EM133588915

Read the following and Answer the questions that follow:

a) You have just been appointed to the role of Strategy management and you are tasked to lead the Government parastatal BOFINET to greater levels (using electronic commerce) by assessing the current technologies that Botswana as a country has already invested in. It is obvious that electronic commerce is built on top of a number of different technologies that create a layered, integrated infrastructure that permits the development and deployment of electronic commerce applications. The fact of the matter is that, each layer is founded on the layer below it and cannot function without it. To be specific these layers are five (5) in number and they are: National information infrastructure; Message distribution infrastructure; Electronic publishing infrastructure; Business service infrastructure; and finally, Electronic commerce applications.

You are expected to describe to the rest of management what these five layers mean, and taking into account how they depend on each other.

b) Electronic commerce requires those that participate in it to have a secure means of transmitting the confidential data necessary to perform a transaction. A good example is that commercial banks prefer credit card numbers to be hidden from prying electronic eyes. Consumers also want assurance that the Web site they are dealing with is not a bogus operation. This directly talks to issues of security on transactions that are being carried out electronically. It is known that the two (2) main forms of protecting electronic transactions are; Secure sockets layer; and Secure electronic transaction.

Briefly discuss these 2 forms of protecting electronic transactions and provide examples where possible.

SECTION B

Read the following and Answer the questions that follow:

One of the reasons' companies develop Web sites is to attract more customers. The types of attractors that are found out there are as follows: The entertainment park; the archive; exclusive sponsorship; the town hall; the club; the gift shop; the freeway intersections or portals; and the customer service centre. It has been established that all these types of attractors are very important for any company.

a) You are expected to briefly discuss any three (3) types of attractors that are available out there and where possible give examples to show how these attractors operate and assist business to achieve their goals.

b) Service is often differentiated from products, and the four (4) distinct service features that distinguishes service from products are: intangibility; simultaneity; heterogeneity; and perishability.

You are expected to explain what service is, and briefly discuss the four (4) features that differentiates service from product. (10 marks)

SECTION C

Read the following and answer the questions that follow.

a) It has been established that a Web site as an interactive medium, combines the best mass production and customization. As the ultimate tool for mass customization, the web has the ability to treat millions of customers as though they were unique and one aspect of this being easily achieved is managing intangibility. The four common forms of managing intangibility include: use of the web to provide evidence; use the web site to tangibles the intangible; sampling in cyberspace and multiplying memories.

You are asked to discuss these four (4) common forms of managing intangibility and where possible use examples.

b) Briefly explain what is meant by 'Customers make, rather than take prices'. You may illustrate by giving an example.

SECTION D

Read the following and answer the questions that follow:

a) It has been realized that the two concepts being the Pareto distribution of the customer base and the exchange spectrum, together they help one understand pricing strategy more effectively and in particular with regard to the effect of the Web on pricing for both sellers and customers.

You are expected to briefly discuss the objectives of firms with regard to Pareto distribution. Where possible give examples.

b) Briefly discuss comparison between modernism and post-modernism.