Reference no: EM132326264

E-Business Assignment -

Detailed specification of work -

1. An original question about e-business that would be worth further research.

• This section is concerned only with defining the problem/.question.
• Include a short paragraph that explains why it is interesting and a page of plan / research method that shows how your question could be answered.
• Your idea can be interesting for its own sake - pure research. Or it might be useful to a specified organisation - applied research.

2. A report to a senior manager of a real organisation on one of the following. Or propose a topic of your own, this may include undertaking a full research study in your original question in 1 above - but get my approval for it before you start work. Clearly identify which option you are answering.

Outline - To help you pick a topic suitable for the coursework, first, consider choosing a scenario type from the options below:

a. Analysis and critical evaluation of current e-business strategy and activities. (There must already be some significant e-business activity.)

You decide how to carry out the appraisal, using your own selection or those techniques taught on the module.

b. Proposal and justification for a systems architecture to support e-business. (The organisation must have little or no significant e-business activity now).

• Summarise the applications that are needed.
• Outline their interfaces with each other, and any necessary standards.
• Explain how the applications differ from current systems.
• Identify the benefits and how they will be measured.

c. A migration plan to develop e-business capability from scratch. (The organisation must have little or no significant e-business activity now.)

• Identify impacts on the organisation and changes to infrastructure.
• Identify major benefits, with suggestions for how to measure them.
• Identify major risks, with strategies to avoid or minimise them.

d. High level design for a completely new e-business application. (Must be relevant to the needs of the organisation and not closely based on any existing system.)

• Explain the need and justify the design decisions in a brief report.
• Design to include systems architecture, functional requirements, technical interface requirements, data storage requirements and sample user interfaces.
• May consist mainly of diagrams and models.

e. Proposal and justification for an e-business strategy. (The organisation must have little or no significant e-business activity now.)

• Outline the strategy and summarise the main changes expected in the organisation.
• Implementation plan should show how the changes will be achieved.
• Identify the benefits and explain how they can be measured.

Once you have made your choice of topic type, progress to the report, which will contain the following two sections -

1. Research questions will be marked mainly for:-

• Originality and interest of the question.
• Feasibility of the outline plan / research methodology.

2. The research or management report will be marked for its:-

• Factual basis.
• Overall coherence.
• Analytical depth, logical argument, critical questioning of others (including published sources).
• Originality of thought, synthesis, new ideas and insights.