LV EN RU DE FR

E-Commerce

Course developer

Prior knowledge

Ekon2128, Globalization of Business

Ekon3106, Marketing

Ekon3108, Marketing

Ekon3115, Marketing

Psih3010, Social Psychology

Soci2036, Sociology

VadZ3038, Logistics

Course abstract

The course provides a basic understanding of digital technological processes in e-commerce and marketing as well as explains legal and security issues in the digital environment. Applying the knowledge acquired, students build up skills to deal with new forms of business pattern organization in professional activities. Students do case studies and build up competence in transforming traditional business processes to do business in the digital environment.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Students will be able to demonstrate:
KNOWLEDGE of
1) the factors affecting e-commerce development in the digital market and an awareness of basic principles and technologies of doing e-commerce. Independent individual work.
2) the factors affecting the digital environment and digital marketing technologies and how to identify and analyse relevant regularities. Test.
SKILLS
Professional skills to
1) independently collect, systematize and analyse information on e-commerce development by applying proper research methods to solve a particular problem. Presentation.
2) do a comprehensive analysis of the development of the digital environment and e-commerce and argue their directions of development in global context. Practical assignments.
Soft skills to
1) present the results of their independent work. Group/pair work.
2) engage in discussion and reasonably argue the opinion. Case study.
COMPETENCES to

independently create a website and understand how to use e-commerce technological solutions in a practical way to enhance competitiveness in the digital environment. Presentation.

Course Content(Calendar)

1. Role of e-commerce in the knowledge society and the development of it in a modern economy
The history of information communication technology development. Information and communication technology infrastructure. Access to information and knowledge. The build-up of trust and security. E-commerce environment. The benefits of using information and communication. The indicators of the digital environment. (1h - lecture, 0.5h - practical)
2. Nature, goals and functions of e-commerce
The concept of electronic commerce. Intranets, extranets, the Internet and e-commerce. E-commerce applications. The difference between e-commerce and traditional commerce. The development of and prospects for e-commerce. Problems in e-commerce development. Digital single market. (1h - lecture, 0.5h - practical)
3. Basic principles of and technology for e-commerce management
Website. M-commerce. Domain. Database hosting. Outsourcing or hosting. Technological solutions for digital environment sales, marketing and business processes. The basic principles of technologies for cooperation models B2B; B2C and B2G. (2h - lectures, 0.5h - practical)
4. Forms and patterns of e-commerce and their advantages and disadvantages
The basic principles of technologies for cooperation models G2G, G2B, G2C, B2G, B2B, B2C, B2F, C2G, C2B, C2C, C2F, F2B, F2C, F2F and E2E. (1h - lecture, 0.5h practical)
5. Statistics on e-commerce participants
Internet access and use. Income levels, social status, occupation, cultural levels, educational attainment, nationality and religion. The impacts of globalization on consumer behaviour in e-commerce. (1h - lecture, 0.5h - practical)
6. Legal and transaction security aspects of e-commerce
The regulatory framework for service providers. The regulatory framework for information system security. Crimes in the field of information technology. Basic conditions for information flow. Distance contract. Intellectual property rights. Competition law. Consumer protection. Taxes. Ensuring the technical reliability of e-commerce. Security solutions. Data protection. The protection of traders against unjustified refusals to pay. The protection of a buyer’s private information. Buyer protection against credit card theft. The ethical dimensions of an information society. (2h - lectures, 0.5h - practical)
7. Digital market research and consumer behaviour in the electronic environment
The importance and types of market research. Market research process. Market research methods. The types of market. Needs. Consumer behaviour. Consumer psychology. (1h - lecture, 1h practical)
8. Website functions and design
Website development – a process model, a list of products offered and their functionalities, visual solutions. Website performance analysis. (1h - lecture, 1h - practical)
9. Electronic orders and payment systems
Electronic application. Electronic data exchange. Internet banking. Payment cards. Micropayments. Electronic money. (1h - lecture, 0.5h - practical)
10. Search engines, their role in e-commerce. The principles of digital marketing in e-commerce
Internet search engines. Mobile marketing, email marketing, pay-per-click marketing, online advertising, website content optimization and management systems, Google solutions (SEO, AdWords, Google Local service, froogle.com, google analytics, thinkwithgoogle.com, consumerbarometer.com etc.) and customer data analysis. (2h - lectures, 1h - practical)
11. Identification of target market needs
The advantages of market segmentation. Segmentation criteria and effectiveness. Global segmentation. The choice of a target market. (1h - lecture, 1h - practical)
12. Product suitability for the digital market. The classification of products and the elements
Product offer creation. Sectoral market differences. Regional market differences. Product position creation. Sales forecasting. Marketing communication and means for product promotion in the market. (1h - lecture, 0.5h - practical)
13. Logistics in e-commerce
Purchase order acceptance and processing. Purchase process tracking. Delivery management. The return of shipments. Distribution channels and their participants. The management of cross-border shipments and delivery processes. The consideration of consumer interests. (1h - lecture, 1h - practical)
14. Effective product promotion in the digital market
The nature and methods of marketing. Advertising. Sales promotion. (2h - lectures, 1h - practical)
15. Use of social networks to promote a product in the digital market
Social network and media marketing. (1h - lecture, 1h - practical)

16. Use of codes in e-commerce technologies (1h - lecture, 1h - practical)

Requirements for awarding credit points

During the course, students must do independent work on the development of e-commerce, basic principles of digital market organization and technologies of doing e-commerce. At the end of the course, students must take a test to assess the extent to which they have completed their independent work. During the group work in practicals, students analyse consumer behaviour on the Internet and assess the suitability of a product for e-commerce. Students must do individual independent work, creating and presenting a website for product “X” by applying the most appropriate type of digital marketing to reach the consumer target audience selected.

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

1) Students get acquainted with and study the literature on e-commerce and the digital market.
2) During the course, an e-commerce website for a product is independently created and presented in practicals.

3) Students acquire information and build up an understanding of the discussion topics of the bioeconomy for practicals.

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

The final mark consists of the following pieces of assessment: a presentation of independent work on the development of a product website and its demonstration 40%; the student’s activity in discussions and debates in practicals 20%; a test 20%; independent work on the digital environment 20%.

Compulsory reading

1. Lektauers A., Merkurjevs J., Romānovs A. Elektroniskā komercija: mācību līdzeklis. Rīga: RTU, 2008, 124 lpp
2. Turban E., King D., Lang J. Introduction to Electronic Commerce, 3/E, Prentice Hall, 2011, 928 pp.

3. Stabulnieks J. E-komercijas stratēģija mazos un vidējos uzņēmumos. Rokasgrāmata. Latvijas Tehnoloģiskais centrs, 2010.

Further reading

1. Digitālais mārketings. Informācijas tehnoloģiju nozares konkurētspējas un eksportspējas paaugstināšana. Mācību materiāls. Projekta Nr. Nr.3.2.1.1/16/A/004. 2016, 47 lpp.
2. Atstāja Dz., Dimante Dž., Brīvers I. u.c. Vide un ekonomika. Monogrāfija. Rīga, LU, 2011, 256 lpp.

3. Hārts Dž., Dausta B. Pasākumu plāns: e – mārketings. Rīga: Lietišķās informācijas dienests, 2007, 314 lpp.

Periodicals and other sources

1. E-komercijas jaunumi – www.ecommercetimes.com
2. Ekonomikas ministrija http://www.em.gov.lv

3. Patērētāju tiesību aizsardzības centrs – www.ptac.gov.lv/lv/content/par-e-komerciju

Notes

Field professional specialization course (Part B3) for the ESAF professional bachelor programme Entrepreneurship and Business Management, specialisation Business Management, a field study course for the first level programme Business Studies.