CCT 355: E-Business Technologies Class 1: Introduction to Course

Welcome! A bit about me A bit about you: a) What is meant by e-business technologies? b) What is not meant by the term? c) In five years, what do you see yourself doing? d) How will you get there?

A few notes to start… E-business technologies are NOT simple e- commerce solutions E-business technologies are NOT the design of online advertising or marketing strategies Simple “shopping cart” solutions are old hat and easily set up in ten minutes – not very interesting Online marketing/advertising is related, but strategy/design questions are different than core questions about information systems

E-Business Technologies Information systems that support business processes Information systems that support the people engaged in business processes Examples?

People, process and technology People, process and technology intersect People isuses? Process issues? Technology issues? Appropriate solutions balance needs and constraints of all three – ineffective solutions usually underestimate the importance of one or all

Course Outline New students/Adobe availability Contact/availability Office Hours Prerequisite requirements Text Online readings/guest lectures

Assignments Competitive Intelligence Change Management Simulation Wiki co-creation assignment Business Analysis Consulting Project Final Exam

Competitive Intelligence Many active e-business companies and consultants in the GTA area Getting to know them is imperative in finding employment – in job hunting, it’s often who you know, not what you know CI assignment – a critical in-depth case study of one company/individual doing work in e- business technologies

CI Guidelines No set questions – more discovery than fill-in-the- blank - but - there are common questions of interest – ideas? You must have contact with them – it’s not a textual analysis of someone’s web page – why? Friends/family probably not best for this – no sense networking with people you already know Must be e-business related – simple online sellers and web page designers aren’t the target here Good to start brainstorming about options now – places to start?

Change Management Simulation An example of networking in action! ExperiencePoint simulation guides you through the complexity of managing change in a fictitious technology company. Individual and group components: Individual and collective reflection on simulation activity

Guidelines Oct. 19 class reserved for simulation – do try to be here Ideally, groups should be similar for final project – treat the simulation exercise as a means of getting to know your group members Expect to make mistakes – first pass through simulation is usually a disaster, but you learn a lot from trying to crack the game’s secrets.

Wiki Co-creation assignment Wiki vs. WebCT: why? Course wiki: Sign up/sign in now Features of Wikispaces – quick walk through Two parts of assignment: article analysis and community building and maintenance

Article Analysis Guidelines Pick an article relevant to e-business technologies Post brief synopsis on wiki Present to class using “ignite presentation” (not on days not already booked – e.g., simulation day, test) What is an ignite presentation? Quick, to the point presentations take time to prepare! Further discussion: post questions for discussion on wiki, and participate in discussions!

Community Building Guidelines Early and often beats late and sporadic: so start early and edit regularly Quality vs. quantity Possible quality edits: glossary of terms, sharing study notes, posting and discussing other articles on emerging trends, site maintenance and organization Less quality edits: 20-second banners, random/off-topic pages No need for personal pages - edit history is now clear

Business Analysis Consulting What does a BA do? (What doesn’t a BA do?) Group final project (3-4 people) delivering document about pages Pick an organization that requires/could use some attention to its e-business technology strategy Analyze its current condition and propose feasible solutions that might be helpful Present project in ignite presentation

Consulting Guidelines Like CI assignment, ability to talk to decision makers is key – unlike CI, you can pick closer contacts Reminder: shopping carts, web page redesign, marketing campaigns are not really the point – will lead to very limited solution Final solution should balance people, process and technology questions, and take into consideration financial and human resource limitations Some reflection on change management process (how depends on the context of your case)

Final Exam Exam in formal exam period (December, date/time TBA) Will mostly evaluate conceptual application vs. simple regurgitation of definitions Lecture notes as study guide, change management as component

Policy Notes Academic dishonesty is a serious matter Assignments structured to make cheating rather hard (and thus rather obvious when it happens…) So, don’t cheat – here, you’ll just fail the assignment and perhaps course – do as much in the business world, you can be fired or worse.

Citation Standards Citation standards are arbitrary – use whatever you are comfortable with (e.g., APA, MLA, etc.) – just be consistent All citation standards a) cite information from outside sources, b) do so in context and c) make it possible for the reader to find the original source. Interviews must also be cited – personal quotations encouraged Poor citation = poor grades – or worse (technically, sloppy citation = plagiarism)

Due Dates Post-facto undocumented excuses really aren’t all that effective If you know a date is going to slip, chances are you know that well ahead of time. The more I know ahead of time, the more I can be sympathetic. Final exam – formal exam period makeup in winter reading week

Setup and Next Class Sign on to wiki Schedule article analysis presentations Next week: Ch. 1 (and scan 2 if it’s new to you – it shouldn’t be…)