TUTORIAL FOR "WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN INTELLIGENT E_BUSINESS"

Tutorial Tasks

Read these questions before the tutorial and write some thoughts down. You'll need to get together with your team that you're going to complete the assignment with.

We'll work through these questions during the tutorial as a group and put the best answers together.

Tutorial Task 1. How Businesses Operate

This task requires a little imagination. Remember that you were thinking about the business in the case study.

You need to provide some information about how this company would operate.

• Provide us with:
• A description of this organisation
• The kinds of commercial activities it engages in
• Who are the customers and what are they like?
• How will they market what they sell?
• How will the sales process work in their business?
• Are any of the competitors traditional bricks-and-mortar businesses, and if so, what makes you think this new business can stick the journey?
• How is their company organised (in terms of organisational structure and in terms of physical characteristics)?
• What is the most difficult thing for them to do as an Internet start-up business?
• What additional problems do you anticipate, which they would not have if they were traditional bricks-and mortar business?
• How could their extensive global "reach" cause trouble?

Tutorial Task 2. Thinking about a Technological Investment

Again this task requires a little imagination. You need to create a mini, informal IT strategy.

• What technological priorities do they need to consider?
• What options are open to them in meeting those priorities?
• How viable is each option - in terms of cost, etc?
• What are the pros and cons of each option?
• Are there any specific issues you are aware of which must be considered and are unique to their case?