Instructor: Dr. Robert H. Reck
Office: None
Campus Phone: None
Kendall Consulting Group
268 Highland Road , Andover, MA 01810
Phone: 978-474-9109
Fax 978-470-1490
E-mail: reck@babson.edu or bobreck@kendall-consulting.com

Class Meets: Class Meets: Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. in Gerber Hall 101.

Course Web Site: http://faculty.babson.edu/reck/mis7570s00/index.htm for syllabus.

An icampus site will be established for this class. You must have access to the Babson computer system with name/password in order to gain access to ecampus. Assignments, handouts and notices will be posted at this site as well as e-mailed to students via the ecampus e-mail address. You are responsible for ensuring that you receive these e-mails. (You may arrange with ITSD to have campus e-mail forwarded to an external address.)

Class Attendance: Registrar informs me that class is FULL. No new registrations will be accepted except for those on the waiting list should slots become available due to course drops.

Course Summary and Objectives

Consistent with the business orientation of Babson College, this course studies the rapidly growing phenomena of electronic commerce and electronic business from four perspectives:

Audience

The course is aimed at those business and management information systems students who already have an understanding of the fundamentals of MIS, and who want an understanding of the issues and fundamentals regarding the use and conduct of electronic commerce and electronic business. Further, the course is being designed to especially appeal to those students with an entrepreneurial spirit.

Prerequisites

Students should have taken MIS-7500 or equivalent work experience.

Other Related Courses

The following courses can help you develop related skills and knowledge in the areas of electronic business and e-commerce:

• MIS7520, Designing Organizations with Information Technology (DOIT). While retaining a business orientation, MIS7520 is a more technical course than the other two MIS courses listed below. Students in MIS7520 learn how to redesign business processes and then actually prototype the redesign using tools such as Microsoft Access and web page development tools.
• MIS7570, Emerging Technology: E-Commerce. MIS7570 addresses the strategic application of advanced technologies for electronic commerce. The course emphasizes inter-company information flows and the management of information, particularly via the Web, for competitive advantage. MIS7570 also gives a more in-depth coverage of the technologies used for e-commerce.
• MIS7571, IT and the Value Chain. MIS7571 studies the interdependent activities performed by a company to bring a product or service to its customers. It emphasis the role of IT in key business processes, supply chain management, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Electronic commerce is also reviewed.
• MKT7570, Direct Marketing and E-Commerce. MKT7570 provides a more in-depth look at options and strategies for businesses that focus on the customer, including customer relationship management or CRM.
• MKT7540, Retailing in a Networked Environment. MKT7540 specifically applies the concepts reviewed in some of the above classes to retailing problems.
• OPS7520, Supply Chain Management. OPS7520 focuses on the relationship between material flows and information flows, predominantly between companies.

Please note. You may see similar teaching materials in the syllabi of these courses. The faculty have been coordinating efforts in this area, and even when we use the same case, we will be teaching different dimensions of the case.

Class Approach and Student Evaluation

Classroom participation, an individual written case study, a team e-comm business plan, and a final examination are the basis for the course grade. Each of these is discussed below.

The weighting of these elements in the student's final grade are:

Participation will be evaluated on the basis of understanding and using assigned readings and study findings, contributing to insight on analysis and action recommendations for the case or topic being discussed, and taking into account others’ inputs. Excessive absence or tardiness from class or other disregard for professional behavior will adversely affect this grade. To get a good grade in participation students must verbally contribute, discuss and raise questions in class. Students are encouraged to discuss material for classes and papers, but are individually responsible for all final products including examinations and the case paper. The team project is a team grade. Participation is also influenced by active contribution to the team project.

An Individual Case Study is to be an analysis of a specific company or e-business topic. Papers are to "mimic" regular HBS and Babson case studies. The papers are to take into account not only the class materials to that point, but also the class discussions and insights after the class. Specific criteria will be presented in class during the first two classes. Students will chose a topic from a suggested list, or receive instructor approval for an "off the list" topic. Only one student in the class may work on any particular topic or company. Details are given below.

Each student will prepare their case study about a company or industry coping with electronic commerce or electronic business in some way. Unique companies and industries will be selected by each student on a first-come, first served basis on a class sign-up page. The current list of companies and topics may be viewed by clicking here (Click here to view prospective case companies and topics list.) Data for the study can be gathered from the Web, field work, from publicly available information, from the library, and/or from a visit to a local firm. There is no guarantee that a company or topic on the list at this site will be good topic - specifically, indepth information may NOT be available to justify the company as a good study. Students are to determine the suitability of a company based on their initial research prior to signing up for the topic. Students may change their topic during the semester with the approval of the professor.

The firm you select should be involved in a key way with electronic business, either as a manufacturer, distributor, retailer, supply chain element, or as a user. (More will be said in class on the selection criteria.) The case study should be organized to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the e-business and its potential. As a general guideline, the case study could include (but not be limited to):

A key purpose of this project is for you to explore in depth a company or topic that deals with electronic commerce. This is a learning experience for you and you should feel free to explore particular aspects of the case company that can help you understand the class material in a more indepth and meaningful way. Another purpose of your case, if well written, is for future use within the course in later sections. This project is due March 29, 2000 in written and electronic form as a Word document. Your Word document may be sent to the instructor by electronic mail. Papers throughout this class will be marked down a full letter grade for each calendar day they are late!! If you have an emergency, you should contact the instructor ahead of time with a very good excuse.

Team E-Comm Business Plan Project - The class should break themselves into project teams of two to four students per team. No single person teams will be accepted. Each team will propose, design and develop a profile of an e-comm business. A short business plan will be one of the products that will be submitted. (Business plans will be discussed in an early class.) The business may be any of the following types of projects:

The business plan and a companion demonstration web site are due on April 26, 2000 or May 3, 2000 depending on which team you are on (details in class). The paper may be submitted in a fashion similar to that established above for the Individual Case Study Project (e.g., paper and e-mail). This project is intended to be an enjoyable experience, but is a serious exercise. For some students in the past, this has been the preparation of materials that launched real businesses.

The written business plan should follow an outline of a reasonable plan. Various outlines and content descriptions will be made available on the class Web site. The paper is due on the day of your class presentation.

Project plan presentations and a presentation of the team's demonstration web site will be made to the class in the last two sessions. The demonstration web site may be done in Powerpoint if skills are not available on the team to create an actual site. Space on a campus site will be provided to teams needing a home for their sites. Please contact the instructor ahead of time to obtain site space/location.

Each team will make a ten to fifteen minute briefing of their project (and site) to the class and answer questions. Treat the class as a room full of venture capitalists or executives you are trying to interest in your concept. The instructor will assign presentation dates about mid-way through the semester. You may trade dates with another team, however, notify the instructor of your trade.

During the semester the instructor would like to receive the following information from you and your team:

Final Examination - A short case study will be the focus for the final examination and each student will be asked to apply the concepts and learnings from the course in an analysis of the case company. The paper will be an open book, open notes take-home exam lasting several days. Grades will be based on the insights and understanding shown in the paper, as well as the creativity, clarity and crispness of writing (e.g., content and form). Exhibits referring to slides shown in class need not be reproduced by the student - they may be referred to in the paper with an appropriate reference so the teacher has a clear indication of which framework/slide is being referenced. Students should save all their work from this exercise as a back-up - just in case. Files with any viruses on them will not be used and be the basis for an automatic "F" if unresolved within the deadline period. You may send a test file a week or so ahead to test acceptability. Late examinations will suffer a letter grade reduction for each day overdue with no exams being accepted after two days of tardiness. Be sure your name, phone and e-mail address appears on your examination cover page. The paper/examination will be limited to about 2,500 words maximum (that's about six double-spaced pages in 12-point type). Up to three pages of exhibits may also be used. The examination will be handed out in the last class of May 3 and will be due by e-mail to the instructor no later than Saturday, May 6, time stamped not later than 5:00 pm.

Standards for Written Work - All written work will be judged on the basis of content as well as writing style. Accordingly, your work should be error free both grammatically and in spelling. Use the tools on your computer. Babson's Writing Center should be used if you feel you need assistance in preparing your paper for class. No time extensions are granted for use of the Writing Center, so plan your work ahead of time.

Course Materials

There is NO course pack for this class. All readings will be available online. The detailed readings are being assembled now and links identified. Some readings may be added to the syllabus during the semester. Students should note the version of this syllabus and ensure they are using the most up to date version for their class assignments. Case studies will also be posted via links on this syllabus; for some cases articles about a company will be used in lieu of a case - they will be treated the same way. Students are expected to visit the Web sites of all case study companies prior to class discussions.

There are three OPTIONAL books for the course which are available in paperback from online stores such as amazon.com, bn.com, or varsitybooks.com.

Examinations and other grading material will not depend on these optional texts. These are listed so that the serious student can obtain additional material relevant to the course subjects. Other texts may be recommended during the semester.

MIS-7570 Course Syllabus - Session Descriptions By Week

Teams will present business plans to the class.

Week of	Topics	Assignments, Readings, Cases and Guests
January 26 [Week 1]	Introduction Course overview and administration. Scope and content of syllabus. Introduction of instructor. Discussion of assignments, grading criteria, case paper and exams. Overview of Internet, e-Comm (EC) and e-Biz (EB), as well as other aspects of EC. Review of history of the Internet and EC/EB. Role of technology in commerce and strategic systems. Key frameworks for course. Key vocabulary. Introduction to EC languages and tools.	Watch excerpts from film "Nerds 2.0.1" as shown in class. Full copy available from Babson Library. Scan the online book http://www.home.eunet.co/ ~presno/ bok/ index.html - Odd de Presno, "The Online World Resources Handbook," Self Published, 2000. Good introductory text with many interesting links to demonstration materials. The message is the partly the media here.
February 2 [Week 2]	EC Sites: Business Perspective Discussion of site "progressions" and typical sites, relative to a business' intent and business and technology implications. The elements of a "business model" as well as the spectrum of EC business models observed will be discussed. Relation of EB/EC to value chains and extended enterprise models.	Read http://www.businessweek.com/ ebiz/9908/ dm0813.htm - "E-Commerce Explosion," BW,, 8/13/99. Read http://www.techweb.com/ se/ directlink.cgi? IWK19960610S0045 Champy, Buday, and Nohria, "Selling on the Web - Creating the Electronic Community," Techweb,1995. Read http://www.ecomworld.com/html/ articles/ digeco.htm T. Wilken, "Sizing Up the Digital Economy" at this link. Read http://www.economist.com/editorial/ freeforall/ 19990626/ su9828.html) - M. Symonds, "The Net Imperative," Economist, June 26, 1999, Special Section. Read http://www.usc.edu/dept/ annenberg/ vol1/ issue3/ sarkar.html. M. Sarkar, B. Butler and C. Steinfield, "Intermediaries and Cybermediaries: A Continuing Role for Mediating Players in the Electronic Marketplace," 1997?. Explores new roles for potentially disintermediated channel players. Read L. Sharon, "Business Models," 1999. Study the Case:http://www.esteel.com. Review site. Understand nature of market, forces, value chain, business model, and revenue model. How do you compete with e-steel?
February 9 [Week 3]	EC Sites: Technology Perspective Organizing principles and major network and Internet technology components, and ISPs, portals, search engines, and other features. E-comm "languages." Mechanics of creating Web pages and launching them into cyberspace. The technology, software, network connections, and business design will be discussed for several business models.	Read http://www.microsoft.com/ DigitalNervousSystem/ solutions/ overview.htm - "E-Commerce and the Digital Nervous System," 1999. A look at the foundations, hardware, software and several case studies for doing business on the Internet from Microsoft's perspective. There are many case studies and other material at the Microsoft site. Focus on the following, however. - http://www.microsoft.com/ DigitalNervousSystem/ ecommerce/ Commerce.htm - download the CommerceWP.doc paper. - http://www.microsoft.com/ DigitalNervousSystem/ ecommerce/ default.htm - overview of site with pointers to case studies. Read the Art.com, MasterCard International, and Sainsbury's Supermarkets cases. Read http://navigators.com/ internet_ architecture.html - A unique pictoral with accompanying text of how the Internet works between your desktop computer and a Web server. Scan S. Estrada, "Research Report: Search Engines," 1999. Scan http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue2_2/peterson/index.html - J. Peterson, "Eight Internet Search Engines Compared," First Monday,, 1997?. Read http://www.west.net/~steveco/collfilt.html - Short article on collaborative filtering. Compare with what you think "rules-based filtering" might be. Read http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/ COLLFILT.html - F. Heylighen, "Collaborative Filtering," Principia Cybernetica Web, 1999. Short article. Read http://www.instantweb.com/m/ mahesh/ 4455/ CollabFiltering.HTML - "Collaborative Filtering," 1999. Short article.
February 16 [Week 4]	Model Components: Sell Side, CRM, and Auctions This module will discuss how various companies are positioning themselves to use EC/EB in their marketing and sales operations. Relevant product suites for these types of operations will be discussed. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) will also be discussed together with the subject of data mining. Impacts on the channels and distribution chains will also be discussed.	Team project information due! Read K. Matthews, "Dell Corporation," 1999. Read http://www.informationweek.com/ 763/ gmforum.htm - GM Will Use Technology to Know Its Customers, IW, 11/29/99. Read Open Market White Paper, "Open Market Transact 4," 1997. Read with emphasis on the components of a sell side operation, including their integration. See other white papers at the OMI site as well. Paper may be obtained at http://www.openmarket.com, going to Support, going to the Library (Enter), going to White Papers, and selecting this white paper. Others also interesting. http://www.informationweek.com/ 763/ catalog.htm - "Build the E-Commerce Catalog," IW, 11/29/99.
February 23 [Week 5]	Model Components: Buy Side and SCM Buy-side or procurement systems will be discussed, together with the efficiences they inject into a business. The opportunities for EC/EB along the supply chain will be covered with emphasis on ERP/EEM systems and their relationship to the "back office" support of e-Comm. The revenue and cost components of an EC business will be discussed, together with the major elements that go into a business case for a venture capital request. Risk and other criteria venture partners use to evaluate submissions. The roles and success factors of entrepreneurs will also be covered including issues of management and leadership.	Read Andrea Meyer, "GE TPN," MIT, 1999. Case questions are at the end of the article. Scan http://www.3com.com/technology/ tech_net/ white_papers/ 503048.html - "Business to Business Electronic Commerce," White Paper at site. Discusses technology and supply chain solutions. Scan article focusing on the technology and software components used. Scan J. Saunders, "Structural Costs of E-Commerce," 1999. This draft report highlights business models and the associated costs for implementation. A unique perspective, even though the report is in draft form.
March 1 [Week 6]	EC Business: Linkages With Strategy How do existing businesses cope with the establishment of EC in their industries? What steps do mature companies take to create and implement an EC strategy? What factors are in the way? What strategic questions arise and how should they be answered? Various rules of EB will be discussed and related to performance parameters. Performance metrics for EC/EB will also be discussed. EC/EB businesses will also be discussed from the shareholder and stock market perspective.	This week's readings all comprise a case study: Chemdex, e-Chemicals and Life Technologies. Read handouts, articles below, and consider these questions (Click Here). Study http://www.chemdex.com. Download and read the "pdf" article on "B2B E-Commerce" from the Chemdex site. Study http://www.lifetech.com. Visit site and understand nature of their business and distribution channels. Contrast with Chemdex. Read http://www.cio.com/archive/ webbusiness/ 120199_ net_ content.html - M. Santosus and N. Lewis, "Compound Interests," CIO, 12/1/99. Article about netpreneurs who established http://www.e-chemicals.com. Contrast with Chemdex. Optional Read http://www.businessweek.com - A. Stone, "A Chemicals Superstore With an Explosive Cyber Formula," BW,, 12/30/99. Note: You the specific page address was unavailable; you can enter BW for free to obtain this article. Check also Babson Library.
March 8 [Week 7]	Security and Other Issues Surrounding Electronic Commerce Key issues surrounding EC will be discussed. Specific focus will be on security and "hacker proof" sites, privacy, authentication, and safeguards, hence, a discussion on protection of company systems and information by firewalls and security-limited access. Solutions to security problems with various hardware and software configurations will be covered. Protocols and features of EC software such as browsers that allow heightened security will also be discussed.	Read "Security at McDonnell Douglas," 1999, and consider the questions at the end of the case study. Read http://www.informationweek.com/764/taxes.htm - "Internet Develops Its Own Tax Code," IW, 12/6/99. Read http://www.stern.nyu.edu/~akambil - Download third article on page, "Internet Security Note - A Teaching Note on Internet Security." See other articles by author including "Doing Business in the Wired World," 1997. Ajit Kambil, "Trends in Electronic Commerce Security: Background Material for Discussion on Payments and Security," 1999. Good overview paper of 22 pages. Other interesting papers also at site. Read http://www.ssh.fi/ tech/ crypto/ algorithms.html - "Introduction to Cryptology," "Algorithms," and "Protocols and Standards," SSH Tech Comet, 1998.
March 15 [Week 8]	EC In Practice: Financial Services One of the key areas being developed that will have far-reaching impacts on business and EC is electronic banking. Attempted on-and-off for over 20 years with various technologies, now electronic banking appears to have a viable start. Electronic banking will be discussed, together with the various banking/financial services functions. Many related issues including payments, bill presentation, credit cards, e-wallets, etc. will also be discussed.	Read the Case R. H. Reck, "Online Banking," Kendall Consulting Group, 1999, and answer the related questions at the end of the case. Read http://www.informationweek.com/ 762/ ebpp.htm - "Electronic Billing Made Simpler," IW, 11/22/99.
March 22	No Class - Spring Recess	"See you in Florida!"
March 29 [Week 9]	EC In Practice: Online Publishing Continued discussion on business strategy. How do mature industries cope with potential obsolescence of their business or market position due to EC? Examples from the publishing area will help focus the discussion. Additionally the impact of distance learning on the education industry will be examined.	Case Study paper due. Read the Case: "e-Music," by M. Giorgetti, 1999. Consider the impacts of the Web and common practice on this publishing industry. Read http://www.business2.com/articles/1999/ 12/ content/ feature_3.html - "Stop the Presses," Moderated by J. Ryan, Business 2.0, 12/99. Article on how journalism struggles to move into the Internet age. Be sure to read all five parts. Read http://www.deathofdistance.com/html/ a_ trendspotter's_ guide.html - Site summarizes thirty trends that will shape the future. References book by the same title by F. Cairncross of the Economist.
April 5 [Week 10]	Knowledge Management An important and allied component of EC/EB is knowledge management. This module will discuss KM and the various viewpoints companies are taking on the subject. A business and technology perspective will be shared. The impact on operations of a consulting company will help focus the class.	Read Integral Consulting case study - Download of 3.3MB Word document. Focus on the relevance of KM to Integral; the link between KM and the firm's model; the implementation hurdles; and the technology implications. Read http://www.skyrme.com/ insights/ - David Skyrme's site contains a number of interesting articles, including several on Knowledge Management. Find and read these. Read http://www.cio.com/archive/060196_ uneasy_1.html) - "Five Uneasy Pieces: Knowledge Management," CIO, 6/1/96. Short overview of KM. Scan http://www.kennedy info.com/mc/ gware.html#j/ - "B. Reimus, "Knowledge Sharing Within Management Consulting Firms," Kennedy Information, 1997. Read http://www.cio.com/archive/ 060198_ think_ content.html) - T. Davenport, "Managing Customer Knowledge," CIO, 6/1/98. Focuses on turning customer data into useful knowledge. Read http://www.microsoft.com/ DigitalNervousSystem/ km/ KMpract.htm - "Practicing Knowledge Management: Turning Experience and Information Into Results." A look at Knowledge Management from Microsoft's perspective. Download the paper "PractKM.doc" from this page at the Microsoft site. There are many case studies and other material at the Microsoft site. Focus on the following, however. http://www.microsoft.com/ DigitalNervousSystem/ km/ default.htm - Read three case studies available through links at this page on KPMG, A. T. Kearney, and British Petroleum.
April 12 [Week 11]	E-Comm as a Transformation Tool While terms such as business process redesign and reengineering have faded from popularity, the result of many e-business implementations and supply chain renovations is exactly the same as if reengineering had been the original goal. These lectures will discuss reengineering, link these to e-commerce, and discuss the implications for conceiving and launching an e-commerce business.	Read http://www.brint.com/ papers/ bpr.htm) - Y. Malhotra, "Business Process Redesign: An Overview," BRI, 1998. - Short overview of reengineering. Read http://www.fastcompany.com/ online/ 01/ reengin.html - T. Davenport, "The Fad That Forgot People," Fast Company, 1995. A classic article on reengineering and some of the problems the concept faced in implementations. Scan http://www.dtic.mil/c3i/ bprcd/ 7223c2.htm - This is an online book on reengineering used within the Department of Defense. See also other chapters. Scan other chapters. Consider the relevance of reengineering to electronic commerce for class discussion. Read R. Reck and V. Reck, "Managing Change: A Proven Path to Business Success," Innovations (Kendall Consulting Group), 1995. This article casts reengineering as a change program and explains the three elements for success in such a program.
April 19 [Week 12]	EC Sites: Design Criteria and Layout What factors lead to successful EC sites? What are the various evaluation criteria? How can you become a "destination" site? Several specific areas will also be discussed relative to site design, including collaborative filtering versus structured filtering, search engine bias, and common gateway interfaces (CGI). These factors are particularly instrumental in site functionality and relative success. Aesthetic factors will also be highlighted.	Read http://www.websitesthatsuck.com - Presents a unique look at good and bad web sites from usage and design viewpoints. Scan http://www.wilsonweb.com/articles/ 12design.htm - Discusses 12 design decisions, including purpose, site organization, name, key graphics, photos, forms, testing, registering and advertising the site and site maintenance. Scan http://www.wilsonweb.com/articles/ why-come.htm - Presents four major motivations for customers to come to your Web site and briefly discusses each one. Scan http://www.business2.com/articles/ 1999/ 12/ content/ market_9.html - J. Nielsen, "Designing for Disaster," Business 2.0, 12/99. Article gives ten design "goofs" that can spell doom for any business site.
April 26 [Week 13]	E-Commerce, SCM, ERP and Legacy Systems - Plus Presentation of Team Business Plans A concise look at electronic commerce and the linkages with other information systems and business operations will be the focus of this module. ERP systems and the moves being made by these software providers will be covered. Some of the class projects - Team Business Plans - will be presented to the class. Topics left unaddressed up to this time period will also be completed. Time will also be allocated for completion of the course evaluations.	Read http://www.cio.com/ forums/ erp/ edit/ 122299_erp.html - "The ABC's of ERP," CIO, 12/22/99. Good overview of ERP systems and the concept of SCM. Read http://www.cio.com/archive/ 061597_ commerce_ print.html - P. Fabris, "EC Riders," CIO, 1997. Streamlining the supply chain. Also discusses GE TPN.
May 3 [Week 14]	Presentation of Team Business Plans Teams will present business plans to the class. As an ending to the class the future will be discussed through scenarios and the business impacts facing the EC/EB community. Final examination handout.	Read http://www.business2.com/articles/1999/ 12/ content/ internetage.html - J. Griffin, "How Will the Internet Age," Business 2.0, 12/99. Five major predictions that will affect business and daily life. Come prepared to discuss the major changes you anticipate that will occur due to the Internet and Electronic Commerce.

Changes in syllabus by version date:
1/30/00 Corrected grade weightings as discussed in class.
1/31/00 Added link to L. Sharon's article added in Week 2.
2/18/00 Changed instructor's address/phone on campus.
2/18/00 Added link to Knowledge Management Case in Week 10.
3/16/00 Corrected date case study is due to same as class date of March 29.

End of Syllabus.