eCommerce: Introduction
This Unit is about providing a solid understanding of the fundamentals in e-commerce. In particular conducting business communication and transactions over networks and through the use of computers.
To begin with you will look at the types of business relationships that exist on the Internet for instance:
- Business to Business
- Business to Customer
- Customer to Business
- Customer to Customer
All these types of relationships can generate revenue on the Internet for a business and you will look at different ways this is achieved by looking at types of business models. In the most basic sense, a business model is the method of doing business by which a company can sustain itself that is, generate revenue. It is important that you can identify what benefits a company existing on-line will gain and what factors will make a product sell successfully.
Next you will look at, the decision whether a business decides that it is beneficial to operate on-line, what environment and technologies are available to support ecommerce and how it all fits together. This will include the facilities offered by Internet Server Providers and hosting options available, also payment methods available on line and security issues that need to be considered, the methods and benefits of encryption and the use of digital certificates.
Finally, you will look at the legal considerations and implication for ecommerce businesses. On completion of the unit you should understand the basic concepts of electronic commerce, understanding how traditional business activities can be conducted on the Internet, and identify key issues that affect small business who carry out their business on-line.
