Marketing on the Internet--Augusta State University

This course addresses the manner in which e-commerce is changing the way that firms market their products and services. The course will explore the basic issues of advertising and selling on the Internet, the use of web sites to provide service and support to customers, consumer decision making when shopping on the Internet, the development of databases which allow customization of products and services to specific customer segments, and payment and transaction processes. The course will also address strategic issues such as how marketing communications and distribution strategies are changing due to the Internet.

Learning Objectives:

1. Develop an understanding of the electronic marketplace.
2. Determine the sources of competitive advantage that are most important in a digital economy.
3. Develop an understanding of the role of advertising in the e-commerce marketplace.
4. Develop an understanding of the infrastructure requirements for e-commerce ventures.
5. Develop a framework for analysis of e-commerce marketing strategies.
6. Develop an understanding of the methods for delivering services within the e-commerce marketplace.
7. Develop an understanding for developing logistical processes relative to e-commerce solutions.

Required Textbook

Mohammed, Rafi, Robert Fisher, Bernard Jaworski and Aileen Cahill. Internet Marketing: Building Advantage in a Networked Economy. Burr Ridge, Illinois: McGraw-Hill/Irwin/marketspaceU, 2001.

A Few Rules

This is an online course which has several distinct differences from a more traditional course:

1. First, there are no specific class times. You work when you want and how much you want at any given interval. However, this does NOT mean that you can slack off and wait until the end of the course to conduct a great deal of your work.

2. Second, can take the quizzes when you want. This does NOT mean that you should wait until the end of the semester to take them. In fact, you MUST take the quizzes before the expiration date for each quiz. See the calendar for the expiration date.

3. You will be assigned to a group which will evaluate a webpage in the context of that particular weeks assignment. Your group will post a weekly answer to your question to the bulletin board area.

4. Each lesson will have a start and an end date. You might see where some of these start and end dates go over a weekend. This does not imply that we are holding class on Saturday or Sunday, however some of you will do some of the work during this time.

Grading

Grading consists of quizzes, a proctored midterm, a proctored final, and a group participation grade.

Quizzes

12 Quizzes will be given at the end of each lesson. These are comprised of 5-10 multiple choice and true false type questions. You can take the quiz anytime during the lesson period, however they do have an expiration date! You will not be allowed to take the quiz after the expiration date. No excuses! The quizzes are worth 20% of your final grade.

Midterm

You will be given a midterm exam which will consist of 50-60 multiple choice and true/false questions. The midterm will be given available during the weeks of March 1-March 23, afterwhich the midterm expires similar to the quizzes. The midterm covers the material from lesson 1-6 and is online. The midterm is worth 20% of your grade.

Final Exam

The final exam is comprehensive. You must take the final exam in person and will be given at a proctored site. The format is exactly the same as the midterm and is worth 30% of your final grade.

Group Participation Grade

You will be assigned to a group which will analyze and prepare answers to questions relative to a company who has a significant web presence. Your group will be responsible for creating and maintaining a webpage to answer the questions. At the end of the course, your webpage will be evaluated and a group grade will be assigned. You will be given a share of that group grade through a group evaluation process. Your final group grade will be worth 30% of your final grade.

During the first week of class, you will be assigned to a group. The group companies are as follows:

Group 1: FordUSA.com AND nissanUSA.com

Group 2: vh1.com AND comedycentral.com

Group 3: target.com AND bestbuy.com

Group 4: rollingstone.com AND people.com

Group 5: Augusta Airport.com AND Chattanooga Tennessee Airport

Group 6: Wade Plantation.com AND Claxton Fruitcake.com

Group 7: Polo.com AND Tommy.com

Group 8: landsend.com AND llbean.com

Group 9: Augusta State and USA-Aiken

Group 10: AugustaChronicle AND WashingtonPost

Group 11: Fast Company AND Business 2.0

Group 12: Regal cinemas AND Lowes cinemas

Group 13: Expedia.com AND Orbitz.com

Group 14: Home Depot AND Lowes

As you can see, each group has two companies within a paticular industry. The weekly questions will ask that you compare and contrast the two approaches relative to a particular topic concerning their internet marketing strategies.

Your final grade will be based on the standard 100-90 as an "A", 89-80 as a "B", 79-70 as a "C", 69-60 as a "D", and 59-0 as an "F".

Syllabus

Description