Ruskana does not understand anything about the principles and concepts of e-commerce and therefore she has asked you to produce a report which explains: e-commerce principles

Unit 4.51 E-commerce Applications

Level 4  12 Credits

 

Related Qualifications

ATHE Level 4 Diploma in Computing (QCF)

Sample Assignment

Scenario

You have recently been appointed as an Adviser to Ruksana Davison, Director of the Organic Toy Company. She is considering moving her business to online. Currently the business operates from a bedroom in her home, however sales have been expanding and she realises that she needs an e-commerce system so that she can expand and grow sales globally. The toys are produced for children with allergies and wherever possible use locally sourced raw materials. Ruksana has been selling at local trade fairs but this is not always cost effective and she realises that sales are more likely to grow if she moves the business online. 

Activity 1 Unit 4.51 E-commerce Applications

Ruskana does not understand anything about the principles and concepts of e-commerce and therefore she has asked you to produce a report which explains:

• e-commerce principles
• the relationship between e-commerce principles and e-commerce models
• the effect of e-commerce applications on different types of organisations

LO1, LO4 assessment criteria, 1.1, 1.2, 4.1

Activity 2

Ruksana is pleased with your report; however she is still very unsure if moving online is really as good as she thinks it is. She has therefore asked you to a meeting to clarify the benefits of e-commerce. You need to be well prepared for the meeting and want to ensure she has documentation which she can consider fully when you have left. Prepare a paper which:

• examines the opportunities and benefits e-commerce offers a small business such as the Organic Toy Company
• analyses the threats of adopting e-commerce to her business
• explains solutions to overcome some of the threats of adopting e-commerce to her business

LO 2 assessment criteria, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3

Activity 3

Ruksana’s concerns have been allayed and she wishes to move to having an online presence. She has retained all of the information you have presented to date in a folder on her computer. She has asked you to add to this folder by providing the following, as this is essential material to inform the next stage in her business development. Produce:

• an evaluation of e-commerce models that will be appropriate for Ruksana’s business
• a critical comparison of e-commerce revenue models that can be used by her business
• an evaluation of e-commerce strategies that can be used by the Organic Toy Company and that have proven successful with other similar businesses
• a critical evaluation of the different applications that could be used to develop an online presence for the Organic Toy Company.

LOs 2, 3, 4, assessment criteria 2.4, 3.1, 3.2, 4.2

Activity 4

Ruskana is pleased with your presentation and has decided to go ahead with an online presence. She has asked you to create an e-commerce site in line with industry standards. 

You will present your solution to Ruksana demonstrating the appropriate use of an e-commerce application.

LO5, assessment criteria, 5.1, 5.3

Activity 5

Ruksana has provided you with feedback on your e-commerce site and she has asked other possible users to do the same. You are keen to learn from this feedback. Produce a personal file document which draws together the review of the feedback and in particular your use of an e-commerce application and how this will be maintained and supported.

LO5, assessment criteria 5.2

Guidelines for assessors

The assignments submitted by learners must achieve the learning outcomes and meet the standards specified by the assessment criteria for the unit. The suggested evidence below is how learners can demonstrate that they have met the required standard. 

Unit 4.51 E-commerce Applications

Activity number	Learning outcomes and assessment criteria	Suggested evidence
1	LOs 1. 4 AC 1.1, 1.2, 4.1	The learners will produce a comprehensive report in a standard report format which explains the different principles that relate to e-commerce and the stages required to implement an e-commerce solution.  Learners will explain the relationship between e-commerce principles and models and they should support their explanation with examples from organisations that have implemented e-commerce successfully.  Learners will explain the effect that e-commerce applications have on different organisations of varying sizes and types. They should support their explanation with examples from organisations that have been successful with online applications.
2	LO2 AC 2.1, 2.2, 2.3,	The learners should prepare a structured paper for the Director, which clearly examines the opportunities and benefits e-commerce offers a small business. The learners should research and support their arguments with examples from other small businesses, which could be relevant to the business in the scenario. The learners will analyse the threats to a business of adopting e-commerce, identifying the main issues and showing how they are related to actual practice. Using examples from similar businesses they should clearly explain the solutions to overcome the threats they have identified.
3	LOs 2.3.4 AC 2.4, 3.1, 3.2, 4.2	The learners will need to demonstrate their understanding of e-commerce models used in small businesses. This will be achieved by producing a balanced evaluation of the different models and a critical comparison considering the similarities and differences of the revenue models. The learners will produce a balanced evaluation of the different e-commerce strategies that can be implemented by the Organic Toy Company examining strengths and weaknesses of the approaches. They should be able to relate these strategies to the models and will use examples from other successful businesses to support their evaluation. Learners will critically evaluate different applications that could be used to develop an e-commerce site identifying the strengths and weaknesses of each.  They should recommend which one Ruksana should use and why, as this will help to demonstrate the application required by the LO.
4	LO5 AC 5.1, 5.3	Learners will ideally use the e-commerce application that they have recommended in task 3 to create their e-commerce site. They should research the latest industry standards and ensure that they comply with these during the development process.  Learners must present the e-commerce site they have created to their client, taking account of the intended audience. The tutor or someone external to the learners will need to assume the role of the client. The presentation could be through live access to the site or through screen shots.
5	LO 5 AC 5.2	As an assessor you will need to provide the learner will feedback on their e-commerce site. You may also ask others in the group to do the same so individual learners get feedback from various sources. The feedback should be structured and cover key areas so tutors may decide to design a feedback form. The learners should review and learn from this feedback. The personal file document should identify the strengths of their work, how they could improve their site, their performance and the design process if they were to attempt this activity again. The learner should also include evidence as to how the e-commerce site can be maintained and supported.

Unit 4.51 E-commerce Applications