Research Topics: E Commerce Case Analysis

E-COMMERCE ON CLOTHING INDUSTRY IN UK

E-COMMERCE ON CLOTHING INDUSTRY IN UK   PART I THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND     INTRODUCTION            With the inventions of computer, we can say that we have achieved the modern and the advance way of living. Computer is the most reliable and efficient gadget humans have invented. Innovations in computer technology have touched all fields of life. The rapid growth and changes in information technology have influenced the business world. The birth of electronic commerce or e-commerce had brought the great wave of changes in business transactions.  (2006) defines electronic commerce or e-commerce as a process that includes the buying and selling, or the distribution of products or services through electronic systems like the Internet and other computer network. It is an electronic business application aimed in doing commercial transactions. “Electronic commerce is the exchange of information across electronic networks, at any stage in the supply chain, whether within an organization, between businesses, between businesses and consumers, or between the public and private sectors, whether paid or unpaid”          According to  (1999) this Internet-based technology, allow the online application to integrate several business functions such as accounting, banking, finance, management and administrative control, supply chain management, selling chain management, data collection system, marketing, and also fund transfer. The transactions are made using electronic communications technology such as the database, e-books, e-mail, extranets, Internet, and even with mobile phones. Before electronic commercial transactions is done using Electronic Data Interchange. In this process commercial documents like purchase orders (commercial document that indicates the quantities and prices of the products or services, usually issued by a Buyer to a Seller) or invoices is send electronically. Later on, the “Web commerce” has been developed. In Web commerce, goods and services are purchase over the World Wide Web via https. Costumer can use e-shopping carts and with electronic paying services using credit card payment authorizations. Between 1998 and 2000, large number of businesses in the United States and Western Europe had created their own Web sites.             Such technological innovation makes office works and commercial transactions viable in just a single click on your computer. Nowadays companies worldwide are engaged in e-commerce. E-commerce has become the medium for trade of manufacturing and retail industries. (2000) of the Gartner Group estimated that e-commerce revenues in 2000 had generated at least 9 billion dollars and at least $ 2,584 billion in 2004 in business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) that is in the United States alone. According to  (2003) of Forrester Research, electronic commerce generated sales worth of .2 billion in 2003. E-commerce has become well established in different countries in America, Asia, Europe, and in other industrialized countries around the world.  E-commerce is similar to a real mall because it offers variety of products; from books, ticket reservations, school supplies, clothing, etc.    STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM                Most companies in UK have transformed their businesses to enable them for e-commerce. Now e-commerce is becoming the hearth of textile and clothing industries in UK.  (2001) reported that UK clothing manufacturing sector is now experiencing an increasing international competition unlike with the fashion design and branded clothing sector that are performing comparatively strong. In the summary of the report, the clothing industry is facing major problems with the competition from firms in different countries and changing customer needs. For fashion design and branded clothing company’s competition from abroad is less threatening compared to the issue on changing customer needs and difficulty accessing capital. Manufacturers are looking to transfer their production facilities abroad where labor costs are much lower due to the increasing competition from low priced imports. In relation to this, the study then intends to delve with the following questions:   1)     What are the potential impacts of e-commerce on the different sector of UK clothing industry? 2)      What are the present problems and challenges facing UK clothing industry with the use of e-commerce? 3)      What are possible solutions to overcome the limitations of e-commerce on clothing industry? 4)       What are the assistances provided by UK government to help resolve the issues on clothing industry? GOALS      Several studies in the past had acknowledged that UK had all the advantages that favor the development of e-commerce. This is because it has a liberalized and competitive telecommunications market. However, there have been limited studies which proven the benefits of e-commerce on UK clothing industry. Thus, this study will identify the specific effects of e-commerce on clothing industry. The descriptive research design will be used to attain the ultimate goals of this study. This study also aims to prove the following: 1)     E-commerce has positive and negative effects on UK clothing industry. 2)     UK clothing industry is experiencing problems with the use of e-commerce. 3)     There are solutions to overcome the limitations of e-commerce on clothing industry. 4)     The UK government is providing assistance to help clothing industry to surpass their challenges concerning e-commerce.   OBJECTIVES                   As the guide for the researcher, the following objectives for this study has been laid down:        1.      This study will identify the impact of e-commerce on UK clothing industry. This objective will be achieved through a descriptive research design. The results will be derived from the initial and post interviews. 2.      This study will examine the problems and challenges facing UK clothing industry with the use of e-commerce.  This aim will be achieved through the data gathered from the interviews and surveys. In order to guide the researcher with the interview process, a structured interview schedule will be prepared. 3.      This study will determine the possible solutions to overcome the limitations of e-commerce on clothing industry. The data that will help attain this objective will be based on the interview.   4.      This study will also discuss the assistance of UK government to clothing industry that helps resolve the issues on e-commerce.   SCOPE AND DELIMITATION                This study was narrowed down to four aspects due to time constraints. First, the impact of e-commerce on UK clothing industry. This study will focus on the three clothing sector namely: fashion design and branded clothing, knitwear and made to order clothing. Second, the problems encountered by UK clothing industry concerning e-commerce. Third, the possible solutions to overcome the limitations of e-commerce on clothing industry. Lastly, the different assistance provided by the UK government to clothing industry that helps resolve the issues on e-commerce. This study will not attempt to compare the status of e-commerce on clothing industry in different countries in the world.    SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY          The clothing industry in UK is facing a tight competition in the international market. To stay ahead of the competition a better understanding on e-commerce has to be provided. This study will promote a greater awareness and understanding of the impact and potential of e-commerce on clothing industry. Encourage the sector to innovate e-commerce to improve their competitiveness in the market. In addition, this will increase the awareness of the companies to transform the sector for e-commerce. Furthermore, this study will provide them ways to reduce the development and maintenance costs for e-commerce solutions. This study will challenge the government to improve e-commerce awareness by educating and training the companies in the industry. This will also promote the take-up of e-commerce technologies in schools.        PART II RESEARCH METHODOLOGY          In this study, the researcher will be using descriptive method. Descriptive method seeks to describe systematically a situation or area of interest factually and accurately. The impact of e-commerce on UK clothing industry will be taken into account. Desk research will also be used to understand the problems affecting the UK clothing industry and in its different sector. Interviews with trade associations and sector companies will also be conducted for a wider understanding of their use of e-commerce. Finally, a telephone survey to companies, costumers and suppliers engage in clothing industry will be planned to be taken.             The evaluation of materials will include the determination of the sources of information. It is convenient to think that information is classified into primary sources or the firsthand and the secondary sources. Primary sources are documents in which the individual describing the event was present when it occurred. Secondary sources are documents in which the individual describing the event but obtained his description from someone else that may or may not have been a direct observer. Analysis of the documents will carry out the external and internal criticism of each document. External criticism is concerned primarily with questions related to whether or not the source is genuine. Internal criticism involves evaluating the probable accuracy of the statements obtained in the document.   PART III PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA            The data gathered from the research, interviews, and survey will be subjected to analysis. The analysis will be characterized by descriptive and comparative approaches. Qualitative data that will be gathered from the research and interviews will be presented in text formats. The summary of the data from the survey will be converted to percentages and presented in graphs.   REFERENCES Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

E-COMMERCE ON CLOTHING INDUSTRY IN UK

E-COMMERCE ON CLOTHING INDUSTRY IN UK PART I THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND INTRODUCTION With the inventions of co...

Dissertation Title : The implications of Internet (Electronic Commerce) for UK business

Research Proposal on the Implications of Electronic Commerce to the UK Businesses                               Table of contents 1.     Introduction.. 3 2.     Background of the Study.. 5 3.     Statement of the Problem.. 7 4.     Literature Review… 8 5.     Overview of Methodology.. 12 6.     Limitations of the Study.. 15 7.     References.. 16     1.    Introduction             Before the popularity of the Internet and the wireless communication systems available at present, profit-seeking organizations have relied to the traditional means and ways of creating sustainable development. But with the growing trends toward globalization, information management systems and infrastructures through the utilization of the Internet emerged as the most efficient means of reaching to clients and customers. Business organizations at present are characterized with electronic systems that enhance the traditional business practices and management approaches. The growing competition in both the local and international industries resulted to the industries’ never-ending quest for solutions to provide better products as well as services to the public. The advancement in the business arena nowadays has been the product of the technological intervention of the Internet which in the process reformed the 21st century business environment.               Today the popularity of the online communication business processes along with the immense distribution of communication gadgets and technologies have resulted to opportunities for the marketing and sales industry to venture on business that utilizes the faculty of the Internet. As was pointed out by  (2000), the communication reforms brought about by the popularity of the internet resulted to business organizations’ initiative towards reformatting and restructuring of their business processes in order to meet the challenge of the current market competition as well as add value to the products and services being delivered to the clients and customers (, 2000). It can not be denied that the World Wide Web has been of great use and facility to business organizations particularly those operating in the international market not just in their promotional aims but also in the daily information management of documents as well as other business routines that are relevant to the efficient functioning of multinational firms.              2.    Background of the Study             The features of the Internet have been designed in order for the public to access and use it with ease. Fast, efficient, user-friendly, and functionality sets the online communication technologies from the traditional channels of communication. It defies geographic boundaries, time as well as the expenses that characterize the previously known ways of communicating with each other. Mail accounts are maintained by most of the individuals who are exposed to online technologies in order to contact acquaintances through the cyber space. Instant messaging is likewise popularly used by people of different walks of life while online computer games are famous for the entertainment it gives. Videos, songs, and movies are now just a click away from being downloaded to computer hardware while buy and sell business schemes have been one of the most visited sites online.  All these transactions and activities are available just by connecting to the Internet.               In this light, it is interesting to learn how the online technologies, particularly the Internet, have influenced the current business practices as well as management approaches. This research study is geared towards the understanding of the implications of electronic commerce among the UK business sector. The research study will cover and contain discussions and analyses regarding the history and growth of the Internet, the global impact of the Internet, the features that are common as well as the benefits of e-commerce, comparative analysis of the e-commerce versus the traditional business practices, the security policies and customer privacy issues that beset the technology, the barriers and limitations of utilizing the Internet, and the features of e-commerce. All these issues will be presented and analyzed through this research endeavor.                             3.    Statement of the Problem             In order to complete the goals of this particular academic activity as well as to set the objectives of the study, the following research questions will be presented and discussed in the entirety of the research paper focusing on the implications of the electronic commerce to the UK business industry.   1.      What is the history of the Internet? How did it grow and develop into the technology that we know today? 2.      What are the impacts of the Internet in the entire global communication system? 3.      What are the features of e-commerce? How do business organizations benefit from the utility of e-commerce? 4.      What are the differences as well as similarities of the traditional business practices and approaches and the e-commerce business framework? 5.      What are the underlying issues on security policies as well as individual privacy standards that influence the continuing utilization of the Internet and the practice of e-commerce? 6.      What are the barriers of entry or the limitations in implementing the e-commerce business framework? 7.      What are the features of e-commerce? 4.    Literature Review             E-commerce and e-business frameworks were launched during the 1990’s as a result of the growing use of the Internet to reach and communicate to large populations of audiences. The further development and improvements that were witnessed geared towards providing better access as well as use of the online communication technologies led to extensive innovation in the traditional business and commercial practices among industries, the Internet did not only reformed the business processes of organizations but likewise served as support system to the important and significant operations of transnational companies. Since technological experts never cease their search for means to enhance the current use of the Internet, it is expected that the coming years will bring more developments and improvements not just when it comes to its use but also on the problems and issues that confronted the technology for the past several years ( &  1997).               Along with globalization, the information and communication technologies changed the way people do things in the different aspects of their lives. Introduction of business-like approaches to organizational management and development have been the result of the continuous improvement on the use of the Internet (, , & , 1998). Both the private and public sector have relied heavily on the benefits and advantages of online communication technologies in delivering better products and services to the people (,  & , 2002). Through the Internet business process were reengineered for more efficient and effective business operations. Communication across time and physical boundaries become possible through instant messaging systems. Business organizations, at present, likewise resort to the benefits of outsourcing practices which are made possible through the facility of the Internet. Logistics management, supply chain, risk and benefits analyses, marketing and communications and promotions, financial assessment, and performance measurement systems became a reality through the use of the Internet (, , & , 2000).               But along with the advantages and benefits brought about by the Internet and other online technologies available to the public, drawbacks and issues regarding privacy options of users are threatened due to the openness of the Internet to every person and individuals that are virtually connected (, 2004). The privacy of most information is admittedly not guaranteed despite the tremendous research towards the advancement the public’s security (, 2003). According to  (1994) the very features of the Internet makes its users susceptible to privacy invasion schemes. These features include the fast and free access of most people to online systems and networks threatening the unethical use of the available medical, credit and other personal information of a person (, 1994). At this milieu, the public’s right to know and the individual’s right to privacy are contrasting forces in the midst of the popular utilization of the Internet. The technologies that were created for the convenient and fast transfer of data and information led to issues and problems regarding security and privacy (, 2002).                          (2006) indicated the existing privacy evasive technologies (PETs) are the programs and software that were designed as means to device ways of providing guaranteed privacy among users of the Internet. Privacy evasive technologies secures into private the browsing activities of individuals particularly business organization that manage and authorize highly confidential data and information. At present, there are technologies to prevent unwanted access to files as well as browsing in the Internet. According to  (2005) existing online privacy tools make it possible to prevent access to private files, automate the retrieval of data, automatic audit of information including the visited websites, deny access to unwanted files and programs, prevent tracking of cookie files and logs, avert misconnection of messages to unknown individuals, and foil the transactions that contain personal data and information of a specific Internet user (, 2005).                       However, there are certain barriers when it comes to the implementation of the e-commerce business framework. This highlights issues and problems regarding quality which most of the time become prey in exchange to the efficient delivery of products and services as well as the faster business operation processes brought about by technological innovation. The client relationship of most corporations and firms were confronted with issues on low customer satisfaction levels as well as lowered rapport within workplace settings. Since the virtual communication made possible contact and transfer of information and data in an impersonal manner, the quality aspects of communication is in the process being set aside. Relationships between colleagues within business organization are likewise affected by the use of impersonal means of communication through the Internet and instant messaging systems and technologies.       As such, business organization created strategies to counter such problematic situations through consumer studies and personnel training and team building exercises for the staff and employees. These initiatives are within the objective of the management to create better client satisfaction evaluation and assessment, loyalty, as well as professional growth within the company among the employees. But such initiatives also prove inadequate in improving and developing quality integration strategies within business organizations. Most of the time, it is required for the management to review and re-examine the values, skills, and the involvement of every member of the business organization in order to realize the appropriate business approaches and practices that will be beneficial to the entire company. Continuous improvement in terms of quantity and quality of work output as well as working conditions is used in the hope that such changes will result to better client relation and improved satisfaction among the customers (,  & , 1998).        5.    Overview of Methodology             This particular research activity will be conducted using the guidelines of both the quantitative and the qualitative research approaches. In this light, the research study will make use of the survey and the interview techniques as methods for the data gathering activities. the qualitative aspect of researcher will be used in order to provide in-depth discussion regarding the concept of e-commerce as well as its implications to the global business market. Meanwhile, the quantitative part of the research activity will make possible the quantification of concepts and ideas that are otherwise immeasurable within the qualitative paradigm. The utilization of both the quantitative and the qualitative research approaches will be used to provide holistic and comprehensive understanding on the selected research topic. Therefore, discussions will reflect the use of both these academic research approaches.               The survey method will be facilitated through the use of survey forms and questionnaires. This will include inquiries on the general characteristics, particularly the socio-demographic information of the selected research participants. Quantifiable inquiries will be likewise contained in the survey forms and questionnaire regarding the impact of the e-commerce and the Internet in general on the current business practices and approaches as compared to the traditional business management strategies. The survey forma will be distributed to employees belonging to the Information Technology departments of the selected organizations. The criteria which will be used to select the business organizations will be the firms and companies that have long been operating in their respective industries. This will enable the participants to compare and contrast the business processes of their companies before and after the popularity of the use of the Internet in their commercial operations.   The business organizations will compose of firms and companies from the small, medium, and large scale corporations. A total of thirty research participants will compose the sample for the survey method. These thirty participants are IT professionals form different industries across the UK business sector. There will be ten IT professionals from different business organizations that will represent the small scale enterprises, ten IT professionals to represent the medium business establishments, and ten IT professionals from the large scale corporations and multinational companies. This will enable exhaustive inquiries regarding the impact of e-commerce and the Internet in current business practices across UK. The interview method, on the other hand, will be conducted with business personalities who are considered as experts in the analysis of the trends that have transpired in the UK business arena. The informants will be composed of five personalities from the academe, information technology industry, and other business fields who will be able to give light on the issues that surround the current practice of e-commerce in UK.   The research activity will also make use of secondary data from academic journals, books, and other publications that could provide additional information regarding e-commerce. Published as well as unpublished research papers that were previously conducted which likewise focus on the impacts of e-commerce to the business sector will be reviewed. These additional data and information will also be used to support as well as contradict the findings of the study depending on the credibility of the authors and the journals where they were found published. The use of secondary data and information will likewise serve as validity and reliability indicators of the researcher to ensure that the collected data from the survey and the interview methods could be used to strengthen the findings and results of the study. This will hopefully come up to unbiased presentation and discussion of the collected data and information from the indicated research methodologies.      6.    Limitations of the Study             The broad scope of the research topic is the foremost concern when it comes to the identifiable limitations and barriers of the research activity. but the holistic approach likewise will enable the researcher to contribute fully to the academe as well as to the involved business industries that will be analyzed. Meanwhile, when it comes to the selected data gathering procedures, limitations and shortcomings could be expected in the data gathering procedures. Beginning from the sampling techniques that will be used to identify the participants of the study up to the facilitation of the survey forms and the interview sessions, difficulties will be expected. But with the support of the academe to the research activity and the explanations that will be provided regarding the important contributions of the study to the business industry upon completion, will serve as gateway to the successful research accomplishment. Other political, economic, as well as social issues and constraints are also expected while conducting the research activity which will be evident in the different stakes of the participants and the companies they represent.                 7.    References Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Dissertation Title : The implications of Internet (Electronic Commerce) for UK business

Research Proposal on the Implications of Electronic Commerce to the UK Businesses ...

E-COMMERCE

Background of the Study             Due to rapid technological advancement, technology is changing the conventional way of human existence. Information had become available and accessible for anyone, information gathering and sharing had become easy and fast. The invention of the World Wide Web opened up a new door for everyone to venture. The Internet had become a big library of information that is accessible and abundant. This is the main reason why education is now incorporated to the internet. The Internet has evolved from a library to a classroom. Different educational institutions are now offering online education. Online students are enrolled in the same courseware; the difference is they are not required to personally come to class. Online education is basically a self study based education. This kind of education is widely accepted because of the convenience and portability it offers. Online business is no longer an option for companies, but an absolute necessity for the company’s success.             Brisbane City College (BCC) provides education for students from 5 to   12 years old. The school is planning to implement a new wireless educational network project, by providing online and internet based education contents and communication services for students of all grades. This new service will be delivered through laptops and handheld devices, via Internet service. The school decided to implement online education in order to remain competitiveness in this new education industry where technology is the key to remain an d gain competitive advantage.   Problem overview Purpose             The purpose of this paper is to help the company in identifying the product /service and the competition accompanied in eCommerce operation. The company is starting a new online business and requires a competitive business plan and business case, the purpose of this paper is to provide the company with such needs by using a Business Continuity Plan (BCP). BCP will help the company in organizing a long-term business plan by carefully examining and identifying potential risk involve in eCommerce operation.   Scope             The scope of this report includes a business plan in starting online business; using Business continuity plan in determining the possible risk and response to such risk by Brisbane City College. The roles and responsibilities of the different stakeholders and other parties involved are specified. The report also includes testing, maintenance, and audit plan for the proposed online system.   Limitations and assumptions             The report does not include implementation, integration and testing, installation, and maintenance plan. The report aims to help BCC in formulating a business continuity plan that will help the organization in preventing system downtime to remain operational even in disaster occurrence. Stakeholders             The proposed E-learning system involves major stakeholders in the project. These stakeholders are the different party involved in project development (from designing, approving, implementing, and maintaining the proposed system) and the end-users or beneficiaries once the proposed system id implemented. The stakeholders are: Ø      BCC management and faculty (instructors)             BCC management is the major stakeholders of the proposed system. This            group of stakeholders are the one who decides to implement online   education for the school. BCC as an organization will gain new             technology; in return, the instructors of BCC will gain new skills and             understanding in using technology as a medium in learning (particularly open source and interoperable tools) to improve quality the education   offered by the school.         Ø      System analyst/developers             This team will be responsible in making the initial design of the proposed             online education system. They will be the in-charge of the whole technical      production of the system. Ø      Students and Future Enrolees             The major beneficiaries of the online education system once it is    implemented are the students and the future students/enrolees of the school. This group of stake holders will be the end-users of the proposed       system, together with the instructors of BCC.   Acronyms and definitions Some acronyms used in the paper and there definition: Brisbane City College (BCC) – company that serves as the background of the study. Business Continuity Plan (BCP) – a plan that describes how an organization will deal with potential disasters. It is consists of precautions that will minimized the effects of a disaster in the organization, and the organization will be able to uphold or quickly resume mission-critical functions. BCP typically involves a critical analysis of business processes and continuity needs; it also includes disaster prevention measures. BCP is sometimes referred to as Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) or Business Process Contingency Plan (BPCP). Business Impact Analysis (BIA) – is a vital component of an organization’s BCP. BIA includes an exploratory component that reveals any vulnerability, and a planning component to develop strategies that will minimize organizational risk. The result of BIA is a business impact analysis report; this report describes possible risk to the organization. Business Process Contingency Plan (BPCP) – see BCP Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) – see BCP   Business Plan and Business Case Refer to the handout given in the class (I need you to please provide me with the said handout given to you)   Risk Assessment and Business Impact Assessment             It is important for BCC to properly manage the risk involved in ecommerce; this will give complete balance between operational and economic cost with protective measures and allowing BCC to achieve gains in mission capability by protecting the IT system and data that supports the mission of the organization. E-learning in E-commerce applies the principles of accountability and learning effectiveness.  (2005) defines that risk can result to “loss resulting from inadequate or failed internal process, people, and system, or from external events”. Major types of risk involved in E-learning operation includes: Content risk (courseware preparation), Technological risk (Internet speed), People risk (facilitating instructors), and Process risk (E-learning course administration).For example, errors done by employees, reporting errors, and programming errors are part internal risks that results from the people, process, and system. On the other hand, External risks are, for instance, regulatory changes, political upheavals, and, simply, a theft (, 2005).             Risk assessment determines potential threats and risk associated with an IT system and helps identify suitable solutions to reduce or possibly eliminate risk.  Risk assessment encompasses nine primary steps: Ø      Step 1 – System Characterization   Ø      Step 2 – Threat Identification Ø      Step 3 – Vulnerability Identification Ø      Step 4 – Control Analysis Ø      Step 5 – Likelihood Determination Ø      Step 6 – Impact Analysis Ø      Step 7 – Risk Determination Ø      Step 8 – Control Recommendations Ø      Step 9 – Results Documentation Risk Assessment Content Risk             Preparing the courseware for E-learning is a major risk that BCC needs to assess. BCC management needs to invite experts in the field of IT to help prepare the courseware content for the online education system. BCC’s proposed online education system incurs risk of insufficient academic and business contents in the courseware. Technological Risk             BCC’s proposed online education system critically relies on the speed of the Internet. Unexpected system downtime is cause by heavy traffic over the Internet and the availability of broadband and Internet service in some geographical areas can cause the school monetary loss and can damage the reputation of the school and the proposed system. The technologies to be used for the proposed system may not always meet the expectation. Some technologies may eventually turn out to be incapable of providing the required solution. Technological risk can include the following: hardware, software, the network connection, data, information, etc. People Risk             People is always a major factor in every project, this risk involves the end-users of the proposed system once it is implemented. These end-users are the instructors and the students. BCC management employs facilitating instructors to administer the proposed online education system at a ratio of 1 instructor per 40 students (1:40). Some of the instructors are comfortable with the idea of online education, while some are not. This can risk the quality of education BCC provides. Certain instructors may be up to the learning speed of students, and vice versa. Online education system provides 24/7 service, this may be difficult for an instructor to correspond to 40 students in a timely manner. Process Risk             Online education system will be a totally new system for BCC. In order to design an appropriate framework for BCC’s online education, the management together with the program developers sets the program director and administrative staff to oversee the E-learning operations. Even though the existing administrative system is considered to be sufficient for the new system, it is still not satisfactory due to limited experience of their task and in E-learning infrastructure. Risk identification The following are the potential risk identified. Ø      The courses may be pulled for lack of registrations             Lack of students who registered for an online course can cause the course          to be pulled out by the school. If the minimum or required number of students in a course is not reach, the school can decide to pull out the           course in order to conserve resources. Ø      The courses may be cancelled due to poor participation             If the instructors deem that student participation in a course is poor, such course can be cancelled. Ø      The available e-learning tools may not be customizable and suitable to meet the needs of specific courses             Some of the available E-learning tools in the market may be unsuitable to            meet specific demand of a specific course and some E-learning tools are fixed and may be customizable to meet the demand of a certain course.          For example: a course demands videoconferencing for better lesson             deliberation, the tool to be used must be capable to provide the needed     preference. Ø      The students may lack technical resources to use the e-learning tools             Online education system relies on personal computer or laptops with fast             internet connection. This means that the server and the users must both     comply with the required hardware, software, and Internet connection to        communicate. A student must ensure that he has the technical capability       to communicate with the server. For example: a student computer must     have enough hard drive space to download a course module, which also   requires fast internet connection, Ø      The unwillingness of students and instructors to use e-learning tools             Some students or instructors at BCC may be unwilling to accept the new system due to their technological incapacity to adapt to the new system.   This may be due to a person’s technical knowledge and capability of a       user to acquire the necessary technology required by the new system.   Ø      Staff turnover may cause set-backs             BCC can not immediately implement the new system once it is complete,             because the end users need to undergo comprehensive training in order         to gain proper knowledge of how to properly use the new system. Some of       the instructors of BCC are not well equipped with the proper knowledge    and skills in conducting online education. BCC should provide sufficient time for instructors to train and learn, since online education takes place     during work settings which makes learning easily interrupted by daily task and workplace interaction. Ø      The learning venues may not have suitable resources to use the e-learning tools             Different regions have different technological capacity and capability. BCC          is based in Australia, and therefore has different technology from other region. Because BCC’s proposed online education system is technological           based, some region may not be capable to avail of the online education      system due to technological capability of a region. For example: online      education can cater to online students around the globe, but a certain          region must be capable to adapt to the needed technology to avail of the            service of BCC.   Impact of interruptions (major and minor) will have on the organisation             BCC’s proposed E-learning system will be successful if planning, design, development, evaluation, and implementation process were done in a systematic procedure. Even though E-learning has been successfully implemented, it can still encounter some interruptions, due to the main reason that E-learning system is technology-based. Unexpected system downtime or interruptions are caused by heavy traffic over the Internet and the availability of broadband and Internet service in some geographical areas; such interruptions can cause the school monetary loss and can damage the reputation of the school and the proposed system. System interruptions or downtime is divided into three categories: people, process, and product category (, 1999). People category includes skills and training of staff to maintain and operate the system. The process category includes the steps to ensure system interruption and recovery. And the product category includes the system component, which is the hardware and software, including the network in which the system operates. System interruption can cause major and minor impact to BCC and any organizations if such interruptions are not handled and accessed properly. All three categories need continuos improvement. System interrupt may be cause by:  Ø                  Software defects/failures Ø                  Planned administrative downtime o       Operating system or application upgrades o       Database administration o       System or Network Reconfiguration Ø                  Operator Error Ø                  Hardware Error/Maintenance Ø                  Building or Site Disaster o       (Fire, explosion, etc.) Ø                  Metropolitan area or Regional Disaster o       (Earthquake, Flood, Tornado, Blizzard, etc.) Causes of system downtime (source: IEEE)             No matter what the causes a system downtime/interrupt it will have an after effect to the organization. System downtime can have a minor and major impact to the organization. Downtime on an online education system can greatly cause BCC. Some of the impacts of system downtime on BCC are: Ø      Minor Impact o       Lost productivity and revenue o       Customer complaints regarding the service Ø      Major Impact o       Lost of customers due to unreliable service o       Great financial lost for the organization o       The organization’s reputation may be damage o       Diminishes the organization’s competitiveness in the market due to reputation damage.   Tolerance on system downtime             The best way in preventing system downtime or system interruption is to prevent it from occurring on the first place in order to minimize and contain the damage that it can cause to business. Users of an online education system demands availability of the system at all times, that is why the system either planned (due to maintenance) or unplanned (due to system downfall) can never go down. System availability depends on database reliability and tolerance when system downtime occurs; the FIVE T’s are: fault tolerance, recovery tolerance, management tolerance, people tolerance, and geo-disaster tolerance: Fault Tolerance             Fault tolerance is the ability of a system to respond from unexpected hardware or software failure. Fault tolerance allows a user to continue operation in the event of power failure. It is technologically feasible to reduce system down time, although it is quite expansive. A more practical approach requires that the end-user of the system never notice that a failure occurred. It is always important for any system that the level of service remains satisfactory. Many of today’s fault tolerance computer system mirrors all system operation (which means that every operation done by the system is executed on two or more duplicate system, so if one fails the other can take over). Such technique requires thorough planning in order to insure success. Fault tolerance is a three-step process: First, operation execution must at least have two resources. Second, each of these resources must be capable to handle the full peak load. Third, all the resources must be kept synchronized. Fault tolerance works best in system where ease of operation or hands-off operation is required. Fault tolerance is best for organization that conducts business outside major metropolitan areas.  Recovery Tolerance             System downtime can greatly cause an organization. The real issue in recovery tolerance is the speed it will take the system to recover (such as database and performance recovery). One commonly used recovery tolerance solution is by deploying system backup, where important data are stored. This solution however does not protect the system application, and may leave gaps in data between the times the last backup and when the system is restored, and therefore has no data integrity. Management Tolerance             A planned maintenance is one of the leading causes of system downtime in off peak period; which can consume 90% of off-peak system downtime. In an environment that constantly demands system availability, the ability to maintain and to manage the system is very important. A simple task such as inserting a new table can cause system downtime to a certain period. Online system maintenance and management task (such as load and data distribution, index creation and rebuilding, and inserting and moving tables in the database) are done online. Management tolerance is the ability of an organization to perform ongoing assessment of the performance of the network by using combination of both in-house and remote management software tools.     People Tolerance             People inevitably commit errors, and errors cause downtime. Operator errors are accounted for system downtime. BCC should ensure that end-users of the system are well-trained in managing the system to reduce and as much as possible avoid system downtime. Proper training will provide BCC system user with concrete knowledge on the system’s proper usage. Geo-disaster tolerance             One of the most inevitable reasons of system downtime is site (such as fire or explosion) and regional disasters (such as earthquakes, typhoons, etc.). The occurrences of such disasters can be threatening for any organization, system downtime and lost productivity means lost revenue. Occurrences of natural disasters are unpredictable and can affect business operation; it is best to deploy continuous computing technology in order to reduce and prevent system downtime. Continuos computing technology will allow a user of BCC online education to continuously use the system even though the server is in an area affected by a disaster. Users are transferred to another server outside the disaster area, allowing them to gain continuos access to the system. The highest level of geo-disaster tolerance can be achieved with a fault tolerant solution in two different locations.  If a disaster destroys one system, the other continues to operate with no loss of data and no loss of transactions (, 2001).   Prioritisation in case of interruptions and downtimes             It is of great importance for any organization to have a well-planned solution to system interrupts and downtimes to provide non-stop service to clients in the event that system downtime occurred. In today’s market trends, any organization without a highly available IT infrastructure has the potential to fall behind its competitors and eventually be driven out of business. Natural disasters are unavoidable, that is why it is necessary for an organization to formulate a fault-tolerance in formation systems – A series of best practices guidelines for implementing true information-system fault tolerance comes from research, user interviews, and widely accepted concepts of systems and information theory (, 2001). This concept will help BCC in reducing downtime effects.              (2001) states that downtime can be prevented by using real-world guidance. Redundancy is fundamental to a system, because system reliability requires redundancy. A reliable system makes the system expands either time or resources. This is to the reason that redundancy can test the system of its reliability. Minimize single points of failure; some of the options for an organization are to use alternative power source and disk to protect the system from downtime cause by failure of power supply or disk drives. It is also important to choose the right server for the job. The server to provide BCC with the service should be capable to meet the needs of the organization and the end-users.   Resource requirements             BCC should use capacity planning in choosing the right server to provide the online education system with network and database needs. Capacity planning includes network loading, peak and average bandwidths capacity, disk and memory size. This plan also address the system interaction particularly the hardware and the application software under the system. These requirements are important especially for BCC that is considering high availability fail-over configuration. It is important to eliminate serial path in an online system, because serial elements are prone to bug attacks. Application softwares are considered to be the most critical of serial elements. Application software cannot be fixed while the system operates, although it can be rebooted or restart. Rebooting and restarting causes system interruption. A well written application plan can minimize data loss.          Select and manage software in order to minimize the probability of crashing a critical application. It is important for BCC to test the system before full implementation to en sure that the system won’t encounter any problems once it is fully implemented.             It is a necessity to deploy the right solution to system downtime, in order to minimize the greater effects it can cause the organization. The first step is to fully analyse the network which includes the systems that will collect, store, and process data. Also, the analysis should determine system security performance that can cause system failures. The system and data backup and failover systems should be included in the analysis, because failure in the systems database, hardware devices, and operating system can be of threat to the organizations business. Business Continuity Plan (BCP)               A business continuity plan (sometimes referred to as Business continuance) describes the essential processes and procedures of an organization to continue conducting business during and after the occurrence of disaster. BCP prevents interruption of mission-critical services due to disaster and helps an organization to re-establish full functioning as fast and smoothly as possible. Although BCP is important for any organization, it may not be practical.             The first step in business continuity plan is to decide which of the organization’s functions are most essential, and apportion available budget accordingly. Once the crucial components are identified, the organization can then develop failover mechanism. Business continuance has become an increasingly common area of concern since the September 2001 World Trade Center disaster, in which an unforeseen incident created a sudden and severe threat to crucial functions for a number of companies (, 2006).             BCP is essential for any organization to profitability and competitiveness. A few seconds of system downtime can have financial impact to an organization. BCP will help to maintain long-term stability and competitiveness for BCC. It is important to determine the roles and responsibilities of those involve in project development. Knowing the possible risk and disasters that can cause system downtime is as important, as well as, disaster response and recovery plans when disaster occurs.     Roles and responsibilities Ø      BCC management and mission owners – responsible in decision making and managing all the decisions for mission accomplishment. Ensures that the necessary resources are applied effectively in order to develop the capabilities needed in accomplishing the mission. They are also responsible in assessing and incorporating risk assessment results in decision making. Ø      Chief Information Officer – responsible in ensuring that risk management are implemented and manages the organization’s IT plan, project budget, and performance. Ø      IT systems owners of system hardware and/or software to support the system – responsible in providing the required hardware and/or software of the proposed system. The systems and in formation owners are also responsible in ensuring proper control are implemented to address the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of the system. Ø      Business or functional managers – responsible in managing IT procurement process and managing business operation. Ø      Technical support personnel (such network administrator, computer specialist, data security analyst, etc) – responsible in managing and administering network and system security for the system. Ø      IT system and applications programmers – responsible in developing the system and maintaining code that could affect the system and data integrity. Ø      IT quality assurance personnel – responsible in testing the system to ensure system and data integrity. Ø      Information system auditors – responsible in auditing the system and making report about system performance. Ø       IT consultants – responsible in supporting the end clients in terms of usage and queries regarding the system. Disaster preparation             Disaster can happen any day at any time. Potential disaster can be natural or man-man disasters. Disaster can cause system downtime for an organization. E-learning depends on technology, and information and communication infrastructure to be operational. Disasters pose a great threat to such infrastructure and therefore can cause system downtime and lost for any organization.             BCC should be aware of the possible disaster that can cause system downtime in online education system, and formulate the best possible solution to solve risk that disaster can bring the organization. Natural Disasters Ø      Earthquake       Earthquakes are natural disaster that occurs due to shifting of the earth’s seismic plates. This natural disaster can occur almost without warning.            Earthquakes can cause system downtime, especially if earthquake           occurrence is at high intensity. Infrastructure can be ruin and can cause       Internet failure to affected areas. If such incident happens, BCC should    have an alternate service provider that will provide temporary Internet      connection to affected areas. Ø      Floods             Flooding can occur almost anywhere. Floods occur due to gradual             accumulation of rainwater in rivers, and lakes. According to government         statistics, over billion of damage to business and property every year is         cause by flooding. BCC should have sufficient insurance coverage that will     cover the organization from financial impact caused by floods. Ø      Storms             Storms, as well as hurricanes and tornadoes pose high risk to business.   This natural disaster can threaten various infrastructures. Ø      Fires             Fires can start from natural or man-made cause. Fires can cause system downtime; proper measures against such disaster will help BCC in early           recovery. Man-Made Disasters Ø      Bombing/Explosions      Explosions may be the result of man-made actions (such as gas leaks that           can ignite and cause great damage to infrastructure). Ø      Acts of Terrorism      The September 11 attack on United States bought many organizations to consciousness, that small businesses can easily diminished and large           businesses can suffer long-term damage from acts of terrorism. Ø      Power Outages             Businesses need electric power in order to operate; this is a necessity that            will greatly affect business due to electric outages. In order to address   such risk BCC may install Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) to take over in case of power outages to avoid system downtime. Ø      Hardware/Software Failures             Computers systems have the tendency to fail without warning; this applies to hardware and software. System software may crash cause by            internal errors or due to hardware and software conflicts. To solve such      issue, BCC should address how repair and replacement parts can be             obtained and install as early as possible.           Ø      Theft      Equipments can be stolen and client information crucial to business          continuity can be loss due to database leakage. Disaster response             Any organization should quickly react to solve disasters once it occurs. Disaster should be solved as early as possible because every second is a loss for the organization. BCC should deploy a team that will respond to the disaster, a plan how to properly handle the disaster, with proper measures and arrangements. BCC should response to disasters by deploying disaster managers that will manage and handle the disaster using the organized plan.             Communication management is also important once a disaster occur. Communication management will help BCC in formulating early solutions to areas affected by the disaster. Business continuity             BCP technically refers to the means used by businesses to avoid loss. A BCP defines the business requirements for continuity of business operation. BCP defines the business requirements of a “Disaster Recovery Plan”. On the other hand, a Disaster recovery plan deals with restoration of computer system after a disaster occurs, and restoring software and network connection to full functionality due to disaster.             Business continuity in every business implies higher availability rather than higher recovery. For example: a disaster happens, the system diskdrive and its data crashed. A new diskdrive is purchased, offsite tapes are bought onsite. Data from offsite tapes are transferred to the new diskdrive. Business is running in 24 hours; this is high recovery. Another example: the same disaster happened. Redundant data is on a redundant diskdrive. The system is designed such that immediately when a device is unavailable, the redundant device is accessed automatically. The user might see a 0.5 second increase in response time but is not aware, and not made aware, that a disaster even occurred; this is high availability. Business recovery             Disaster occurrence can interrupt businesses; disaster recovery plan should be automatically done, it is necessary to start business recovery after a disaster. This will help an organization to minimize loss due to system downtime. Ø                  Business Unit Priorities             In order for BCC to quickly recover from system downtime, all business     operations of the company have to be priorities; the operation with the highest priority should be recovered first and so forth. Recovering 40            percent of the highest prioritized operation would be sufficient enough for             short period of time and then to move on to a lower prioritized operation in            order to gain minimal business operation. Ø                  Crisis Management             BCC should train business recovery team, organized and prepared at all   times when disasters occur in the organization. Ø                  Emergency Communications             Even when disaster strikes, businesses should still be capable to    communicate to the outside world and internally. Online education system requires continuous connection in order to communicate with all the     remote users of the system. Ø                  Alternate Processing Sites             An alternate processing site provides alternate service when the main site            is not function due to disaster. BCC’s alternate processing site will help in   business continuity when disaster strikes the main processing site. Ø                  Backups and Offsite Storage             Backups and offsite storage are key components of BCP. Backups will      help BCC in early full recovery. Offsite storage is a location that stores           BCC backup media. Ø                  Logistics and Supplies             Disaster occurrence may require sudden moving of employees,      equipments and supplies to BCC prepared alternate site.   BCP testing, maintenance and auditing plan Testing             The purpose of BCP testing is to ensure organizational acceptance of the BCP and to guarantee that the BCP satisfies the organizations recovery requirements.  BCP may fail to meet organizational expectations because of insufficient or inaccurate recovery requirements, flaws in solution design, or error in solution implementation. BCP are tested on a biannual or annual schedule. The problems identified in testing process are considered in the maintenance process and then retested during the proceeding process. BCC testing may include: Ø       Crisis command team call-out testing       Crisis team to handle BCC business recovery should be trained to handle            disaster and perform business recovery effectively. Ø       Technical swing test from primary to secondary work locations       Testing BCC’s online education system on compatibility from primary to    secondary work location will ensure complete compatibility from various   transfers.       Ø       Technical swing test from secondary to primary work locations       The system should be test from primary to secondary, and vice versa,        from secondary to primary. Ø       Application test       The system should be properly and thoroughly test in order to ensure        usability and detect errors as early as possible. Ø       Business process test         Maintenance Develop Plan Maintenance Procedures             Plan maintenance procedure is categorized in two: scheduled and unscheduled. Schedule maintenance is time-driven, while, unscheduled maintenance is event-driven. Ø      Scheduled Maintenance             Scheduled maintenance results from scheduled review of the         organization’s BCP. Reviews are predictable (which are based on        established requirements) and scheduled at decided time intervals (can            either be weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc). The purpose of reviewing BCP   is to determine the necessary changes needed by an organization for    improvement. Scheduled plan ensures that the necessary updates are             made. Ø      Unscheduled Maintenance             Certain maintenance requirements are mostly unpredictable and therefore          unscheduled. Majority of unscheduled maintenance occurs as the result of           a major change in the organization, business operations, processes, functions, sudden hardware configurations, network, etc. Unscheduled            maintenance may include changes in personnel, responsibilities, processing and communications equipment and the like are common. Auditing             It is essential to audit BCP in order to determine the functionality of BCC online education system. BCP auditing will be of help in monitoring the performance of the online education system of BCC. This will help the organization in reviewing the system short-term and long-term IT plan. BCP auditing also reviews the IT standards, procedures, and security policy. Auditing the BCP determines it’s effectiveness for BCC.                                                                             References   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

E-COMMERCE

Background of the Study Due to rapid technological advancement, technology is changing the conventional way of human existen...