University of San Francisco, Graduate School of Business
Fall 1999

MBA 649-03 Special Topics: E-Commerce Strategy

© 1999 by Chuck Ehrlich, all rights reserved

**** Syllabus updated October 7 ****

Classes: ED 301 on Thursdays from 6:30 to 9:15 PM

Check the class Web site for schedule or room changes.

Instructor: Chuck Ehrlich

E-mail: chuck@ehrlichorg.com 
The Ehrlich Organization: 1-415-441-7140
Cell phone:  1-415-828-9001 (use when I'm at USF)
USF office: 1-415-422-5239 
USF office: McLaren 220, Office hours by appointment.  I'm usually at USF Tuesday and Thursday after 4:30 p.m.

Prerequisites: MBA 630, 650

Textbooks and Materials

There is no required text for this course.  The following books are recommended, other readings will be suggested, and an extensive list of references will be found at www.ehrlichorg.com/ref/.  

Competing on Internet Time lessons from Netscape and its battle with Microsoft by Michael Cusumano and David Yoffie, Free Press, 1998.

Sense & Respond capturing value in the Network Era edited by Stephen Bradley and Richard Nolan, Harvard Business School Press, 1998.

Information Rules by Carl Shapiro and Hal Varian, Harvard Business School Press, 1999.

Course description

E-commerce is creating new opportunities and threatening older companies in many industries.  We will examine online business models, sources of competitive advantage in e-commerce, and techniques for evaluating opportunities.  In this context, we will also discuss ways in which e-commerce organizations differ from conventional organizations and how to create e-commerce alliances. 

This is an advanced course on the management issues associated with e-commerce technology.  It is designed to increase your awareness, effectiveness, and skill in analyzing, managing and understanding of issues related to technology and organizations.  This course covers both strategic choices and internal management activities.

Course Overview

The course is organized in three parts which move from macro to micro level issues related to e-commerce management.

Part 1 provides a high level view of e-commerce business models, the ways that e-commerce technology changes value chains and creates new roles in the Marketspace. We also learn about analysis techniques and tools.

Part 2 shifts the level of analysis to the firm level as we examine competing companies in certain industries.

Part 3 moves into the organization and considers internal management issues related to e-commerce technology and the differences between conventional organizations and companies running on Internet time.

Class Schedule 

See Class Materials and each class page for more detail.

Part 1: Macro View

Lecture: Introduction & Overview
             Evolution of E-Commerce
             The Five Secrets of Success

No class, alternative activities suggested.

Class presents Business Model Survey Results

Lecture: Infomediaries, New Rules 

Teams present Business Model Metrics

Lecture: E-Commerce Trust

Guest Speaker: Steve Winingham
E-commerce strategy and organizational issues faced by the US Postal Service.

Lecture: Online Brokerage Trends

Project Descriptions due.

Part 2: Firm Level Issues

Case Debate: Online Brokerage
Merrill Lynch, Charles Schwab, E*Trade, Fidelity, and Ameritrade have different business models and competitive strategies.  What are the similarities and differences?  What are the strengths and weaknesses of each approach?  Who will win?

Lecture: Online Brokerage Highlights

Lecture: E-Business Metrics

Case Discussion: Web Site Blues

Guest Speaker: Bob Yakominich  
How the Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch business model has evolved and the partnership issues faced by the organization.

Guest Speaker: Shane Ginsberg, Razorfish
E-business strategy and organization.

Case Discussion: Dell Computers

Guest Speaker:  Susan Griffin, American Express
E-commerce strategy and organizational issues at American Express.

Part 3: Organizational Issues

Case Debate: Who should own the Web site?
Who should control the company Web site?  Marketing, IT, an external vendor?  What are the risks and benefits with each approach?  How do you transition from one to the other?

Project Status Reports Due

Lecture: E-Business Alliances

Guest Speaker: Richard Weeks, Wells Fargo Bank
The e-commerce organizational structure at Wells Fargo, what organizational issues have arisen and how they have been resolved.

Lecture: New Economics of Information

Case Debate: Internet Time
Is it possible for a traditional organization to shift to Internet time?  What is required and how can it be achieved?  What are the organizational issues?

Provide Draft Project Reports to class for peer evaluation.

Three teams will present their Course Projects and get feedback.

USF Holiday, no class.

Two teams will present their Course Projects and get feedback.

Discussion: Summary and Evaluation.

Final Projects are due on December 9.

Approach

You are responsible for your learning and for helping your classmates. We will take a cooperative approach to researching and sharing information. 

This course will improve your ability to:

Internet use will be an integral part of this course including:

Assignments

Case Briefs

Guest Speakers

Guest speakers will discuss their experience with e-commerce.  What you learn will extend from your ability to ask relevant questions.  Please review the background information and prepare questions in advance of each guest speaker's visits.

Course Projects

The course project will give you an opportunity to integrate concepts from all sections of this course, apply these concepts in a realistic setting, and increase your knowledge about e-commerce technology.  You will prepare a consultants report, present your recommendations to the class and receive their feedback which you can incorporate into your final paper and the actual client presentation.

Pick a real organization for your project where you have access to the management of the organization and their cooperation.  Identify a specific problem or opportunity this organization faces that involves serious e-commerce technology issues.  This could include a potential product or service offering, e-commerce strategy, the introduction of e-commerce, or some other management issue related to e-commerce.

Write a consultants report where you:

Write the paper from the perspective of a consultant to a specific person in the organization.  Names and company information may be disguised.  Assume that your reader has other pressing concerns and must be convinced to pay attention and take action.

Each report must include an executive summary that includes key observations, recommendations, and points in a single page.  Reports should be no more than 20 pages, plus attachments if required.

You may want to cover these topics:

Key project dates are:

Measurement Techniques

This course will not be graded on a curve.  Grades will be determined based on:

Written assignments will be graded on proper use of Business English as well as on content.

All members will receive the same grades for Team assignments.  You are responsible for assuring that everyone contributes to the success of your team.

Preparation and class participation for case analysis and other discussions.  Your participation is important and your participation grade will depend on these criteria:

Policies and Guidelines

Written Assignments

·       Organize your ideas into a structure that suits the assignment and emphasizes the points you want to make.

·       Use American business English with proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation as if you were writing for a consulting client.

·       Neatness counts.  All assignments are expected to be legible with 12-point type.

·       Label the first page with the title, names of all team members in alphabetical order (by last name), course number, and date.  Subsequent pages should include team member names, date and page numbers.

·       Papers should be stapled or fastened with metal binder clips.  Please, no notebooks, fancy covers, bindings, report covers, etc.

Class Web

All written assignments and presentation materials will be posted to the class Web site for the benefit of other students.  Please e-mail assignments before class and follow the file naming convention described below.

File Names

Please use this standard file naming convention for assignments that you submit:

A Word document from team 21 due on September 1 would be s0901-21.doc

It is also helpful if you update the Title and Subject properties for Microsoft Office documents.  You can access these fields by going to the File menu and selecting Properties and the Summary tab.

Plagiarism and Academic Honesty

Any material quoted from another source (including Web sites) must be properly identified as a quote and cited according to MLA style.  See The Essentials of MLA Style by Joseph Trimmer, Houghton Mifflin, 1996, starting on page 14.

The USF Policy on Academic Honesty applies to this class.

Attendance

Discussion and participation in class are essential parts of this course.  Students who miss more than two classes may be penalized. 

Class Notes and Materials

My slides and materials will be posted to the Web site before each class.  I will also post materials from guest speakers who are willing to provide copies.  If anyone wants to share their class notes, e-mail them to me and I will post them.

Company Confidential Information

Any papers that include company confidential information should be clearly marked as confidential.  Confidential papers will not be posted on the Web site.

Disclaimer

Back to MBA 649 Home Page.   Comments to webmaster.  Last updated on November 10, 1999
© 1999 by Chuck Ehrlich, all rights reserved.