E-Business BA/CA 388-01                                                                                     Fall 2007                  

Tuesdays 6:30 p.m., WBC 117

Chris Knudson, Instructor

Office: CTC 100, Phone: ext. 8580 E-mail: chris.knudson@wartburg.edu

 

Text/Supplies:

There is no assigned text for this course, but there will be occasional out-of-class readings assigned.

 

Course Description and Goals

BA/CA 388 is described in the academic catalog as the “Survey of trends affecting the Internet-based business environment. Study of Web design, launches, and marketing plans. Sociological and psychological changes in consumer and worker behavior in electronic culture. Prerequisite: Third- or fourth-year major in BA, CA, AC, EC or CS or instructor approval.” More specifically, you will learn:

 

-          How to write an effective e-business plan

-          The basics of online marketing and communication planning

-          The principles of good Web design

 

Honesty and Ethics

The Wartburg Business and Communication Arts Departments are dedicated to the advancement of honest and accurate exchanges of information, ideas, and opinions, in accordance with the student handbook and Wartburg College Honor Code. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Minimum sanctions for this will include a failing grade for the course.

 

Attendance
Attendance in this course is mandatory and will be taken each day.  Students are responsible for the information presented and for course work due during class. If you cannot attend class, you should get the information from one of your classmates.  Two unexcused absences will be allowed during the semester. Excused absences will include college-sponsored activities and “acts of God” only.  Sickness is NOT considered excused.  In the case of a family or medical emergency, please see me ASAP so arrangements can be made. A 5 pt. deduction will occur for each absence over the three allowed.

 

Requirements
Stay up-to-date on additional readings. Any and all material is “fair game” for quizzes.

 
Grading Scale

Final grades will be averaged to the nearest whole number to assign a letter grade for the course.  The grading scale for this course will be as follows:

 

                        A          = 94 –100 %                  B-         = 80 – 82 %                   D+       = 67 – 69 %

                        A-         = 90 – 93 %                   C+       = 77 – 79 %                   D          = 63 – 66 %

                        B+        = 87 – 89 %                   C         = 73 – 76 %                  D-         = 60 – 62 %

                        B          = 83 – 86 %                   C-        = 70 – 72 %                   F           =   0 – 59 %

 

Grading

 

Project #1 – E-Business Plan Idea/Goals                      20 pts.

Project #2 – Market/Competition Analysis                  20 pts.

Project #3 – Budget/Financials                                    20 pts.

Project #4 – E-Business Current Event                          10 pts.

Quizzes (15 pts. Each)                                                   30 pts.

Final Group Presentation                                             25 pts.

Peer Evaluation                                                           10 pts.

Participation                                                                 5 pts.

TOTAL                                                                         140 pts.            

 

Incomplete Grades

If a course cannot be completed because of circumstances beyond the student’s control, a grade of ‘I’ (incomplete) may be used.  Under no circumstances will an ‘I’ be given simply because a student did not complete the course work, or would like to do it over again.

 

About the Professor

Master of Arts in Public Relations 2003 With Honors, University of Northern Iowa

Bachelor of Arts 2001 in Art and Communications, Wartburg College, Summa Cum Laude

Professional Web designer/developer since 1996

Graphic designer and consultant since 1999

Independent public relations consultant since 2001

 

Major Publications/Presentations/Honors

 

-       Co-author of text book with PRSA President-elect and others: “No Mulligans Allowed: Strategically Plotting Your Public Relations Course, published Nov. 2005.

-       2002-03 National Vice President of Public Relations for the Public Relations Student Society of America

-       National Communication Association National Conference – “How to Use the Web as a Public Relations Tool”

-       Public Relations Student Society of America National Conference – “Branding and Graphic Design: Setting the Standard” Interactive Workshop Presenter

-       Cedar Valley Public Relations Society of America Guest Speaker– “Creating a Corporate Visual Identity”

-          Cedar Valley Public Relations Society of America Co-Communications Director – 2004-06

-          Music Tour Managers 2004 National Conference, “Music Web Sites: Make Them Useful; Not a Hindrance”

-          Wartburg College Speakers Bureau Lecturer – Web design, art and public relations areas

-          Lecturer in Art, Wartburg College, Computer Graphic Design, Fall 2003-Fall 2004

-          Teaching Assistant, University of Northern Iowa, Oral Communication, 2001-03

 

Project Descriptions

All projects will be done in teams of two. You will identify your partner on the first day of class. It is expected that each person will contribute equally to the work assigned. Each assignment is designed to give you experience writing components of an e-business plan. The fall term e-business course will only focus on creation of the plan. The second term e-business course will focus on actual development.

 

#1 – Business Idea/Goals – You will write an abstract of your business idea and provide attainable goals and objectives for your project. Specific information will be given out in lecture.

 

#2 – Market/Competition Analysis – You will develop a marketing plan for your e-business and analyze your competition. You will also conduct a S.W.O.T. analysis for your business. More specific information will be available in lecture.

 

#3 – Budget/Financials – You will have a total budget of $5,000 (theoretical) to work with. You will also create a budget with specific financial breakdown. More specific information will be available in lecture.

 

#4 – E-business Current Event – You will each select a date to give a very brief (5 minute) informal presentation about current events affecting e-business practice. Please bring your article to class so it can be projected on the screen.

 

#5 – Final Presentation – You will each give a final presentation about your project as if you were giving it to your bosses or a bank. Make sure you are demonstrating why your project is a wise investment of time and money. How will your plan add to the bottom line? Each presentation should be about 10-15 minutes.

 

 

 

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE (Subject to Change)

 

 

Sept. 11
First day of class; Internet infrastructure; history of the Web; sign-up for current events

 

Sept. 13

Understanding e-business planning

 

Sept. 25

Defining your e-business idea; setting measurable goals

 

Oct. 2

Business Plan Idea/Goals Due
Online Consumer Behavior/Navigation

 

Oct. 9
Bring in good and bad Web site URLs

Web site design

 

Oct. 16
Midterm Quiz
Online and integrated marketing, S.W.O.T. analysis

 

Oct. 23

No class - Prof. Knudson attending Public Relations Society of America International Conference, Philadelphia, PA.

 

Oct. 30
Marketing/Competition Analysis Due
Creating a Web site using Microsoft FrontPage

 

Nov. 6
Creating a budget

 

Nov. 13

Search Engine Optimization

 

Nov. 20
Budget/Financials Due
Server Hardware and Software/Web site security

 

Nov. 27

Project Presentations

 

Dec. 4

Project Presentations

 

Dec. 11

Final Quiz