Description | Lectures | References | Final Projects
Electronic commerce, commonly called eCommerce, is traditionally defined as the buying and selling of goods using electronic transaction processing technologies. Over the past fifteen (15) years these approaches have gone through a cycle that has extolled both great promise and bitter disappointments only to be followed lately by a substantial rebound and growth to respectability and even dominance. With the current world-wide efforts to emerge from the 2008 economic downturn, the efficiency, scope and reach of eCommerce continues to be strong as the overall market approaches an all-time high. USA Today Internet 50
Moreover eCommerce continues to evolve both technologically and in the scope of its market reach. Technologically, desktop and laptop/notebook computers have been the dominant client/user-side technology with the server-side being either dedicated servers owned/managed by the eCommerce entity (e.g. the entity providing the goods/services) or an intermediate entity providing what is termed "cloud computing" resources shared by many eCommerce companies. More recently, Apple, Google, Amazon, and others have evolved this paradigm by creating an environment by which other devices such as an iTouch, iPhone, iPad, Android-based smartPhones and Tablets are emerging as serious client-side technologies. The extreme portability, mobility and place-aware nature of these devices is expanding the fundamental character of the eCommerce environment. Enabled is on-the-go eCommerce that is place- and time-aware now, has remembered the past and continually makes intelligent expectations about the future. The emerging battle ground ifs for market share in the exploding mobile market place. The objective is to conduct commerce any time any place, whether stationary or on the go.
The scope of the eCommerce market has also evolved beyond the narrow buying and selling of goods to include services of all kinds including entertainment and communications that is making eCommerce an integral part of everyone's daily life. It is these fundamental daily personal services provided by the extended scope of eCommerce that have the opportunity to substantially enhance the daily lives of all individuals.
The aspect that is of particular interest to me is the mobile eCommerce space, that is the creation of an enhanced environment while on-the-go. One travels to enhance one's time and place utility. Traditionally this has required the expenditures of money, displeasure and wasted time. Mobile eCommerce can substantially enhance all elements by enabling a better use of the time, bringing enhanced entertainment and information to alleviate displeasure, allowing the mode of transport to operate more efficiently, thus saving money. These combine to deliver the biggest value in making it "affordable" in terms of money, pleasure and time to experience a broader array of destinations that otherwise would not have a place and time utility ehancement that would justify the traditional investment in money, displeasure and time. Such improvements open up vast new markets.
In this course we will study
1. the basics fundamentals of the business and economic motivations for eCommerce as well as the needs and desires of individuals,
2. the underlying computation, information and communication environments that encompass and enable eCommerce transactions, and
3. the evolving role of new highly portable, place-aware, always-with-you personal devices in eCommerce.
We will focus exclusively on those electronic and process technologies that allow for transactions to be conducted with little or no human intervention on the part of the buyer/consumer or the seller/provider. We will characterize the value proposition afforded by such transactions. Initially we will focus on traditional stationary transactions using "wired" connections; however, we will quickly evolve to focus on transactions that are made while on-the-go that, out of necessity, use 2-way wireless communication. This leads us to look into Navigation-based Commerce (nCommerce) and Navigation-based Entertainment (nTertainment)and even delve into Smart Driving Cars that may allow everyone to more fully enjoy the process of getting there. We will look at the role and opportunity of extremely mobile, place aware, communications and computing enabled devices such as smartPhones (iPhone, Android, WinMobile (?), RIM (??)etc.), and smartPads (iPads, and the plethora of Android tablets) and Android - the open handset alliance. A central element that has fueled this nCommerce and nTertainment revolution is a substantially new intermediary in the eCommerce equation, App Stores. They are a substantially different paradigm that is still in its infancy. We will attempt to characterize it, analyze it and try to understand how these technologies can enhance everyone's daily life as well as create opportunities for those that wish to contribute to the evolution of this sector of the economy..
The last third and most important part of the course focuses on the design and construction of eCommerce and nCommerce applications in the following areas:
With the transformation of cell phones into powerful mobile computing devices sporting wireless data communications, sizeable memory and a sense of "where am I" they have given rise to a market segment widely known as Location-based Services (LBS). However, when coupled with a knowledge of "where am I going", and a route planned by a navigation system, one not only has current knowledge of place and time but leading indicators of future locations and times. These leading indicators transform LBS into Navigation-based Services (NBS) or what I prefer to call Navigation-based Commerce, nCommerce, that can better target valuable services to the mobile consumer thus transforming the underlying economic proposition. Advertisers can expect better results and can be expected to pay more for navigation-based placements, thus transforming the underlying economics of nCommerce. The anticipation of where you will be when can also enhance games and entertainment, thus nTertainment. We will explore these opportunities.
This is the traditional application which has already delivered substantial improvements in world-wide logistics but continues to need innovation, especially with respect to its ability to respond in real-time, the data systems needed to support such activities and the ready availability of "apps" that can allow the literally millions of small players to also optimize the management of their mobile assets.
The ready availability of high-resolution satellite imagery over the past couple of years has provided a very valuable source of data to a large array of spatially-oriented activities to such an extent that companies are even painting their email address on the roofs of their buildings. We've used them in Orf 467 to investigate how PRT and aTaxi networks might better serve New Jersey. A vast array of other opportunities exist. We'll focus on applications and services that can be enhanced by the ready availability of these images. One application done in orf 401 was the original real time visualization of the location of the Campus Shuttles
While Microsoft, with WindowsCE and Windows Mobile, Nokia, with Symbian, Qualcomm with BREW, RIM with Blackberry and Palm with the PalmOS pioneered the development of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and smartPhones, Android, an open and free operating system developed by the Open Handset Alliance, a group of more than 30 technology companies led by Google, and the proprietary AppleOS are now the clear leaders in the booming smartPhone and ultra portable multifunctional personal devices. They compute; communicate; geolocate; capture and display images; receive, record and play audio; sense acceleration; and sense touch and motion on its screen. While these devices have literally hundreds of thousands of applications what else should they be able to do? What are the emerging and untapped uses for these devices?
We are all familiar with the first down lines that are drawn on the field and the extent that they improve "reality". Now golf is showing us Ball Flight Tracker. These processes of superimposing virtual images on real images present an opportunity to substantially leverage the value of cameras available on GPS-enabled SmartPhones. Explored will be this emerging opportunity.
For over 10 years I worked to assemble and maintain a reasonable network (arc and node attributes) database of the North American street system. Before the downturn in the economy, the two major digital digital map companies were sold for $8.1B (NavTeQ) and $3.3B (TeleAtlas). Trimble bought ALK in December and Aple may have avoided some substantial embarrassement with its map application had it made an appropriate acquisition Google Maps announces a 400 year advantage over Apple Maps. Waze is out there trying to do it completely current users. So is OpenStreetMap. Google and several "share ware" sites continue to try to build competitive world wide digital map databases by assembling local knowledge from volunteers. What about other geographical data elements that are more dynamic such as travel times (Inrix) and who wants to go from where, to where, when? How can we use the concepts of the "SETI screensaver" and Wiki to design and build eCommerce sites to effectively assemble, maintain and distribute valuable services associated with spatial information?
Parrot's AR.Drone. The Flying Video Game, requires an accompanying App to be useable. Robot Quadrotors Perform James Bond Theme - YouTube, A Swarm of Nano Quadrotors - YouTube,
Music is also beginning to be integrated with Apps. For example, Bjork: "Cosmogony".
One of my all-time favorites websites Map of the Market
Another one of my all-time favorites websites J-Track 3D Satellite Tracking/"
Simple and effective Drive-Time New Jersey: Your Daily Commute
The 1st app that I've found enhancing the driving function (besides all of the turn-by-turn nav apps) iOnRoad
What other products or services could be better delivered to the end user when combined with an App?
Nominal homework assignments revolve around the design, construction and evaluation of a traditional eCommerce site. Through a series of assignments, the first part of the course will focus on a generic example, the rental of DVDs for viewing on airplanes (now a very old concept, but one that became NetFlix. The second part of the course will be team project-oriented. It will focus on developing a more substantive student-motivated eCommerce initiative. In place of a final exam, the team Projects will be presented, at a course symposium to be held at the end of reading period.
Description | Lectures | References | Assignments | Final Projects
| Date | Title | Reading | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/4 | Overview of eCommerce, Enrolled Students ; Your Availabilityfor Precept | Laudon Ch 1 or Deitel 1 Internet50 Assignment & Is Samsung Closing the Image Gap With Apple? & Netflix Content a Game-Changer? | |
| 2/6 | The Internet and the World Wide Web | Laudon Ch 3 or Deitel 3; & InterestingLinks_2/6/13 |
| Date | Title | Reading | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/8 | Internet Pricing | InterestingLinks_4/08/12 | Notes 4/08 |
| 4/10 | "9th Week Exam" | Closed evrything; two-sided 8.5x11 cheat sheet | InterestingLinks_4/10 |
| 4/15 | Special Seminar: Troy Ewnachyna'94, VP Business Development and Digital Strategy, NBC Sports | "Trends in Sports Live Streaming", | InterestingLinks_4/15/13 |
| 4/17 | Special Seminar: Jeff Drazan'80, Managing Partner, Bertram Capital | "What's Ahead in Mobile eCoomerce", | InterestingLinks_4/17/13 |
| 4/22 | Really SmartPhones: Enablers of Navigation Based Commerce (nCommerce), iPhone, Android, Google Maps, Visual Earth, etc; SmartPhones as Clients, | Dietel 28 | InterestingLinks_4/22/13 nCommerce Notes 4/22, |
| 4/24 | Interim Presentation of Final Projects | InterestingLinks_4/24/13 | |
| 4/29 | Interim Presentation of Final Projects | Schedule of Interim Presentation of Final Projects | InterestingLinks_4/29/13 |
| 5/1 | Interim Presentation of Final Projects | Schedule of Interim Presentation of Final Projects | InterestingLinks_5/01/13 |
Note: This schedule is tentative and may change during the course of the semester.
Description | Lectures | References | Assignments | Final Projects
Additional readings will also be handed-out from time to time. Your are responsible for completing the readings prior to the first day that they will be discussed in class.
Description | Lectures | References | Assignments | Final Projects
You must complete the following assignments during the course of the semester:
| Description | Due |
|---|---|
| Lab 1: Server-Side Processing with HTTP - Part I | 2/14 |
| Lab 2: Server-Side Processing with HTTP - Part II | 2/21 |
| Lab 3: Client-Side Processing with HTTP | 3/7, This is a HARD deadline |
| Lab 4: Client-Side Processing with HTTP - Part II | Merged with Lab3 above |
| Lab 5: Beyond HTTP | 4/7 |
| Lab 6 (PS 1): Capacity: Issues and Analysis | 4/14 |
Description | Lectures | References | Assignments | Final Projects
A Final Project Symposium will be held on Friday, May 10 at 9:00am in Room 101 ORFE. Each group has only 20 minutes for their presentation including: setup time (have everything ready), presentation (15 minutes MAX), and discussion (3 minutes). Attendance will be taken. You will need to sign in and out.
The written element of the Final Projects are due the following Monday 5/13. (Examples from the 2008 final projects).
Virtual investments by the class of 2011 at the beginning in the semester of eCommerce companies was less than spectacular. Class gains were 2.75% while the S&P gained 4.2% . If everyone would have simply bought the average gain would have been 9.11%! Biggest winners were Kyle O'Donovan and Brian Berkowitz (34.25%, 32.53%). Biggest losers were Chetan Narain and Steve Chen/Dao Mi (-20.96% and -18.21%) Tabulated results
After the presentations, we will have a class PICNIC on Monday May 9, (4pm-7pm). We will play a softball game; bring a softball glove if you can. You are welcome to bring a guest.
Grades will be based on your performance on problem sets and labs (30%), a "10th week" exam (30%), the final project (30%) and 10% class participation.