Internet Marketing & Electronic Commerce (BUSA90519)

The effect of the Internet and related technologies on business has been profound and continues to offer businesses both opportunities and challenges. Arguably, the marketing function has been impacted more than any other function. All aspects of marketing from promotion to distribution to pricing have been affected by developments in the digital marketplace leading to new and innovative business models. At its core, the digital economy is a knowledge economy in which a firm’s value chain is electronically interconnected. The business models for electronic commerce are being simultaneously developed and market tested by firms who are already doing business electronically and by entrepreneurs who wish to establish a presence in this dynamic marketplace.

In theory, small companies should be able to reach large numbers of customers without regard to geography or time zone while large companies should increase customer intimacy by better use of information and more integration. Internet marketing and electronic commerce will continue to significantly reduce the transaction costs of sellers and increase the penetration of the sellers’ message into the marketplace. The digital marketplace is also a brutally competitive environment so that traditional business fundamentals such as trust, branding, and sound financial management have become more important to ensure success.

The focus of the subject is to understand and develop the viable business models for Internet marketing and electronic commerce. The challenges facing existing, traditional and successful firms that must operate in both physical and virtual marketplaces will be addressed in detail. This subject builds on and integrates material covered in other MBA subjects including Marketing, Business Strategy, Managing People, Operations, and Managerial Economics.