E-Business Research Paper for Golfing Paradise Essay Example for Free

E-Business Research Paper for Golfing Paradise Essay 1. Introduction: This paper consists of two tasks. Task I seeks to discuss and analyze migration of a traditional retail business to the Internet using the case of Golfing Paradise while Task 2 examines Internet security as concern for the same company. 2. Project Overview The whole project for Golfing Paradise, Victoria local retailer of golf equipments and accessories aims to migrate into the Internet to increase sales. 3. Overview of the migration project The migration project does not change the industry where Golfing Paradise belongs. It just proposes the benefits of expanding customer base in the Internet but not without costs and risks. 4. Summary of Scope, Activities, Costs, Milestones, Dates/durations, Resources, Deliverables, Risk factors, Gantt chart. The first two months require buying of equipments (computers and transportation), IT programs and software and hiring of additional personnel to man online business that may operate 24 hours a day and seven days week. Risk factors are discussed in relation to the choices of having and not having the same but not having the same without the opportunities is less preferable. 5. Management Summary This paper answers some of the relevant and materials concerns of Golfing Paradise in deciding to migrate into the Internet in selling its products to more customers. The company hopes to increase customer. Hence it will need to make some investment (Brigham and Houston, 2000) in new equipments and the hiring or retraining of some personnel to bring them to its new way of doing business. The benefits are of course increase profits from increased revenues (Meigs and Meigs, 1995) but also increase costs that may come from transportation costs depreciation of new equipments and even salary payments for new staff. 6. Main Body 6.1 Important facts for analysis: The business Golfing Paradise is currently providing Golf products through a network of 3 retail premises across Victoria. The products include Golf equipment such as clubs, buggies, golf balls as well as sports clothing and golf accessories. Golfing Paradise is selling both Australian made and imported products. The management of Golfing paradise has decided to expand its operations to the Internet, providing service to existing customers and attract new ones by offering products online. 6.2 Questions and Answers 6.2.1 Describe three of the most important issues that Golfing Paradise will face in migrating the same type of business to the internet. The three of the most important issues that Golfing Paradise will face in migrating the same type of business will include the following: (a.) What products will have to be sold online and how to bring or deliver the products to customers expected revenues that may be generating in migrating it retail trade? ; (b) What is the extent of the coverage area where products of the business could be sold? ; and (c) How will payment systems be modified as a result of migrating its business to the Internet. Each is described and explained below: 6.2.1.1 Products to be sold online and how to bring or deliver the products to customers? The online business is an addition to the traditional retail business will have to visit the stores. Hence, customers online would most like purchase by visiting the stores or they would request for delivery of their products to their homes, business place or an place of need. Determining therefore what products (Kotler, 1994) to be sold on line should be material issue to decide specially on customers who will choose to have the products they ordered online to be delivered. Case facts say that products include Golf equipments such as clubs, buggies, golf balls as well as sports clothing and golf accessories and said products are also include both Australian made and imported products. The guide to determine which products to sell should be estimated on the probability that the customers ordering online would have their products delivered on time and they are ready to pay for any shipping charges that may charged by the company. An online buyer preferring orders to be delivered to their place of business is one of those who do not have the chance to visit the store, hence Golfing Paradise must be able to deliver goods on time as per order to the customer. Those who can visit the store, customers should be allowed provide clear guide to reach the place of business or any authorized outlet from which customers could pick up the goods. 6.2.1.2 The extent of the coverage area where products of the business could be sold The coverage area where products are to be sold will make persons ordering online to know whether they could have the goods that are offered for sale on line. Since the Internet is accessible almost worldwide if not worldwide, it would be impossible for Golfing Paradise to reach every customer when its present place of business is only in Victoria, Australia Case facts provide that Golfing Paradise is currently providing Golf products through a network of 3 retail premises across Victoria and the products both include Australian made and imported products. If Golfing Paradise is ready to go outside Victoria, it must provide so in its website up to what extent. It may for example want to limit only to Australia but as discussed earlier the business must be capable of delivering its representation of its products. Case facts also provide that the management of Golfing paradise has decided to expand its operations to the Internet, providing service to existing customers and attract new ones by offering products online, hence the extent of coverage will have to be clearly defined. If customers outside Victoria will have to be considered, where will the customers pick up their orders? Will Golfing Paradise need to set up already an outlet outside Victoria? This decision must be made after the demand for company’s products may have expanded that would justify the cost of putting a sales outlet outside of Victoria. 6.2.1.3 The manner of payment system a result of migrating its business to the Internet Selling online presupposes dealing with people who are prepared to enjoy the benefits of trading in the Internet. The company must therefore consider whether it would limit accepting payment through credit card, aside from cash or will it also accept electronic currencies? The decision as to the mode of payment that may be accepted carries with them different requirements for administration that may involve hiring of additional personnel or acquiring computer systems, for the smooth running of the system. This must therefore be tied up with the later topic on Web design of the business as part of the marketing strategy (Churchill and Peter, 1995). 6.2.2 Discuss two possible internet marketing strategies that you could employ when migrating the business to the internet. The traditional ‘Four P’s of Marketing’ includes product strategy, place strategy, promotion strategy and price strategy. We will consider some of these on online selling. We will consider as part of our strategy product, place and promotion strategies. Lowery (2006) agreed with us when she said, that developing a successful internet marketing strategy is an essential part of online success. In order to succeed, we must develop and implement a strategic plan that includes all of the following: (a) A great product, (b) A web site specifically designed to sell, and (c) A killer marketing strategy. 6.2.2.1 Developing Your Product Lowery (2006) said, â€Å"Your first step will be to develop a great product. Youre probably thinking thats easier said than done, but its really not. The absolute best product is one that you can develop you and deliver over the Internet. With todays technology, there is absolutely no reason why you cant create your own product. The knowledge you have within your own mind is extremely valuable. Everybody is good at something, has a special talent or some specialized knowledge. Use this knowledge to create a product.† Lowery (2006) further said, â€Å"The key to developing a great product is exclusiveness. Your product should be unique and not be in competition with hundreds of other similar products. You must give your potential customers exactly what they want. Develop a high-quality product that fills a void to increase your chance of success.† Another consideration of great importance is Golfing target market. Let us keep in mind that the Internet is a global marketplace and developing a product with a large geographic target and a wide appeal will fulfil a need or desire and provide instant gratification. Thus, before we develop our product, hence, we have to do some research and find out exactly what people want and develop your product accordingly. The most important consideration when developing our product should be quality since Our product should not only deliver what we promise, but should go above and beyond the expected and over deliver. It is thus a reality that customer’s satisfaction is of the utmost importance. (Lowery, 2006 ) (Paraphrasing made). 2.2.2.2 Our promotions and place strategy Developing our website will be and indispensable part of migrating out business in the Internet. Doing the same actually satisfies place strategy because the said strategy means proving the customers the availability of the products to customers when they are needed. In the website therefore customers will have a chance to see the products that could be sold online and which could not be. In the same website a customer can chat or communicate via email with customers services that will assist the customer in brining the goods to the customers. Lowery (2006) said, â€Å"Once youve developed a great product, your next step will be to develop a great web site. Your web site must be specifically designed to sell your product.† It added, â€Å"Everything within your web site should have one purpose getting your visitor to take action. Words are the most powerful marketing tool you have. The right words will turn your visitors into customers. The wrong words will cause them to click away and never return. Lowery (2006) further made the following advice: â€Å"Your words are the entire foundation of your business. Your product, your web site and your marketing strategies all depend upon your words. Fancy graphics dont make sales words do. She added: â€Å"Every word, sentence and headline should have one specific purpose to lead your potential customer to your order page. Write your web site copy as if you are talking to just one person. Identify a problem and validate that one visitors need for a solution. Continue to write and explain why your product is the solution to their problem. Tell them exactly what your product will do for them why it will solve their problems and how. Pack your copy with benefits and more benefits. Write to persuade thats the bottom line.† Developing the website would constitute the big part of the work since this where online business will most likely depend. 2.2.3. How to Develop Marketing Strategies? Marketing strategy is the final process of the migrating plan which must include both short-term and long-term strategies in order to succeed. Lowery (2006) agreed when she said that short term marketing strategies are those that bring a temporary boost in traffic. Although these techniques are very important to our over-all plan, they are only a temporary traffic source and must not be solely relied upon. These short term marketing strategies normally include purchasing advertising, bulletin boards and search engines (Lowery, 2006) (Paraphrasing made). It must be stated that marketing should be ingrated with corporate strategy. (Porter, 1980) Lowery (2006) added that long term marketing strategies are those that bring the company a steady stream of targeted traffic over time and these strategies are believed to continue to produce results even years down the road. She added that long term marketing strategies include: Opt-in Lists, Freebies and Content (Paraphrasing made). By creating and implementing a balanced marketing strategy, using both short-term and long-term strategies, the company will drive a steady stream of targeted traffic to our web site. (Lowery, 2006) (Paraphrasing made).   It must be pointed that developing a marketing strategy is dynamic thing because of fast changing environment. 7. Costs and time frame for delivery The benefits that Golfing Paradise expects to gain from migrating of course could be roughly estimated to gross or net profit margin on a per customer basis. Stated simply, the company would be pricing its products and services above cost. Costs (Slavin, 1996) here of course includes capital cost on additional investment in terns of computer systems and salary of new additional staff that may be hire including all other cost of doing business on line 8. Conclusion: Golfing Paradise decision to go on line is the right mode to expand the number of its customers. It need not abandon the retail trade. However, in so migrating its business to the Internet, it needs to consider different factors in such change of business. Migrating to Internet involves all the benefits of the system like increasing the number of customers. However, it also will entail new ways of doing business for which it must be able to serve orders on line with define authorities. Customers on line may also need to pay in forms other than money and credit cards; hence the company must be ready in any eventuality. I must prepare a list of what goods may be sold on line including estimates for delivery cost for those who may want to pot for delivery. These and other things must be done by Golfing Paradise prefer to have more customers. TASK 2 (10 marks): Security Two of the security issues that the business has been left exposed include the issues of preventing internet fraud and other one is all other internet security problem. As to how each of the issue is fixed is explained below: To say that fraud could prevented in the internet sound like bringing the whole humanity to the moon. George (1999) talked of IT criminals like the hackers who just steal other money by their ingenuities and who profit from many innocent card owners by accident by pure ignorance. Even in the manual world fraud happened because people connive and so crimes get committed. The Internet is a new world with new and unfamiliar rules. Business happens online and there could be no one who would be regulating transactions particularly those happens across countries. There might be organizations like international courts but many on line users would yet to agree if the people who get victimized may opt to go to court, since no one may be user what could will have jurisdiction. As to Golfing Paradise, although it may limit its area coverage from whom it may take payments, it cannot be sure of perfectly preventing fraud. The best way is the use of common sense and knowledge of how the business environment in the net functions. The other issue is security where files and computer soft wares could be rendered useless by ‘viruses’ or ‘spy wares’ or eve ‘phishers’ (Wikipedia, 2006) . For business rendered online such problems are inevitable and some may even be discouraged of migrating in the Internet but simply opportunity lost in not migrating might be more punishing. Hence the attitude is to protection to acquire the latest software and some of them may yet be downloadable from the Internet. It is thus the choice of avoiding the problems but no chance for improvement or joining and braving the risk but with great chance for growth. I believe more will take the risk of migrating because of opportunities. References: Brigham and Houston (2000) Fundamental of Financial Management, Thomson South Western, USA Churchill and Peter (1995), Marketing, Creating Value for customers, Irwin, Sydney Australia George, K. (1999), Different World, Praxis Business Line’s Journal on Management, Vol. 2 : Iss. 3 , {www document} URL www.hinduonnet.com/businessline/praxis/pr0203/02030400.htm, Accessed Nov. 19,2006 Kotler, P. (1994) Marketing Management, Prenctice Hall International, London , UK Lowery, S. (2006) Internet Marketing Strategies, Part One: Three Step Formula, {www document} URL http://www.web-source.net/3steps.htm Meigs and Meigs (1995), Financial Accounting, McGraw-Hill, New York, USA Porter (1980), Competitive Strategy, Free Press, USA Slavin (1996) Economics, Irwin, London, UK Wikipedia, (2006) Phising, {www document} URL http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phising, Accessed November 18,2006