Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Implement idea generation and perform market research for development of a new online business.

2. Demonstrate ability to prepare pro forma financial statements, marketing strategies, logistics and customer service plans, competitor analysis, manufacturing plans, and other components of a formal business plan.

3. Implement transaction infrastructure for receiving payment from customers.

4. Develop a prototype online test shop using a template-based site or a simple storefront package site, and conduct Alpha and Beta testing to debug the prototype site.

BUS 130: Introduction to E-Commerce, BUS 131: Social Media Marketing, and either BUS 132: E-Commerce: Information Products or BUS 133: E-Commerce: Physical Products are required.

There is no required text for this course. All materials will be furnished by the instructor and augmented by assigned readings of information online.

I realize this is stating the obvious, but you must have access to a computer, an email account, and a reliable Internet connection. You must have a backup plan should your system or your Internet provider fail, as technological problems not related to me or to Canvas are your problem. It is essential that you understand the basic concepts of email; web navigation; computer security including firewalls, cookies, trusted sites; and online communication to succeed in this course.

It is strongly recommended that you obtain a flash drive to store your work and also investigate another location (e.g. another computer/flash, email) to save an additional copy of your files in case of mishap.

There is a very useful page of information about distance education at Cuesta. You can find it here. In particular, you will want to view the FAQ page which provides some assistance with the technical side of distance ed (for ex. suggested minimum system requirements, how to get technical assistance, etc).

This course is conducted entirely on the Canvas platform. The syllabus will contain information so that you can contact me electronically. Print out and read the course syllabus, as most of the questions pertaining to the course structure can be found in the syllabus. The syllabus is in the Welcome Mat Module, with a link to it from the course home page.

• Go to the Cuesta Canvas site: https://cuesta.instructure.com and login:

• The Login name matches your my.cuesta login name: firstname_lastname.
  
• The DefaultCanvas password is: Changeme1. You will be forced to change your password the first time you login.

• If you have any technical problems, please email support@my.cuesta.edu for assistance.

Do not email me, as I do not offer technical support.

The pacing of the course has been condensed to one-half of a regular semester course. The lectures will become available to you on a regular basis, one module at a time – one module will be released on Tuesday and one on Friday of each week. Depending on the particular section of the course, you will be able to access between one to three week's worth of new information at a time. Previously covered material, of course, will always be available to you. But for your benefit, as well as mine, I want to keep things moving at a manageable pace and keep everyone in the class at approximately the point. So, within each section of material you will be able to set your own pace to a great extent, but the timing of moving from section to section will be set by me. You will need to complete all necessary material by those dates in order to perform adequately in the course.

Please be prepared to spend 8 - 12 hours per week on coursework for this class.

You will be required to log on to the course site several times a week, so do not plan to work on this course only on the weekends.

Once the course begins on the first day of class, log in immediately to the Course Canvas site and post your introduction.

If I do not see your introduction posted and evidence of your having logged on and started downloading and printing out the materials by the third day of the semester, you will be dropped from the course, and your space will be taken by someone else who is waiting to add the class. Also, review all of the materials on the course site and be ready to begin working on the class assignments in Module One.

PLEASE NOTE: Class attendance is determined by on-time participation in Module Discussions. If you do not post before the deadline in a Module (deadlines are clearly stated) or you miss two consecutive Discussions then you will be deemed absent from the class and will be dropped. Please check the site DAILY for news and updates about exams and assignments.

If you are a student with a verified disability, please discuss your needs for accommodations with me.

Each student is required to follow all school guidelines and comply with all school deadlines including personal responsibility for adding and/or dropping this class. Each student is responsible for obtaining updates or changes to the syllabus and/or assignments for the course.

If you have any additional questions prior to the first day of class, please feel free to e-mail me. I look forward to working with you!

Deborah Bayles, Instructor

deborah_bayles@cuesta.edu