Specialization Course E-Commerce

It would be foolish to ignore the lessons learned in the early period of e-Commerce. Like so many technology revolutions in the past, there was an explosion of entrepreneurial efforts, followed by consolidation. By 2005, the survivors of the early period were moving to establish profitable businesses while maintaining rapid growth in revenues. Since 2013, e-Commerce has entered a new period of explosive entrepreneurial activity focusing on social networks and the mobile digital platforms, smartphones and tablets.
 

These technologies and social behaviors are bringing about extraordinary changes to our personal lives, markets, industries, individual businesses, and society as a whole. Since 2019, due mainly to the COVID19 quarantine, the e-Commerce activity has exploded, creating a sustained increase in the market value of e-Commerce stocks, as the companies in that field are generating thousands of new jobs (and e-jobs) for young managers in all fields from marketing to management, entrepreneurial studies, and information systems. Today, e-Commerce has moved into the mainstream life of established businesses that have the market brands and financial muscle required for the long-term deployment of e-Commerce technologies and methods.
 

In this e-Commerce course, the participants will become familiar with the core principles of Internet, e-Commerce, e-business, online marketing as well as about the main technological and social changes that are taking place in today markets. We will develop the basic concepts of these disciplines, their main tools, strategies, resources and the various methods for creating, operating, measuring and managing e-business performance.

We will also include a review of the latest developments for the operation of e-Commerce platforms and businesses on the web with which we hope to achieve adequate training for our professionals who, increasingly, need to be linked to the world of electronic business, in a complex, changing and technological context.
 

This course progressively describes all of the elements of the value chain for e-business and e-commerce. A process-oriented approach is used to present the electronic transactions that occur between companies, consumers, and public administration. Along with the organization of digital products and services, special attention is paid to marketing, distribution, and customer relationship care.

Aditionaly, this new world of e-Commerce is introduced from a practical point of view, which can be very well used not only in corporate business management but also in management of entrepreneurial projects.

Upon completion of this course the students will have a comprehensive overview of the tools, methods and roles of the e-Commerce, virtual marketing and e-business, allowing them to understand how the Internet is being integrated as an effective tool for commerce and marketing in organizations, providing them with the development of skills that allow them to make critical decisions that make it possible to increase the benefits generated by an integrated e-Commerce marketing strategy for their business. They will master the tools of e-Commerce which will allow them to apply them in their professional practice.

• BASICS AND DEFINITION: An introduction to the issues of presentation on the internet. The creation of a company on the internet, which will lead to formulating a company presentation and taking the first steps and making the initial analysis.
   
• THE WEBSITE: Web design, graphic design of presentation and its ergonomics.
   
• ONLINE MARKETING: Internet marketing strategy, its development and maintenance. Search engine optimization and search engine marketing.
   
• PRIVACY AND SECURITY ON THE INTERNET: Network security, cybersecurity, cybercrime, protection of personal and commercial data.
   
• THE FUTURE OF E-COMMERCE AND BUSINESS.

At the completion of this course, students should be able to…

• Know and value the potential of the Internet and electronic commerce as a favorable environment for business development, analyzing the implementation alternatives currently available.

• Be able to understand definitions, terminology and concepts applied to e-Commerce and e-business. Identify actors, roles and the relationships between them.

• Be able to understand the importance of technology in an Internet and electronic commerce strategy.

• Appreciate the possible synergies between the Internet as a medium and business in the real world, and as a medium for advertising communication, information and business.

• Recognize the necessary steps for the implementation of electronic commerce.

• Develop skills to plan, analyze, develop and collaborate in the management of digital businesses, taking into account the unique characteristics of the digital economy and networks. Apply business models to evaluate Web projects and e-Commerce sites.

• Be able to describe the different types of electronic commerce, valuing the items, profiles and associated business models. Analyze the desirable characteristics in all implementations of electronic commerce.

• Know and understand the changes that digitalization causes in consumption habits and how companies must respond with appropriate strategies to address these consumers who want to buy anytime, anywhere.

• Know and understand the main tools and tactics related to digital marketing and e-Commerce necessary to guarantee sustainable success.

• Be able to adopt a strategy, brand, product, distribution and price decisions in Internet business and e-Commerce situations, in order to identify the most appropriate form(s) of payment for each company. Know and understand how to design an e-Commerce action plan, centered in the consumer, developing strategies and actions for acquisition, conversion and loyalty.

• Understand how business strategies works on the Internet in general, and specially, in business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C).

• Be able to determine the characteristics, potential and limitations of the use of a website and an online store.

• Know and apply the different approaches, standards, metrics and statistics in the evaluation and control of the performance of a website and the necessary adjustments and adaptations to be able to measure our electronic commerce.

• Be able to understand the use of the Internet as a resource to obtain customer-focused information. Explain how the Internet has affected and altered the balance of power within distribution channels.

• Be able to describe the variety of tactics that apply the Internet as a means of communicating with customers and measuring the online audience.

• Be able to discuss the importance of using online presence as a means to create better customer relationships and increase brand equity. Be able to know and explain the ethical and legal aspects associated with e-Commerce.

• Analyze and learn about the different social network sites that operate on the Internet, understand their characteristics and possible advantages that they can contribute to online marketing and e-Commerce. Know and apply the necessary technological and social measures to ensure the privacy, security and protection of personal and commercial data on the Internet.

• Know and apply the technological and social measures necessary to ensure cybersecurity and protection against cybercrime, current and foreseeable for the future.

• Analyze and anticipate changes in technological, economic and social trends that could affect electronic commerce and online business in the future.

• Identify the impact that the development of an e-Commerce model has for a company and thus be able to anticipate the changes, consequences and implications that this may generate in the future.