Electronic Commerce and Internet Applications

The growth of the Internet and electronic commerce over the last decade has radically changed the communication landscape between business and consumers, business partners, government and citizens etc. Moreover, new developments around social networking and the interaction through emerging communication channels, such as mobile, have created a new landscape for innovation and entrepreneurship. The objective of this course is to develop the students' theoretical and technical background in order for them to understand the possibilities and limitations of the new technologies and business models and be in the position to exploit the new business opportunities that open up in this area. Different e-business applications and case studies are examined from both a business and technical perspective. Topics discussed include, among others, the required technical infrastructure, critical aspects of online promotion and selling, the interconnection of systems, and in general various practical topics associated to the business exploitation and implementation of e-business applications. Students also have the possibility to acquire practical knowledge and skills working on the implementation of an online store using open source software platforms and optionally on the development of mobile apps and the interconnection of systems.

By following this course, students will be able to:

• Acquire the necessary conceptual and theoretical background through an interdisciplinary approach.
• Recognize the opportunities for developing new services for customers, citizens, businesses etc. and exploit new technologies to interact with them through social networking and emerging communication channels
• Understand the critical factors and the benefits associated with the effective management of e-commerce initiatives and evaluate a given strategy or e-commerce business plan • Acquire the skills to help implement e-commerce solutions and deal effectively with the various practical and technical issues
• Understand the technological issues associated with the development of e-commerce, but also learn how to use open source platforms for developing online electronic stores
• Get informed about recent developments and trends around the e-commerce globally, from a business and academic perspective

Course contents are:

• Introduction and Basic Concepts
• Development of on-line store
• B2B e commerce issues
• Other subjects