Final Exam Study Guide
CGS 2069
• Unique features of e–commerce technology
1. Richness
2. Global Reach
3. Ubiquity
4. Information Density
5. Interactivity
6. Social technology
7. Universal Standards
8. Personalization/Customization
• Definition of richness, reach, density, interactivity, ubiquity, personalization
Reach is the total number of users or customers an e-commerce business can obtain.
Ubiquity is being available just about everywhere, at all times. Richness is the
complexity and content of a message. Density is the total amount and quality of
information available to all market participants. Interactivity is the technology that allows
for two-way communication between merchant and consumer. Personalization is the
targeting of marketing messages to specific individuals by adjusting the message to a
person’s name, interests, and past purchases. While customization is changing the
delivered product or service based on a user’s preferences or prior behavior.
• What are the most identifiable aspects of a company’s business model?
The most identifiable aspects of a company’s business model are: market opportunity
revenue model, value proposition, competitive advantage, competitive
environment, management team, market strategy, organizational development.
• What are the significant influences on a company’s competitive market?
The significant influences on a company’s competitive market are: how many
competitors are active, how large their operations are, what the market share of each
competitor is, how profitable these firms are, and how they price their products.
• What are indications of a saturated market?
The indications of a saturated market is existence of a large number of competitors in any
one segment.
• What gives a business model the most credibility with investors?
A strong management team gives a business model the most credibility with investors.
• The different strategies for firms
The different strategies for firms are: product/service differentiation, cost competition,
scope, focus, and customer/supplier intimacy.
• Primary activities in the value chain
The primary activities in the value chain are: inbound logistics, operations, outbound
logistics, sales and marketing, and after sales service.
• Packet switching
Packet switching is a method of slicing digital messages into packets, sending the packets
along different communication paths as they become available, and then reassembling the
packets once they arrive at their destination.
• TCP/IP
TCP/IP is the core communications protocol for the Internet. TCP establishes the
connections among sending and receiving Web computers, and makes sure that packets
sent by one computer are received in the same sequence by the other, without any packets
missing, while IP provides the Internet’s addressing scheme and is responsible for the
actual delivery of the packets.
• Domain name system
Domain name system is system for expressing numeric IP addresses in natural language.
• What’s the backbone of the internet?
The backbone of the internet is Tier 1 Internet Service Providers (Tier 1 ISPs) (own and
control the major long–haul fiber-optic cable networks comprising the Internet’s
backbone).
• What’s the Internet of Things?
The Internet of Things is the Use of the Internet to connect a wide variety of devices,
machines, and sensors.
• Customer on-site tracking
Customer on-site tracking is Site log for every customer visit; data mining capability to
identify common customer paths and appropriate responses.
• What are the basic requirements for a product database
The basic requirements for a product database are: Product descriptions, photos, SKUs,
inventory.
• What takes the most time to maintain on an e–commerce site?
General administration (making product and price changes in the catalog) and making
changes and enhancements to the system takes the most time to maintain on an e–
commerce site.
• How do you verify links on web pages?
I verify links on web pages by using site management tools.
• Proxy servers
Proxy servers are software server that handles all communications originating from or
being sent to the Internet, acting as a spokesperson or bodyguard for the organization.
• Stateless
Stateless is refers to the fact that the server does not have to maintain an ongoing,
dedicated interaction with the client.
• Main factors to determine overall demand on e–commerce site
Main factors to determine overall demand on e–commerce site are: number of
simultaneous users in peak periods, the nature of customer requests, the type of content,
the required security, the number of items in inventory, the number of page requests, and
the speed of legacy applications that may be needed to supply data to the Web pages.
