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COURSE ORIENTATION AND SAMPLE SYLLABI
This textbook can be used for a variety of different courses, teaching methods, and audiences. This section presents course objectives and syllabi for two semester long electronic commerce courses. Further, it presents how certain chapters can be integrated into traditional accounting information systems courses. The following courses are covered in the following sections:

• Undergraduate course in electronic commerce:
  Lehigh University
• Graduate course in electronic commerce:
  Lehigh University
  Colorado State University
  
• Supplemental material for an AIS course:
  University of Alabama -- Tuscaloosa
  Lehigh University

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Undergraduate Course in Electronic Commerce

This course is an interdisciplinary course that incorporates concepts from accounting, marketing, management, and business law. Because of the need for students to draw from many fields of business and to discuss business and electronic commerce strategies, this course is best taught at the junior or senior level. In addition to learning electronic commerce concepts, models, and strategies, the students learn to research these topics by keeping a journal of current events. The students experientially learn sound electronic business concepts by developing a web site. Additional readings are not assigned to the undergraduate students beyond their requirement to keep a journal. The instructor may wish to examine the list of updated readings, however, that is maintained by the authors of this text at: http://www.mhhe.com/business/accounting/greenstein2e/
linkstoecomerce.mhtml

Expected Course Competencies:

By the end of this course students should be able to:

• Assess and formulate the electronic commerce strategies used by businesses, government agencies, and consumers to exchange information and initiate transactions.
  
• Assess the legal environment surrounding electronic commerce initiatives and formulate legally sound electronic commerce strategies.
  
• Determine the role of the accounting and marketing functions in the design and maintenance of electronic commerce systems.
  Identify and assess the risks of insecure electronic commerce systems and formulate security-conscious solutions.
  
• Compare the various third party assurance services available and make an informed choice of such a provider.
  
• Assess the adequacy of data protection of electronic commerce systems.
  
• Apply the following technical concepts and tools to an electronic commerce system design project:
  
  • Internet security standards and protocols,
    
  • data protection,
    
  • cryptography,
    
  • authentication and digital signatures,
  • firewalls,
  • electronic financial systems, and
  • consumer privacy rights.

Grade components:

Journals:

For each due date, you are to locate one article related to the topic of discussion for that time period. The article should be written during the past week.

Good sources for articles are:
1. Any newspaper - especially the Wall Street Journal
2. Magazines - i.e. Business Week, Time, Fortune
3. The Internet - make sure that the article or web page load date is within the appropriate time period.

Once the article is selected:
1. Either clip it, photocopy it, or print-it if you are using an on-line service, and make sure that you clip the load date, and
2. Type a one-page, single-spaced discussion of how this article specifically relates to what has been discussed in class during the past week.

By the end of the semester, you should have a collection of 10 articles and reviews. All 10 should be included in the final portfolio.

FINAL JOURNAL PORTFOLIO SUBMISSION:
1. Create an index of ALL 10 articles. Make sure to include the article titles. Place this page first in the portfolio. The portfolio must be assembled and turned in neatly in some kind of folder.
2. On the page following the index, prepare a short, 1/2 to 1 page, double-spaced, synopsis of your favorite 3 articles. Clearly indicate why they were your favorites and what knowledge you gained from them.
3. Make sure that all 10 articles and summaries are included in your portfolio. Place them after your synopsis.

Web Site Design Project:

Your team is charged with developing a business web site. Any other type of site must be approved by me.

The labs will cover how to accomplish this project using FrontPage 98. Labs are optional; however, if you wish to attend, your team must sign up so that a computer shortage does not occur. During labs, due to resource constraints, each team gets only one computer.

If you choose to use some other software development package, that is okay, but I will only support FrontPage 98. Further, your site must be able to be migrated to the course server without having to load any software server extensions, UNLESS, you can demonstrate to me that this does not break any software license agreements.

While the use of real businesses for development purposes is encouraged, keep this one point at the forefront of your mind - the University's servers cannot be used to conduct real business transactions or any other commercial uses. We are merely using our server to develop the sites. Any other use breaks the University's software license agreements.

The site must have the following features, at a minimum:

1. Company background page listing location of corporate headquarters or equivalent.
   
2. Business Policies, if transactions are conducted, including:complete and easy to understand rate charges if the business provides a service;
   shipping policy and charges;
   tax policy; and
   return policy.
   
3. Privacy Policy.
   
4. Security Statement.
   
5. Issue at least one cookie.
   
6. Use at least one form.
   
7. Use at least one search feature.
   
8. Use at least one image.
   
9. Interact with a database in some form, such as:
   displaying records;
   querying records; and
   collecting data and writing it to a database (this can be combined with the form requirement.)
   
10. Provide space for at least one banner advertising. (We will NOT use any banner exchange programs, as we do NOT want to draw "real" visitors to these simulation sites.)
    
11. Provide a webmaster e-mail function on each page.
    
12. Prevent against dead-end pages.

In designing your site, the following aesthetics must be considered:

1. Appropriate use of colors and contrasts.
   
2. Appropriate amount of information on each page - do NOT clutter your pages.
   
3. Appropriate use of images (so that load time is not too high.)
   
4. Consistent corporate image throughout the site.

A written summary must be submitted with the web site that consists of the following items:

1. A discussion of the initial launch promotion;
   
2. The general promotion of web site after the initial launching;
   
3. The 5 P's as they relate to the site; and
   
4. A checklist of additional features/work that needs to be done to make site ready for launch.
   
   

Weekly Requirements:

Week One: Overview of Electronic Commerce
Read Chapter 1 and Journal #1 Due
Work Problem 1-2 together in class

Week Two: Electronic Commerce and the Role of Independent Third Parties
Read Chapter 2 and Journal #2 Due
Work Problem 2-1 together in class

Week Three: The Regulatory Environment
Read Chapter 3 and Journal #3 Due
Work Problem 3-1 together in class

Week Four: EDI, Electronic Commerce and the Internet
Read Chapter 4 and Journal #4 Due
Work Problem 4-1 together in class

Week Five: Risks of Insecure Systems
Read Chapter 5 and Journal #5 Due

Week Six: Risk Management
Read Chapter 6
Work Problem 6-2 together in class

Week Seven: EXAM 1 and Internet Standards, Protocols and Languages
Take Exam
Read Chapter 7
Work Problem 7-3 together in class

Week Eight: Cryptography and Authentication
Read Chapter 8 and Journal #6 Due
Work Problem 8-2 together in class

Week Nine: Firewalls - Guest Speaker - networking specialist
Read Chapter 9 and Journal #7 Due
Work Problem 9-3 together in class
Determine web site design groups and general nature of projects

Week Ten: Electronic Commerce Payment Mechanisms
Read Chapter 10 and Journal #8 Due
Work Problem 10-2 together in class

Week Eleven: FrontPage98 Labs

Week Twelve: Intelligent Agents
Read Chapter 11 and Journal #9 Due
Work Problem 11-1 together in class

Week Thirteen: Web-Based Marketing
Read Chapter 12 and Journal #10 Due
Work Problem 12-2 together in class

Week Fourteen: Review and Exam
Journal Portfolios Due
Web Site Projects Due one week after last day of class

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Graduate Course in Electronic Commerce

This course is an interdisciplinary course that incorporates concepts from accounting, marketing, management, and business law. In addition to learning electronic commerce concepts, models, and strategies, the students must keep up with additional readings, typically six to ten articles per week, that reflect the most current events in the field of electronic commerce. Adopters of this text can access the updated readings posted by the authors of this text and use these additional readings in their courses. URL of the site:
http://www.mhhe.com/business/accounting/greenstein2e/
linkstoecomerce.mhtml

The students are informed that the instructor reserves the right to post new additional readings (with hypertext links to the articles) to the course web site within 48 hours of class meeting.

The students are required to develop a web site with sound business concepts in mind. The focus of this project is on the development of effective business policies, and the appropriate conveyance of information to site visitors. Emphasis is also placed on the initial launching techniques of the site.

Expected Course Competencies:
By the end of this course students should be able to:

• Formulate sound electronic commerce strategies used by businesses and consumers to exchange information and initiate transactions.
  
• Assess the legal environment surrounding electronic commerce initiatives and formulate legally and ethically appropriate electronic commerce strategies.
  
• Determine the role of the accounting and marketing functions in the design and maintenance of electronic commerce systems.
  Identify and assess the risks of insecure electronic commerce systems and formulate security-conscious solutions.
  
• Compare the various third party assurance services available and make an informed choice of such a provider.
  
• Assess the adequacy of data protection of electronic commerce systems.
  
• Apply the following technical concepts and tools to an electronic commerce system design project:
  
  • Internet security standards and protocols,
    
  • data protection,
    
  • cryptography,
    
  • authentication and digital signatures,
  • firewalls,
  • electronic financial systems, and
  • consumer privacy rights.

Assignments:
Weekly assignments are important to the learning process. These assignments are useful because of the discovery nature of the exercise content. The assignments are based on the problems (cases) at the end of each chapter in the textbook. Some assignments are submitted via forms on the course web site, all others are to be typed and turned-in at the beginning of class.

Web Site Design Project:
Same as the one described above for the undergraduate class.

Weekly Requirements:

Week One: Overview of Electronic Commerce
Read Chapter 1
Work Problems 1-2 and 2-2

Week Two: Electronic Commerce and the Role of Independent Third Parties
Read Chapter 2
Work Problem 2-2 and 2-3
(For an example of a form that can be used by the students to submit their answers via a course web site see http://is1.dept.lehigh.edu/gbus492/forma.htm - this method allows the instructor to present the class with summarized, tabulated results for discussion)

Week Three: The Regulatory Environment
Read Chapter 3
Students can work any two of the four problems at the end of the chapter and a discussion of all four is held during class.

Week Four: EDI, Electronic Commerce and the Internet
Read Chapter 4
Work Problems 4-1, 4-2 and 4-3

Week Five: Risks of Insecure Systems
Read Chapter 5
Have each student find a security breach that has occurred in the last month and to summarize it and bring it to class for discussion.

Week Six: Risk Management
Read Chapter 6
Work Problems 6-1 and 6-2

Week Seven: EXAM 1 and Internet Standards, Protocols and Languages
Take Exam
Read Chapter 7

Week Eight: Cryptography and Authentication
Read Chapter 8
Work Problems 8-2 and 8-3

Week Nine: Firewalls - Guest Speaker - networking specialist
Read Chapter 9
Work Problem 9-4 (This would be a good problem to develop a web form for submission.)
Determine web site design groups and general nature of projects

Week Ten: Electronic Commerce Payment Mechanisms
Read Chapter 10
Work Problems 10-1 and 10-3

Week Eleven: FrontPage98 Lab

Week Twelve: Intelligent Agents
Read Chapter 11
Work Problems 11-1 and 11-3

Week Thirteen: Web-Based Marketing
Read Chapter 12
Work Problem 12-1 and 12-3

Week Fourteen: Review and Exam

Web Site Projects Due one week after last day of class

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Supplemental material for an AIS course

Certain chapters in this text present material that is a natural extension of material covered in an AIS course:

These chapters are the related topics to an AIS course:

1. Chapter One - Overview of Electronic Commerce - this chapter can be additional reading for the first chapter of most AIS textbooks.
   
2. Chapter Two - Electronic Commerce and the Role of Independent Third Parties - this chapter can significantly enhance the chapter that discusses the assurance functions of accounting information systems.
   
3. Chapter Three - The Regulatory Environment - this chapter can be additional reading for the internal control framework chapter.
   
4. Chapter Four - EDI, Electronic Commerce and the Internet - this chapter can be additional reading for the EDI chapter.
   
5. Chapters Five and Six - Risks of Insecure Systems and Risk Management - these chapters can be additional readings for internal controls.
   
6. Chapter Nine - Cryptography and Authentication - this chapter can be additional reading for access controls discussed within the context of internal controls.
   
7. Chapter Ten - Electronic Commerce Payment Mechanisms - this chapter can be additional reading for the revenue cycle chapter(s).