Unit:

eBusiness
Assignment title:
The Future of eBusiness
Spring 2024 – Summer 2025

Important notes
• Please refer to the Assignment Presentation Requirements for advice on how
to set out your assignment. These can be found on the NCC Education
website. Hover over ‘About Us’ on the main menu and then navigate to
‘Policies and Procedures’ then scroll to the ‘Student Support’ area.
• You must read the NCC Education document Academic Misconduct Policy
and ensure that you acknowledge all the sources that you use in your work.
These documents are available on the NCC Education website. Hover over
‘About Us’ on the main menu and then navigate to ‘Policies and Procedures’
then scroll to the ‘Student Support’ area.
• You must complete the Statement and Confirmation of Own Work. The form
is available on the NCC Education website. Hover over ‘About Us’ on the
main menu and then navigate to ‘Policies and Procedures’ then scroll to the
‘Student Support’ area.
• Please make a note of the recommended word count as stated in the
brief. The maximum word count limit is the recommended work count
plus 10% leeway. Submissions which exceed the maximum word count
limit will be marked only up to the maximum word count limit. Any text
that exceeds the maximum word count limit will not be marked. You
must follow the note on word count as stated in the Submission
Requirements section of the brief.
• You must submit a paper copy and digital copy (on disk or similarly
acceptable medium). Media containing viruses, or media that cannot be run
directly, will result in a fail grade being awarded for this assessment.
• All electronic media will be checked for plagiarism.
Introduction

Assignment Title – The Future of eBusiness

This assignment requires you to demonstrate knowledge and skills you have acquired
throughout the course of this module by producing a 4,000 word report by answering all
SIX (6) tasks below, referencing any research sources in full. In order to complete the
assignment, you will need to choose an industry and an appropriate organisation within it
to research.

Choosing an appropriate organisation

Step 1 – Research new and emerging technologies in the e-commerce sector.

Concentrate on the use of technology developed within the last FIVE (5) years.

Step 2 - Expand your research to include an organisation that has utilised the new and
emerging technologies you have identified. The organisation does not have to be solely
trading online, but the e-commerce activities of the business should be your main focus.

Note: the organisation does not have to include an online marketplace platform – however,
further research may be required into this area of e-commerce specifically if the chosen
organisation does not utilise this.

New and emerging technologies could include (but not limited to):

• Artificial Intelligence – chatbots, pricing tools etc.

• Machine Learning – recommendation engines, behavioural analytics etc.
• Web scraping
• Check-out free payment systems
• Virtual Reality

Your research should include as a minimum:

• What new and emerging technologies have been/are being developed over the last
FIVE (5) years to assist with e-commerce activities?
• What are the benefits to both businesses and customers of applying this
technology?
• How has an organisation adopted the use of this technology to improve its business
offer?
• How is CRM linked to new and emerging technologies?
• How effective is the organisation’s supply chain and how can this be improved
using new and emerging technologies?
• What security risks are posed by new and emerging technologies and what are
organisations doing to minimise the risk to consumers?
• How can new and emerging technologies be utilised within online marketplaces?

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Researching your Organisation

You can use web resources to enable you to understand the context in which your
selected organisation operates. Do not limit yourself, however, to web-based sources of
information. You should also use academic, industry and other sources.

Scenario
Example – Uber – dynamic pricing using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

In February 2023 Uber announced the introduction of its ‘dynamic pricing’ algorithm to be
applied to UK drivers in London to allow the company to set variable pay and pricing levels
based on real-time data for market conditions.

These market conditions include time, distance, predicted route, estimated traffic and
number of users requesting services.

This process is now often referred to as ‘surge pricing’.

Uber has a dedicated network within the company structure – Uber AI – it is a centre for
advanced artificial intelligence research and platforms and began utilising research results
and outcomes in 2019 when using a mixture of Machine Learning and Artificial
Intelligence. It was able to implement new algorithms into the rideshare platform that
enabled it to ‘overcome the limits of GPS’ when improving the accuracy of information
relating to driver and rider locations and estimated arrival times. The improved service was
attributed to developments within the AI Sensing and Perceptions team.

Also, in 2019 Uber announced its development of the Plato Research and Dialogue
System – a conversational platform powered by AI. Conversational platforms can vary
from chatbots to sophisticated digital assistants and Uber’s open-source platform includes
functions such as speech recognition, language generation and speech synthesis to
convert text to speech.

Uber are committing time and resources to multiple emerging technologies to increase
market share, improve customer experience and demonstrate continuous improvement
and leadership within their industry.

https://www.uber.com/en-GB/blog/uber-ai-blog-2019/?uclick_id=961889a5-cd21-46c1-
a084-9333f8f9f18e
https://www.luigisbox.com/blog/ecommerce-
ai/#:~:text=There%20are%20many%20examples%20of,product%20design%20and%20m
arketing%20strategies.
https://medium.com/dataseries/uber-open-sourced-plato-to-perform-natural-language-
research-at-scale-f43deef89a32

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Aim
To demonstrate an understanding of how organisations are utilising new and emerging
technologies to develop their e-commerce activity and how they responded to changing
buying habits and expectations of consumers, whilst ensuring high service levels, secure
transactions, and an effective supply chain.

Task 1 – 20 Marks
a) Analyse and explain the use of new and emerging technologies in the organisation
you have researched. Highlight the e-commerce activities impacted by the
technology.
(10 marks)

b) Identify at least TWO (2) advantages and TWO (2) disadvantages to the
organisation of adopting these new technologies, including how this suits the
current business model.
(10 marks)

Task 2 – 15 Marks
Analyse the link between the technology used by the organisation and the concept of
Customer Relationship Management (CRM).

Identify ONE (1) new or emerging technology platform, not currently being used by the
organisation that would further strengthen CRM and identify the benefits this would bring
to the business.

Task 3 – 15 Marks
Identify TWO (2) benefits of an effective supply chain system for the business and TWO
(2) consequences of supply chain management for the business.

Task 4 – 15 Marks
Identify how the use of new and emerging technologies can improve revenue for e-
commerce businesses that utilise online marketplaces.

Identify ONE (1) online marketplace and suggest TWO (2) new or emerging technology
platforms that could increase effectiveness. Justify.

Task 5 – 15 Marks
Analyse how your chosen organisation minimises security threats using technology.
Identify TWO (2) further ways they could improve this using technology not currently
utilised.

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Task 6 –20 Marks
a) For your chosen organisation, write a vision statement for the organisation to set out
its long-term goals and aspirations for the future. Include what the organisation aims
to achieve, what developments/changes will be applied and what could be
realistically achieved.
(10 marks)

b) Based on the strategy vision statement identified in part a) identify how product
strategy, customer relationships, and corporate considerations should be
approached over the next FIVE (5) years in order to develop an effective e-
commerce strategy.
(10 marks)

Guidance

Consult with your tutor if you are uncertain about any aspect of this assignment.

Submission requirements

You must complete all SIX (6) tasks. You must include full referencing for any research
source used. The word count for your report is 4000 words.

Word Count

The word count for this assignment is 4,000 words. Pay careful attention to the mark
allocation for each task so you don’t spend too much time on any ONE (1) section.

You MUST state the word count in the header of your assignment and declare the number
of words on your assignment cover sheet. You MUST confirm that you have not exceeded
the stipulated word limit by more than 10%.

Any words written beyond the stipulated limit will not be read by the examiners; no marks
will be awarded, and no feedback provided for any text beyond the prescribed limit.

In accordance with accepted academic practice, the notion of a word count includes the
following without exception:

• All titles or headings that form part of the actual text. This does not include the fly
(or cover) page or reference list.
• All words that form the actual essay
• All words forming the titles for figures, tables, and boxes. However, this does not
include the text within boxes, tables, or figures themselves.
• All in-text (bracketed) references
• All directly quoted material.

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Candidate checklist

Please use the following checklist to ensure that your work is ready for submission.

Have you read the NCC Education document Academic Misconduct

Policy and ensured that you have acknowledged all the sources that ❑
you have used in your work?
Have you completed the Statement and Confirmation of Own Work
form and attached it to your assignment? You must do this. ❑
Have you ensured that your work has not gone over or under the
recommended word count by more than 10%? ❑
Have you ensured that your work does not contain viruses and can
be run directly? ❑

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