E-Commerce for New Enterprises: Lessons & Select Case Studies

These lessons and select case studies are part of an on-going curriculum and simulations development project between the College of Saint Scholastica’s School of Business and Technology (SBT) and Learning-Games.net (www.learningames.net), and are designed to help students explore the field of E-commerce for new enterprises through case simulations and role-playing game (RPG) scenarios. In addition, they can be used in combination with a queueing theory model and both continuous, as well as discrete-event simulations. The related RPG scenarios focus on real-life systems found in e-commerce and internet marketing.

Through the lessons and case studies presented in this collection, students will explore mission critical e-commerce systems designed to teach and explore expanding real-world online storefronts, or creating virtual startups, and show how to identify a market need, choose a web hosting service, implement security and privacy measures, open up shop, and start promoting new products to the world. Including:

• Covers the latest trends and techniques for online discoverability - from social media marketing to search engine rankings, online couponing to optimization for mobile devices, and beyond
• Highlights business issues that are of particular concern to online entrepreneurs
• Walks you through the best practices of successful online businesses, including customer service, marketing, analytics, and website optimization tools
• Provides advice on choosing an e-commerce platform, protecting your domain name, securing trademarks, working with vendors and distributors, and keeping your customer's personal data safe

Dr. Thomas Buck is a Lecturer in the School of Business and Technology, at the College of St. Scholastica of Duluth, MN and teaches courses in management ethics, technology ethics, e-commerce, e-marketing, information systems and programming. With a PhD specializing in Educational Technology and Applied Information Systems, an MBA in Rural Healthcare, and an MS in Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Buck's work includes teaching, research, and antiques.

His research work is two-fold, (i) web-based assessment tools and educational game design; and, (ii) e-commerce and social/cultural entrepreneurship. In assessment tools and game design, he is conducting an on-going research project on learning styles and distance learning, focusing on the developmental principles of educational psychology, game design, gender role theory, and assessment. He has also published a number of peer reviewed studies and books on topics ranging from Learning Styles and Web-based Learning to Technology Literacy Recommendations for colleges and universities. His related published works include his book, Learning in Cyberspace: A Guide to Authentic Assessment Tools for Web-based Instruction, and his McGraw-Hill/Irwin 2014 Distinguished Papers Award winning paper, Living the Case Study: Teaching Management and Leadership Ethics Through Serious Games, published by The Society for the Advancement of Information Systems.

As a small business owner, designated Cultural Entrepreneur, and internationally recognized Conservator of East Asian Historical & Cultural Artifacts, another one of Dr. Buck's passions is his research on Japanese and Chinese history, philosophy and fine arts. Among his related published works are his books The Art of Tsukamaki and Ancient Japanese Swords and Fittings, both available on Amazon.com.