BEA2005 Information Systems GROUP ASSIGNMENT.

Group enrollment i s now available on ELE / BEA2005. The enrollment online facility will close on
Wednesday November 2
nd
. If you have any problems with group formation or enrollments please
contact Mrs J enny King (J .G.King@exeter.ac.uk) in Student and Education Services in Building One.
(Monday to Friday only). If you fail to enrol in a group by November 2
nd
, you may be assigned to a
random group.


Set by: Gordon Harris
Submissions must be in printed form, received and recorded by the school by Monday
December 5
th
2011 2pm
You are encouraged to supply a duplicate digital file version of your work which should be
emailed to G.A.Harris@exeter.ac.uk on or before December 5
th
. Your Group Code should be
clearly shown in the Subject Line. Early digital submissions will not be previewed or
commented on. I will confirm receipt of your digital file. Digital submissions will not be
considered a substitute for the compulsory printed version. You must accept the risk that files
may fail to reach my inbox, however this will not affect your mark.
Possible Value: 20% of overall module grade
One submission per group. (Group size: 4-5 members)
(Word-count: 3000)

Assignment: Web Based Business Models

Background

Organisations face constant threats and pressures against their business model and their survival
may be based on a variety of well documented generic or often radical responses.

Deliverabl e

For this assignment, for an organisation of your groups choice, you are to produce a three section
report describing;

The Business model
An assessment of this organisations competitive environment. (International if appropriate).
An assessment of the potential for growth through agility and adaptation.

Your chosen organisation must already make substantial use of internet communications in its
business activities and be subject to competitive pressures resulting from structural changes within its
industry or associated industry and the effects of new technologies.

If you find it difficult to identify a suitable organisation to analyze, you may choose the following
company.

Groupon Inc.



Discussions surrounding issues of competition are contained in traditional models of strategy. However you will
find valuable material relating to this topic within the module textbook, additional reading material and online
resources. The following paper (outlining what are now recognised as generic forces and counter strategies), by
Michael Porter can be found in Harvard Business Review via the University Library online resources.
Porter , M.E. Strategy and the Internet, Harvard Business Review, March 2001
Note however, that since Porter, the range of business models associated with online activities has expanded.

End
Gordon Harris October 28
th
2011