/ COMP3241:
E-Business Technologies
Assignment 2
Semester 1, 2014-15
Words: / 2400 equiv.
Weighting: / 60%
Submission date: / Thursday 15th January 2014 (week 14)
Learning Outcomes: / 2, 3, 4
Verified by: / Pete Moody
Electronic copy available: /

LO 2Develop a website on a web server so that information can be stored on digital media using principles that minimise the chance of a breach of security

LO 3Create server pages for collecting and storing customer and product data, displaying product information/order data so that customers can receive up-to-date information with minimal website maintenance

LO 4Integrate server pages to create a shopping cart system that will maximise sales opportunities for the vendor and optimise the shopping experience for the customer and provide suitable accounting

This assignment is a fairly typical developmental task for a business that decides that commercial “off the shelf” e-commerce packages are no longer sufficiently flexible to meet their company’s needs, and so they want a developer to re-engineer it for them. By engaging with it, you will be able to describe your own experiences creating a shopping cart from components, and you’ll be a step ahead if asked to do the job for real.

Scenario

An SME (Small to Medium-sized Enterprise) wishes to take orders for their products on-line from their own existing, hosted web site. The hosting package includes a capability for a web server that can run all the common types of server-side program scripts. The web server can also provide access to a database containing buying information.

The SME wishes to store business information securely, and to be able to change prices and include new products, or remove obsolete products. They want all visitors to be able to view product information currently on the database through a browser, in order to get product descriptions and pricing details. They want customers to logon or register only at the point that they wish to purchase goods.

Your task

You need to produce a shopping web site for the SME that can be accessed via the World Wide Web, take orders, present online invoices, and provide a front-end for a system that can securely take payment by credit card. The solution will need to include product pages as appropriate, embedded server-side scripts to access and present product data, and a shopping cart system that will take, store, and process orders on-line, provide a page to simulate a means of securely handling payment, and a final page to complete the shopping experience.

NB A good e-commerce system should also keep customers informed of the progress of their orders via email and thus enhance customer fulfillment. For completeness, you may wish to include this aspect as well. This is an extension activity, and carries no marks.

Assessment Criteria

General assessment criteria are given in the field handbook. For this particular task you will be given credit for:

  • Use of HTML forms, CSS, embedded applets, and other features to create business-like web pages (LO2)
  • Use of server scripts to produce an updateable online shopping catalogue and customer registration/logon system (LO3)
  • Documentation including site diagram, database design, design of web pages and server-side scripting, implementation of client-server connectivity with database (LO2/3)
  • On-line Implementation of Shopping Cart system to effectively produce and store orders, and their order_lines (LO4)
  • How well the system actually works for creating online orders, when accessed via the Internet (LO4)
  • Documentation of testing of features/pages, site evaluation, structure of report, referencing. (LO3/4)

Learning Outcomes:

  1. Develop a website on a web server so that information can be stored on digital media using principles that minimise the chance of a breach of security
  2. Create server pages for collecting and storing customer and product data, displaying product information/order data so that customers can receive up-to-date information with minimal website maintenance
  3. Integrate server pages to create a shopping cart system that will maximise sales opportunities for the vendor and optimise the shopping experience for the customer and provide suitable accounting
Grade Descriptor

This assignment is more than 50% based on practical work (see word equivalence below), and this weighting should be borne in mind.

A band work would be expected to be of appropriate length, include a degree of analysis and evaluation to address the assignment brief according to the criteria as well as including factual explanation. For a practical report, at least three relevant and up-to-date references should be included, and cited appropriately. The cart should be working according to the assessment criteria.

B band work would be mostly as above but lacking in one or more of the analysis, evaluation and referencing factors, and further problems with one of the assessment criteria. For a practical report, at least three relevant and up-to-date references should be included, and cited appropriately. The cart should be working according to the assessment criteria (i.e. pages present items, shopping cart collects the data, online order presented) with minor problems.

C band work might be lacking analysis and evaluation, or lacking in factual content in one (or possibly more) of the assessment criteria listed for this assignment. It may also be of slightly inappropriate length, and have fewer than three relevant and up-to-date references. The shopping cart should be working, although there may be functionality problems.

D band work might be lacking analysis and evaluation, or lacking in factual content in two (or possibly more) of the assessment criteria listed for this assignment. It may have strayed considerably from the recommended word length and conventional method of referencing, but some referencing may have been included. The shopping cart system should be working to some extent, and at least produce a shopping cart.

Handing in

The practical component represents a 1250 word-equivalence, and your report should be in the range of 1150 words. Work must be word-processed and should clearly show your student number. You are required to keep a copy of work handed in. You should submit your work electronically via SOLE by the 3pm deadline onThursday 15th January 2014.

Turnitin

For this assignment, you will need to use Turnitin to generate an originality report, print off the complete report (not just the front page), and submit it with your work. (If you don’t do this, your work will be graded H.) Include your assignment and the Turnitin report in a Zip folder and submit to SOLE. The URL for TurnitinUK is

You will need to register yourself as a student (if you haven’t already done so). It’s free, and your username is your e-mail address. You will have to think of a password for yourself.

The Turnitin class ID is 804888The class password is computer

This assignment is set up so that you can resubmit to it, and it won’t check against your previous submission(s) to this assignment. This is so that you can make modifications in the light of a report on your first draft. However, be aware that the second and subsequent reports are delayed by 24 hours to avoid students overloading the server with numerous revisions. This means that you will need to allow sufficient time in advance of hand-in date to complete Turnitin submissions.”

Late submission of work

It is essential that you submit your work, in order to be able to pass the module. Work which is submitted late will be subject to grade penalties as below. Full details of the regulations regarding late submission and applying for mitigation are available via the Registry Services website in the Assessment folder

  • Students who submit course work late but within 5 days of the due date will have work marked, but the grade will be capped at the minimum pass grade unless an application for mitigating circumstances is accepted.
  • Students who submit work later than 5 days but within 14 days of the due date will not have work marked unless they have submitted a valid claim of mitigating circumstances.
  • Students who fail to submit an item of assessment lose their right to reassessment in that module, and will be required to retake the module.
  • For full details of submission regulations seeUndergraduate Regulatory Framework at

Academic Dishonesty Warning

Please note the regulations on academic dishonesty, in particular the inclusion in your assignments of un-attributed material taken from other sources. Be assured that every effort will be taken to deal with you fairly, but remember that there are strict rules concerning cheating. You will find further details in your Course Handbook accessible via SOLE.

Word Limits: The word limit does not include the reference list, computer programme code listings, tables, diagrams or reasonably short appendices, but will include quotations, citations and the captions to tables and diagrams. The following penalties can be applied to work which exceeds the stated word limit of2400:

  • Up to 10% over: no penalty
  • 10% to 20% over: one grade point penalty (e.g. B+ to B)
  • 20% to 30% over: two grade points penalty (e.g. B+ to B-)
  • More than 30% over: three grade points penalty (e.g. B+ to C+)

Reassessment

In the event you are required to take reassessment you will receive formal notification of this via a letter from Registry Services posted on the SOLE page after the meeting of the Board of Examiners. The letter will normally include a copy of the reassessment task(s). Deadlines for re-assessment can be found in the University Calendar at

Written by Richard Henson

Verified by Pete Moody

September 2014

RCHSeptember 2014

Grading Matrix Template

This matrix captures the assessment criteria for this part of the coursework.

Student Number: / Academic Year and Semester: Level 6 Sem 1 / Module Code:
COMP3241 / Assignment No:
2
Assessment Criteria
  • Use of HTML forms, CSS, embedded applets, and other features to create business-like web pages
  • Use of server scripts to produce an updateable online shopping catalogue and customer registration/logon system
  • Documentation including site diagram, database design, design of web pages and server-side scripting, implementation of client-server connectivity with database
  • On-line Implementation of Shopping Cart system to effectively produce and store orders, and their order_lines
  • How well the system actually works for creating online orders, when accessed via the Internet
  • Documentation of testing of features/pages, site evaluation, structure of report, referencing.
/ Module Title:
E-Commerce Technologies / Assignment Weighting:
60%
Assessment Criteria / Use of HTML forms, CSS, embedded applets, / Use of server scripts for shopping catalogue and login… / Documentation including site diagram, database design, etc. / On-line Implementation of Shopping Cart… / How well the system actually works for creating online orders, when accessed via the Internet / Structure & Referencing
Grade A / Excellent implementation of HTML code for individual pages, CSS for satisfying & common “look-and-feel”, embedded code for interactivity / Product catalogue, shopping cart and user logon work perfectly to allow online shopping, keep up to date customer details and effectively store orders. / Everything included. No errors / Everything works perfectly to give a satisfying shopping experience up to the point of making an order / Everything works perfectly from the point of submitting an order until the professional-looking thank you page is displayed / At least 6 references, all properly cited in the main text, and listed appropriated in alphabetical order
Grade B / Good implementation of HTML code for individual pages, CSS for satisfying & common “look-and-feel”, embedded code for interactivity / Product catalogue, shopping cart and user logon work well with the odd error to allow online shopping, keep up to date customer details and effectively store orders. / One minor section left out e.g. database design / Everything works well with minor errors to give a satisfying shopping experience up to the point of making an order / Everything works well, with minor non-critical errors from the point of submitting an order until the professional-looking thank you page is displayed / At least 6 references, with minor errors in citation and/or in listing references appropriately in alphabetical order
Grade C / Sound: implementation of HTML code for individual pages, CSS for satisfying & common “look-and-feel”, embedded code for interactivity / Product catalogue, shopping cart and user logon reasonably well with errors but allow online shopping, up to date customer details and creation of orders. / Two sections left out or poorly done / Everything just about works with minor errors to give some sort of shopping experience up to the point of making an order / Everything just about works with some errors from the point of submitting an order until the thank you page is displayed / At least 4 references, with minor errors in citation and/or in listing references appropriately in alphabetical order
Grade D / Poor: implementation of HTML code for individual pages, CSS for satisfying & common “look-and-feel”, embedded code for interactivity / Product catalogue, shopping cart and user logon show many errors but somehow allow online shopping to some degree / Three minor section left out or poorly done / Many errors but still some sort of shopping experience up to the point of making an order / Many errors between the point of submitting an order and display of thank you page but still something working for the customer to get an order and thank you / At least 2 references, with some errors in citation and/or in listing references appropriately in alphabetical order

RCHSeptember 2014