Unit 2: The Digital Economy Strand (a) use the internet to find and investigate a suitable transactional website, independently. Strand (b) produce diagrams that give a complete and accurate picture of the chain of events, leading up to and triggered by, an online purchase and the associated flow of information. Strand (c) A description of potential threats to customer data collected by organisations via their websites. Strand (d) create a customised database structure and extract meaningful information to identify trends. Strand (e) Evaluation of the performance of the database and own performance. Strand (a) Transactional websites Organisations are split into three categories: Commercial - trade in a competitive market Public - funded by taxation and controlled by government Non-profit or charitable – funded by donations Activity 1 complete on paper (5 mins) Discuss Use of ICT ICT is the heart of many organisations. Uses include: Market goods and services Present and exchange information Capture and process customer information Control stock Distribute goods Manage finance……… A major factor in driving any business is the availability of customers. The massive growth of potential customers connected to the internet allows organisations to sell and promote their products outside of normal trading hours. Activity 1 Why do organisations develop websites – for what purposes? 2 Review the following websites: (15 mins) Tescos www.tesco.com London Ambulance Service www.londonambulance.nhs.uk British Heart Foundation www.bhf.org.uk List at least three purposes of these websites. Organisations and the Web What are the advantages for organisations to have their own web site to promote and sell products? Wider customer base 24/7 trading Low setup and running costs Extend product range to Internet specific products Faster response times Real-time sales information Customer service - feedback What are the advantages for customers to buy products on the Internet? 24 hour access Quick and convenient Can select delivery type and dates Special Internet deals Ideal for house bound On-line support What are the disadvantages for customers? Security Cannot see items Returning items may be difficult Can instil laziness Features of Websites Activity 2 Page 120 www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk www.besttreatments.bmj.com Activity 3 Page 121 www.bhf.org.uk Activity 4 Page 121 www.army.mod.uk www.met.police.uk Homework - Website Features View the following website: www.evanscycles.com and one of the following commercial sites: Tescos, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose Make a list of the features that you can find and how these are achieved. You can use screenshots (cropped) to support your findings. Some of the things that you are looking for could include: • • • • • • Presenting products and information Capturing customer information Marketing Selling Searching – what sort of search (quick, advanced, selection) Customer support – email, FAQ, live chat…. Write a brief evaluation of the websites investigated.