De Montfort University E-Commerce Assignment: SWOT Analysis and Report

This report presents an e-commerce assignment addressing the potential of distance learning programs for De Montfort University (DMU). It begins with a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis, followed by recommendations to mitigate weaknesses and threats, such as infrastructure improvements and online resource development. The assignment then applies Porter's five forces model to analyze the external environment, considering factors like new entrants, substitutes, buyer and supplier power, and industry rivalry. The analysis identifies key objectives, required competencies, and organizational changes needed for successful implementation. Finally, the report assesses DMU's website, providing recommendations for improvements related to course details, admission processes, student support, and data security, with the goal of enhancing the online learning experience and attracting international students. The report incorporates relevant academic references to support its analysis and recommendations.

E Commerce First Assignment
Part 1 (SWOT Analysis & Recommendation)
Strengths
a. Our internal strengths are the main strengths for distance learning, like self-
discipline, organization and good study habits.
b. Our campuses have a platform that will help to complete easily of courses and
programs.
c. We can offer students from a number of countries, including India, China, Malaysia,
Ghana, Nigeria etc.
d. This distance learning course will cost less than a full-time degree.
Weaknesses
Weaknesses are internal characteristics that inhibit the ability of an individual to succeed,
a. A student learning in distance can need to work tougher than alternative students to
attain an equivalent instructional goal.
b. lack infrastructural support might become a weakness for North American nation
c. Weaknesses that may hinder distance education someday include procrastination, lack of
focus, and learning disabilities, such as learning disorder.
d. possibilities of fraud can could produce.
e. inconvenience of library or alternative learning materials
Opportunities
Opportunities area unit external factors that will contribute success reason to a distance
learner.
a. Students who area unit operating will can even may also may} enrol and that they
can learn in step with their selection of your time. Within the gift era no of working
student’s area unit extremely massive.
b. solely having a computing device with web access can facilitate the gap learner to be
a lively participant.
c. New technologies will allow for an additional increased learning surroundings for
college kids.
Threats
Threats also are external factors; however, they will forestall a distance learner from
with success finishing a distance education course.
a. We may difficulties in recruiting and keeping quality instructors
b. Need of Creating and maintain complicated databases will arise

c. Students’ limited financial resources could threaten a student’s ability to pay for
distance education.
Recommendations for weaknesses and Threats
A. We need to improve our infrastructure that will mitigate the all-time support system
B. We can create an online library management system, where all the books (available
in our library) will be uploaded as pdf format
C. The most important thing we need to do is to hire some expert faculties who can
teach online, who can handle the queries of students in world wide
D. One administrative officer needs to be hired to maintain the student’s database. All
students will have a personnel id and password which will be created by students.
Our administrative officer should be very careful in maintaining this.
E. For the first few months we can give some discounts to some students having higher
marks for getting registered in our distance learning courses.
Part 2 (External situation analysis)
To understand any external scenario here, I analysed Porters’ five forces model. first let me
introduce this model a bit.
Porters’ five forces model identifies 5 competitive forces that finds out each single business
and market.
These forces facilitate us to analyse everything from the intensity of competition to the gain
and attractiveness of a business.
Components of Porters’ five forces model
1. Threat of new entrants.
2. Threat of substitute.
3. Bargaining power of buyer.
4. Bargaining power of supplier.
5. Rivalry inside industry
To analyse our prospect let me explain all those five points accordingly
Threat of new entrants –
The particular fact that if the giving (i.e., distance learning program) makes necessary use of
technology in relation to existing delivery avenues or if it will reduce the time it takes to

complete the course has been detected, Then it's clear enough As we're going to serve
students in a market where there's less threat of new entry because high - level
management isn't a very cheap market, but in another aspect of growing technology we're
in danger of other universities entering that market as well.
Threat of substitute –
As distance learning programs, certified programs, and on-line programs can facilitate
students from any location accomplish a degree from a program abroad and apply for
employment within a shorter quantity, they operate threats to the traditional educational
activity systems, notably in developing countries. Though our education system is becoming
digital there is a threat of traditional offline teaching classes.
 Still there are some students who believe in offline classes so for them it is tough to
create awareness of new system
 Cost of change can be a threat to us.
Bargaining power of buyer -
Powerful customers will gain more price by forcing down costs, demanding higher
quality or service, and usually competing against each other in competitors. If the students
have multiple choices in our services, they have a lot of power. The growing range (supply)
of higher education institutions has generated many choices for scholars nowadays.
Bargaining power depends on the information available to the students and how is their
financial ability to accept our new course.
This can be threat and opportunity both for us if we can analyse students’ culture
Bargaining power of supplier.
Overall, the power of suppliers inside the pedagogy is taken into consideration to be
the teachers in addition as instructors, researchers, and administrators of universities. “If
providers give merchandise that unit of measurement differentiated and there is no
substitute for what the supplier cluster provides, supplier power are getting to be sturdy
inside the Industry1.”
Rivalry inside industry –
Here the most important thing is the number and capability of our competitors
means other universities.
All though there are huge no of universities at UK, De Montfort University is always
having a distinct identity and clear strategic plan.
As the option service we are going to start some of the universities can implement in
future.
Set of objectives –
a. To provide a good different path to wider opportunities in education and
particularly in higher education
b. to produce an efficient and fewer pricy education:
c. To produce education facilities to all or any capable and enthuastic students
1 Chris Boulton and Patrick Turner, Entrepreneurship (5th edn, Wiley (Asia) 2010).

d. The distance learning system should be well-supported with educational
materials, and appropriate online system friendly in numerous areas of study.
Required
competencies and
resources
The most needed top ten competencies for online distance learning
courses are (1) social Communication,
(2) planning Skills,
(3) Collaboration/Teamwork Skills,
(4) English Proficiency,
(5) Writing Skills,
(6) structure Skills,
(7) Feedback Skills,
(8) knowledge of Distance Education Field,
(9) Basic Technology data, and
(10) Technology Access information.
Existing
competition
Existing competition like all universities presented here are our
competitors
Required
organisation
changes
As we are going to implement a new model, we need changes in many
aspects like
a. Management system
b. Technical people
c. Expert faculties
d. Classroom environment
Demand
The latest statistics regarding on-line education within the UK reveal
that entry in on-line categories has magnified over five-hitter between
fall 2015 and 2016 compared to the previous three years, according to
the "Grade Increase" report discharged by the Babson Survey analysis
cluster in 2018.
Part 3 (DMU website)
“The face of education is propelled by e - learning courses. There is many e - learning
websites on the World Wide Web offering on - line courses and certifications. Websites are
the most powerful bridge between the students and these online courses. After all, an
online website is that almost every purpose of contact between them is the initial and
through these cases2.”
1. Complete course details with fees structure
2. Rules of admission process
2 Dave Chaffey and others, Marketing Digital (5th edn, Pearson 2017).

3. Free trial benefits
4. Guaranteed category offerings and teach-outs if the program is interrupted or
enrolment is less than expected.
5. Established dates and times for all categories so that they will arrange with family
and employers
6. There must be one page for assessment management & live feedback.
7. Proper networking opportunity
8. Our security system should be world class so that the chances of fraud or plagiarism
cannot be happen.
9. Integrate our grading scale into the web grade book system.
10. Including STUDENT information MANAGEMENT on e - learning websites supervises
student - related activities such as keeping records of tests or examinations
conducted, attendance, performance assessment together with details of marks
scored and all related activities; in short, they provide a complete student record
system.
11. There should be Centralized accounting and charge procedures
12. Ensures data integrity, privacy, and security in open-access surroundings
13. As distance learners need some more support like 24/7 hours call availability so that
they can solve their queries any time.
14. We will upload all the video recordings of our teachers’ lecture so the students who
are working can access them any time.
15. Our database which will contain details like their names, address, email id, contact
no etc need to be handled carefully.

Bibliography
Boulton CP Turner, Entrepreneurship (5th edn, Wiley (Asia) 2010)
Chaffey D and others, Marketing Digital (5th edn, Pearson 2017)
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