E-Commerce System Report: Leicester College Distance Learning Strategy

This report analyzes an e-commerce system designed to support Leicester College's international student recruitment strategy. It begins with an introduction highlighting the increasing trend of educational institutions targeting international markets for revenue and diversity. A SWOT analysis is presented, outlining Leicester College's strengths (wide course range, diverse student body, good learning environment), weaknesses (lack of technology investment, fluctuating fees), opportunities (new courses, market penetration), and threats (cybersecurity, competition). The report then applies Porter's Competitive Forces Model to assess competitive rivalry, supplier power, buyer power, threat of substitution, and new entrants, concluding that the college faces challenges but also significant opportunities. The report emphasizes the importance of strategic objectives, including technology investment, market research, and quality service enhancement. Finally, the report addresses cultural considerations, website security, and communication features to improve the online platform's effectiveness. The report references several academic sources to support its claims and recommendations.

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E-Commerce System
By [Name]
Course
Professor’s Name
Institution
Location of Institution
Date

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Introduction
With the increase in demand for education, investors have found education as one of the
potential areas where they can invest and this has made most of them to target as many countries
as possible. The advantage of targeting different countries is that it makes the learning
institutions to realize various advantages such as revenue maximization and international
recognition (Nicole & Andrea 2017, p. 45). It also makes the institution to attain diversity
through having students who portray varying cultures, and races.
SWOT analysis
The following diagram shows some of the strengths, weaknesses, threats and
opportunities associated with Leicester College.
Strengths
Wide range of courses and values recruiting
students with different cultures, races, and of
different origins.
Good learning environment
Weaknesses
lack of seriousness in investing in technology
and innovation
lack of proper measures in charging school
fees
Opportunities
the potential to introduce more courses and
also to penetrate in other markets
Threats
Cyber security
competition
One of the strengths associated with this institution is that it offers a range of courses and
values recruiting students with different cultures, races, and of different origins. According to
George (2010, p. 69), providing different courses gives a learning institution an advantage

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because it assists them to attract students with varying career dreams. Valuing admission of
students with different cultures races, and from different locations is also fundamental because it
makes learning institutions to be viewed as unbiased
The other strength associated with Leicester College is that its campuses are located in an
environments that can favor good learning. Berman (2012, p. 54) asserts that considering to
place a learning institution in a place which favors learning is crucial because it makes students
to have the peace they require to study.
One of the weaknesses associated with this institution is lack of seriousness in investing
in technology and innovation. According to George (2013, p. 213), technology and innovation in
learning institutions is crucial because it assists students to match their learning with the changes
that have occurred in the digital world. This institution also faces a weaknesses in planning on
how to charge school fees because its charges keep fluctuating from time to time.
One of the key opportunities associated with this institution is the potential to introduce
more courses and also to penetrate in other markets. The reason why this is possible for this
institution is that it has a positive reputation and therefore many people have the desires to
pursue their desired courses in this learning institution.
One of the major threats that the college may face is hacking. According to Reynaldo
(2016, p. 52), when an organization operate online, the chances of having its operations affected
by intruders are always high. For Leicester College, linking with international students through
its distance learning platform may be affected by hackers and hence make the strategy to be
impossible (Salas 2012, p. 123). The other threat that Leicester College may face is competition
because other local learning institutions offer similar services.

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To overcome competition, the management to should invest in technology and innovation
to ensure it offers outstanding services in the industry. It is also advisable to avoid changing the
rates charged for school fees from time to time so that students and their parents can be able to
have long terms plans concerning the money they can spend (Zmuda 2010, p. 76). To avoid
hacking, the college should establish strong security measures such as use of passwords,
encryption and so forth.
Part two
Although Leicester College has various strengths and opportunities that are likely to
make it succeed in its decision to penetrate into new markets, considering the Porters
Competitive Forces Model is crucial because it will make the management to make sound
decision concerning its expansion attempts. According to Adee (2011, p. 14, this model has five
factors that an organization should consider to analyze an industry attractiveness and the
possibility of success. These factors include competitive rivalry, supplier power, and buyer
power, threat of substitution and threat of new entrants.
For competitive rivalry, Leicester College is likely to experience a challenge because in
the countries where it targets to expand its operations to, there are also some of the domestic
learning institutions that are well known for good academic performance. This implies that
expanding to these countries will expose the institution to more competition.
The supplier power, in this case, will not have a significant influence on Leicester
College because the institution will operate through distance learning. The buyer power will
influence Leicester College because there are many students who want to attain academic
excellence and will therefore seek services from this institution. Switching from Leicester

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College services to those of competitors will not be simple because the institution has unique
strategies of maintaining its loyal customers.
Threat of substitution, in this case, will be high because this company will penetrate to
these markets through distance learning program and people may substitute the strategy through
building their campuses in those areas. The company is also likely to be affected by threat of new
entrants because in the recent years, the demand for education has been growing and therefore
private investors and governments are striving to establish new learning institutions to address
the demand.
Because this company has various opportunities and challenges that affects its attempts to
penetrate to new markets, setting some objectives will be essential in making it to succeed. Some
of these objectives include; investing in technology and innovation to offer outstanding academic
services that will challenge its competitors, doing extensive research to identify the expectations
of consumers in its target markets, and focusing on enhancing the quality of its services to ensure
the institution offers top notch academic performances to its students.
Part 3
To address issues such as culture, the management should make the users to have first
impression that Leicester College is a multicultural institution once they open the website. The
reason why this strategy is crucial is that this is an institution that wants to enroll students who
reside in different countries and with varying cultural beliefs (TU 2014, p. 56).
Because operating various activities through online platforms puts businesses into risks
of intruders, it is advisable for the management to consider implementing some of the best
security measures on its website. In this case, it should make use of passwords and encryptions to

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ensure the students have trust concerning the content they share. According to Chris (2015, P.
67), sharing some contents especially those that are confidential in online platforms is risky
because it can be accessed by third parties. When a website becomes unreliable due to threats of
third parties, the users may shift to other organizations that offer better serves and this may
therefore make a business to suffer loss of market share.
The college should also include communication features such as sending private
messages to various people such as tutors, the people in charge of finances, administrators and so
forth to facilitate sharing of information between the student and the institution (Snart 2010, p.
87). The website should also provide all necessary information that a student wants to have. This
could include various courses offered, the fees charged, how to access direct assistance from the
tutors, how they can access the learning materials and so forth (George 2010, p. 68). Apart from
enhancing communication, these features will make the students to develop loyalty with the
website and will therefore preach good news concerning the institution, hence making it to
attract more students.

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References
Adee, A. (2011). Marketing a University-Affiliated Applied Research Center: An Application
Involving Hull-Spence Behavioral Theory. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, 15(2), 12-
24.
Berman, E. P. (2012). Creating the Market University: How Academic Science Became an
Economic Engine. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Chris, C. (2015). Engaging New College Students in Metacognition for Critical Thinking: A
Developmental Education Perspective. Research & Teaching in Developmental Education,
32(1), 67-87.
George, K. D. (2010). The Impact of Distance Education on Developing Nations in Terms
of Learning, Society and Barriers. International Journal of Instructional Media, 37(4), 67-78.
George, L. D. (2013). Recharge Your Library Programs with Pop Culture and Technology:
Connect with Today's Teens. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited
Nicole, F & Andrea, A. (2017). Using Distance Learning to Impact Access of Diverse Learners
to Advanced Placement Programs. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 18(2), 43-65.
Reynaldo, R. (2016). . In a World of Disposable Students: The Humanizing Elements of Border
Pedagogy in Teacher Education. High School Journal, 99(4), 45-65.

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Salas, V. M. (2012). More Than Just Good Grades: Candidates' Perceptions about the Skills and
Attributes Employers Seek in New Graduates. Journal of Business Economics and Management,
13(3), 121-134.
Snart, J. A. (2010). Hybrid Learning: The Perils and Promise of Blending Online and Face-to-
Face Instruction in Higher Education. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger
TU, C. (2014). Strategies for Building a Web 2.0 Learning Environment. Santa Barbara, CA:
Libraries Unlimited
Zmuda, A. (2010). Breaking Free from Myths about Teaching and Learning: Innovation as an
Engine for Student Success. Alexandria, VA: ASCD