NIT3114 Online Business System Development

Business web sites are used by organisations for various reasons, such as marketing their organisation, selling products, engaging with customers, etc. Such sites are vital for the success or survival of a business in a competitive environment.

Assignment 1 was about the system analysis and design of your business site with regard to three business functions (three features or capabilities, essentially). These business functions of Assignment 1 are now to be implemented in the site in Assignment 2.

Use your AtSpace account to set up the business site. Use the method in classes to set up the site and include the three business functions within the site. When your pair is choosing a design (template) for your site, you must not implement the template used in Lecture 10 otherwise marks will be deducted.

You will implement all three business functions using plug-ins or programming code. You can choose whether to use a plug-in or programming code to implement the function. Marking will not favour one of these forms of implementation – you will not receive more marks because you used a plug-in instead of code or because you used code instead of a plug-in. In terms of marking, both are equally valid ways to implement a business function.

Plug-ins must be those that work in WordPress. You will search for WordPress plug-ins representing business functions and install them in the relevant pages for a user to use. If you install some plug-in that does not work specifically for WordPress, you will lose marks for that business function. Also, if the plug-in does not run at all on the page (even if it one that is specific to WordPress), you will lose marks for that business function. You must provide a reference (i.e., URL) to the home page of that plug-in for the marker (place it into the Word document). Include also the person/company that owns that plug-in, and the title of the web page.

Alternatively, you can use code for the business functions. You will search for code on the web that implements your particular function. You should find code that you have permission by the code owner to use in your site. You can use code in any programming language as long as: the language works with web sites the marker is able to go straight to your site page, the code is run immediately and the business function works properly Note that one allowance is made in the case of code. The code will not work with the back end since you do not have access to the WordPress server. You cannot install scripts at the WordPress server to work with the client side of your business site. Therefore, your code will not be fully operational and thus not completely implement the business function. All you can do is get code to do whatever it is able to do at the client side (the front end). The code will support an interface to the business function and interaction with the function, but not any more that involves the server (back end).

Note also that the marker will not install any interpreter/environment/development kit/etc. to make the code run. If the code requires the marker to install anything like this, and the code cannot run without it, you will lose marks for that business function.

You should be aware by now that when we make use of other’s code we must acknowledge that source of code. Therefore, include the URL of the page where that code is found in your Word document, and the person/company that owns that code and title of the web page, to acknowledge it.

You do not have to have all three business functions implemented with plug-ins or all three business functions implemented with code. You can have a combination of plug-ins for some function(s) and code for other function(s) if you wish. However, you must not have more than three functions in the site or marks will be deducted.

Your pair clearly must set up relevant pages at the site where to place plug-ins or code of functions. You will use the capabilities of AtSpace and WordPress to create these pages, which must fit in with the purpose of your business site. Think about what the business site can be about in developing relevant pages for it.