E-Business Entrepreneurial Apps and Tools

This certificate program is designed to prepare business students to utilize e-business applications and tools that support the business processes of online e-commerce and internet-based companies. Learn relevant concepts and methods for developing an entrepreneurial e-business strategy, as well as planning, managing, and promoting an e-business. Compare various pathways to e-business, including marketplaces, platforms, and mobile apps.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Utilize industry standard e-business marketplaces, platforms, and mobile apps that facilitate the creation of online storefronts and e-commerce websites.
• Analyze the e-business environment to identify entrepreneurial opportunities.
• Apply e-commerce terms and concepts to functional areas concerning management of an e-business.
• Develop an e-business plan for an online storefront and e-commerce website that includes an overview of operations, products and services offered, and digital promotion options.

The projected number of annual completers for the Certificate of Achievement in E-Business Entrepreneurial Apps and Tools is 3 - 7 students.  Projection made was based on the macro and microeconomic environment surrounding the program described below.

 

There is a robust ecosystem that supports e-business startups and small business entrepreneurs. E-business entrepreneurship also offers an alternative path to employment as a tool for socio-economic mobility. Research shows that e-business competency is highly desirable among employers. Based on all available data, there appears to be an undersupply of e-business workers compared to the demand for this cluster of occupations in the San Francisco Bay region. These were identified as opportunities for the certificate.

 

With strong economic growth unemployment rate is low. However, finding jobs for older adults and immigrant populations is still challenging. Many are seeking the e-business entrepreneurial path to make use of their experiences, knowledge, and skills, while others resort to it as an alternative source of income to sustain the high cost of living in the San Francisco Bay Area. The changing demographics of San Francisco, the various needs of businesses in the city, and the sharing economy, make the e-business model more relevant.

 

Technological developments make it easier to access capital and other resources necessary to start a new online venture. The benefits of e-business include:  less investment for start-up, reduced operational cost, easier to scale up a business, fewer geographical limitations, flexible communication with customers, affordable advertising, and marketing, and providing customized services to customers.

 

Growing socio-cultural trends among millennials and Gen Z towards online and mobile services give rise to increasing use of e-business. Online courses are being developed to make the program accessible to a wider community, tapping the underserved student population. The passing of Free City provides an incentive for students to tap City College over other players in this space.  With this macroenvironment, we expect course enrollment and the number of certificates awarded to increase in the coming years. 

 

The Certificate of Achievement – E-Business Entrepreneurial Apps and Tools prepares students for the enterprise of e-business. The program equips students with the foundational tools necessary for an e-business startup. The program helps develop student skills for various pathways to online business. It will also enrich student skillsets for corporate digital business.

Upon completion of the certificate, students will be able to:

• Utilize industry standard e-business marketplaces, platforms, and mobile apps that facilitate the creation of online storefronts and e-commerce websites.

·       Analyze the e-business environment to identify entrepreneurial opportunities.

·       Apply e-commerce terms and concepts to functional areas concerning management of an e-business.

·       Develop an e-business plan for an online storefront and e-commerce website that includes an overview of operations, products and services offered, and digital promotion options.

 

The minimum time for completion of this certificate is 2 semesters. Completion time will vary based on student preparation and number of classes completed per semester.

First semester required courses                                                         Units   Sequence

 

MABS 413       E-Commerce Apps for Entrepreneurial Business        3.00          S1, Y1

MABS 408       Website Builder for Business                                      3.00          S1, Y1

MABS 412       Mobile Apps for Business                                            3.00          S1, Y1

 

                                                                                                 Total   9.00

 

Second semester required courses                                        Units

 

MABS 404        Storefront Apps for E-Business                                  3.00          S2, Y1

MRKT 180       Social Media Marketing                                              3.00          S2, Y1

ENTR 101        Introduction to Entrepreneurship                              3.00          S2, Y1

OR

GNBS 119        Introduction to Business                                             3.00          S2, Y1

           

Total    9.00    

 

                                                                                           Certificate Total 18.00

 

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)

The Certificate of Achievement in E-Business Entrepreneurial Apps and Tools is relatively new and is continuously evolving. This curriculum is designed to provide the foundational knowledge for an e-business startup and students are advised to take further courses in finance, marketing, or general business to develop their knowledge of other functional areas of business. There are no other departments in the college offering similar curriculum.

There is one community college in the Bay Region issuing two awards on average annually (last 3 years ending 2018-19) on TOP 0509.70 E-Commerce (Business emphasis). In the Mid-Peninsula Sub-Region, there are no community colleges that issued awards on average annually (last 3 years) for this TOP code. The main objectives of CCSF’s Certificate of Achievement in E-Business Entrepreneurial Apps and Tools are: 1. To provide an e-business toolkit to prepare students who are contemplating participating in the enterprise of online and mobile enabled business. 2. To provide resources for students who are currently engaged in online business entrepreneurship or an early-stage e-business startup venture. 3. To introduce e-business and online entrepreneurship as an alternative pathway to employment. 4. To leverage on the growing movement towards online and mobile app usage by businesses and customers. 5. To gain the employability skills necessary to address the undersupply of e-business workers compared to the demand for e-business occupations in the Bay region and in the Mid-Peninsula sub-region. 6. This certificate also develops student’s basic life-skills such as self-efficacy, action agency, opportunity identification, and managing a business.