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Saudi Electronic University
College of Administrative and Financial Sciences
Introduction to E-Management
ECOM 201
Project Assignment
Consider yourself as Global Manager Marketing of www.souq.com, an online
merchandiser. At present Souq.com is doing business in gulf region. Souq.com wants to
enter in US online market.
Develop a detail strategy on the following:
✓ Explain how you will implement the virtual management?
✓ How you will manage the team in US which is culturally, politically, and
economically different from your country?
✓ How the virtual teams will work together?
✓ What tools are they using?
✓ What are the advantages of using virtual?
✓ What are some disadvantages they have and how they can overcome them?
✓ Explain how you will manage meetings between the teams in US and gulf in
terms of time, place and language?
✓ As a manager how you will manage the outsourced projects?
✓ How would you solve a problem between two workers?
✓ What is your advice to the team for improvement?
Remember US Market is very competitive and demographically various levels are
already existing.
Project report structure:
➢ Title Page: the name of the institution, the title of the report, the name of the
author and then add the date.
➢ Abstract: Brief summary of your work.
➢ Table of contents:
1.Introduction: Background or introduction to state what the report is about. You
have to give the reader an overview of the whole report. Due Date Week 6
2.Main Body of the report: Include your main work. Due Date Week 12
3.Conclusion. Due Date Week 12
4.References: Use APA style.
5.Presentation: You have to prepare for the presentation include your project
summary and description. Due Date Week 13
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Project Submission:
Submission week
Due Date
Point Covered
Marks
First Submission
Week 6
Introduction
5
Second Submission
Week 12
Submit Report
10
Third Submission
Week 13
Presentation
10
•
Submission will be through the Blackboard
Guidelines for the project assignment :
✓ This is an individual assignment, which is a part from your course score. It
requires effort and critical thinking
✓ Use font Times New Roman, Calibri or Arial.
✓ Use 1.5 or double line spacing with left Justify all paragraphs.
✓ Use the footer function to insert page number.
✓ Ensure that you follow the APA style in your project.
✓ Your project report length should be between 1800 to 2000 words.
✓ A mark of zero will be given for any submission that includes copying from other
resource without referencing it.
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Saudi Electronic University
Souq.com
Name:
ABDULMAJEED S. ALANAZI
(160080059)
Instructor:
Dr. ABDULLAH ALSHEHRI
2018
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Index
Introduction, Souq.com Co ………………………………...................... 1
Mission, Vision, Goals…………………………………………………….... 2
Souq.Com in the US market……………………………………………… 3
Implementing, Managing Virtual & Teams together ………..... 4
Tools, Advantages, Disadvantages ……………………………........... 5
Meeting abroad, Outsourcing, Conflicts, Advises ……………….. 6
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………...7
References………………………………………………………………..……… 8
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Introduction:
E-commerce has come to a tremendous level these days and many traditional
companies whether have their shot to run their business virtually or some of their
work, Souq.com Company was the first in the Middle East to apply this kind of
business. This report will clarify the mission and visio n and goals of the souq.com
company. This kind of business has spare the companies a great deal of costs it may
the cost of billions of dollars, correspondingly along with the technological
revolution that made this kind of transformation is inventible, Bringing out the US
market there are a huge competitive in the market as they have companies as EBay,
Amazon which considered is the best company in the world in this kind of business
and its profit has reached to unprecedented number of profit that exceede d tens of
billions of dollars, Competition in US market needed much more a capital or asset,
with an accurate and good planning procedures, Companies sometimes considered
its virtual excellence as a core competency and it is distinguish it in the market.
Souq.Com:
Souq.com was established in 2005 by Mr. Ronald Mashour in Dubai UAE, Souq.com
Considered as the biggest Ecommerce Company in the Middle East, at the first time
this company has introduced to the Middle Eastern market as an ambiguous way,
because this kind of business different as the business known and people used to
deal with in this region. Souq.com has announce its monthly number of visitor to the
site which roughly 23 million. Now Souq.com capital assets estimated by 1 billion
dollar, before its being acquisitioned by Amazon Inc. and became one of its
subsidiaries.
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Mission:
Souq.com is a subsidiary of Amazon Inc. and its own the biggest ecommerce site in
Arab region, Now Souq.com received more than 45 million online costumer to
explore its goods and offers. Souq.com has more than 10 million products with
about 40 categories. Souq.com has employed about 5000 workers, and our office is
distributed in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Egypt and United Arab Emirates
including our engineering office in Jordan. Souq.com looking for people who has
distinguish skills and ambition to make perfect standing in Ar ab market and serving
the community. As we are the first in this kind of business we provide a distinct
experience for our employee which spread the knowledge about online shopping.
“Soug.Com site”.
Vision:
Our Goal is to present our brand as a community servers to facilitate the shopping
for people, and to make sure their basic needs are obtainable by easier way, Online
shopping has developed a dramatic changes in the last 10 years it became more
known and trusted the barrier that were preventing people from using it have been
reduced and the security use now has been guaranteed that is way users is
increased. People these days can go shopping from their phone and they can easily
pay and get the service that they need, difficulties removed thanks to the high
technology, correspondingly global markets going to depend on this business people
have no need to go Malls or Stores if they can reach out their needs from home, and
the global community has to get the best services they seek and we want to be the
first in providing this service.
Goal:
We have many goals have been set to apply our main strategy. Souq.com is not only
seeks financial advantages in the market, Our value is to serve the communities that
we operates in, Ecommerce is not has many users around the globe, but it is not
being used more traditional shopping and we seek to change this equation to affect
the community in positive way in this matter, Souq.com is not in the same position
as it began in 2005 profit increases, Brand being valuable in the middle east, and we
seek to impose our self globally. Employing the most talented people to ensure
values and the business managerial function will be applied in the right way.
Innovation in our business is highly required in our community. We are competing
with ourselves before we strive to be great competitors in the market.
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Souq.Com in the US market:
First of all, Souq.com goes globally to gain a competitive advantages and the market
in US is attractive and encourage us to invest inside it.
Implementing Virtual Management:
As marketing manager in Souq.com Co. I would choose the right people who have
the skills who have at least the minimum qualification after that interview them and
to see if they fit the job in terms of personalities and give them their duty
requirements and job description. For me I will be committed and I will take all
responsibilities for being exist and easy to reach all time. I will concentrate on
communicating with the employee anytime they need, and I will ensure the weekly
meeting will take place and will make them feel highly considered.
Managing the team culturally, politically, and economically?
Being a virtual team managers the first thing to think about is “Communication” it
is the important thing to make it works successfully. And it is also important to
know their local costumes and their business etiquette, Employees should not be
feeling forgotten by their manager they will feel less valuable and there effort is not
making any difference in the Organization, I can use emails or Phone calls our
instant massaging or virtual meeting online to be connected to them, building the
team in a great foundation, Dealing with them respectfully. Culturally, I am surly
considering the time difference and their way in perceiving the right words and
respecting their tradition, Religions, and their vacation time, holiday’s time.
Politically, the regulation, system and order is important to bear in mind and
manager should be highly aware of that, economically, choosing the right financial
payment to them as the minimum standards of leaving in the US, and how Tax
applies in USA.
Virtual teams will work together:
First of all, I will talk with the team members and ask them for their objectives.
Team members should talk to each other about their cultural differences and make
celebration in their birthdays. keeping in touch with your team and their needs,
Actually, team members will be having a good feeling, it is important to going on
them easily, satisfying the team in the beginning something is required, Secondly,
the team members after a period of time will feel board about what are they doing
and its crucial to be smart in dealing with them and not to forget it is normal feeling.
Third, team members will get used to each other and they start to be friends and we
should keep encouraging them. “Barrett-Koehler, 2002”
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Using Tools:
Gathering the team and conducting a Seminar over the internet with effective
participation from the employee and the manager, Using prerecorded video about
the business will clarify all aspects that employees feels they missed and should now
about it, Using online meeting with a high capability to manage the meeting will
benefit the employees and create critical thinking atmosphere where it will be
reflected on the meeting result that serve the original purpose of the meeting. Also
we have to use collaborative tools that enable staff to share their workspace
together also online meeting, online scheduling, furthermore, using IM and SMS is
effective in the virtual environment along with many other tools.
Advantages of virtual:
Using of virtual management has many advantages that give any organization the
privilege of using it such as, Reducing the costs as we know in virtual management
there is no need for facilities that would cost the company a big amount of money,
Also it is the easiest way to do the outsourcing and does not take time to blen d them
with your teamwork, it can also the fastest way of entering any market because it
has less barriers from opening the traditional companies.
Disadvantages
There are many things that would make the virtual business is difficult to be applied
in the perfect way we seek, face-to-face communicating can facilitate many things in
dealing with people and the virtual business cannot afford that, Virtual business
could make the employees feeling they are separated from the reality of business
correspondingly, distancing from your manager could make you less committed if
you have a flimsy of responsibility towards your job. The best way to overcome this
kind of things is to communicate with employees at least once a day and give them
your expectation and their job description and they have to feel that there is an eye
monitoring them and express company appreciation for what they are doing to
make business success, mutual expectation is important for the employee’s
productivity, and the strategy should be clear to make Company plans goes on and
on to reach the goals.
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Managing meeting abroad:
Before conducting a meeting we have to bear in mind the time difference in oth er
areas, and should recognize the difference region of the team members, if the
difference of time is big we have to conduct our meeting even two or three times a
week as per the time difference.
Managing outsourcing Project:
Before we decide to outsource we have to look into our business and ask why we
need them. Of course we decide to outsource depend on how much cost we are
going to save, the time will be less for producing the product or the quality will be
high. we have to consider many aspects before we go in our way of outsourcing
most of the companies does not need to hire people on little work so they take step
toward the outsourcing that help them to sign a temporary contract with
outsourced people or companies.
Solving conflicts:
Having a conflict in any team is more likely not weird, but the good manager who
can control and impose the wisdom in such situation, First, I would be all ears to
listen to the both side of conflicts and take each one in person and see what is the
main cause of the conflict and based on the situation we decide how to solve it, it is
important for a manager to know his employees personalities, and evaluate the area
conflicts to sort the problem out.
Team Improvement:
The team should work together anonymously and support each other and the have
to be responsible in doing their job and any single case unfamiliar to them they have
to ask about it, team must know what is going on in their company and with a good
assigned work they will be more creative and productive, the company must bear in
mind the rewards and incentive them by words or financially, provide them with
every tool the business required work with them and make the atmosphere like a
one family, helping each other communicating and encouraging for creativity.
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Conclusion:
The virtual team is not far different from the traditional it just conducted in a
different way, and the manager have to be familiar with all online tools to apply his
managerial capabilities in the best way, Nowadays Virtual companies triples in the
last 5 years and it became more useful and people are directing their ways in
shopping online, There is no successful business without a great manager and great
employees, and controlling and formulating the team requires special expertise in
Communication and general management and people management etc.., and this is
the way the managers supposed to build their team on.
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-References-Pullan, P. (2011). The seven secrets of successful virtual meetings. Paper presented
at PMI® Global Congress 2011—EMEA, Dublin, Leinster, Ireland. Newtown Square,
PA: Project Management Institute.
-Lee E. Miller, influencing trainer and author of UP: Influence, Power and the U
Perspective: The Art of Getting What You Want.
-Zaiss, C. D. (2002). True partnership: Revolutionary thinking about relating to
others. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
- Kevin Wegryn, Colleen Garton (2006). Managing Without Walls: Maximize Success
with Virtual, Global, and Cross-Cultural Teams, MC Press.
- Pilar Pazos, (2012) "Conflict management and effectiveness in virtual teams",
Team Performance Management: An International Journal, Vol. 18 Issue: 7/8,
pp.401-417, https://doi.org/10.1108/13527591211281138
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