DECLARATION

This project, as presented in this proposal, is my original work and has not been presented for any other University award.

STUDENT NAME: REGISTRATION NUMBER: DATE: SIGNATURE:

Robert kosgei COM/013/10 ___15TH JANUARY,2013__ ________________________

This project has been submitted as partial fulfilment of requirements for the Degree in Computer Science of Kabianga University College with my approval as the University supervisor.

SUPERVISOR: DATE: SIGNATURE:

MR. BII ________________________ ________________________

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design by Frankline COM/35/10e-book online book store 2013.

ABSTRACT The main objective of the project is to create an online book store that allows users to search a book online based on title, author and subject. The selected books are displayed in a tabular format and the user/student can download their books online either in PDF or DOC form. Using this Website the user/student can get the required book online instead of going out to the school library and wasting time. Online Book store is an online web application where students can download books online without any payment. Through a web browser the student can search for a book by its title or author. The user/student can login using his account details or new user/student can set up an account very quickly. They should give the details of their name, contact number and Registration Number.

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design by Frankline COM/35/10e-book online book store 2013.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Much appreciation goes to my supervisor, Mr. Bii Patrick, for his tireless support, encouragement and great insight in the project for which I am truly grateful. The whole department of Physical Science for support I would also like to thank all my classmates who were a great source of material, ideas and endless motivation while developing the project. I would also like to thank my family and friends for their prayers, constant motivation, testing the system and giving their honest feedback, and encouragement throughout the entire project period. Most importantly, I would like to thank the Lord Almighty for all the strength and peace of mind He has granted me to do this project.

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design by Frankline COM/35/10e-book online book store 2013.

DEDICATION I dedicate this research proposal to my roommates Frank, Kevin, Felix, Augustus, Edwin and my father for their care and support which gave me the impetus to finalize this proposal.

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design by Frankline COM/35/10e-book online book store 2013.

ABBREVIATIONS
PDFPortable Document Format.

DOC -

Document.

RAD-

Rapid Application Development.

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design by Frankline COM/35/10e-book online book store 2013.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
DECLARATION ..................................................................................................................... i ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION......................................................................................................................iv ABBREVIATIONS................................................................................................................v TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER ONE ..................................................................................................................... 8 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 9 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Background ......................................................................................................... 9 Problem Definition ............................................................................................. 9 The current system.9 The proposed New System9 Aims and Objectives of the System.9 Merits of proposed system10 Scope of the proposed system...10 Literature Review ............................................................................................. 10

CHAPTER TWO 2.0 Research Methodology..11 2.1introduction..11 2.2 research design11 2.3 population study..........................11 2.4 data collection.11 2.5 sampling Method11 2.6 data Analysis...11 2.7 ethical issues...12

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design by Frankline COM/35/10e-book online book store 2013.

CHAPTER THREE 3.0 Development Methodology13 3.1 Deliverable..14 3.2 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS14 3.2.1 Hardware requirements14 3.2.2 Software requirements.14 APPENDINCES..15 Appendix I:Reference...15 Appendix II: Introductory letter....16 Appendix III: Questionnaires17 Appendix IV: Time Frame18 Appendix V: proposed budget..19 CHALLENGES20 CONCLUSSION...................................................................20

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design by Frankline COM/35/10e-book online book store 2013.

CHAPTER ONE 1.0. INTRODUCTION

1.1Background
Kabianga University College is one of the fastest growing Universities in Kenya situated in Kericho county yet to be chattered as a fully fledged university. It was established in 2007 as a campus of Moi University. It has grown rapidly and now it has quite number of campuses Due to tremendous growth of the university and the increasing number of students admitted every academic year, there is need to increase resources such as libraries, recreational facilities just to mention but a few. The university is faced with a major problem of inadequate reading materials in library especially for research purposes. The university has a small library which does not accommodate the rapidly growing population of the students. The University wishes to establish an online bookstore to increase the availability and accessibility of learning materials for students.

1.2Problem Definition
Due to increasing number of students, overcrowding in the library over few books available has become a major problem which led to inadequate access of information to the students. Another major problem is inconvenience which is brought about by inaccessibility of the library after closing hours. Since the university has not embraced the latest information technology there is need to implement an online book store to meet the current student high expectations and demands.

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1.3

The current system

The current system is a manual system where student only goes to the library, produce either a library card or a school identification card in order to qualify to borrow a book or any other learning material. Problems and inconvenience arise when some books are not available in the library or the library has been closed. The current system has numerous challenges that need to be highlighted. These include but not limited to; Inconvenience to the students; locating a particular book in the library is tedious and slow because a student has to manually go through many books in the shelf to locate a title of a particular book. Inconvenience also comes in when the students are not able to access the library when its closed. Inadequate access to information; there are few resources in the library which lead to insufficient information especially for those student doing research in various fields of study. Time wastage; there is a lot of time wasted in retrieving a book mostly when the library is overcrowded.

1.4The proposed new system

The proposed new system is a web based aims at solving problems associated with the current system. It will do so by enabling the students to access the variety of books from any location by utilizing online book store where they can download books online without any payment. Through a web browser the student can search for a book by its title or author. The user/student can login using his account details or new user/student can set up an account very quickly. They should give the details of their name, contact number and Registration Number.

1.5 Aims and Objectives

T o enhance easier access to variety of books. To enable the students access vast information in their area of study. To create conducive learning environment due to faster access of learning materials. To increase convenience through use of technology.

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1.6 Merits of proposed system.

I. Convenient. Student need not spend time travelling to the library. In addition, finding that particular book is easier and faster online compared to having to scan through the book's spine for that one title. Cheaper. Online bookstores tend to save cost of borrowing books. it also eliminate the cost borrowing books on short loans instead you only download the book for free as PDF or DOC. More variety. the database used is able to store wide variety of books as compared to a library . Hence online stores like OpenTrolley Bookstore are able to offer a wide variety of books. Everywhere, anytime. Unlike physical bookstores, online bookstores open 24 hours a day and can be accessed anytime and anywhere with internet access.

II.

III.

IV.

1.7 Scope of the proposed system

The proposed project will be mainly expected to; I. II. III. Avail most common variety of books used by university students. Allow downloads for PDF and DOC books. Produce addition information about the author and the title of the book available online.

1.8

Literature Review

It has been more than a decade for the use of internet to be much common in each individual institution. The revolution of internet has influenced all types of age groups from seniors to teenagers; from veterans to trainees, each and every person had his way of learning the method and using it for his own convenience. On campus, bookstore is popular among students in textbook dowloads, but for most sellers the medium of internet is most preferred medium for selling (Krey, Clow & Babin, 2009). A study by Krey, Clow, & Babin (2009) found that 96% of students downloads or rent the required textbook for a college. Yang (2003) empirically examined the probability of students downloading their textbooks online with the conclusion that, downloading textbooks online can be predicted by possession of computer and the internet skills, having a retentive attitude towards money and dissatisfaction with the university bookstore. Thus he concluded that most of students preferring the on campus bookstores were seen to be freshman. The main purpose of the project is to help in faster access of learning materials that improves the level of education in the Universities. Books download with respect to the current way of studying in universities leading edge over others.

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CHAPTER TWO 2.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

2.1Introduction
This chapter will try to explain how to collect data in the best way possible. therefore, it will analyze critical areas of research design, population area of study, sampling method, sampling size and data analysis for data collected, to find out how reliable they will be in assisting to establish data relationships.

2.2. Research design

The descriptive research design will be employed in the study. it is commonly used in most studies because it involves observing and describing a behaviour of the subject without influencing it in any way. Creswell(1994) argues that it is useful especially in showing different facts that are connected to the nature of the problem at hand as its happen at study time.

2.3. Population of study

I will use Kabianga University College as my sampling frame and i will select my respondents from schools. My target population of the study will be 40 students and 5 library workers.

2.4. Data collection

For the purpose of this study, i will collect primary data using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire adopted will contain both closed and open ended questions. I will conduct interviews so as to gather first-hand data. Secondary data will also be very vital because it will give an overview of the overall research problem thus giving me a starting point. I will mainly search for this data from books, journals, newspaper, magazines and the internet.

2.5. Sampling method

I will use simple random sampling method. I will deduce data from different schools. Each individual in every school will have an equal chance of being selected into sample frame. I want to use this method because it has the least bias. In addition, it easily gives a generalized outcome with a good degree of accuracy.

2.6. Data analysis

Data collected will be edited, classified, tabulated and analyzed using graphs, tables etc. descriptive statistics will be heavily relied on to analyze the data. These will include percentages and other statistics such as mean. Furthermore, interviewees responses will grouped into classes

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that will portray similar characteristics, which will enable easier comparison and thereafter draw accurate conclusions.

2.7 Ethical issues

The conducting of research requires honesty, integrity, confidentiality, anonymity and informed consent. Subjects will be informed about the purpose of the study, procedure to be used in collecting the data and ensure no risks are involved. Employees name will be disclosed on the questionnaire and research paper.

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CHAPTER THREE.

3.0 DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY.

The methodology used in developing the online book store is Rapid Application Development (RAD). RAD is an iterative technique of system development that lays emphasis on short development cycles and extensive user involvement in coming up with prototypes to meet business requirements on a limited period of time and on budget.

1 Preliminary Investigation

2 Problem Definition 3 Analysis

5 Implementation
Iteration

4 Design

5 Final Implementation

6 Testing and Maintenance

Fig : Rapid Application Development Process

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3.1 DELIVERABLES
At the end of this project, the following will be handed over: A printed version and a soft copy of the software documentation. Complete and tested software in a compact disk Software Requirement Specification.

3.2 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 3.2.1 Hardware

Intel Atom, with 1.6 GHz processor speed. 160GB of Hard disk space. 1GB RAM. 1GB Flash disk.

3.2.2 Software Requirements

Windows 7 Ultimate. Visual Basic. Microsoft Access.

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APPENDICES APPENDIX I. REFERENCES.

1. Vamsi Krishna.M(2010).online book store.kansas state University;Manhalta Kansas. 2. Prathamesh,M.(2009). Online Book Store-A Nee trend in textbook sales Management for service Marketing; The university of Texas at Arlington. 3. Yang, B. (2003). Purchasing textbooks online. Applied Economics, Vol. 35, 12651269. 4. Yang. J., Zielinski, J., and Cheng, L. (2009). Purchasing college textbook from Ebookstore- An empirical study. International Journal Management in Education, Vol. 3, No. 2, 162-178. 5. IEEE Recommended Practice for Software Design Descriptions IEEE Std 10161998

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APPENDIX II INTRODUCTORY LETTER

KIPKOECH FRANKLINE NGENO, PO.BOX 2030-20200, KERICHO. 14TH JANUARY,2013. Dear Respondent, RE: REQUEST TO FILL IN THE QUESTIONAIRE. I am a student at Kabianga University College, undertaking a degree course in Computer Science. I would like to ask for your Permission to carry out a research in the University (Kabianga University college.) on need to establish a online book store for the University. I kindly request for sincere assistance in filling out this questionnaires. Thank you, Yours faithfully, ....................... Kipkoech Frankline Ngeno.

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APPENDIX III QUESTIONAIRE ONLINE BOOK STORE (Case Study of Kabianga University College).
SECTION A 1. Tick where appropriate i. Gender Male[ ] Female[ ] ii. Age 20-30[ ] 30& above[ ] iii. Education K.C.S.E[ ] Degree[ ] Masters[ ] SECTION B Answer as per the instruction/tick where applicable. 1. How long have you been in the University? ................................................................................................................................................ ... 2. How has it been as a student in the University? Very Good[ ] Good[ ] Fair[ ] Average [ ] Poor[ ] 3. How efficient is the University Library in ensuring students quality education? Very Good[ ] Good[ ] Average[ ] poor[ ]. 4. Are you satisfied with the services of the University Library ? Yes[ ] No[ ] 5. Does the university do something to upgrade their Library? Yes[ ] No[ ] 6. What measures has the University Library taken to ensure efficient way of getting learning materials to the students? ................................................................................................................................................ .......................................................................... 7. Give your suggestions on what measures you think should be put in place to improve the University library.................................................................................................................. ..............................................................................................................................................

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APPENDIX IV
TIME FRAME DATE 31st October,2012 9th November,2013 10th November,2013 11th November,2013 12th November,2013 14th November,2013 ACTIVITY Search for appropriate topic Obtaining literature review materials Setting research objectives, hypothesis and design. Constructing questionnaires and interviewing informants. Final analysis of research proposal. Copying, typing, printing and binding of the proposal. Submission of proposal.

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APPENDIX V
PROPOSED BUDGET OF THE PROJECT Item description Function Laptop Computer Computational/processing task Flash disk 1GB Data storage and backups Microsoft Access Database server Visual basic 6.0 Programming tool stationeries documentation Total estimation

Estimated cost Ksh40,000 Ksh500 Open source Open source Ksh800 ksh41,300

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CHALLENGES
Time consuming-a lot of time is spend especially during data collection, development and completion of this project. Insufficient information-the respondent may not summit back the questionnaires or interviewee may give false, bias or inadequate information. Cost-the cost of materials that are important to the development and completeness of the project, especially in coming up with this proposal are enormous. The overall development and design of the system is costly as evidenced in the budget.

CONCLUSSION
Despite several challenges faced during the system development process, it is evident that most of the system objectives and user requirements were met. Several ways of improving the system are also available such as mobile-based applications. This shows that there is still more room for improvement and growth of the system in the near future.

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KABIANGA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

(A CONSTITUENT COLLEGE OF MOI UNIVERSITY) SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICAL SCIENCE

E-BOOK ONLINE BOOK STORE SYSTEM

BY

KIPKOECH FRANKLINE NGENO COM/35/10 COM 310-COMPUTER SCIENCE PROJECT I

SUPERVISOR

MR. BII. 14TH JANUARY, 2013.

A RESEARCH PROPOSAL PRESENTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT FOR THE REQUIREMENT OF THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
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