ABSTRACT
This project work ‘Design and Development of a Virtual Community for
Collaboration on Businesses and Projects’ was aimed at creating a computer based
platform to empower entrepreneurs/freelancers and organisations by
interconnecting them to each other as sponsors, collaborators, teams and investors
for productivity and progress in business. The project work is also aimed at
improvement of the quality of employees and contractors engaged in
business/work/office, increasing productivity – breaking the geo-location
limitations, create efficient project management and collaboration, socialise the
business world. The project has the following objectives; creating a possibility of
hiring people and services nationwide, provide support for advertisement and
publications, possibility of scheduling and holding meetings online or physically
nationwide and also support sharing and view of the activities of users/accounts on
the platform. The project analysed the platform, system requirements and
implemented the Object Oriented Model for methodology. The OOM involved the
sourcing, implementation, testing and reuse of software components. The platform
was designed is to be in accordance with specifications to satisfy the requirements.
The program was designed and the functions were implemented with Hyper-text
Pre-processor (PHP), Cascading Style Sheet (CSS), MySQL and Hyper-text Markup
Language (HTML) which constituted in a web-based platform that allows users
send requests, create posts, share posts, view posts, delete posts, create and edit
user accounts, place adverts and afford the program manager access to manage and
regulate adverts. The web platform was hosted locally via ‘localhost’ and
composed of a MySQL database which was managed via phpMyAdmin both
provided by XAMPP Server. Being a web-based platform a web browser is needed
to use the product. The instruments in this case would include the web browser,
XAMPP server and an IDE (Sublime Text 3 and NetBeans 8.2 IDEs were used for
the development). The platform would enhance freelancing, boost entrepreneurs’
growth, create a common ground for various scales of business, implement
computer science into business management and administration, utilise social
virtual communities for business development and result in economic improvement
by increased productivity, employment rate. And results from researches show that
many of people search the internet looking for other individuals having
required/desired/similar interests, skills, knowledge, provisions and opinions and
who are willing to share. And that the best platform/domain for such sharing and
discovery is a virtual community (VC). Further evaluations, improvements and
advancements are intended to see the program develop to meet all
business/corporate standards.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page i
Certification Page ii
Approval Page iii
Dedication Page iv
Acknowledgements Page v
Abstract Page vi
Table of Contents vii
List of Figures ix
List of Tables x
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study 1
Statement of the Problem 1
Objective of the Study 2
Significance of the Project 2
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction 3
Theoretical Background 3
Review of Related Literature 6
Summary 10
CHAPTER THREE: SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND DESIGN
Introduction 13
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System Description 13 Analysis of the Proposed System 14 Design of the Proposed System 17 CHAPTER FOUR: SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION Introduction 20 Choice of Development Environment 20 Implementation Architecture 22 Software Testing 23 Documentation 25 User Manual 28 Source code listing 28 CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION Summary of Findings 29 Conclusion 29 Recommendation 30 REFERENCES 31 APPENDICES 32
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LIST OF FIGURES
Fig.2 The Front Page, Main Menu And Options Menu Of A Bulletin Board
Service Platform For Virtual Community 44
Fig.3.2.0 Account Registration & Sign in Sequence Diagram 15
Fig.3.2.1: The Use Case Diagram 16
Fig3.2.2: UML Diagram 17
Fig.3.3.0: Screenshot of the index page code snippet 45
Fig.3.3.1: A schema illustration of the database and tables in it 19
Fig 3.3.3: Screenshot of the user table in the Database 44
Fig 4.1.1: Screenshot of the created tables in the database 45
Fig.4.2.0: Block Diagram 23
Fig. 4.2.1: 3-Tier Diagram 44
Fig.4.3.0 The Virtual Community index.php page screenshot 44
Fig.4.3.1: Sign Up Test 24
Fig.4.3.2: Sign In Test 24
Fig.4.3.3: Post Test 25
Fig.4.3.4: Request Test 25
x
LIST OF TABLES
Table 3.3.2: Post Table 19
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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.0 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
I have been told and have also experienced that one of the major challenges to us as humans are lack of co-operatives and collaborations being alone. Whether in a business venture, academic pursuit this limitation has a huge effect on productivity at this present age and time.There‟s an increased rate of business start-ups, increased number of graduates from various institutions and growing entrepreneurs who have great ideas, strategies, talents, skills, potentials but not everyone can/should start up solely. When it comes to business, co-operation is very key to growth, productivity and success, there‟s someone somewhere that can fill in or even improve a business with what they know and can do. These people due to wrong orientation, ideology and misconceptions venture and run their businesses with great duress. And by business I mean what someone does/provides as goods or as service that is/forms the source of income.
This report is on a virtual community as a business solution especially to the start-ups, entrepreneurs, freelancers. This platform was developed and designed by me, Sochima James Obele. Virtual communities have being implemented as solutions in various areas as socializing, promotion, marketing, publicity and scouting. It‟s an important platform that can be implemented in business to provide solutions, collaborations, innovations, advancements and connections which also play stands as a big part of almost everything we do beyond business. It has a great potential of providing human resources where and when needed which are of great importance.
This platform has also been used to source additional income to emloyees and also an avenue for educated unemployed persons to earn a living and even also help channel their mind towards creating self-employment opportunities. Productivity is key player very important in the Nigerian economy.
1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The problems which prompted this project work can be viewed from the following perspectives: Limitations in productivity in Nigeria. Limitations in business opportunities especially start-ups in Nigeria. Limitations to business growth; the place for collaborators and investors.
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Limitations in human resources management in terms of hiring individual or organisations fit for the jobs and tasks.
1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
This project work on the development and design of a Virtual Community has is to provide a platform in form of a virtual community to facilitate businesses in Nigeria and that through that create/ provide them with opportunities for progress, growth, success, collaboration, connections and learning.
The objectives are: Hiring of products and services of users. Adverts placements and viewing for users. Activity sharing by users viewable by other users. Business connection creation within users. Meetings schedule meetings for using respective meeting centres in Nigeria.
1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT
Developing a virtual community for businesses is of significance and benefit to humanity as it will help increase employment nationwide and also make human resources available.
Improved Connectivity: Users will be able to connect to people or establishments with like minds/ideologies/visions nationwide despite the distance. This can also help track and stop fraudulent practices.
Inspiration: The product is intended to inspire and motivate people with business ideas but no fund or support to make a good start and enhance start-ups to make a good start and thrive in their businesses.
Collaboration: It will also bring/promote business collaboration, which will enable people from various firms or establishments work together and co-operate, to learn from each other, grow together, take on projects and hold meetings.
Mentorship: Users will be able to enhance and correct their business ideology as they learn and stand on the shoulders of the fore runners in their type of business to create successful, service oriented and solution-driven businesses.
Availability of Resources: The business skills and resources needed and required will be accessible and obtainable to business people and the corporate world at large. The platform would allow community evalution of user‟s accounts plus system records that can help guide others right.
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