No Downturn Here: Tracking E‐business Programs in Higher Education*

Abstract

As the fortunes of e-businesses fluctuate, what is the state of e-business educational offerings? The present study attempted to explore this question by investigating the number and nature of e-business programs available in colleges and universities. Results were compared to previously published findings on e-business education. Data were collected from program web sites. Master's and bachelor's degree programs based in North America and elsewhere in the world were examined. Despite the "dot-bomb" economy, the present data suggested large increases in all foreign and North American bachelor's programs between the start of the fall semester of 2000 and November 2001. The number of North American master's programs appeared to increase dramatically during the year 2000 and at a lesser rate afterward. Findings also suggested that bachelor's and foreign master's programs involved more technical e-business courses than the North American master's programs. The educational and economic factors possibly underlying these trends are discussed.

Proceedings Manuscripts Needs Analysis of E-commerce Course for Practical Application – Use of BNAM to Discuss Cognition after Learning

“…After six years, the institutes and universities in Taiwan open relevant ecommerce courses in a great deal, which is such a big change. The study from Fusilier & Durlabhji (2003) also finds out e-commerce courses in U.S.A. grow considerably after 2000 [7], so this study believes that it is necessary to study it again.…”

“…Fusilier and Durlabhji's study (2003) divides ecommerce courses into four big categories, including class of course e-commerce, including commercial technology management, non-technological e-commerce, technological e-commerce, and information technology [7]. One can know that learning e-commerce completely involves general information technology such as data communications, user interface design, software and program; it also involves technology of management, for instance: Management of operations and supply chain, plan of enterprise resources, and financial affairs; and it involves the particular relevant technology of e-commerce including e-commerce marketing, e-commerce business strategy, and system development.…”

“…In addition, the e-commerce course discussion that Fusilier & Durlabhji carried out in 2003 with regard to bachelor degree courses in America's universities, master courses in North America, and foreign master courses pointed out although e-commerce began to be bubbled in 2000, the e-commerce courses in school grew dramatically; it also found out bachelor degree courses in America's universities and foreign master courses laid particular stress on technological courses more, while master courses in North America did not focus on technological side that much [7].…”

“…Before 2000, when enterprises needed e-commerce talents badly, the academia was unable to offer relevant talents and courses in time [5] [6]. Studies pointed out the contract salary of e-commerce graduate from MIT Sloan was 1.5 times of the contract salary of general finance or marketing graduate in 2000 [7]; the relevant e-commerce courses from University of Chicago and University of California attracted many students to take. While the academic organizations actively studied how to develop e-commerce, they also recognized how urgent the business circles needed ecommerce talents, so they cooperated and developed education of e-commerce talents actively, and thus relevant courses for e-commerce have been opened.…”

“…Although e-commerce is namely another link of technical application of information management, the fact that it uses applied theory to lay all over the enterprise's entire operation model makes the training of e-commerce talents become more complicated [7]. The development of e-commerce courses cooperated with the relevant department of information management to give a course in the early stages, it slowly develops into a single course [1].…”