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Communications of the Association for Information Systems

Abstract

The need to teach e-commerce (EC) is a significant issue for academia. Regardless of the downturn in dot.com startups, many organizations are still very much aware of the need for effective EC strategies and applications. In response to industry demand, some universities across the globe have launched EC programs. Others implemented EC electives at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. This paper presents suggestions for teaching EC. Findings from a study of EC offerings by the top fifty UK business schools are presented. A wide disparity exists across schools in terms of EC offerings, including a significant number of schools that do not offer EC modules or degrees. This paper offers and discusses the following recommendations on how to implement an EC curriculum effectively and economically in a business school: 1. EC should be taught throughout the business school curriculum as part of traditional classes followed by EC specialty classes and practicum courses. It is essential that multiple departments invest in offering EC curriculum. 2. Foundation classes should be taught before EC specialty classes. 3. EC survey courses should not be taught early in the curriculum because they are difficulty to staff and maintain. 4. EC classes should be a balance of each discipline's fundamental principles, along with some newer EC theories and applications. 5. Principles taught in Information Systems classes can have broader application when patterns are taught that span many technologies instead of teaching only specific applications. 6. It is important to leverage alumni and industry volunteers to help provide EC lecture series and for input on EC curriculum and teaching.

DOI

10.17705/1CAIS.00923

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