Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/55470
the fantastical "Sky Theater," a vir- tual outdoor auditorium that floats on water. Halvorson also uses the SL environment to meet and col- laborate with faculty from universi- ties overseas. In addition, the virtual campus will be a place for research into the function and impact of virtual worlds. A large section of the space will be devoted to collaborative visualization research led by Paul Bourke, a senior research fellow in the West Australian Supercomputer Programme. The school also has invited art- ists and architects worldwide to enter a yearlong competition to cre- ate three-dimensional art and build- ings for the campus. Jegathesan is working to establish memorandums of understanding with different educational institutions, to encourage other schools to send their students and faculty to UWA's SL campus. "The education sector within Sec- ond Life is growing rapidly. We feel that we are at a stage where this is akin to the early days of television," says Jegathesan. "I am convinced that within 15 years 3D virtual environ- ments will become an integral part of our lives." Texting Still Rules A survey jointly conducted by the Participatory Marketing Network (PMN) and the Lubin School of Business at Pace University, both in New York City, has found that while mem- bers of Generation Y enjoy social networking, most will give up their Facebook pages before abandoning e-mail and texting. PMN worked with the Lubin School's student-run Interactive & Direct Marketing Lab to survey 203 young adults between the ages of 18 and 24. These Gen Y-ers were asked which they would be least likely to give up for a week—social networking, e-mail, or texting. Only 9 percent most wanted to keep social networking, while 26 percent wanted to keep e-mail. Similarly, 26 percent wanted to keep their texting. The survey also showed that Gen Y still has little interest in mobile marketing—only 20 percent are currently receiving targeted promo- tional messages. TOOLS OF THE TRADE Two Professors Work to Build a Better Textbook Traditional printed textbooks may be the most common tool for learn- ing on the university campus, but they simply do not offer students the most up-to-date picture of their subjects, argues Vince Mitchell, professor of consumer market- ing at City University's Cass Business School in London, England. That's why he teamed with Bradley Barnes, professor of international manage- ment at the U.K.'s University of Kent, to create the first European edition of the textbook Marketing: Real People, Real Decisions in an interactive digital format. Published by Pearson Education Europe, Middle East and Africa, the book is designed to pull students into real-life marketing scenarios taken straight from European companies, explains Mitchell. PMN is particularly interested in Gen Y's communications because its business is to help organizations make the transition from "push" and "permission" marketing to "partici- patory" marketing, which actively involves customers in a company's marketing and brand-building efforts. Says Michael Della Penna, co- founder and executive chairman of PMN, "As long as e-mail remains the collection point for social network- ing updates, it will remain a powerful force in marketing." Each chapter also features a section called "discuss, debate, disagree," which includes ethical "pop-ups." As students read about certain cases, they are presented with pop-up boxes that detail ethical marketing dilemmas designed to provoke discussion. A distinctive fea- ture of the book is "My Marketing Lab Online," where stu- dents can access addi- tional interactive chap- ters, pop-up videos, and study materials. The book's Web site also includes a col- lection of marketing- related YouTube videos for lecturers and students to use, as well as a frequently updated list of the top 20 marketing and advertising viral videos. Lecturers have access to slides, seminar materials, multiple- choice questions, and essay questions with model answers. For more information, visit www. cass.city.ac.uk/research/newsletter/ videos/Marketing_RealPeopleReal Decisions.html. n z BizEd JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010 61