Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/62201
YourTurn Is E-Commerce E-ssential? Is e-commerce a fad that will soon disappear from the b-school curriculum? Or is it an integral part of the business world that must be addressed in our classrooms? Busi ness school profes- sors are sharply divided on the topic, making it difficult for schools to plan how—or whether—they'll teach e- commerce to the next generation of business students. As a professor of e-commerce, I wanted to get a better idea of how management educators feel about teaching the subject—and what better way to satisfy my curiosity than to ask the educators themselves. I recently sent an informal e-mail survey to a number of business school professors in the U.S., asking them to respond to four open-ended questions. I was pleasantly surprised when two respondents disagreed with this question's assumption, claiming that e-commerce is a fad. This minority felt that e-commerce should be taught alongside other forms of commerce or under the umbrella of "marketing." One professor bluntly stated, "I view e-commerce as close- ly analogous to air conditioning— critically fundamental to modern business but not, in and of itself, very interesting." The majority of professors who 54 64 faculty members responded quickly to my query, convincing me that interest in this topic has become increasingly substantial. Further - more, I think their replies to the fol- lowing four questions offer all busi- ness educators insights into the value of e-commerce and ideas about the best ways to teach it. 1. Why is e-commerce not a fad? Only by Sandeep Krishnamurthy responded to the survey, however, believe that e-commerce is both vital- ly important and here to stay as an essential classroom topic. "A fad is something that is easily replaced by the next 'big' thing," said one respondent. "I find it a challenge to think what could replace e-com- merce. It's not a new style or fashion; it's a way of conducting business." Other respondents stressed the importance of e-commerce by citing figures. For instance, more than one billion people have used the Internet, while Internet retailing has racked up more than $30 billion in sales. Those numbers suggest that e- business is anything but a fad and that, as a staple of business, its place in the classroom is assured. Several professors were quick to e-commerce? For most professors, the answer to this question was simple: Because it's something they should learn. The majority felt that because e-commerce is so prevalent in busi- ness today, graduates without an e- background would be working under a handicap. "MBA students should study e- supplement their search process and then make their final purchase at a traditional retail store. But without the initial data posted online, a com- pany is at a disadvantage." 2. Why should MBA students study offer up reasons why any predictions of the death of e-commerce have been greatly exaggerated. For instance, one professor praised e- commerce for offering convenience to customers and consistency to sell- ers. "A sales force is made up of multiple personalities who may pres- ent different and even incompatible images for a company, as well as inconsistent responses to consumer questions. E-commerce allows con- sumers similar interaction on the Internet with far more consistent presentation in both image and information. And, obviously, e-com- merce can be more cost-efficient than a sales force, while offering the same benefits." E-commerce has become a service business because it is business," one professor wrote. "There is virtually no part of the organization that is not affected by changes in commu- nications and networking technolo- gies. This situation is not likely to change. Employers expect MBAs to have studied e-business and to be familiar with its impact on the firm." An e-business concentration, others noted, also helps working profes- sionals interact with employees in corporate IT/IS areas. Nonetheless, students themselves many consumers demand, another respondent commented. "They expect to find basic product informa- tion, service information, contact numbers, and investor information on the company Web site 24/7. Many consumers use the Web to BizEd MAY/JUNE 2003 are not always convinced of the value of e-commerce. One professor asked a class of undergraduate business majors if the Internet had had a posi- tive or negative effect on business. "I was surprised at how many stu- dents in the class felt its effects have been negative," the professor com- mented. "Students, especially non- MIS majors, need to be exposed to the value of e-commerce as it relates to the various functional areas of a business." 3. What went wrong before? Teachers who understand the errors that were made in the past can help students avoid them in the future. With that in mind, the survey asked respon- dents to discuss what mistakes com-