E-Commerce Curriculum

Abstract

This article begins by tracing the rapid development of e-commerce curricula in response to demand from employers and students, and the subsequent impact of the dot-com implosion on e-commerce degree programs. The main portion of the article then identifies the major approaches currently taken by universities with respect to e-commerce curricula and explores the three critical e-commerce curriculum issues facing universities. These issues concern (1) whether e-commerce is indeed a separate and distinct discipline, (2) appropriate e-commerce curriculum content, and (3) strategies that can facilitate implementation of an e-commerce program. In the next section of the article, five trends are identified that are critical to the immediate future of e-commerce curricula. Finally, conclusions are drawn concerning the long-term prospects for e-commerce degree programs.