NEWS RELEASE

Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

01/09/2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES-The crash of the dotcoms made a lot of noise, but many universities haven't been scared away. According to a study by Northwestern State business faculty Dr. Subhash Durlabhji and Dr. Marcelline Fusilier, the number of e-commerce curriculums in the United States has nearly tripled in the last three years.

The study explored the debate in academia between those who believe e-commerce is a new discipline requiring its own degree program and those who would work e-commerce content into existing courses.

"Many of the business deans feel that e-commerce is a new paradigm for doing business and it needs to be taught," said Durlabhji. "They say that the business landscape has changed permanently and that e-commerce cannot be ignored. More than the dotcoms use e-commerce technology to do business. You don't even need a Web site to engage in e-commerce."

Durlabhji and Fusilier's research has been published in the Journal of Education for Business and Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education. Two other journals are considering publishing other aspects of the research.

The study identified 66 e-commerce programs for undergraduates. Just over half, 34, were bachelor's programs, 19 were concentrations and 13 were certificates. The number of master's programs increased from 38 in 2000 to 107 in 2003. Data was collected by visiting Web sites of institutions offering both bachelor's and master's e-business degrees.

There are no bachelor's programs in e-commerce in Louisiana. Northwestern has an e-commerce track in its computer information systems program and is considering developing a minor in the College of Business.

"We were considering developing a bachelor's program in e-commerce in 1998, so we decided to do some research to see what others were doing," said Fusilier. "Before 1999, there were no master's programs and in 2000, there were no undergraduate programs. There was a rapid growth in a short time and now the growth has slowed."

According to Durlabhji and Fusilier's research, the proportion of e-business courses is also growing. Part of the reason that many programs have continued after the dot.com crash is that academic institutions rarely make changes quickly.

"There is a lag between the perceived demand and the introduction of a program," said Durlabhji. "There is ego and pride involved in starting a program and a lot of fanfare. So people don't just turn around and discontinue a program."

"A lot of deans believe that e-commerce is the way of the future and the downturn is a momentary fluctuation," said Fusilier.

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