Even the oldest corporations, such as Sears and United Parcel Service, are launching online divisions at a rapid rate to stay competitive. If you're going to succeed in e-commerce, you have to talk about profits and loss like professional businesspeople. The 36-credit program, leading to a bachelor of science in management studies with a concentration in electronic commerce, is unique in New England and one of the first of its kind in the nation. It has been in the pilot stage for the past two years but began officially in January. Topics covered include Web design, Web languages, and database security, as well as business law, marketing, and project management.
Current participants represent a range of industries and career paths.
Every student is required to create a Web business prototype using the principles learned in the classroom. Strawbridge is developing a dotcom that supplies consumers with coupons for small businesses, organized by geographic region. But Strawbridge knows that he needs a well-researched strategy if he wants to turn his class project into a viable business. That's a very important concept to understand when you're looking at the realities of the economy. The curriculum reflects the fact that 80 percent of e-commerce industry dollars are now spent on B2B projects.