Teaching electronic commerce: a new focus for business computing

The use of the Internet is changing the nature of business operations and education delivery. Companies are currently implementing a wide range of electronic commerce systems in order to increase market share and reduce costs. Commerce education needs to reflect the technology driven changes to business practices. This paper discusses a new and exciting education program in electronic commerce that meets the needs of students and industry. The program bridges the operations, communication, management and marketing requirements of industry. Further, the impact of the electronic commerce major on existing courses of study within the faculty are addressed. The Deakin Electronic Trading Community, which is being developed in conjunction with the new electronic commerce major, will enable multi-mode delivery and experiential learning through provision of a virtual electronic commerce trading community.