Taking the Technology Out: Using A Strategic E-Commerce Focus in the CIS Classroom

Abstract

This article describes the content and delivery of a course on E-commerce strategy to senior computer information systems (CIS) majors in the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. The course is designed to provide technically oriented CIS students with an appreciation for the organizational and strategic issues facing managers in a digital world. To that end, we emphasize the strategic rather than the technical concerns of electronic commerce. We find that both students and employers react favorably to the course content. Students are pleased with the positive reaction of employers to their knowledge of strategic issues. Employers remark that the course content mirrors real-world concerns and underscores the importance of analytical skills. As we complete the third iteration of the course, we attribute our success to three factors. First, we demonstrate the role of strategy and decision-making in E-commerce from the beginning of the course. Second, we illustrate that companies within the same industry make very different strategic decisions with respect to E-commerce, and that these decisions often lead to very different outcomes. Third, we keep the content current by using a combination of existing cases and current events to illustrate key concepts.