Towards a Bachelor of Science in Global E-commerce

Posted on | November 28, 2010 | No Comments

A few years ago I was asked to develop a proposal for a BS in Global E-Commerce that I had suggested. It has yet to be implemented like the BS in Digital Communications and Media I created for NYU in 2002 but I always thought it had potential.

Preamble

The “Bachelor of Science in Global E-commerce” is designed for those dynamic individuals who recognize that the complex interplay between business acumen, technological expertise, and global knowledge is driving an economic transformation around the world. Along with technical competence; exceptional business, project management, and collaboration skills are needed by modern enterprises to develop and implement global e-commerce strategies. This undergraduate degree combines foundational business and technology classes with e-commerce classes designed to study actual cases within the global environment. Liberal arts requirements include classes that immerse the student in a wide variety of international economic, political and cultural topics to provide a global perspective to match the growing internationalization of trade in information, products and services.

Some areas in which e-commerce is having a major impact include:

Interactive Advertising
Job Searches
Financial Services
E-Government
E-Auctions
E-Learning
Video Gaming
Interactive TV
Supply Chain Mgt
News/Weather
Sportscasting
Travel/Traffic
Social Networks
B2B Exchanges
Music Distribution

E-Commerce Employment

This degree program prepares students with the business understanding and technical capabilities to find employment with organizations that focus on e-commerce or consider it an important part of their business activities. It has a major focus on the Tri-State area, especially New York City, which was recently ranked as the number one city in the world for global business. The geographical area is also rich with the creative expertise in advertising, public relations and merchandising that are integral areas of engagement for e-commerce professionals. A survey of “global e-commerce” on several Internet job sites listed a large number of relevant positions in the New York area including the following:

E-Commerce Project Manager
E-Commerce Strategy Consultant
VP of E-Commerce, Online Customer Acquisition
International E-Commerce
E-Commerce Web Producer
E-Commerce Coordinator
Director of E-Commerce
E-Commerce Manager
E-Commerce Integration Specialist
Executive Consultant e-Commerce
Sr. Mgr, e-Commerce
Marketing Director, E-Tail
E-Commerce Merchandising / Marketing Manager
e-Commerce Analyst
Internet/E-Commerce Marketing –
Financial Services
E-Commerce Director for
Skincare/Cosmetics Brand
Assistant Manager, E-Commerce
Websphere Commerce Consultant
E-Commerce Marketing Manager:
Strategic & Venture Initiatives
Site Manager, E-commerce Operations
Online Marketing Manager
Interactive Search Manager
e-Commerce Business Analyst

Program Objectives

A graduate of the Bachelor of Science of Global E-Commerce degree will have garnered expertise in the following areas: Management and Collaboration; E-Commerce Marketing and Social Media Strategies; Site Management; as well as Governance and Law. These four areas provide a new and distinct professional identity as well as a set of business, technical and global competences.

Management and Collaboration

Understand how to coordinate and interface with different business units to facilitate ecommerce solutions; Manage remote projects, collaborate with colleagues and partner B2B relations; Understand how to work with development, creative, production, and third party partners/vendors to construct working e-commerce applications; Learn how to work with senior management and Board of Directors to establish current and long range goals, objectives, plans and policies. Finally, engage in ecommerce project monitoring using methodologies such as SDLC waterfall, RAD, JAD, and Agile/Scrum.

E-Commerce Marketing and Social Media Strategies

Learn how to analyze eCommerce traffic patterns, site visits, customer loyalty programs, and email campaigns; Grasp how to research and discern best e-commerce practices within a specific industry; Develop the capacity to specify the functionality and organization of site sections; understand the strengths and weaknesses of social media technologies. Develop marketing campaigns using CRM and community management, and advanced data mining techniques.

E-Commerce Site Management

Develop skills to maintain e-commerce site enhancements lists and provides support and direction to the site production team. Learn how to gather and/or write requirements for ecommerce site enhancements, defining the business goals, the scopes of the project and provide the technical team directions so that they can scope and execute. Develop the ability to manage teams of web designers and programmers; be able to evaluate various e-payment solutions for both B2B and B2C operations.

Governance and Law

Understand how the complex international legal environment influences intellectual property rights, consumer rights, privacy, and a various types of cybercrimes. Discern how trade policy effectuated by the World Trade Organization and other international organizations can have an impact on e-commerce operations and services. Begin to understand how e-commerce issues are handled by various national sovereignties that vary in their approaches to applicable jurisdiction, cross border coordination and judicial enforcement. Grasp how types of dispute resolution are used to alleviate international e-commerce problems. Understand how different countries specify, regulate, and audit security systems of network and information systems.

Global e-commerce is a dynamic and rapidly expanding sphere of business activity accounting for approximately 15% of global GDP in 2008 and growing at a rate of 4% per quarter at the end of 2010. Employment opportunities in the New York area and beyond will require a unique blend of creative and commercial expertise. As high speed broadband capabilities continue to expand around the world, new users will continue to take advantage of this telecommunications-based system of social networks, user-created content and electronic catalogs of consumer appliances and products. The challenge will be to create a new set of university graduates that can help to design and manage the future electronic environment of these digital services in the global economy.

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Anthony J. Pennings, PhD has been on the NYU faculty since 2001 teaching digital media, information systems management, and global communications.

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