Students secure in degrees
E-business strong despite drop of online companies

By Julie Ann Matonis
Staff Reporter

Students in the e-business program said they have confidence their degree will provide them with a solid business foundation despite the fact the value of e-commerce degrees has come under fire by some in the business and educational world.

Ted Doll, an e-business professor, said that as Internet companies are fading, people doubt their profit-making abilities. Solid business plans are needed to interest investors and keep up with the competition.

“The glamour has worn off, and we’re down to business as usual in the e-commerce sense,” Doll said.

Beth Anne Dodson, a sophomore e-business major, said the terms e-business and e-commerce mislead many people. E-commerce focuses on one aspect of business, the buying and selling of goods and services, while e-business incorporates many business activities, she said.

“E-business and e-commerce are not the same,” Dodson said. “Technology is just one branch under e-business.”

Carl Zeithaml, dean of the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, said technology is only part of the skills needed to produce business leaders.

“A good business school should prepare students for a long career in business,” Zeithaml said. “The ability to use technology is an important part of skills, but a program totally on e-commerce focuses too much.”

In 1999, TCU was the first university accredited by the International Association for Management Education to offer an undergraduate degree in e-business. Other universities like Carnegie Mellon and Stanford have been developing e-commerce programs.

Wade Pantel, a junior e-business major, said he feels the classes in his major are well-rounded. Students in the e-business program are learning every aspect of Web organization from human resources to sales.

“We learn the technology like coding and programming, but we also learn the planning, execution and implementation of business strategies,” Pantel said.

Doll said e-business is a tough degree that should only be offered as a major.

“I like the e-business degree but I also think you need another major to go with it,” Doll said. “I think it should only be a major because I don’t think you can learn enough in a minor.”

Dodson said an additional major besides e-business is not a bad idea for students to consider.

“E-business paired with something else makes you more marketable and gives you more options,” Dodson said.

There is room for improvement in the e-business curriculum, Doll said.

“I see it growing,” Doll said. “I don’t see the program dying. There’s a lot of opportunity out there.”

Pantel said that because technology is always moving up and down, the value of an e-business degree is not diminished.

“Professionals need to know how to deal with technology,” Pantel said. “It’s the wave of the future, and the educational system is moving toward it.”

Zeithaml said technology should be incorporated in the context of a business education, but he did not entirely discredit electronic degrees.

“You have to look at programs on a case-by-case basis,” Zeithaml said. “Familiarity with technology is critically important and needed for success in organizations, but (it) should be part of broader courses.”

And there will always be people who doubt the validity of new ideas, Doll said.

“We always get naysayers,” Doll said. “It is easy to say no to a new thought or idea because then you can walk away. When you say yes, you have to do something.”

Julie Ann Matonis
j.a.matonis@student.tcu.edu