School offers technology
class
By Matt Poston
Staff
Writer
Now that society has entered the new millennium,
it's becoming increasingly clear that business will be conducted more
and more in electronic markets and Web sites instead of the traditional
storefront.
Roberto Mejias, an assistant professor of management
information systems at Krannert, is teaching students to be more prepared
and familiar with the ramifications of the growing tendencies toward
e-commerce in today’s business world.
E-commerce is still business, said Mejias, but
it has many different aspects.
Mejias said that e-commerce is not a pure field.
"E-commerce is an eclectic blending of economics, marketing, technology
and logistics," he said.
Teaching e-commerce can be a challenge, said Mejias,
who teaches MGMT 490C, "E-Commerce Infrastructure."
Mejias said that because technology is moving so
fast, e-commerce changes on a daily basis.
Therefore, he said, there are no textbooks that
are current with today’s technology.
For his class, where students learn about the hardware
that is behind most e-commerce, Mejias got around the obstacle of not
having a textbook by assembling a book from various authors' writings
on the subject.
Mejias stressed the importance of knowing as much
about e-commerce as possible. "The whole world is moving to global
business interaction. E-commerce is a platform for buyers, sellers,
service providers and markets to meet in a virtual environment,"
said Mejias.
"Students here at Purdue have to know about
e-commerce to keep pace with other business students across the country,"
said Mejias.
Lindsay Maasberg, a junior in the School of Management,
agrees.
"It is essential for someone going into business
to have a background in e-commerce," Maasberg said.
Maasberg also said that Mejias’s course was
helpful because of his energy and commitment to help keep students up
to speed on changes within the world of technology and help them keep
a competitive edge in comparison with students at other business schools
across the nation.
Mejias said that the next few years could be exciting
times at Krannert and gives credit to Richard Cosier, the dean of the
School of Management, for his vocal support of courses like Mejias’.
"Dean Cosier isn’t a traditional dean,"
said Mejias. "Other schools may tend to be more cautious when it
comes to e-commerce, but we want Krannert to be a leader in the field."
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