Technology, Innovation, and the Digital Enterprise

This course is designed to give students an understanding of: (1) how information technology has created a fertile ground for the emergence of commerce on the Internet; (2) how firms are using the new technology to create innovative offerings and sustain competitive advantage; (3) how, because of this innovation, businesses are forced to rethink strategies and management practices; (4) how the new electronic medium is being applied in specific marketing domains (i.e., distribution, retailing, market research, advertising, etc.); and (5) how environmental factors (i.e., political, ethical, and legal factors) affect the revolutionary path to the new economy. More specifically, we explore how the current revolution in computer and information technology has enabled firms to engage in commerce around the world at the touch of a button. The Internet is a prototype of the global information infrastructure that will lay the platform for the electronic commerce of the twenty-first century and redefine the pace and breadth of business innovation. Many experts argue that the electronic revolution will result in increased power to consumers.