Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 3. E-business readiness of students in US, Canada and RP (as of January 2001)
Country of University
US
CN
RP
Ave
*Students in Arts/Education/Eng'g/Science
USE
12.8
11.8
10.3
11.6
SURF
10.3
7.1
5.8
7.7
STUDY
24.4
7.3
5.1
12.3
KNOW
4.19
3.51
3.29
3.7
NOT FAD
0.95
0.93
0.88
0.9
E-Business Preparedness: Benchmarking in Three
Countries
To benchmark with other countries, surveys and interviews were also conducted in two
universities in the United States and Canada (sample size of 60 and 70, respectively). The
results were compared with those of a Philippine (RP) university. Respondents in these
surveys were limited to the graduating students of Eng/Sci and Art/Edu, because they were
the ones most likely unexposed to e-business (as was partly proven by the results of the earlier
survey) (Table 3).
Philippine students lagged moderately behind in USE. The gaps, however, became
pronounced in SURF, STUDY, KNOW, and NOTFAD. The difference between the Philippine
and U.S. universities was 12.3 hours in STUDY, almost a full point in a five-point scale in
KNOW and 7% in NOTFAD.
This information proved that Philippine students in noncomputer/business courses
were not as prepared as their counterparts in the United States and Canada (CN) in facing
the challenges of e-business.
The Best Breakthrough Practices
The e-business curricular programs of the three universities were also reviewed to
develop a system of breakthrough practices that could be adopted by academicians and
practitioners in the Philippines, and hopefully, the rest of the world. The best practices were
as follows:
1.
Establish an e-business institute that utilizes faculty and business professional
expertise. The institute will expose its academic community to real-world applications
to develop an e-business knowledge base. It will develop partnerships with corporate
sponsors and government to establish and promote the university and its locale as a
leading e-business center.
2.
The institute will not be affiliated with any of the faculty departments to entice students
from any department to enroll in the institute.
3.
It will bestow on every graduate of the institute the title of “Fellow of the Institute.”
This title is expected to open doors in e-business-related careers or to be e-commerce
literate. To be a fellow, the student must do the following:
- Be enrolled in a degree program of the university
- Complete an e-business training program
4.
The training program will include e-business courses (regular courses offered by the
departments deemed e-business related), lecture series (with speakers from private and
government entities), and course modules.
