University
of Illinois at Chicago Office of Public Affairs (MC 288)
601 S. Morgan St., Chicago, IL 60607-7113, (312) 996-3456, www.uic.edu/depts/paff
| November 8, 2000 | Contact: Jeffron Boynes, (312) 413-8702, jboynes@uic.edu |
UIC TAKES E-BUSINESS TRAINING OVERSEAS
Six months ago, a group of French business leaders visited the University of Illinois at Chicago to learn how to extend their share of the dot.com universe. Six months later - amid a growing global Internet market - UIC is taking its e-business program on the road to the port city of Le Havre, France.
A team of UIC professors and guest instructors has been assembled to deliver a three-day, international version of the domestic E-Business E-Commerce Certificate Program to marketing and e-business students and executives at the Normandy Business School, Nov. 12-15.
"Programs like this show the international reputation that UIC and the College of Business Administration have earned," said Wim Wiewel, dean of the College of Business Administration, which houses the program. "Along with our MBA program [considered one of the top three Western MBAs in China according to the Chinese government], we can offer one of the leading e-business programs in the world."
With its growing reputation and line-up of seasoned lecturers, UIC's International E-Business E-Commerce program brings together aspiring online marketers from overseas and key Internet experts from the United States to accelerate the evolution of e-business abroad.
Rod Shrader, assistant professor of management and managerial studies, believes participants in the international program will receive training that is more up-to-date because the United States is ahead of other countries on the learning curve when it comes to e-business. "We're beginning to see what works and what doesn't work, so business people from other countries can learn from our mistakes and not have to reinvent the wheel," Shrader said.
As more countries flock to the Internet for commerce, Shrader added, it's reasonable that France would want to position itself to reap the value of accelerated growth, "but they must overcome obstacles like online communication system weaknesses to realize their full economic potential," he said.
Wes Helms, lecturer and IBM e-business consultant, said one of the key goals for the trip is the "cross-pollination of ideas and knowledge" between UIC faculty and the educators and business people of Le Havre. "In France, the e-business environment is in a much different context than in the United States. I think that if we can learn more about the impact of these differences, we can apply that knowledge to our local e-business challenges and opportunities," Helms said.
Expected to travel to Le Havre with Helms are Cindy Atchley, director of professional development programs; Tom Lumpkin, assistant professor of managerial studies; and Joel Warady, lecturer and president and CEO, OralCare.com - a Chicago-based Internet start-up.
"We're looking forward to providing information to both students and executives concerning the financing opportunities available as companies look to implement an e-business strategy. We'll also offer an overview regarding the future of the Internet, and where technology will be taking us over the next five years," Warady said.
Program topics for the International E-Business E-Commerce program will include: E-entre-preneurship, Behind the "E", E-commerce Overview, and Financial Aspects of E-Business. For more information on UIC certificate programs, visit www.uic.edu/cba/pdp or contact Cindy Atchley at (312) 413-2404, catchley@uic.edu; or Jeffron Boynés at (312) 413-8702; jboynes@uic.edu.
Since its launch last year, UIC's E-Business E-Commerce Certificate Program has been in the spotlight. Intended to address the growing demand of those who want to excel in the dot.com economy, the program has attracted more than 250 business professionals to date.
New areas added to the program this fall include: business intelligence, customer relationship management, strategic relationships and intrapreneurship. These were added to the existing areas of Internet overview, financing issues, entrepreneurship, marketing, and privacy, security and legal issues.
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