A new Internet degree, the bachelor of electronic commerce, is expected to be the University of Queensland's flagship commerce degree within five years, according to Professor Frank Finn, head of the Commerce Department.
The electronic commerce degree will be offered at the University's new Ipswich campus scheduled to open by February 1999.
'Electronic commerce is a major growth area and reliable forecasts of the sale of goods over the Internet in Australia will be about $8 billion by the year 2000 with the potential for trade on the Internet in Australia to rise to $100 billion by the year 2009. Home shopping will account for $24 billion by 2005,' Professor Finn said.
Project director for the new course is auditing and accounting information systems specialist Associate Professor Colin Ferguson.
Dr Ferguson said as a result of current and anticipated future growth in electronic commerce, organisations would have to make fundamental changes to their structures and processes if they were to survive in the long run.
'In time, electronic commerce will touch all businesses, no matter how small. There's no question about that. When that happens even the smallest corner store will have the same characteristics as a BHP, especially in the audit sense,' he said.
'Right now overseas sites such as the Amazons bookshop and CD Now for music are attracting growing trade from Australia and strong growth has been reported in recent months in local business sites for clothing, wine, accessories and cigarettes.
'FAI Insurance reports growing Internet sales of its products and with the latest research indicating about 1.8 million regular Internet users in Australia, and 1 billion on the worldwide Net by 2000, this form of trade is set to explode.'
He said seven new subjects would be introduced for the electronic commerce degree.
'The new subjects offer innovative, in-depth content in the field of electronic commerce and will be designed specifically to take advantage of the University's focus on state-of-the-art technology at the Ipswich campus,' Dr Ferguson said.
'They will be offered in flexible delivery mode and will rely on a high-quality data communications infrastructure enabling students to learn from building, managing, operating and maintaining electronic commerce application systems.
'The electronic commerce course will provide students with a broad knowledge of core commerce and business-related subjects and in-depth knowledge of information-system subjects needed to acquire expertise in electronic commerce systems.'
He said that while similar degree courses offered an information systems emphasis none had focused specifically on electronic commerce.
Dr Ferguson said he expected the degree would have strong local, national and international appeal.
The new subjects for the electronic commerce course include foundations for electronic commerce, analysis and design of e-commerce and www applications, legal foundations of electronic commerce, technology infrastructure management for electronic commerce, securing the commercial Internet, marketing on the commercial Internet and managing the virtual corporation.
Stage one of the University's Ipswich campus is due to begin construction in April at an estimated cost of $16 million. Completion is scheduled for the end of the year - and the University will open in February 1999 as a resource-rich, ultra-modern centre of learning.
University Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Trevor Grigg said the University of Queensland, Ipswich campus would be outstanding, with distinctive programs.
'The University is developing highly innovative courses and course delivery methods which make extensive use of modern communication technologies,' he said.
'The approach will be interactive and multi-disciplinary, integrating information technology with teaching.
'The new campus will develop communication linkages potentially allowing the campus to contribute to distance learning using integrated information technologies and flexible modes of delivery.'
The establishment of a Learning Resources Development Unit would play a key role in developing Ipswich programs and gradually transform the flexible delivery of all University courses.
Professor Grigg said the use of alternative delivery methods and flexible scheduling would make it possible for students to study for dual degrees at more than one campus.
As far as possible, learning would be self-directed and collaborative. The campus would be designed to ensure that all students had access to computers, interactive conferencing and instructional computer and multi-media technology and networking with fibre-optic ethernet technology.
For further information, telephone Dr Ferguson at (07) 3365 6631; e-mail: ferguson@commerce.uq.edu.au or visit the Commerce Department web site: http://www.commerce. uq.edu.au/ or contact Professor Grigg, telephone 07 3365 7366, email: t.grigg@mailbox.uq.edu.au
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