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E-Commerce: The Frontier of Opportunity
April 27, 2007
by Richard Barrington
Business Programs Columnist
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to have been alive when the American frontier was still being settled? It is easy to think about those times as an era of opportunity. Land and resources were opening up, the population was expanding and moving, and modern industry was beginning to develop. What made that an era of opportunity was change: rapid and profound change in the lifestyle of a nation. In that sense, the Internet is truly today's new frontier.
E-Commerce Changes the Face of Business
Those frontier days may be long over, but it remains true that a good way to spot opportunity is to look for areas of change. No area of business is changing as fast as e-commerce. The field of e-commerce has become a virtual frontier, where exploration and innovation can bring rewards to successful pioneers.
E-Commerce: Shopping and More
Computer pundits and Internet experts use the phrase "Web 2.0" as a catch-all term to describe the next generation of e-commerce. Originally, e-commerce focused on traditional shopping. E-commerce shopping sites were electronic versions of stores and showrooms, where people could identify goods, compare prices, and order merchandise.
Certainly, e-commerce shopping is alive and well -- bigger than ever, in fact. But e-commerce has expanded to encompass services as well as merchandise. E-commerce services such as music, video, games, and information do not merely use the Internet as a marketing tool, but rather as the means of creating and distributing product as well.
User-Generated Content is Booming
Another important trend is growth of user-generated content. From e-bay to YouTube, e-commerce has proven it can succeed without the site owner having to provide any "product" itself. E-commerce will continue to evolve in new and innovative ways.
Earn Your E-Commerce Degree
Clearly then, the theme here is change, and change means opportunity. The educational community has responded by designing certificate, Bachelors, and Masters programs specializing in e-commerce. This can be where your exploration begins, giving you the tools and training to blaze your own trail on the e-commerce frontier. If you want to make it big in today's business world, an e-commerce degree may make all the difference.
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About the Author:
Richard Barrington is an author and freelance writer. He has written a manuscript on business communication entitled "That's Not What You Said!" and a novel entitled "Spinning (out of control)." Previously, he spent over 20 years as head of client services and corporate communications for Manning & Napier Advisors, Inc., an independent investment advisory firm. Richard graduated magna cum laude from St. John Fisher College with a BA in Communications in 1983. In 1990, he earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation from the Association of Investment Management and Research (now the "CFA Institute").
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