INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE COURSE DELIVERY VIA THE INTERNET:

 

THE CASE OF BUSINESS STRATEGY IN MEXICO

 

 

John A. Parnell

Professor & Head

Department of Marketing & Management

Texas A&M University-Commerce

Commerce, Texas 75429

voice: (903) 886-5695

fax: (903) 886-5702

john_parnell@tamu-commerce.edu

 

 

 


INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE COURSE DELIVERY VIA THE INTERNET:

THE CASE OF STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT IN MEXICO

 

ABSTRACT

 

A graduate strategic management course was delivered on two occasions in 1998 to students in a major private university near Mexico City.  Weekend visits to campus were supplemented by substantial on-line resources.  Students received “live” lecture instruction and were able to complete entire projects via on-line research and communicate by e-mail with the professor throughout the term.  Results of a survey administered at the end of the class suggest that the course was effectively structured and most were highly satisfied with its outcome.  Issues identified as critical to the success of such programs include technology, developing the proper mix of internet and face-to-face delivery, and effective learner evaluation.

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Recent changes in the delivery of graduate business programs have resulted in greater use of the internet as a teaching tool and an increased emphasis on reaching an international audience (Briones, 1999; Clauson, 1999).  These two trends create an exceptional opportunity for educators when they are examined in unison.  Indeed, the delivery of graduate programs via the internet to international audiences can enable American business schools to reach many qualified students who would otherwise not have an opportunity to pursue graduate study in the United States.  The present study reports on the successes and challenges associated with one such effort in which a graduate strategic management course was delivered via several on-campus visits and substantial internet support.  Conclusions and suggestions for additional ventures into on-line international education follow.

 

ON-LINE DELIVERY: AN OVERVIEW

 

The delivery of undergraduate and graduate business courses on-line is a recent phenomenon; as such, much of what is “known” is anecdotal and evolving.  This section briefly outlines a practical paradigm for on-line course delivery.

 

There are two basic tools for learning via the web, the first of which is the presentation of material.  In many respects, this approach differs from the traditional approach only its medium; i.e., articles are posted or linked on-line instead of distributed in print journals or as handouts.  However, internet delivery offers the direct and immediate opportunity for learners to access a plethora of perspectives on a given leadership style.  Consider, for example, numerous discussions on the topics of servant leadership or Sun Tzu’s Art of War can be conveniently accessed on-line, allowing the learner to assess the topic from many angles.

 

The second tool for learning is the discussion. Bulletin boards and chat rooms are frequently used as a means of inciting exchange of various predetermined topics or issues for discussion.  For example, learners can discuss what they believe to be the pros and cons of servant leadership based on their analysis of the various on-line sources of related material.  While chat rooms provide for the immediate “real time” exchange among learners, bulletin boards allow learners to enter the discussion at convenient times and tend to result in more refined contributions to the group discussion.

 

There is considerable anecdotal evidence to support the notion that on-line delivery—when well conceived—can be at least as effective as traditional face-to-face delivery.  In addition to the advantages and disadvantages presented by the approach as a learning tool, on-line delivery offers options to a variety of learners who might otherwise not be able to participate.  Indeed, today’s learners demand greater flexibility and convenience, as a result of erratic work schedules, excessive travel, and family responsibilities.  This is especially true in graduate business programs, where traditional institutions such as Colorado State University and the University of Wisconsin compete with non-traditional players such as Thomas Edison State College and the University of Phoenix for a growing MBA market. 

 

Numerous advantages of on-line course delivery have been articulated.  First, on-line delivery is simply more convenient for the learner.  Students are sometimes required or encouraged to be available for real time (i.e., “synchronous”), on-line class discussions or presentations.  In many cases, much or all of the work can be completed at the convenience of the learner (i.e., “asynchronous”), in such case time and geography are only important to the extent that they prevent learners from accessing the web or completing assignments. 

 

Second, on-line instruction increases access to students who would otherwise not be able to pursue educational goals.  For some students (especially those who are geographically isolated) on-line study does not merely improve convenience, but enables them to access courses are study which would not otherwise have been available.

 

Third, on-line instruction enhances the quality of education.  The plethora of academic and educational web sites on virtually any topic enable the learner to explore a wealth of information and sources that are not as easily accessible in the classroom.  The implementation of on-line components to traditional classes is already extensive, primarily because the internet allows for the efficient procurement of data especially relevant to the business world.

 

Finally, on-line delivery has the potential to improve efficiency, as material can be simultaneously accessed by an infinite number of learners.  Indeed, on-line delivery also offers the greatest efficiency when the number of learners is high.  As a result, many professional training programs have been placed on-line (Roberts, 1998).

 

Criticism of on-line instruction generally falls into one of two categories.  First, some educators argue that much is lost when instructors and learners are not face-to-face and able to freely ask questions and discuss issues.  The internet, they charge, allows students to proceed through coursework without a high quality of idea exchange.

 

Second, many traditional educators note that testing via the internet is cumbersome and created numerous opportunities for academic dishonesty.  Since faculty cannot “see” students completing their exams, there is no evidence that “on-line exams” are actually being completed by the students.  As such, many on-line courses have emphasized projects in the evaluation process.

 

DESIGN OF THE COURSE

 

The course considered in the present study was structured to utilize three weekend professorial visits (i.e., Friday evening and Saturday) to campus in one term and four in another (see exhibits one and two).  Weekend visits were typically spaced two or three weeks apart.  In total, approximately fifteen hours was utilized in each term for delivery of strategic management concepts; the remainder of the time was devoted to preparation and ultimate presentation of group case projects.  Students were enrolled in the graduate program at the Ciudad de Mexico campus of Instituto Tecnologico Y De Estudios Superiores De Monterrey (ITESM).  Facilities at the institution, including internet access, were excellent.

 

Students were allowed to form their own groups of three to four students.  Each group selected a company from a list of instructor-approved publicly traded American companies to strategically analyze as its group project.  The case analysis was the major assignment in the course, accounting for 35 percent of the overall grade.  Because of the wealth of information available on the internet and the potential research difficulties for ITESM students, links to an extensive array of on-line sources (e.g., Hoover’s for financial data, Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition (WSJIE), Lexis-Nexis, etc.) were provided so that students could complete all of the case research via the internet.

 

Students were also required to participate in on-line class discussions with graduate students taking a strategic management course at an American institution.  In these discussions, students were free to post views on a variety of topics and current issues related to strategy formulation, implementation, and the international environment.  Specifically, students were encouraged to comment on articles from the WSJIE and other sources, and to participate in discussions begun by others students or the professor.

 

RESULTS

 

The two classes considered in the present study had fifteen and twelve students respectively.  Each student chose to pursue the course under the weekend format in English instead of taking it with a local professor on a one-night-per-week basis.  There is no indication that students in the course differed from those in other sections, except that marginal English speakers would not have chosen to take the course in English.

 

At the end of each course, students completed a brief, anonymous survey containing three questions:

·         If you had the opportunity to take the course again, would you choose the same section? (yes/no/maybe)

·         How would you evaluate the internet component of the course? (strong/moderate/weak)

·         How would you evaluate the weekend structure of the course? (strong/moderate/weak)

In addition, students were allowed to provide specific written comments.

 

None of the students stated that they would not take the same section.  Twenty-three students (85 percent) stated that they would, while the remaining four (15 percent) chose the “maybe” response.

 

The internet component of the course was evaluated as “strong” by 25 of the 27 students (93 percent), while the other two (7 percent) evaluated it as “moderate.”  Twenty of the students (74 percent) evaluated the weekend structure as “strong,” whereas the remaining seven (26 percent) evaluated it as “moderate.”  Written comments by those in the latter group suggested that some would have selected different combinations of dates for the visits to campus.

 

Student participation on the bulletin board was commendable, in many cases providing a rich, international perspective to the topics and issues presented by their American counterparts.  One of the unintended and positive outcomes of the experience was that the Mexican graduate students were able to learn from those at the American institution—which included Americans as well as students from several other countries—and vice versa.  These two groups would never have connected outside of the bulletin board experience. 

 

Project quality was excellent in most cases.  Students were able to secure from the internet more than enough objective and subjective information to complete their projects.  From a research perspective, the quality of the internet research was vastly superior to traditional forms of case research, and would be appropriate to traditional classes as well.

 

FUTURE RESEARCH AND PRACTICE

 

Internet delivery in the international arena appears to be growing exponentially, but remains in its nascent stage of development.  The use of the internet to address the tremendous international market opportunity is both logical and promising for universities and faculty equipped to do so.  Several fundamental questions must be addressed, however.

 

First, does the host institution and faculty member possess the technical expertise—including appropriate support—to utilize the internet for delivery of instruction?  Faculty members must understand the basics of web page creation and/or possess the university support necessary to post materials, change them as needed, and address any technical support issues raised by the learners.  Delivery of courses via the web also necessitates that faculty members “buy in” to a nontraditional model of education, whereby the faculty member becomes the facilitator instead of the teacher. 

 

Second, to what extent, if any, should the internet delivery be accompanied by face-to-face interaction?  Is it desirable to require that learners travel to the host campus or the professor travel to the students?  Face-to-face interaction provides a personal touch not easily secured in an on-line environment.  Practitioners developing programs should consider that at least some personal contact may be warranted.

 

Third, should internet based discussions be synchronous or asynchronous?  In other words, should students be required to “meet” on the internet at certain times so that class may convene electronically, or should the course be structured so that students can work when they choose?  Under the former case, the internet can be used to simulate the classroom environment, and students can exchange ideas or “chat” in real time.  Under the latter case, exchange of ideas is limited to e-mails and the bulletin board.  Evidence from the present study suggests that the bulletin board is an effective as real time chat, and on-line meetings may not be necessary.

 

Fourth, how should students be evaluated?  If there are no face-to-face meetings, verifiable “closed book” examinations may not be possible.  Many internet classes have adopted a “portfolio” approach, where learners submit projects instead of exams.  Others require that each student complete a proctored final exam.

 

Finally, how can outcomes in the internet-based environment be compared to those in the traditional classroom environment?  Critics and accrediting agencies will desire evidence the former approach is essentially equivalent to the latter.  Proponents may charge that quality in the internet-based environment is superior.  At any rate, educators need to be prepared to assess the outcomes and address quality comparisons.

 

 

REFERENCES

 

Briones, M.G. (1999) E-commerce master’s programs set to explode. Marketing News, March 29, p. 19.

 

Clauson, J. (1999). On-line quality courses offer many side benefits. Quality Progress, 32(1), 83-89.

 

Roberts, B. (1998). Training via the desktop. HRMagazine, 43(9), 98-104.

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 1: Daily Schedule & Course Requirements

 

Weekend 1 Friday (17:00-22:00 hours) Introduction to Course; Text Chapter 1; Case and Group Selection

Weekend 1 Saturday (8:30-14:00 hours) Text Chapters 2-5;  Case Selection; Case Research

 

Weekend 2 Friday (17:00-22:00 hours) Exam #1 (Text Chapters 1-5; Macroenvironment & Industry Analysis)

Weekend 2 Saturday (8:30-14:00 hours) Text Chapters 6-10; Case Research

 

Weekend 3 Friday (17:00-22:00 hours) Exam #2 (Text Chapters 6-10; Strategies, Implementation, & Control)

Weekend 3 Saturday (8:30-14:00 hours) Group Issues Presentations:

 

       8:30 Strategy & Ethics

       9:40 Strategy in Emerging Economies

     10:50 Strategy in High Performing Organizations

     12:00 Issues in Strategic Management

 

Weekend 4 Friday (17:00-22:00 hours) Group Case Presentations

Weekend 4 Saturday (8:30-14:00 hours) Group Case Presentations

 

 

 


Exhibit 2: Select Information from On-line Syllabus

(underlined text represent links on the web page)

 

ITESM: Strategic Management Course Syllabus

 

Basic Course Information

 

Professor: John A. Parnell, Ph.D.

Office: Texas A&M University-Commerce Department of Marketing & Management

Telephone: (903) 886-5695

Fax: (903) 886-5702

E-Mail: john_parnell@tamu-commerce.edu

 

Textbook: Strategic Management: Concepts, 4th edition, Wright/Kroll/Parnell, Prentice Hall;

The Wall Street Journal is also required for the research portion of the course.  You may sign up for two weeks free from the Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition.  You are welcome to share a subscription and/or access to the on-line edition.

 

Communication with the Professor

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by e-mail at john_parnell@tamu-commerce.edu. If you have AOL Instant Messenger software (download it free) and would like a real-time on-line connection, my username is jpumemphis.  If you choose this option, it will usually appear as if I am on-line, even if I am not.  My office computer remains loaded with AOL instant messenger 24 hours a day.  I am often available during regular business hours and will reply within a minute or so if I am in my office and see your message.  You may also telephone or fax with the above numbers.

 

Course Objectives

 

After successfully completing this course, the student will: 

·         understand the nature of competition and industries

·         understand the influence that external forces--social, political/legal, economic, and technological--play in business success and failure

·         understand the relationships among the functional areas of business administration, including marketing, human resources, production, finance, economics, and accounting

·         understand the craft of strategy research, including extensive use of the internet as a research tool

·         be able to systematically apply the strategic management model to the analysis of an ongoing enterprise, including

·         industry, environmental, and firm assessments; firm, business, and functional strategic assessments; development and evaluation of strategic alternatives; and strategic implementation and control.

 

 

Grading System

 

·         Exam #1: 20%

·         Exam #2: 20%

·         Group Issues Presentation: 15%

·         Group Case Analysis (Written Report & Presentation): 35%

·         Participation/Group Leadership/Bulletin Board/Professor's Discretion: 10%