Nirmal Pal, Executive Director of the eBusiness Research Center at Penn State.
Dr. Graham B. Spanier, president of Penn State, delivers his keynote address, "Rapid Response in an eWorld."
Representatives from IBM, Unisys, Xerox, AT&T Wireless, Delphi Ventures and SAP presented a check of $1.855 million for the University's eBusiness Research Center to Dr. Spanier and Business Administration College Dean Judy Olian and Information Sciences and Technology Dean James Thomas.
Faculty and staff from the College of Business Administration, the School of Information Sciences and Technology and guests from industry listen to Dr. Spanier’s address.
BUSINESS SPONSORS GAIN INSIGHTS FROM eBUSINESS RESEARCH
-- NOTE: For Dr. Spanier’s keynote address today, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/oped/spanier6.html
Penn State marked its role in shaping the new economy and e-commerce with an "e Business Dedication Day" today, Wednesday, Dec. 13, during which representatives from IBM, Unisys, Xerox, AT&T Wireless, Delphi Ventures and SAP presented a check of $1.855 million for the University's eBusiness Research Center.
"Businesses around the globe are exploring the opportunities and challenges of transforming themselves through the emerging technologies of the Internet. Firms around the globe can now gain access to leading-edge thinking and research on e-business at Penn State," says Nirmal Pal, Executive Director of the eBusiness Research Center at Penn State.
The eBRC-a joint effort of the School of Information Sciences and Technology and the Smeal College of Business Administration--promotes research by academics and practitioners on various aspects of e-business, with emphasis on governance and execution issues. The primary mission of eBRC is to foster, expand, and disseminate theoretical, empirical and applied research in e-business and to bring research insights to our supporting members and help them with e-business practice.
As corporate sponsors, IBM, Unisys, Xerox, AT&T Wireless, Delphi Ventures and SAP have access to the first fruits of the Center's research and development.
"They will gain special insight, participate in educational activities, and build a powerful network with other leading edge firms," says Pal. The eBRC will actively support research with funding, data access, and networks to leading scholars in e-business worldwide. The eBRC offers modular programs of instruction in e-business and can deliver programs targeted to senior executives or professional focused on e-business, as well as to broader, management audiences. The eBRC hosts various working consortia on e-business topics for a network or business and academic partners.
"Our goal is to be an expert resource and information clearinghouse for e-business decision-makers in industry, academia, government and the Penn State community," says Pal.
Building on the experience of a core of faculty directly tied to the eBRC, the center is expanding its knowledge network to build a team of affiliated faculty and researchers from leading companies and universities worldwide. Its faculty are researching areas such as the legal aspects of e-business, supply chain and operations, business-to-business markets and strategy, marketing and negotiations, technology of e-business, and information technology.
The eBusiness Research Center recently celebrated an important milestone in its efforts to build a community of practice in e-business research at Penn State when it hosted the "e-Scholars Retreat." The university-wide event was the first of its kind at the campus. The e-Scholars Retreat helped identify other areas for collaboration, such as funding sources and research sites. Its goal was to formalize research affiliations between Penn State faculty and the eBRC, and to identify areas for collaborative research in the e-business space.
"We are striving to develop the first University-wide research portal, which would allow flexible, custom, searchable access to all e-initiatives," says Pal. "In the future, the research portal will link competencies and capacities of Penn State e-Scholars in addressing e-business issues, training needs, possible collaborations and support request from Pennsylvania businesses."
The eBusiness Research Center is a joint effort of the School of Information Sciences and Technology and the Smeal College of Business Administration. The School of Information Sciences and Technology opened its doors in 1999. Developed from the ground up, the school's educational programs are designed to develop leadership for the digital, global economy. IST's outreach programs provide a critical source of research, knowledge, and workforce development for business, education, and government.
The Smeal College of Business Administration has a special focus on the impact of information technology and the emergence of e-business on strategy, logistics, operations, and the exchange process. Working with a network of firms exploring e-business, the Smeal College has an active research and educational agenda in e-business.