ACTIVITY 4

Strengthening Global Learning through Marketing Technology

Globalization and Internet technology have had a major influence on marketing.  There is now a need to develop marketing strategies that look at a global environment of more informed customers, more flexible competitors, and additional ways of reaching consumers.  In addition the rapid growth of the Internet as a medium for communications, as a channel of distribution, and as a way of reaching individual customers efficiently and effectively, has not only affected marketing manager decision-making but has created the need for new directions in marketing.  New methodologies for teaching marketing are being developed which focus on the interactivity of marketing and technology.

At Huston-Tillotson University, students are still taught the concepts of marketing utilizing the old traditional methodology - mainly lecture based.  There is a need for our students to understand the interactivity of marketing and technology in the global environment.  They need to understand how the Internet and email can be used to gather marketing intelligence from around the world and how to transmit information worldwide.

Utilizing Title III funds, Huston-Tillotson proposes to address this need by developing a program that focuses on teaching the latest marketing technology and to adapt marketing strategy to a global environment.  The creation of a Center for Marketing Technology will give our students the opportunity to become knowledgeable and skilled in integrating the concepts of marketing and technology.  The Center's staff will be responsible for coordinating all initiatives in this area, including the offering of mini-classes and workshops on internet marketing for students and faculty.  The staff will also be responsible for making certain that the Center has a state-of-the-art information infrastructure.  There will also be other duties such as developing external relationships with organizations having similar interests for collaboration on research projects.

Activity Director:  Dr. Steven Edmond