Moderator: Welcome to Viewpoint with our guest, Dr. Charles Jacobina. Dr. Jacobina, thank you for joining us today. Please get us started by talking about some of the challenges inherent in running a successful e-business.

Dr. Charles Jacobina: Thank you for inviting me to this virtual discussion on e-business. I look forward to addressing many of your questions and providing you with information that will benefit your future e-business career.

Some of the challenges in this down-turned economy are addressing customers' needs and anticipating future markets and at the same time, trying to grow a business in these uncertain times. However, many of the new e-businesses will prosper in the B-to-B sector as more and more traditional companies embrace e-business. This will open up new career opportunities for individuals looking to move into this new economy area as well as those individuals who have recently been laid off.

Moderator: How does the program you direct aid managers in addressing these challenges?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: The Masters Certificate in e-Business provides a basic foundation in business principles focusing on e-strategy, e-marketing, advanced e-business trends, new venture initiations and an applied learning project.

Reston, Va.: Can you tell me more about the e-Business program please?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: The e-Business program is a 12-month Masters certificate that includes four courses, 12 credit hours, at the graduate level. Students meet one weekday evening over the course of one calendar year. Courses are taught by experienced GW faculty and practitioners representing companies such as AOL, Accenture, Web Methods, Booz Allen, KPMG and Equient.

Annapolis, Md.: When do you feel that traditional brick and mortar businesses will begin to realize profits from their e-commerce initiatives, and how?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: What we are seeing in the traditional brick and mortar businesses are companies like Ford and GE that are using the Web to streamline supply chain management, which will reduce cost and increase productivity. I believe these companies will be at the forefront of using the Internet to remain more competitive in a global marketplace.

Silver Spring, Md.: Do you have some tips to assist me in deciding if a career in e-business is the right path for me to take? Questions I should be asking myself and investigating I should be doing?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: Of course the first recommendation I would give you is to apply to our e-Business program.

Seriously, I think if you are looking to enter a career in e-business, look for a program that gives you the opportunity to be in a class with individuals who work in the area of e-business and a program that has a relationship with e-businesses. Practitioners who are part of an e-business program bring valuable insight into careers, and they will provide you access to possible future employment.

Look for a program that also steps outside the classroom and provides you an opportunity to attend short, half-day seminars on e-business. These seminars will give you the opportunity to meet upcoming professionals, and they are always a good networking opportunity.

Arlington, Va.: What are your admissions requirements? I have an undergraduate degree in marketing with a 3.2 GPA. Thank you.

Dr. Charles Jacobina: Admission to the e-Business program is based on work experience (minimum of three to five years), 3.0 GPA. We do not require GMATs, but we do require an interview with the director since we place a lot a emphasis on your previous work experience.

Upper Northwest, D.C.: The introduction mentions excellent vs. mediocre programs. What distinguishes one from another?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: An excellent program is one that has a relationship with local e-businesses and utilizes those executives as part of the program and will provide students applied learning opportunities outside of the classroom. Plus, the AACSB, which is the accrediting body for business schools, has on its Web site certain requirements for an excellent e-business program.

I recommend that you review the AACSB Web site as well as all the different programs that are listed.

Arlington, Va.: I clicked on the e-business programs link and read that this is a certificate program that is completed in one year. I have two questions: What is the difference between a certificate and a degree program and could you give me a sense of the pace (hours, etc.) of the program during the year?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: The difference between a degree and a certificate is the number of courses. In an MBA program, it would be 48 credit hours versus the e-Business Certificate, which is 12 credit hours.

Some of the courses that you take in the Certificate Program may transfer into an MBA program.

The Certificate Program courses are all graduate MBA level. The number of hours that a student would normally spend in class would be anywhere from two to four hours a week, and outside of class an additional four to six hours on average.

Arlington, Va.: I work for an Internet company and run my own site on the side. I'd like to pursue turning my site into a business and full-time job but am afraid I don't have all the skills necessary to run it successfully such as accounting, marketing etc. I can't afford to hire anyone at the moment. Would it be worthwhile to enroll in a university or just take a few classes? What do you recommend?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: Without actually speaking to you in person, it is difficult for me to advise you on your level of knowledge as it relates to e-business. However, I would recommend taking a basic e-marketing course which is generally an introductory course to e-commerce and attend at least two or three one-day seminars on start-ups and basic accounting principles. In the e-Business program, we offer students, in addition to the actual courses, one-day or half-day seminars.

Washington, D.C.: Is your entire curriculum offered online? Can I complete the program online if I choose?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: The program uses a mediated platform to interface with the student while they are not in the traditional classroom. Currently, we do not offer the e-Business Certificate online, but we are entertaining the thought of offering at least one course online. At this time, you cannot complete the entire Certificate online. However, you could start by taking at least one course online.

Fairfax, Va.: What types of jobs do your students usually get with this certficate?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: Many of the jobs that students are qualified for are in e-business companies. We even had one student who completed an internship at a local company called M Portal, which has now turned into a full-time position. Many students also hear of openings from other students who are currently enrolled in the program. Plus, the business school has a full-time Career Center, and has expanded career offerings to students in the area of e-business.

Washington, D.C.: Obviously, you must be a firm believer in the concept and reality of e-commerce. What makes you so? Also, with Web companies going under, why do you feel this profession is viable now and will be in the future?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: Yes, I am a firm believer in the evolution of e-business and the concept itself is one that will continue to evolve and become an integral part of how business evolves.

Students who pursue careers in e-business will be asked to develop new skills that expand on traditional business education. These skills will focus on e-strategy, marketing, CRM and supply chain management. I see these areas only becoming more of an important competitive advantage, and therefore, companies will be searching out people who have these skills.

Dulles, Va.: One of my biggest challenges is keeping up with current e-business technologies. Does this program address new technology developments?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: The e-Business program focuses more on business strategy as opposed to technologies. However, we do concentrate on new technologies that impact business strategies. Many of our adjunct faculty conduct live demonstations of e-business software, but the main focus of our program is on how companies can utilize these new concepts to remain competitive.

Fairfax, Va.: Can this program be for career-changers?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: Yes. Our program has had individuals representing non-e-business areas such as radio, and this individual went on to re-invent himself so he can become more competitive as the radio industry changes.

The Certificate program provides you the opportunity to meet decision-makers who work for e-business companies and are always looking for new blood.

Tysons Corner, Va.: I'm sure you hear a lot of anecdotes about Internet companies with rigid, unimaginative, management. I work for one of those companies. Our e-business efforts should be re-evaluated, but making that happen is difficult. Any advice on dealing with this type of culture?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: I am surprised that you work for a company that is in this sector that is unimaginative and rigid. I am not an expert in management culture, however, we have one of the premier industrial psychologists in the nation on our faculty, Dr. Jerry Harvey, and I would recommend that you read his book titled, "The Abilene Paradox and Other Meditations on Management."

He also has a new book out titled, "How Come Every Time I Get Stabbed in the Back, My Fingerprints Are on the Knife?"

These two books are not your typical academic management books, and I recommend them highly. I believe you will enjoy them thoroughly.

Potomac, Md.: I have a B-to-B dot com that has acheived some margin of success over the past six-plus years with a great domain name and good brand recognition. We never went after outside funding, but now find we need investors. Is there still venture capital out there? Any recommendations of where to go?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: Yes. I can recommend a colleague of mine who has a site called venturecapitalist.com. His name is Harvey Jacobs, and he is in the business of matching up companies and VCs. VCs, as you are aware, are more cautious in funding start-ups, but B-to-B has more credibility, and therefore, they may be more open to providing funding.

Falls Church, Va.: Is this an accredited program?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: Yes, we are accredited by AACSB, which is the accrediting body for business programs.

Annapolis, Md.: A lot of companies spun off their e-commerce sites into separate IPOs. What are your thoughts on this topic, and can you comment on the success or failure of this strategy?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: I read the Wall Street Journal just as I'm sure you do, and those companies that went IPO have all suffered the same fate. With the NASDAQ off by over 50 percent, many of those companies are now penny stocks or, in some cases, have been de-listed from the exchange. Only time will tell if these companies will rebound and if investors will regain confidence.

Leesburg, Va: What should a student look for in an e-business program?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: A person should look for an accredited program that has full-time faculty as well as experienced practitioners teaching in the program.

The program should also provide students opportunities outside the classroom to interact with e-business executives and apply their learning.

Sterling, Va.: Is this certificate program only offered at your D.C. campus or do you also offer this at your Ashburn campus?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: We only offer the Certificate at the Ashburn campus at this time. However, we are planning on offering at least one course through two-way video that will be offered at our downtown campus as well as at Ashburn.

Alexandria, Va.: Hi Dr. Jacobina,
My question concerns job placement: Do your graduates receive help with this?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: Yes, we have a full-service Career Center that is constantly developing contacts with e-businesses in the Northern Virginia high tech epicenter. We also provide students individual couseling and job opportunities as they come into the program.

Reston Va: What do you view as "the next best area" that may take the place of the floundering dot coms?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: One area that I think will definitely be one the radar screen is wireless communications and the convergence of entertainment and the Internet. The market leader in this area is AOL-Time Warner, and as the broadband increases, we will see more opportunities to market products and services to the consumer.

Sterling, Va.: Does this program use e-business executives as part of the faculty?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: Yes, the program uses extensively e-business executives in one of our courses called "E-Business Trends 2001." This course is a series of modules that focus on CRM, privacy, e-branding and integrated marketing communications. The entire course was taught by senior level individuals from AOL, e-Brains, Booz Allen, Launch Fuel, PWC and Accenture.

We think it's important to include individuals who have practical experience to complement our faculty. This is a major strength of the e-Business program.

Bethesda, Md.: Hello. Do you know if any colleges in Maryland offer a similiar certificate? Also, how much does this cost? Thank you.

Dr. Charles Jacobina: I don't know if the University of Maryland or any other school in Maryland offers a Graduate Certificate for credit. However, many schools offer not-for-credit certificates, and as they say, "You get what you pay for." The cost of our program for the 12 credits plus the five half-day seminars is approximately $9,000.

Washington, D.C.: Do you think it's a good time to start a Web business? I'm inclined to think that if the idea is good and it's run well that the business could succeed among the many dot com failures.

Dr. Charles Jacobina: If you have to ask if it's a good time to start a business, don't. All businesses including Web-based businesses go through a cycle and if the business is undercapitalized and has not identified a real need, then it will experience the same problems that any business has.

I've noticed other businesses have become successful as the dot coms have folded, such as businesses for used computers, furniture, are becoming more profitable as more of these businesses fold.

So, as you can see, there's always an opportunity if you look hard enough.

Dulles, Va.: Should e-business programs have e-partnerships?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: Yes, any credible e-business program should have an established partnership with local e-businesses. Many of the accredited e-business programs are developing these partnerships with companies like Accenture to better foster an understanding of e-business strategies.

For example, our program is in the process of setting up a partnership with a number of local companies. In fact, AOL is in a partnership with GW to further understand the wireless environment by utilizing a wireless home of the future based at our Ashburn campus.

Alexandria, Va.: I run the Web business for a large publishing company and am considering cross-training the print sales reps and online reps to sell both. Do you think it's a good idea?

Dr. Charles Jacobina: Yes, I do think it's a good idea to have all of your people cross-trained in both the traditional sales channels and what is called a hybrid selling channel. Customers are now looking to communicate with companies in a virtual setting as well as in a real time setting. Therefore, to meet their needs, it is important for the salesforce to understand this new way of communicating.

I recommend that you check out a new book that will be coming out in September titled, "Beyond E, Sales and Marketing Techniques." The author is Steve Diorio, and his book is currently listed on Amazon.

Dr. Charles Jacobina: As you continue to think about your career and your future in e-business, make sure you consider the quality of the program, the relationship the program has with e-businesses and the placement services that are supplied by the university.

If you would like to speak to me personally about our program, please call me at 703-726-8271.

I wish to thank washingtonpost.com and Kristy Berry, my wonderful assistant, for providing this opportunity to speak to Washington, D.C. area professionals.

Moderator: Our thanks to Dr. Charles Jacobina, The George Washington University and all who participated.