The Mean Business of Second Life: Teaching Entrepreneurship, Technology and e-Commerce in Immersive Environments

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2008-09-01
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Hassall, Lesya
Senior Manager Instructional Design
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Supply Chain Management
Supply chain management is an integrated program of study concerned with the efficient flow of materials, products, and information within and among organizations. It involves the integration of business processes across organizations, from material sources and suppliers through manufacturing, and processing to the final customer. The program provides you with the core knowledge related to a wide variety of supply chain activities, including demand planning, purchasing, transportation management, warehouse management, inventory control, material handling, product and service support, information technology, and strategic supply chain management.
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Supply Chain Management
Abstract

Second Life is a three-dimensional multi-user virtual environment with a vibrant economy, where avatars (virtual representations of users) can engage in innovative and unique business and collaborative activities. The immersive nature of this application creates ample authentic opportunities for teaching entrepreneurship, technology and ecommerce.

This article describes a Masters of Business Administration elective course, in which Second Life was utilized to teach strategic and managerial issues related to ecommerce. The collected data indicate that the students in this course experienced a steep learning curve with regards to the complicated interface of Second Life, its complex social canvas and non-traditional framing of teaching and learning. The article discusses an array of pedagogical issues to be considered in the design and development of an immersive course.

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Published in MERLOT Journal of Online Teaching and Learning, 4, no. 3 (September 2008): 339–348.

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