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Strategic resource-based view of the competitive aspects of e-learning systems

2007; Inderscience Publishers; Volume: 1; Issue: 1/2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1504/ijmie.2007.014385

1750-3868

Alan D. Smith,

Innovation and Knowledge Management

Online education is a shift in the world of education, made possible by advances in technology. Technologies such as the accessibility of PCs and the internet have made distance learning possible, practical, and profitable. Due to the general growth in knowledge-based workers, the demands for higher education and advanced degrees have skyrocketed. In addition to the skyrocketing demand, the price of tuition has been far outpacing inflation. One of the key players in the advancement of online, for-profit education is the Apollo Group, Inc. and its subsidiary the University of Phoenix Online. The University of Phoenix is the most recognised and aggressive player of any of the online schools. Through the viewpoint of the Resource-based View of the Firm, online and traditional delivery systems were strategically compared and contrasted with specific recommendations for practitioners for engaging in such e-learning initiatives.