Research Projects

Interdisciplinary efforts, which draw on the diverse talents of faculty and graduate students, will be applied to research in important and innovative areas relating to eBusiness.  MeRC research groups have developed expertise in areas such as:

• Identity Theft: Aided by the increase in digitization and online use of information, identity theft is rapidly becoming a major worldwide problem for businesses, governments and citizens.  ORNEC together with leading corporate partners have established a large-scale and comprehensive research agenda to tackle the identity theft phenomenon. >> ID Theft Project
• Mobile commerce:  Organizations must understand appropriate applications of mobile commerce, which can provide flexible, convenient and ubiquitous access to business applications, services and processes.
• Supply Chain Management: Organizations must understand the appropriateness and effective management of supply chain integration strategies, to help eliminate excess inventory, reduce lead times, increase sales, and improve customer service.
• Online Trust: Trust is an essential component of any business transaction, and is particularly critical and challenging in the online environment, which is characterized by more impersonal, anonymous and automated business transactions.  Organizations must understand the different types and engenders of trust in order to thrive in this environment. >> Sample research project.
• Portals: Employees and partners can enjoy easier access, sharing and usage of corporate information through customized Web portals.  To realize the potential competitive advantage of portals, organizations must understand the challenges faced by management in developing and promoting portals and in formulating strategies which ameliorate their use for knowledge work. >> Sample research project.
• Interface Design: In the eyes of the user, the interface is the system.  Therefore, the interface plays an important role in the success of any system.  In particular, organizations should pay close attention to interface issues that impact trust, as it is emerging as a potentially potent strategic element for conducting business online. >> Sample research project.
• eHealth:  The digitization and networking of information and systems in the healthcare industry has had a tremendous impact on all players.  Understanding these impacts and appropriate applications of emerging technologies including wireless technologies is critical to the effective management of numerous healthcare market segments. >> Sample research project.
• Online Negotiation: As eBusiness matures, organizations will find it increasingly necessary to handle complex, mutually determined contracts electronically, or conduct dispute resolution electronically.
• eLearning: Organizations that wish to keep their employees abreast of continuously changing technology, marketplaces and competitive forces must understand how to effectively apply technology in support of effective learning and training. >> Sample research project.
• Knowledge Management:  To share knowledge efficiently and meet the objectives of their partners, network organizations must understand the people, processes and systems involved, and how certain approaches work better in some situations than others.
• Change Management: Organizations considering transition to the networked economy must determine environmental drivers for change, how best to manage change, and the resulting benefits and/or detriments.