Rapid developments in education technology have provided educators and students new options in a constantly changing, competitive teaching and learning environment. As the number of online teaching resources continue to increase, research into student attitudes toward traditional and online methods of delivery is important in order to determine whether the increased usage of technology in the curriculum has been beneficial to their learning. This paper investigates the student perceptions of these two methods of delivery in a first-year introductory accounting unit in a number of key areas. These include their perceptions of learning effectiveness, motivation and impact on assessment outcomes. The importance of social interaction and their preference for online learning is also covered. This preliminary analysis of student attitudes will determine whether there are statistically significant differences between face-to-face and online learning options and preference for online learning technology between gender groups. In addition, this paper investigates whether there are statistically significant relationships between face-to-face or online learning options and preference for online learning technology in gender groups.

There is a dearth of research into teaching strategies and learning approaches for units involving sensitive topics that can provoke an emotional response in students. In a business ethics unit, attempts to strike a balance between conceptual knowledge and theory and skills training can be challenging because the unit can involve personal, sensitive or controversial topics. When engaging in deep and meaningful face-to-face discussion, students may unknowingly divulge personal opinions that they later regret or become identified with by other students over time. Value-laden topics may also lead to clashes between students if face-to-face discussions are not managed properly. This paper considers the use of technology in blended learning to provide an optimal learning environment for student discussion on sensitive topics via role-play and simulation in a first-year business ethics unit. The Audience Response System (ARS), online discussion boards and blogs, and wikis are assessed for their suitability in supporting online role-play and simulation. Among these online tools, asynchronous online discussion boards and blogs are the ideal tools for supporting student discussion on sensitive topics in online role-play and simulation.

This paper looks at the adoption of information technology in the Chinese stock exchanges and for online securities trading in China. Because these stock exchanges do not have any major preexisting technology to consider when they automate their operations, they are able to adopt advanced technology. However, the potential and advantages offer by this technology cannot be fully harvested without fundamental structures and proper corporate governance mechanisms in place.

This paper describes a research case study of Internet apparel marketing by small businesses in Malaysia which can beneficially be included in postgraduate business courses for understanding the importance of measuring customer satisfaction at point-of-purchase and post-purchase in online purchases. The sample size in this research is 154 respondents in Malaysia who purchased apparel online and provided their satisfaction level at point-of-purchase and post-purchase stages. Seven-point Likert scale was used to measure the attitude of these respondents in regard to their customer satisfaction. Of the 154 respondents, 64 answered the surveys in Bahasa Melayu (the national language in Malaysia) while the remaining 90 answered in the English language. The case study shows that there are significant differences in all customer satisfaction items between point-of-purchase and post-purchase stages. The results are also different in these items when respondents were differentiated based on the language they used in answering the surveys. Hence, it is important to show students the need to take account of online post-purchase satisfaction as part of the cumulative experience of the online purchaser. Focusing primarily on point-ofpurchase satisfaction could mislead an online retailer particularly if dissatisfaction arose in the aftermath of the purchase experience. In addition, examining customer satisfaction in terms of groups (such as language in this case study) could provide further insight into the significant differences between point-of-purchase and post-purchase in online purchase.

The music scene in cyberspace is an example of how a legal framework has been developed to curb online copyright infringement. The emergence, in the mid-1990's, of online music websites and software programs such as MP3 technology to compress and download music, have delivered considerable copyright threat to the music industry. This threat has been further exacerbated by the remarkable development of technological innovations, such as high-speed broadband Internet connection and affordable CD burners, which are capable of delivering fast download and reasonably good audio and visual quality. This emerging information technology has made reproducing and sharing the work of others extremely easy, and has caused great concern for the music industry. This paper traces the evolution of the digital music scene in cyberspace and describes the attempts of the US and Australian music trade groups in putting an end to music piracy in cyberspace.