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In studying online learning, researchers should examine three critical interactions: instructor-student, student-student, and student-content. Student-content interaction may include a wide variety of pedagogical tools (e.g., streaming media, PowerPoint, and hyperlinking). Other factors that can affect the perceived quality of online learning include distance education advantages (e.g., work and family flexibility) and antecedent personal characteristics (e.g., experience and gender). The study indicated that instructor-student interaction is most important, twice that of student-student interaction; that some student-content interaction is significantly related to perceived learning; that antecedent variables are not significant; and that distance education advantages/flexibility, although significant, are less important than other interactions.

The trend toward delivering management education via the Internet has accelerated in recent years. However, research on what constitutes effective Internet-based courses is somewhat limited. This study examined the impact of technological and pedagogical characteristics of the virtual classroom on student satisfaction with Internet-based MBA courses. The perceived usefulness of the course software, perceived flexibility provided by taking the course via the Internet, and instructor efforts to create an interactive environment were the characteristics most strongly associated with student satisfaction. Finally, the article identifies several challenges and opportunities from these findings for management education researchers, educators, and business schools.

This article compares courses in two web-based MBA programs on student perceptions of learning and satisfaction. The primary difference between the programs is that one conducts the courses entirely on-line while the other conducts the courses primarily on-line combined with one or two on-site class meetings. The results of the study showed that larger class sizes were negatively associated with learning and course satisfaction while the perceived flexibility of the delivery medium was significantly associated with perceived learning and satisfaction. The results also indicate that more experienced on-line students were more satisfied with their course delivery medium. These findings have significant implications for the role of web-based programs in a business school's strategy. They suggest that that rather than using these courses as a means to drive down the cost of delivering education, business schools may need to identify reasons for which they can charge premiums for them.

Internet-based instruction is gaining acceptance as an alternative to the traditional classroom setting. However, since it is a relatively new means of communicating knowledge, research on its effectiveness is still in its infancy. This means that questions that have been thoroughly studied for traditional classrooms may need to be revisited for internet-based courses. One question is: Do men and women have differing levels of learning and participation in an internet-based course? In an initial attempt to answer this question, this study reports on the results of comparing men and women in an asynchronous MBA course. There were no significant differences in learning, and moderately significant differences in class participation. Men reported more difficulty interacting in the course, and interaction difficulty was a significant predictor of class participation. The article concludes by using the findings to provide implications and recommendations for institutions seeking to develop internet-based courses and programs.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine factors that predict industry-level career change among MBA graduates. Design/methodology/approach: The study analyzed longitudinal data from the Management Education Research Institute (MERI)'s Global MBA Graduate Survey Dataset and MBA Alumni Perspectives Survey Datasets, using principal component analyses and a three-stage structural equations model. Findings: Perceptions about career growth and opportunity for advancement were the strongest predictors of industry shifts. The type of program was also found to have an influence, with part-time MBA programs positively predicting industry shift, and full-time programs having an indirect effect through significant associations with each of the intermediate predictors of industry shifts. Women were found to be more likely to change industries. Satisfaction with the MBA degree was not a predictor of industry change behavior: they were found to be related only to the extent that graduates valued the importance of certain career factors, such as the objective career factor of career growth. Originality/value: This is a first large scale study of industry-level career change among MBA graduates. (Contains 5 tables.)

As more business schools develop courses and programs for delivery via the Internet, assessing the quality of student learning and reactions to the medium will become increasingly important and necessary. This exploratory study reports the results of comparing a classroom-based and an Internet-basedMBAclass section at a Midwestern U.S. university. The results showed significantly higher discussion participation patterns for the Internet-based course (both by class section and by gender) and no significant differences in learning in either class section. This article concludes by discussing possible reasons for these findings and suggests implications for Internet-based education.

While Garrison and colleagues’ (2000) Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework has generated substantial interest among online learning researchers, it has yet to be subjected to extensive quantitative verification or tested for external validity. Using a sample of students from 55 online MBA courses, the findings of this study suggest strong empirical support for the framework and its ability to predict both perceived learning and delivery medium satisfaction in online management education. The paper concludes with a discussion of potential implications for online management education researchers and those interested in further study of the CoI framework.

This paper reviews studies of online and blended learning in management-oriented disciplines and management-related topics. The review shows that over the last decade, this emerging field has seen dramatic conceptual, methodological, and analytical advances. However, these advances have progressed within the particular disciplines at uneven rates. Studies examining courses in Organizational Behavior and Strategic Management have seen the most progress, with courses in Human Resources, Operations Management, and International Management receiving lesser attention. To date, studies of courses in Entrepreneurship are next to non-existent. Our review suggests that although several multi-course studies have been published, there is ample opportunity for research within the respective management disciplines. We also suggest topics and methodological issues requiring further study, including stronger delineations between online and blended management education; further examination of participant characteristics, particularly for instructors; and the influence of institutions located outside North America.

Amidst the increasing interest in entrepreneurial firm internationalization research, the question of why many firms do not internationalize is relatively unaddressed. Our multicountry study examines whether non-internationalization is influenced more by domestic success or perceived entry barriers. The results of the study suggest that entry barriers are a significant predictor of non-internationalization, and that this is particularly the case for firms headquartered in North America and publicly-held firms. We conclude the article with suggestions for how entrepreneurial firms and policy makers might work collaboratively with firms and other countries to facilitate increased internationalization for firms in their constituencies.

Networked management learning is a particular type of technology-mediated learning (TML) environment where managers use information and communication technologies (ICT) to connect to other students, instructors or mentors as well as information resources. Hodgson and Watland (2004) argue that despite the rising importance of networked management learning, this topic has not received sufficient attention in the management education research literature. Their proposal for the exclusive reliance on these methods to study this phenomenon is rather extreme. It is certainly time to move away from single course and comparative studies to more rigorous research designs and theory-driven research questions. However, research in networked management learning is an emerging research stream that holds great promise for the future. Given the relative newness of this stream of research, it seems premature to determine that there should be one methodological approach to studying networked learning.