Corporate developments and strategic alliances in e‐learning

The combination of the demand for access to continuous, flexible education and training, and the arrival of the increased bandwidth of more powerful information and communication technologies is stimulating extensive corporate developments in the e‐learning industry. Strategic alliances of leading universities, e‐learning and technology companies are forming to provide online delivery of sophisticated, media rich, interactive education and training on a global basis. Hundreds of e‐learning companies are competing in this new marketspace with content, technology and services. Major companies are establishing their own corporate universities. The question is whether the potential for interactive online knowledge communities is achieved, or if this new technology is primarily employed in relatively routine skills training.