Integration, intermediation and tourism higher education: conceptual understanding in the curriculum

Undergraduates face many challenges in their future working environment, not least are the ramifications of technological development. Within the study of e-commerce, this paper reviews the concepts of integration, disintermediation and reintermediation in the outbound marketplace, providing an overview which undergraduates might themselves compile. Their learning from the relevant first-year module is then assessed, including background features such as prior academic study of tourism and possession of employment experience. What emerges is that not all students comprehend these terms and that examples are of paramount value in aiding learning. These are the industry’s future managers and, therefore, understanding key conceptual material is of critical importance.