Comparing apples and oranges. Be aware that several tools that are marketed toward

50 Learning Management System strategic business processes and be able to change with them. Hard-coded, one-off customizations require extensive programming from ground zero every time business conditions change.

D. Benefit of LMS for E-Learning Organizations

Universities implement a learning management system because they’re committed to con- tinued learning, development and knowledge transfer for students, society, and alumni. Knowledge and expertise is a powerful edge in today’s complex business climate. The use LMS do provide benefit for learning organization see e.g. Robbins, 2002. An LMS has the potential to provide unprecedented value to universities. An enterprise- class LMS enables universities to deploy and evolve content delivery systems at a fraction of traditional costs, further accelerating return on investment.

1. Competitive advantage through proprietary knowledge. The fundamental business

advantage for organizations that invest in LMS solutions comes from the ability to create and share internal proprietary knowledge of products, services, and processes.

2. Cost reduction. LMS solutions allow for the online delivery of highly customized

learning objects to individuals, based on their unique existing knowledge, expertise, and learning requirements. In traditional training models, the ability to deliver individual learning solutions is impossible due to cost issues. With an LMS solution, every learner in the extended enterprise gets information that they need to increase performance, while the organization eliminates the travel and collateral costs of large- scale training initiatives.

3. Accelerated product launches. When a complex product is introduced, sales people,

channel partners, service representatives, customers and others need to be educated in order for a smooth market entry to be achieved. Inefficient and expensive training initiatives can have a negative impact on product rollouts. LMS applications allow for the rapid creation, delivery and evolution of proprietary content in support of product launches.

4. Consistent and timely content. LMS applications allow large organizations to

maintain a single delivery mechanism for all enterprise knowledge, which can be used to dynamically transfer knowledge in real-time across the globe. Information is current and consistent, and may be continuously analyzed for its effectiveness in reaching and educating an enterprise-wide audience. The costs of inaccurate or redundant knowledge are eliminated as every individual receives the proprietary content they need to perform at optimal levels. Institutions that have invested in earlier stages of e-learning technology evolution without achieving the desired organizational impact, as well as companies that have yet to invest in e-learning initiatives, are now poised to enjoy substantial business benefits from a learning content management system. An LMS thats linked to learning management sys- tems and other internal applications will become the product of choice and necessity for companies that need to achieve measurable results from their e-learning investments.