Sunday, January 11, 2009
E-Commerce(fitness for purpose)
E-Commerce(Advantages and disadvantages)
• Rental fees of office and shop space are rather cheaper. Because they don’t huge space to display their products.
• Warehouses can be located anywhere in the world, where they found to be suitable.
• Shops and office can operate in full pace, 24 hours a days, 365 days a year.
• Placing Orders, Checking prices and availability is done by a customer, so fewer staff is needed.
• Customers done have to travel to shops wasting their valuable time; they can get any product they need with the help of Online Shopping. They can order goods from anywhere in the world making sure they getting the best deal.
• Goods and services are often bought more cheaply than normal shops and offices.
• People don’t have to visit the bank to make use of its services; they don’t have to wait in a queue.
Disadvantages
• All people may not afford the equipment needed for the technology of E-Commerce, or they may not be able to pay the ISP cost needed to connect to the Internet.
• Older people or disable people may not have enough ICT skills to use the Internet. they prefer personal service offered by conventional bank
• Credit cards are needed for making online purchase. People who don’t have any credit card may not be able to buy online products.
• Hackers can misuse the information of general public, so people may not rely to give their personal details and credit card number because of risk.
• Some online stores may not sell their product globally, there may be custom duties to pay when any one buy product from abroad.
• Product that weight high if brought from abroad may be too costly.
• People may be concerned about security risks, if they bank online.
• Money can be transferred from one account to another and people might check their balance online but they can’t get hard cash.
E-Commerce(Examples in details)
People, energy, ecommerce and digital culture
There are many projects which are improving people’s lifestyle for the invention of E-commerce. Among those a project name ‘The Greenstar project’ works with people in traditional cultures to express the voice of the community to the world through original music, artwork, photography and video and other arts. Income from this “digital culture” provides income for an ongoing, community-driven process of literacy, local business, education and training, public health, and environmental programmes. To deliver these services efficiently and quickly, moreover this project has designed a portable community centre.
They used solar power generated by large photovoltaic panels; the centre can drive a satellite or wireless link to the internet, a water purifier, a small clinic, a vaccine cooler, a classroom, and a digital studio. The people of each village are encouraged to develop an e-commerce website, and they employ local musicians, teachers and art professional to record the voice of the community. Greenstar packages the materials for various markets, both direct to the consumer, and through licensing to businesses. This formula provides new jobs and skills, strengthens local culture and language, and affirms people’s independence. Villagers own the Greenstar Village Center themselves, and become shareholders in Greenstar digital products available direct to the internet consumer from the Greenstar World Gallery include music, paintings and drawings, photographs, video, poetry and stories, as well as new art forms such as animated panoramas. These products are also licensed by businesses, as “digital premiums” to communicate with customers and motivate their participation in a wide range of "green" programmes, including alternative energy, textiles and clothing, and interactive entertainment.
Source: www.greenstar.org
The overall goal of the project is to create transparent, equal and accessible environment for public procurement procedures and to reduce financial, organizational and time resources, spent by the companies in public procurement procedures. The companies receive information for small-scale procurement procedures, send their offers and participate in the whole tendering process via internet. The only technical requirement is to use digital signature for registration in the system and submission of offers and related documents.
The Bulgarian Ministry of Finance have implemented this feature together with a whole package of useful resources such as a number of national budget & national debt issues, tax information, various statistics and highlights on Bulgarian and European Union legislative basis. The merit of the website is the good structure of the information and it certified origin as well as several user-friendly features as search & interactive tools.
The overall concept of the website and the services provided has proven his efficiency and usefulness for citizens making use of internet. Main benefits of the online activities are their interactivity and the absence of censorship. The value added in terms of empowerment is also notable - transparency and democratic expression are highly stimulated and political issues in particular are discussed freely in public. Contributions and solutions have been suggested and given for consideration directly to the Public Authorities without institutional intermediate.
Source: WSIS Stocktaking Database and the website of the activity
E-Commerce(Examples)
E-commerce based Auction Websites
Auction Websites generally put sellers of goods in contact with buyers through out the world. The sellers generally put a description and a picture of the goods they want to sell on the website. They fix minimum price below which they don’t want to sell the item. Users of the sites are not concerned about this price. People are able to bid for the goods and if they make a highest bid for the goods and if they make the highest bid and if it above the minimum rice, the buyers accept the bid and goods are sold
These websites have specialty and liquidator auctions, search sites, and big person-to-person auctions, down-home auction site for collectibles, house wares, tools, electronics, jewelry and sports memorabilia, find, appraise, buy and sell fine art; auctions, print store, bookstore, artists’ digital portfolios
Payment by credit card, certified check or money order, person-to-person auctions and classified ads with no listing fees; 1% commission on sale of any item is charged to seller, while buyers pay no charge, including cool features such as RoboBid, which sends you an e-mail if you’re outbid, and a paging service
2.5% transaction fee charged to seller.
These auction also offers Auction message centers, site reviews, image hosting for auctions on other sites, and a page-counter service to show how often your auction has been viewed, free service that allows you to search across many auction sites at once to monitor ongoing auctions, Upscale auctions: antiques, art, rare books, other vintage items, also auction clearing house for the building industry, featuring sales on power drills, kitchen faucets, garage-door openers and the like; site includes a home-improvement superstore. There are also websites which offers more than 2.5 million items for sale in some 1,000 categories.
These types of websites are Andys Auctions, Artnet.com, AuctionAddict.com, AuctionAnything.com, Auctionet.com, Auctionmax.com, Auction-sales.com, Auctionuniverse.com, Auctionwatch, Auction Watchers.com, Baseballplanet Sports Cards, Bid.com, Bidders Edge, Bidder-network.com, Biddingtons, Bid4it.com., Bid 4 vacations, Bidhit, Boatscape.com, Boxlot.com, Buildscape Auction, Cityauction.com, Cnet AUCTIONS, Dealdeal.COM, Ebay.com, Edeal.com
E-commerce based Shopping Websites
The best Mast/Merchants and Department Stores are Amazon.com, Buy.com, Costco.com, JCP.com, and SmartBargains.com.
Among these websites,www.buy.com they have millions of products in categories ranging from computer hardware and software to electronics, cellular, books, movies, music, sporting goods and more. They have more than 10 million users shop in there every time. The company offers the lowest price, guarantee on millions of new products. They constantly work with their suppliers to add new product so the customers have plenty of options, the products are always on stock and available for shopping. They also provide world class customer services. This website ensures the integrity of every order by VeriSign, a Internet leader in security in transaction, and with advanced encryption, firewall technology, and state-of-the art SSL(secure Sockets Layer) encryption, Customers can be satisfied because of their information not being misused.
There also many categories of E-commerce based websites like for Apparel & Accessories, AE.com, Abebooks.com, FamousFootwear.com, iTunes.com, Gap.com, Netflix.com, NikeStore.com, SimplyAudioBooks.com, Nordstrom.com, and Polo.com. for Flowers/Gifts/Jewelry, Spiegel.com, 1-800-Flowers.com, Talbots.com, BlueNile.com ,Zappos.com, BuildABear.com, Ice.com and for Computers/Electronics,Zazzle.com, BestBuy.com, Crutchfield.com. There are also Housewares/Home Furnishings available like Dell.com, Chiasso.com, GameStop.com, Cooking.com, JR.com,LumberLiquidators.com, Palm.com, Williams-Sonoma Home, TigerDirect.com, YesAsia.com, and Specialty/Non-Apparel will be found on AppliancePartsPros.com, For Food/Drug are also available at Backcountry.com,FreshDirect.com,BassProShops.com, GreenMountainCoffee.com, Bodybuilding.com, OmahaSteaks.com, DoverSaddlery.com, DrsFosterSmith.com.
E-commerce based Finance and Trading Websites.
These websites are mainly used for online banking, trading, insurance and credit. These websites ensures trade securities through its ultimate trader, online brokerage with news, research and online banking, money-market accounts, CDs and interest checking, Online trading with free real-time quotes and e-mail notification of trades; broker assistance, Free equity-research reports, market quotes and news, online bank with checking and savings accounts, home loans, credit cards, insurance and investing, Online banking and investing, also they offer discount broker with online and Touch-Tone trading, as well as investment seminars and retirement planning, An online brokerage with research and planning tools, access to IPOs, online bill paying, retirement planning and more, Money transfers, bill paying, account information online, Pay bills, transfer funds and view account activity; information about credit cards, loans, bank products and investments, Internet-only bank with free checking and bill paying, online statements and four ATM-fee reimbursements per month. They offer trading in stocks, options, bonds and mutual funds, as well as selected IPOs; extended-hours trading, Trade stocks, follow the market, analyze stocks with access to tons of research and monitor your portfolio.
There are also websites which offers tool for e-commerce transactions that holds payment in an escrow account until the buyer verifies receiving and accepting the merchandise, Access and protect own credit report, Request rates from many kinds of insurance companies: auto, flood, home, renterÕs and others; copies of motor-vehicle-driving report available, Mutual funds; life, long-term-care, auto and supplemental health insurance are among the products offered ,these websites are A. B. Watley.com, American Express Financial Direct, Ameritrade, Askmerrill.com, Bank One, Bank of America, Bidwell &Co.
Charles Schwab, Chase, Citibank, Commerce online, Compubank, Credit411.com, Datek.com
The Dines Letter, Discover Brokerage, DLJdirect, Escrow.com, E*Trade, Fidelity Investments, Firstrade, First Union, 4freequotes.com, Freeman Welwood, Garage.com, GE Financial, AssuraNceGEICO Insurance.
E-commerce based Home and Family Website
These kind of website trade cookware, pets, baby and maternity needs, drugstores, gardening, furniture and decorating, gourmet foods, coffee and gifts, all kinds of seeds and flower bulbs, dozens of categories of baby products, prescription and nonprescription health products, fondue equipment, Christmas trees, Supplies for hydroponics, indoor and organic gardening, products for dogs, cats, birds, fish and other small animals, natural health and beauty supplies
These websites are Calphalon, Adatom.com, Chefstore.com, Burpee, The Baby Catalog of America, Babycenter.com, Cooking.com, Crate And Barrel, Diaperz.com, Drugstore.com, A Kitchen Emporium, Etera, Garden.com, Home harvest garden supply online, iBaby.com. The internet kitchen, Landscape usa, PetExpress, Petopia.com, Pets.com, Petstore.com, MotherNature.com
PlanetRX, Soma.com, VitaminShoppe, whole health discount center.
E-Commerce based Travel Websites
These websites help you get a mortgage, buy or sell a home, and find an apartment or a time-share. Search for apartments and short-term housing; get information on truck and furniture rental and renteris insurance, broker lists more than 200,000 properties, with neighborhood search, mortgage information and e-mail updates, home-worth estimates, finance home purchase or refinance your house; cash out your homes equity or finance a car purchase, Listings for second homes and retirement homes, homes, planned communities and time-shares near golf courses; also helps plan golf vacations, A International online real estate auctions, Includes a mortgage auction, where lenders bid for loan; access to free property reports; and property listings
These websites are Apartments.com, Century21.com, Coldwellbanker.com, Corcoranis, CyberHomes.com, Ditech.com, E-Loan, EscapeHomes.com, For Sale By Owner Connection, GolfCourseCommunities.com, HomeAdvisor, HomeClassifieds.com, Homebid.com, Homebuilder.com, HomeGain.com, Homes.com, homeseekers.com, interest.com, iOwn.com
listing link, Mortgage.com, Mortgagequotes.com, Homenet.com, Owners.com, property2000.com, Real estate.com, Realtor.com, Remax.com, Rent.net, The Retirement Net
Real estate.com, Springstreet.com, virtual relocation.com.
E-Commerce(the target audience)
Recycling for business: Some company have started projects which have made an effort to protect the environment while creating jobs for the residents, these non-profit project which they started melds education, human resource development and environmental protection, there are projects like they uses the discarded rubber tires to make sandals, thus providing new job opportunity for more than 500,000 inhabitants. These projects have web portal, which is popular for its sustainable and community-based project that engages the youth in productive income generating activities while fostering the recycling of environmental waste,
Virtual Shopping: In order to bring e-commerce to indigenous people and expatriates, these sites are created where the site is designed to serve as the main link between abroad and their cultural heritage at home. The malls, which are similar to other online shopping portals, allow visitors to shop for a variety of products, including music’s, handicrafts and foods, they users to pay for products by credit card. And these online shopping portals deliver products to end users around the world.
E-Commerce(Description)
The information age has provided wealth opportunities to almost all sectors of societies .It has profound effects on social, economic and commercial purposes, and most importantly, this age of providing solutions to problems that have been held as insoluble before. The period beginning around 1970 and noted for the abundant publication, consumption, and manipulation of information, especially by computers and computer networks.
With the invention of e-commerce, bankers and businessmen realized that they could profit from immediate knowledge of stock prices and other crucial data. The new technology shortened the time for decision-making and increased the pace and stress of the business day.
E-commerce had opened a vast new world of opportunity for people; it has brought flexibility to banking and cost-effectiveness to high street shopping. Now a day’s people can view a range of products in online stores by internet connection, and compare price. They can buy products by the credit card and more over this purchase will be securely online. These online stores have grown rapidly, that almost everything is available in this shop to be on sale, from books, to CDs, DVDs, foods, cards, furniture, rare memorabilia and other merchandise
Banking is also adapted to online systems, every banking now days have a website, where the general people can find any information, can open a personal account and also arrange loan and transaction can be carried out, without standing in a long queue in the bank branches.
E-Entertaintment (Advantages and Disadvantages)
Advantages
· Overall cost is reduced, the cost of instructor’s salaries, meeting room rentals, student travel, lodging and meals are all eliminated.
· Retention increased and application to the job averages an increase of 25 percent over traditional method.
· Students don’t have to travel to institutions as they attend the course online, so no time is wasted.
· Consistent delivery of content is possible with asynchronous, self pace e-learning.
· Student can get standard education as expert knowledge is communicated, but more importantly captured, with good e-learning and knowledge management system.
· All paper works are automated and online basis, so there is a proof of completion and certification these are really essential for training initiative.
· Students have now the ability to choose the suitable time to complete training conveniently; they can also take the course at off-hours or from home.
· Students how are slow or quick learners can go on self pace option so stress reduced and increased satisfaction.
· Students find the E-learning course interactive which engages them, push them rather than pull them through training. And they also find confidence that reduces burden of responsibility of mastery as refresher or quick reference material is available.
· Portability of training has become strength of e-learning with the proliferation of network linking points, notebook computers, PDAs, and mobile phones.
Disadvantages
· Development costs is larger due to up-front investment required of an e-learning solution is larger.
· Issues like if technological infrastructure can accomplish the training goals. And also if compatible software or hardware can be found or extra technological expenditure is needed.
· Content may not be always appropriate as it may exits from some experts, Even skills that involve complex physical or emotional components can be augmented with e-learning.
· It is a very important issue in organization if they accept the culture, where student demographics and psychographics may influence them against using computers at all, let alone for e-learning
· Learners may have technophobia and unavailable of technologies needed, so this may be a technology issue.
· Social and cultural interaction may reduce, the impersonality, suppression of communication mechanisms such as body language, and also peer-to-peer learning is eliminated, these are potential disadvantages with the increase of communication technology.
· The material available for e-leaning may not rival that of printed workbooks or reference materials.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
E-Entertaintment (Description)
E-learning (Fitness for purpose)
E-learning (Advantages and Disadvantages)
• Overall cost is reduced, the cost of instructor’s salaries, meeting room rentals, student travel, lodging and meals are all eliminated.
• Retention increased and application to the job averages an increase of 25 percent over traditional method.
• Students don’t have to travel to institutions as they attend the course online, so no time is wasted.
• Consistent delivery of content is possible with asynchronous, self pace e-learning.
• Student can get standard education as expert knowledge is communicated, but more importantly captured, with good e-learning and knowledge management system.
• All paper works are automated and online basis, so there is a proof of completion and certification these are really essential for training initiative.
• Students have now the ability to choose the suitable time to complete training conveniently; they can also take the course at off-hours or from home.
• Students how are slow or quick learners can go on self pace option so stress reduced and increased satisfaction.
• Students find the E-learning course interactive which engages them, push them rather than pull them through training. And they also find confidence that reduces burden of responsibility of mastery as refresher or quick reference material is available.
• Portability of training has become strength of e-learning with the proliferation of network linking points, notebook computers, PDAs, and mobile phones.
Disadvantages
• Development costs is larger due to up-front investment required of an e-learning solution is larger.
• Issues like if technological infrastructure can accomplish the training goals. And also if compatible software or hardware can be found or extra technological expenditure is needed.
• Content may not be always appropriate as it may exits from some experts, Even skills that involve complex physical or emotional components can be augmented with e-learning.
• It is a very important issue in organization if they accept the culture, where student demographics and psychographics may influence them against using computers at all, let alone for e-learning
• Learners may have technophobia and unavailable of technologies needed, so this may be a technology issue.
• Social and cultural interaction may reduce, the impersonality, suppression of communication mechanisms such as body language, and also peer-to-peer learning is eliminated, these are potential disadvantages with the increase of communication technology.
• The material available for e-leaning may not rival that of printed workbooks or reference materials.
