It was funny after reading the Chapter Eighteen in Turban about Social Network I checked my emails and noticed an invitation from an old school friend to join WAYN (Where are you now?) and here I am writing my blog on blogger.com. Before reading this chapter I had no idea that these things were associated with Web 2.0, I had just assumed that these things like YouTube and FaceBook were just the next trend on the internet.
It is obvious that the big boys like Microsoft and Google believe that these social networking sties are going to continue to be a continuing trend and money spinner. I did a little research on the net and discovered that Microsoft purchased 1.6 percent share of FaceBook in November last year for $240 million and that FaceBook is worth approximately $15 billion and most of that revenue is generated from advertising. Apparently the Microsoft purchase was the largest Web 2.0 investment in 2007 (Kidman 2008)
I personally, don’t belong to any social network, mainly because most of these sites are blocked at work and according to Kidman's article an increasing number of businesses are blocking FaceBook and other social network sties. My mother thinks that these things are particularly antisocial and the next generation will lose the art of conversation…not to mention what texting will do to our spelling ability!
I hadn’t really had any experience with the next generation social software tool or Web 2.0 before I studying via distance education, especially this subject. Since then I have really discovered the benefit of these software types. Before I had never really used or experienced a chat rooms, blog, wikki or bulletin boards. It is really good to be able to speak to you peers and lecturers in real time and makes you feel a little less isolated when you are studying. One of the major benefits I perceive of Web 2.0 is the dissolving of distance in a country as large as Australia with many people living in regional and isolated areas.
References
Kidman, A (2008) Facebook: The Google of social networks? Retrieved 28 May 2008 from http://www.zdnet.com.au/insight/software/soa/Facebook-The-Google-of-social-networks-/0,139023769,339288381,00.htm
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Task Two – Legal, ethical and social implications of e-commerce - Topic Ten
I found this topic to be extremely interesting. The internet has created a new avenue for unethical, illegal and socially unacceptable behaviour. Businesses need to be vigilant to protect themselves, customer and employees from unlawful actions. There are so many areas with which businesses need to be compliant, such as free speech and copyright. Until doing some research on this topic I hadn’t considered that ecommerce sites can also get ripped off by fraudulent actions. I had only thought about the consumer side of it and hadn’t really thought about the fact that business need to protect themselves as well.
I can imagine the difficulty of trying to manage the laws that cover these areas because of the dynamic nature of e-commerce and the rapid development of the internet laws that cover the theses areas are constantly evolving; it would be a never ending cycle. Once you have covered on thing a new type of spam or scam emerges. I discovered that there are sites that developed my government agencies that deal with scam and that spam is actually illegal in Australia if it is unsolicited. Since purchasing some things overseas I have found that I have been getting a large about of spam which is really annoying I wish it was easier to stop.
When starting work at the company I currently work for I was required to sign an acceptable use policy (AUP) before I was able to access the company’s network. I had to agree not to access gambling or pornography sites, not to sexually harass other workers or clients and not use the companies email or internet for excessive personal use, any breeches of the AUP can result in potential termination. Every time that we log in we are agreeing to the terms of the AUP.
I found the section about hate sites and cyberbashing mind boggling, now if a customer isn’t happy with a product or service they voice their grievances it on a website and it has the potential for millions of people to view. The biggest problem I see with the internet is that anyone with a modem and a computer can be a published author!
I can imagine the difficulty of trying to manage the laws that cover these areas because of the dynamic nature of e-commerce and the rapid development of the internet laws that cover the theses areas are constantly evolving; it would be a never ending cycle. Once you have covered on thing a new type of spam or scam emerges. I discovered that there are sites that developed my government agencies that deal with scam and that spam is actually illegal in Australia if it is unsolicited. Since purchasing some things overseas I have found that I have been getting a large about of spam which is really annoying I wish it was easier to stop.
When starting work at the company I currently work for I was required to sign an acceptable use policy (AUP) before I was able to access the company’s network. I had to agree not to access gambling or pornography sites, not to sexually harass other workers or clients and not use the companies email or internet for excessive personal use, any breeches of the AUP can result in potential termination. Every time that we log in we are agreeing to the terms of the AUP.
I found the section about hate sites and cyberbashing mind boggling, now if a customer isn’t happy with a product or service they voice their grievances it on a website and it has the potential for millions of people to view. The biggest problem I see with the internet is that anyone with a modem and a computer can be a published author!
Topic Six – Security issues, network and electronic commerce – Task One
When businesses are connected to the internet they become vulnerable and open themselves up to attacks. They need to be vigilant to protect themselves, customer and employees from unlawful action. Businesses need to have security measures in place to protect their financial, personal and customer information.
When researching the topic of security issues, network and electronic commerce I discovered that many of the articles I read mentioned security. Security and secure sites was continually mentioned as a prime concern to customers. Resistance to e-commerce seems to be a result of concerns about security and privacy. I believe that consumer fear is one of biggest reasons that e-commerce has not been as quickly adopted by consumers as initial predictions and has contributed to the failure of many earlier dot.com companies.
The rapid growth of the internet and e-commerce has opened up a new avenue for dodgy behaviour. Internet crime seems easy to accomplish if businesses are not adequately protected. I was interested in finding out was where the most common breeches of security in Australia. The following are graphs showing the changes in computer security breeches over a three year period.
Most common computer crime and security breaches, 2003-06 (percent)
Source: Australian Institute of Criminology 2007. Australian crime : facts and figures 2006. Canberra: AIC
Major sources of financial loss due to computer crime and security breaches, 2003-06 ($ million)
Source: Australian Institute of Criminology 2007. Australian crime : facts and figures 2006. Canberra: AIC
It was interesting to see that there was a general decrease in most of the categories listed. I thought it was significant to note that insider computer system abuse was on the increase. I was wondering if this was due to disgruntled employees. I know when my cousin left a large financial company in the city he was marched out straight out after he announced he was leaving. Is this increasingly done to protect business information systems?
Although not mention on the graph I do believe there is an increase in identify theft. According to a July 2003 Sydney Morning Herald article identity theft in the US an estimated 700,000 people were victims of identity theft. According to the same article Identity theft is costing Australians more than $2 billion a year. The increase in popularity of social networking sites has results in a new source of information for identity theft; some people are just too specific about their personal details on the web. I am amazed at how much information people will place on these sites, some will mention where they live, where they work, what school they go to... way too much information… Sometimes people leave themselves open for criminal activities.
In 2004 my wife had personal experience with a worm attack. She was teaching computers for a term at a school where each child had their own laptop. The schools network wasn’t secure and wasn’t patched correctly so just about all the school got the blaster worm. For the whole term my wife patched computers for 500 students! This is an example of where IT departments need to be on the ball to protect networks from unlawful attacks.
Sometimes hackers are not even cracking the system to access unauthorised information, but are doing it for the sport, just to prove they can do it.
The Australian Government has responded to the increasing criminal and privacy breeches occurring on the internet by developing a number of act and law to protect businesses and consumers from fraudulent acts. An example of this is the Spam Act 2003 which makes it illegal to send unsolicited commercial messages, this includes both email and phone messages. It also has developed a number of websites to help inform businesses, parents and consumers to protect themselves online in regards to privacy and to help them avoid internet and electronic based scams. Examples of these sites are http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/ and http://www.staysmartonline.gov.au/
I think as a consumer you need to protect yourself when doing business online. When conducting transactions online such as banking or purchasing good I look for sites that are secure and protected by Secure Sockets Layers (SSL) the little padlock on the bottom right hand side of the screen. Before studying this topic I did not realise the sites that use SSL protocol often have URLs of https:// rather than http:// and that is protects the personal information while online, by encrypting information passing to and from the web pages. Robinson states that SSL was specifically developed by Netscape to protect e-commerce transactions online.
The major e-commerce structure I use is internet banking. Hoax email or phishing seem to be a major way to obtain passwords and bank account details. My bank requires two forms of passwords for authentication and has just introduced a secure code system that sends a unique password to your phone that you need to enter before the transaction will be processes. Before you log in there is message warns you that the bank will never send you an email requiring account information or send you an email with a link to internet banking.
I am currently working in the banking industry. Protection of privacy and ensuring no unauthorised people gain access to accounts helps maintain our customers trust. The security measures adopted by our company to protect our customers’ information and when banking online includes;
× encryption (using the private key encryption)
× Firewalls
× and secure sessions using SSL
× lock-out after three incorrect login attempts,
× automatic log off after 10 minutes of inactivity,
× Details of your last internet banking transactions
× Security tokens that generate a new password every minute.
Generally I found this topic to be extremely interesting. Businesses must protect themselves, customer and employee when conducting e-commerce. I believe trust is the biggest issue consumers have with e-commerce applications.
References
Robinson, S. (2004). Use SSL to secure your Apache-based e-commerce transactions. Retrieved May 5, 2008, from http://www.builderau.com.au/program/web/soa/Use-SSL-to-secure-your-Apache-based-e-commerce-transactions/0,339024632,320283158,00.htm
Australian Institute of Criminology (2007) Crime and criminal justice statistics. Retrived May 7, 2008 from http://www.aic.gov.au/stats/crime/cybercrime.html
The Sydney Morning Herald (2003) Identity theft a $100-billion industry. . Retrieved May 2, 2008, from http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/06/1057430077059.html
When researching the topic of security issues, network and electronic commerce I discovered that many of the articles I read mentioned security. Security and secure sites was continually mentioned as a prime concern to customers. Resistance to e-commerce seems to be a result of concerns about security and privacy. I believe that consumer fear is one of biggest reasons that e-commerce has not been as quickly adopted by consumers as initial predictions and has contributed to the failure of many earlier dot.com companies.
The rapid growth of the internet and e-commerce has opened up a new avenue for dodgy behaviour. Internet crime seems easy to accomplish if businesses are not adequately protected. I was interested in finding out was where the most common breeches of security in Australia. The following are graphs showing the changes in computer security breeches over a three year period.
Most common computer crime and security breaches, 2003-06 (percent)
Source: Australian Institute of Criminology 2007. Australian crime : facts and figures 2006. Canberra: AIC
Major sources of financial loss due to computer crime and security breaches, 2003-06 ($ million)
Source: Australian Institute of Criminology 2007. Australian crime : facts and figures 2006. Canberra: AIC
It was interesting to see that there was a general decrease in most of the categories listed. I thought it was significant to note that insider computer system abuse was on the increase. I was wondering if this was due to disgruntled employees. I know when my cousin left a large financial company in the city he was marched out straight out after he announced he was leaving. Is this increasingly done to protect business information systems?
Although not mention on the graph I do believe there is an increase in identify theft. According to a July 2003 Sydney Morning Herald article identity theft in the US an estimated 700,000 people were victims of identity theft. According to the same article Identity theft is costing Australians more than $2 billion a year. The increase in popularity of social networking sites has results in a new source of information for identity theft; some people are just too specific about their personal details on the web. I am amazed at how much information people will place on these sites, some will mention where they live, where they work, what school they go to... way too much information… Sometimes people leave themselves open for criminal activities.
In 2004 my wife had personal experience with a worm attack. She was teaching computers for a term at a school where each child had their own laptop. The schools network wasn’t secure and wasn’t patched correctly so just about all the school got the blaster worm. For the whole term my wife patched computers for 500 students! This is an example of where IT departments need to be on the ball to protect networks from unlawful attacks.
Sometimes hackers are not even cracking the system to access unauthorised information, but are doing it for the sport, just to prove they can do it.
The Australian Government has responded to the increasing criminal and privacy breeches occurring on the internet by developing a number of act and law to protect businesses and consumers from fraudulent acts. An example of this is the Spam Act 2003 which makes it illegal to send unsolicited commercial messages, this includes both email and phone messages. It also has developed a number of websites to help inform businesses, parents and consumers to protect themselves online in regards to privacy and to help them avoid internet and electronic based scams. Examples of these sites are http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/ and http://www.staysmartonline.gov.au/
I think as a consumer you need to protect yourself when doing business online. When conducting transactions online such as banking or purchasing good I look for sites that are secure and protected by Secure Sockets Layers (SSL) the little padlock on the bottom right hand side of the screen. Before studying this topic I did not realise the sites that use SSL protocol often have URLs of https:// rather than http:// and that is protects the personal information while online, by encrypting information passing to and from the web pages. Robinson states that SSL was specifically developed by Netscape to protect e-commerce transactions online.
The major e-commerce structure I use is internet banking. Hoax email or phishing seem to be a major way to obtain passwords and bank account details. My bank requires two forms of passwords for authentication and has just introduced a secure code system that sends a unique password to your phone that you need to enter before the transaction will be processes. Before you log in there is message warns you that the bank will never send you an email requiring account information or send you an email with a link to internet banking.
I am currently working in the banking industry. Protection of privacy and ensuring no unauthorised people gain access to accounts helps maintain our customers trust. The security measures adopted by our company to protect our customers’ information and when banking online includes;
× encryption (using the private key encryption)
× Firewalls
× and secure sessions using SSL
× lock-out after three incorrect login attempts,
× automatic log off after 10 minutes of inactivity,
× Details of your last internet banking transactions
× Security tokens that generate a new password every minute.
Generally I found this topic to be extremely interesting. Businesses must protect themselves, customer and employee when conducting e-commerce. I believe trust is the biggest issue consumers have with e-commerce applications.
References
Robinson, S. (2004). Use SSL to secure your Apache-based e-commerce transactions. Retrieved May 5, 2008, from http://www.builderau.com.au/program/web/soa/Use-SSL-to-secure-your-Apache-based-e-commerce-transactions/0,339024632,320283158,00.htm
Australian Institute of Criminology (2007) Crime and criminal justice statistics. Retrived May 7, 2008 from http://www.aic.gov.au/stats/crime/cybercrime.html
The Sydney Morning Herald (2003) Identity theft a $100-billion industry. . Retrieved May 2, 2008, from http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/06/1057430077059.html
Monday, May 26, 2008
Task Two – E-commerce strategy and global EC - Topic Eight
Task Two – E-commerce strategy and global EC - Topic Eight
Planning is such an integral part of business today. As Porter states ‘many have assumed the internet changes everything’ where many of the dot.com collapses proved this to be incorrect. I found Porter’s article very informative and I agree with his ideas that businesses need to incorporate ecommerce into their business planning. I also agree that businesses need to use the Internet to compliment their business strategies rather than cannibalise their market share. Having a web presence is also most essential now days.
Global e-commerce sounds like the ideal way to conduct business, one of the major benefits being able to conduct business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However before studying this topic I had little understanding of the limitations placed on businesses when trying to perform business internationally. I had only really considered the geographical limitations and hadn’t even considered the difficulty with cultural, language and economic issues.
Although businesses such as Amazon seem to make global e-commerce seem easy. I have purchased books from Amazon and have found the entire process very positive. I feel some of their success must lie in the way their make the purchaser feel confident and secure throughout the entire ordering and delivery process. It is amazing how a little email here and there can make you feel secure in your purchase! Another thing that I feel is very important when purchasing from overseas is feeling as though you have some rights if the item you order isn’t correct, and I know Amazon let you return any items if you are not satisfied with them.
One thing that I know is a barrier but I do however still find it frustrating is the inability for some overseas companies to ship to Australia. I guess when you can access their sites, you feel like you should be able to purchase from them - It is a bit like going into a shop and finding the shop assistant won’t serve you! I realise this may not be cost effective for the companies, but with the Australian dollar being so strong it is now the perfect time to purchase online from overseas companies, especially those based in America!
Planning is such an integral part of business today. As Porter states ‘many have assumed the internet changes everything’ where many of the dot.com collapses proved this to be incorrect. I found Porter’s article very informative and I agree with his ideas that businesses need to incorporate ecommerce into their business planning. I also agree that businesses need to use the Internet to compliment their business strategies rather than cannibalise their market share. Having a web presence is also most essential now days.
Global e-commerce sounds like the ideal way to conduct business, one of the major benefits being able to conduct business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However before studying this topic I had little understanding of the limitations placed on businesses when trying to perform business internationally. I had only really considered the geographical limitations and hadn’t even considered the difficulty with cultural, language and economic issues.
Although businesses such as Amazon seem to make global e-commerce seem easy. I have purchased books from Amazon and have found the entire process very positive. I feel some of their success must lie in the way their make the purchaser feel confident and secure throughout the entire ordering and delivery process. It is amazing how a little email here and there can make you feel secure in your purchase! Another thing that I feel is very important when purchasing from overseas is feeling as though you have some rights if the item you order isn’t correct, and I know Amazon let you return any items if you are not satisfied with them.
One thing that I know is a barrier but I do however still find it frustrating is the inability for some overseas companies to ship to Australia. I guess when you can access their sites, you feel like you should be able to purchase from them - It is a bit like going into a shop and finding the shop assistant won’t serve you! I realise this may not be cost effective for the companies, but with the Australian dollar being so strong it is now the perfect time to purchase online from overseas companies, especially those based in America!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Task Two – E-supply chains, collaborative commerce and portals - Topic Five
I found the article in the readings by Laudon & Traver “E-commerce: Business technology and society” really thought provoking. I had never considered the importance of having a place to start when browsing the web. I had never thought of Google as being a portal, I had always thought of Google as a purely a search engine.
Corporate portals have really changed the way in which we now conduct business. It is amazing how the internet and especially portals have become such an integral part of business activities.
I currently work for a large financial company who operates a corporate portal. This portal is the first thing that everybody logs onto first thing in the morning and my internet home page. The portal contains news, procedure manuals, contact list for every employee and supports many intranet based programs. The portal holds extra importance within this particular company as this is a parent company which has around 30 subsidiary companies which operate in many different markets; all of these subsidiary companies have access to our company portal. Portals are such an efficient way for large companies to keep employees up to date with policies, news, etc especially if employees are in different geographical locations.
After thinking about portals I realised that every time I log into the Uni site I am accessing a portal. The site ‘my.csu’ is such a useful portal when studying via distance education. It links you to so many important places for getting and receiving information about studying at Charles Sturt. By having all that information at a click away saves time when you are both studying and working.
Previously, I worked for a chemical supply company which was heavily focused up improving supply chain management (SCM). They used an external company for freighting and warehousing the chemical company interfaced the external company’s warehouse management systems with their own ordering system. This improved SCM by increasing efficiency by reducing ordering errors and increasing OTIF (on-time-in-full). The external company also had GPS monitoring in there trucks, providing the chemical company with an internet link to which allowed the company to track orders and provide exact delivery times.
I found the article in the readings by Laudon & Traver “E-commerce: Business technology and society” really thought provoking. I had never considered the importance of having a place to start when browsing the web. I had never thought of Google as being a portal, I had always thought of Google as a purely a search engine.
Corporate portals have really changed the way in which we now conduct business. It is amazing how the internet and especially portals have become such an integral part of business activities.
I currently work for a large financial company who operates a corporate portal. This portal is the first thing that everybody logs onto first thing in the morning and my internet home page. The portal contains news, procedure manuals, contact list for every employee and supports many intranet based programs. The portal holds extra importance within this particular company as this is a parent company which has around 30 subsidiary companies which operate in many different markets; all of these subsidiary companies have access to our company portal. Portals are such an efficient way for large companies to keep employees up to date with policies, news, etc especially if employees are in different geographical locations.
After thinking about portals I realised that every time I log into the Uni site I am accessing a portal. The site ‘my.csu’ is such a useful portal when studying via distance education. It links you to so many important places for getting and receiving information about studying at Charles Sturt. By having all that information at a click away saves time when you are both studying and working.
Previously, I worked for a chemical supply company which was heavily focused up improving supply chain management (SCM). They used an external company for freighting and warehousing the chemical company interfaced the external company’s warehouse management systems with their own ordering system. This improved SCM by increasing efficiency by reducing ordering errors and increasing OTIF (on-time-in-full). The external company also had GPS monitoring in there trucks, providing the chemical company with an internet link to which allowed the company to track orders and provide exact delivery times.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Task 3 – Comments on other students’ blogs
Task 3 – Comments on other students’ blogs
Ellisa’s blog on E-commerce and the internet customer
I also chose to do Task 1 on E-commerce and the internet customer as this is also a subject that I found really appealing. The internet has really changed the way in which I shop. I found it interesting that you liked to visit Witchery.com as this a site I know my wife often frequents since we have moved from the city to the country! I am also a big fan of e-bay, but have experienced some problems with some sellers and have found it frustrating that you can’t really follow things up with e-bay. I have never sold anything over e-bay but have purchased a number of things and was interested in reading that you have had success with the ‘paypal’ system which I have always been afraid of using, with my next purchase I may take the plunge!
Christina’s blog on E-commerce and the internet customer
I think the great thing about the internet is that it allows you to purchase items from anywhere in the world and often at a cheaper rate. I know last Christmas my wife was looking to buy some perfume for her mother. She went to the perfumery in the town and discovered that a 50ml bottle of what she wanted would cost $150. Not wanting to send that much she went home and googled the perfume and discovered Strawberry Net, where she purchased the 100ml bottle of perfume for half the price and had it within the week. Hence, my wife is a big Strawberry-Net fan!
Christina's Blog - Web 2.0
I was the same Christina – I had no idea that FaceBook ad Flickr were all related to web 2.0.! I am not a user of social networks because I am also suspicious about the privacy issues, but after this topic and talking about it to people I know I am almost convinced to join. I can see how FaceBook has become a web sensation and why is has made Mark Zucherberg a billionaire. I was surprised at how many people I knew were members. My wife is also concerned about the next generation and has banned our son (who is 6 months old!) from the playing video games….
Cass’s Blog - Security Issues, Networks & Electronic Commerce
It is amazing how unaware some people are about security issues and identity theft. I can not believe how many people put their personal details out on the web for anyone to see. It is sad that the internet has become a new source for devious behaviour and crime. I don’t know if this topic has been beneficial for me as I was going to order a new battery for my digital camera online the other night and I was think about hackers and key loggers and decided to not to order! I’m sure it was a very secure site with SSL, but I was not taking any chances.
Sarah's Blog - Electronic Payments
I also prefer the easy of paying for things electronically. I don't receive my bills online, but I can see how this would be helpful for budgeting purposes. I have never experienced the biller code online with internet purchases – that would take a little bit of the fear out of purchasing on the internet – I’m nervous about my credit card detail going to the wrong place/person. Cash will be hard to replace for small payments – credit card fee some stores charge is excessive. I also find it annoying that some online vendors, like Qantas charge you for using credit cards online.
Ellisa’s blog on E-commerce and the internet customer
I also chose to do Task 1 on E-commerce and the internet customer as this is also a subject that I found really appealing. The internet has really changed the way in which I shop. I found it interesting that you liked to visit Witchery.com as this a site I know my wife often frequents since we have moved from the city to the country! I am also a big fan of e-bay, but have experienced some problems with some sellers and have found it frustrating that you can’t really follow things up with e-bay. I have never sold anything over e-bay but have purchased a number of things and was interested in reading that you have had success with the ‘paypal’ system which I have always been afraid of using, with my next purchase I may take the plunge!
Christina’s blog on E-commerce and the internet customer
I think the great thing about the internet is that it allows you to purchase items from anywhere in the world and often at a cheaper rate. I know last Christmas my wife was looking to buy some perfume for her mother. She went to the perfumery in the town and discovered that a 50ml bottle of what she wanted would cost $150. Not wanting to send that much she went home and googled the perfume and discovered Strawberry Net, where she purchased the 100ml bottle of perfume for half the price and had it within the week. Hence, my wife is a big Strawberry-Net fan!
Christina's Blog - Web 2.0
I was the same Christina – I had no idea that FaceBook ad Flickr were all related to web 2.0.! I am not a user of social networks because I am also suspicious about the privacy issues, but after this topic and talking about it to people I know I am almost convinced to join. I can see how FaceBook has become a web sensation and why is has made Mark Zucherberg a billionaire. I was surprised at how many people I knew were members. My wife is also concerned about the next generation and has banned our son (who is 6 months old!) from the playing video games….
Cass’s Blog - Security Issues, Networks & Electronic Commerce
It is amazing how unaware some people are about security issues and identity theft. I can not believe how many people put their personal details out on the web for anyone to see. It is sad that the internet has become a new source for devious behaviour and crime. I don’t know if this topic has been beneficial for me as I was going to order a new battery for my digital camera online the other night and I was think about hackers and key loggers and decided to not to order! I’m sure it was a very secure site with SSL, but I was not taking any chances.
Sarah's Blog - Electronic Payments
I also prefer the easy of paying for things electronically. I don't receive my bills online, but I can see how this would be helpful for budgeting purposes. I have never experienced the biller code online with internet purchases – that would take a little bit of the fear out of purchasing on the internet – I’m nervous about my credit card detail going to the wrong place/person. Cash will be hard to replace for small payments – credit card fee some stores charge is excessive. I also find it annoying that some online vendors, like Qantas charge you for using credit cards online.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Task One – Electronic commerce and the internet customer - Topic Three
Task One – Electronic commerce and the internet customer - Topic Three
After studying this topic I fully realised how e-commerce and technology has changed the way we live. We use the internet to do so many of our day to day dealings; our banking, talking to our friend using social networking sites, buying tickets to the theatre, searching for new places to live, looking for new jobs, booking our holidays. Often the internet is the first place we start when thinking about making a purchase.
As stated in Laudon & Traver p. 176 there are four main types on online business models; virtual merchants, multi-channel merchandisers, catalogue merchants and manufacturer-direct firms. All of which are competing in a very competitive market for consumers online dollars.
Early predictions about the success of online trading proved to be incorrect and greatly overestimated the success companies could achieve from e-commerce. Conducting business online presented a whole lot of new challenges for businesses. I can understand the difficulty that pure-play companies have in turning visitors to their sites into customers.
After studying this topic I was interested in the types of products people are purchasing online. According to a Nielsen Report the most popular and purchased items over the Internet are Books (41% purchased in the past three months), Clothing/Accessories/Shoes (36%), Videos / DVDs / Games (24%), Airline Tickets (24%) and Electronic Equipment (23%). Most of these seemed to be products of one size fits all. I firstly thought the most popular items brought over the internet would have been clothing; however the limitation of not being able to try on articles of clothing may limit the number of people buying clothing online.
For myself as an internet customer my biggest concern is with security and reliability. Not so much as whether my credit card details will be misused but whether the goods that I purchased online will turn up. I therefore feel more secure when buying from a company that has a physical presence in the traditional marketplace or buying from a company that lets you track your order the entire way through the delivery chain such as Amazon. As a customer I personally feel more secure when purchasing from Click and Mortar companies or well known companies that trade over the internet such as Amazon or Dell. I also often will only buy from a site if I have heard other people having success with that site.
With the increase in fraudulent activity increasing with transactions occurring over the internet I like to know that if I need to I could physically contact business or speak to someone face to face. Brand loyalty is an important factor for me as a consumer when purchasing over the internet. I would rather pay a little more to purchase something from a well established company that take the risk of buying a cheaper product else where. I believe support during and after the sale to be an important success factor with the business to customer business model.
I agree with the use of email as a successful way to market to online users. This seems to me to be the most affective way of marketing to the internet customer. I know from my own experiences that I will often read and follow the link to the URL.
The ‘dissolving of distance’ to me as a consumer of internet products is a great advantage. Living in remote and rural parts of Australia I have found that on many occasions I have purchased and searched for goods over the internet with great success, things that without access to the internet and electronic technology I would not be able to purchase due to my isolated location.
After reading Laudon & Travers (2007), E-Commerce: Business technology and society about the top 15 retail websites in America I was interested in seeing what business sites where popular with Australian users. From the CHOICE website located a list of some of the most popular websites. I noted that many of these popular sites are well known brick and mortar companies that have a well established brand names and presences off the web. This seems to correspond with Laudon & Traver 2007 who quote that the online audience is very sensitive to brand names and is not primarily cost driven.
Popular Australian e-commerce websites
Website
Unique audience
Active reach (%)
www.ebay.com.au
2,617,000
26.0
www.virginblue.com.au
913,000
9.1
www.qantas.com.au
905,000
9.0
www.ticketek.com.au
477,000
4.8
www.tradingpost.com.au
382,000
3.8
www.greaterunion.com.au
375,000
3.3
www.jetstar.com.au
322,000
3.2
Source: Nielsen//NetRatings NetView, home & work panel measurement.
Doing some research on internet buying I was interested in seeing that many of the articles mentioned security and secure sites to be one of the biggest concerns to consumers. The Australian Government has responded to the fast developing industry and developed the Australian E-Commerce Best Practice Model in 2000 which set the standards for Australian customer protection. However this has been superseded by the 2006 Australian Guidelines for Electronic Commerce it aims to provide businesses with guidelines when partaking in e-commerce. It is good to see that the government has recognised the need to protect consumers in this changing retail environment.
I do believe that those businesses with a web and physical presence using a multi-channelled approach will be the most successful e-tailers. As studies such as those Hanchard cites an by Forrester in May 2007 that estimated almost $400 billion of store sales are directly influenced by the web, and that will grow to $1 trillion in the next five years indicate that more and more people are and will search for product information online before they go and purchase offline. I feel this trend will continue until consumer become more confident and secure with purchasing online.
I think personally that the biggest challenge that e-Businesses face is the fact that you cannot replace the social interaction that one has when shopping. Humans are social creatures and enjoy interacting with other people this is something that sitting on a computer cannot replace. Shopping is a legitimate hobby for some people one that can’t be replicated by using a computer.
Overall I found this topic to be very thought provoking and an extremely interesting. It has made me thinking carefully about my actions as an internet customer.
References
Hanchard, S. 2007. Leveraging online consumer behaviour. http://www.insideretailing.com.au/articles-
Laudon, KC & Traver, CG 2007, E-Commerce: Business technology and society [MGT330 Readings 1].
Charles Sturt University.
The Australian Guidelines for Electronic Commerce 2006 http://www.treasury.gov.au/documents/1083/HTML/docshell.asp?URL=australian_guidelines_for_electronic_commerce.htm
The Nielsen Report 2008 Over 875 Million Consumers Have Shopped Online -- The Number of Internet Shoppers Up 40% in Two Years http://www.nielsen.com/media/2008/pr_080128b.html
After studying this topic I fully realised how e-commerce and technology has changed the way we live. We use the internet to do so many of our day to day dealings; our banking, talking to our friend using social networking sites, buying tickets to the theatre, searching for new places to live, looking for new jobs, booking our holidays. Often the internet is the first place we start when thinking about making a purchase.
As stated in Laudon & Traver p. 176 there are four main types on online business models; virtual merchants, multi-channel merchandisers, catalogue merchants and manufacturer-direct firms. All of which are competing in a very competitive market for consumers online dollars.
Early predictions about the success of online trading proved to be incorrect and greatly overestimated the success companies could achieve from e-commerce. Conducting business online presented a whole lot of new challenges for businesses. I can understand the difficulty that pure-play companies have in turning visitors to their sites into customers.
After studying this topic I was interested in the types of products people are purchasing online. According to a Nielsen Report the most popular and purchased items over the Internet are Books (41% purchased in the past three months), Clothing/Accessories/Shoes (36%), Videos / DVDs / Games (24%), Airline Tickets (24%) and Electronic Equipment (23%). Most of these seemed to be products of one size fits all. I firstly thought the most popular items brought over the internet would have been clothing; however the limitation of not being able to try on articles of clothing may limit the number of people buying clothing online.
For myself as an internet customer my biggest concern is with security and reliability. Not so much as whether my credit card details will be misused but whether the goods that I purchased online will turn up. I therefore feel more secure when buying from a company that has a physical presence in the traditional marketplace or buying from a company that lets you track your order the entire way through the delivery chain such as Amazon. As a customer I personally feel more secure when purchasing from Click and Mortar companies or well known companies that trade over the internet such as Amazon or Dell. I also often will only buy from a site if I have heard other people having success with that site.
With the increase in fraudulent activity increasing with transactions occurring over the internet I like to know that if I need to I could physically contact business or speak to someone face to face. Brand loyalty is an important factor for me as a consumer when purchasing over the internet. I would rather pay a little more to purchase something from a well established company that take the risk of buying a cheaper product else where. I believe support during and after the sale to be an important success factor with the business to customer business model.
I agree with the use of email as a successful way to market to online users. This seems to me to be the most affective way of marketing to the internet customer. I know from my own experiences that I will often read and follow the link to the URL.
The ‘dissolving of distance’ to me as a consumer of internet products is a great advantage. Living in remote and rural parts of Australia I have found that on many occasions I have purchased and searched for goods over the internet with great success, things that without access to the internet and electronic technology I would not be able to purchase due to my isolated location.
After reading Laudon & Travers (2007), E-Commerce: Business technology and society about the top 15 retail websites in America I was interested in seeing what business sites where popular with Australian users. From the CHOICE website located a list of some of the most popular websites. I noted that many of these popular sites are well known brick and mortar companies that have a well established brand names and presences off the web. This seems to correspond with Laudon & Traver 2007 who quote that the online audience is very sensitive to brand names and is not primarily cost driven.
Popular Australian e-commerce websites
Website
Unique audience
Active reach (%)
www.ebay.com.au
2,617,000
26.0
www.virginblue.com.au
913,000
9.1
www.qantas.com.au
905,000
9.0
www.ticketek.com.au
477,000
4.8
www.tradingpost.com.au
382,000
3.8
www.greaterunion.com.au
375,000
3.3
www.jetstar.com.au
322,000
3.2
Source: Nielsen//NetRatings NetView, home & work panel measurement.
Doing some research on internet buying I was interested in seeing that many of the articles mentioned security and secure sites to be one of the biggest concerns to consumers. The Australian Government has responded to the fast developing industry and developed the Australian E-Commerce Best Practice Model in 2000 which set the standards for Australian customer protection. However this has been superseded by the 2006 Australian Guidelines for Electronic Commerce it aims to provide businesses with guidelines when partaking in e-commerce. It is good to see that the government has recognised the need to protect consumers in this changing retail environment.
I do believe that those businesses with a web and physical presence using a multi-channelled approach will be the most successful e-tailers. As studies such as those Hanchard cites an by Forrester in May 2007 that estimated almost $400 billion of store sales are directly influenced by the web, and that will grow to $1 trillion in the next five years indicate that more and more people are and will search for product information online before they go and purchase offline. I feel this trend will continue until consumer become more confident and secure with purchasing online.
I think personally that the biggest challenge that e-Businesses face is the fact that you cannot replace the social interaction that one has when shopping. Humans are social creatures and enjoy interacting with other people this is something that sitting on a computer cannot replace. Shopping is a legitimate hobby for some people one that can’t be replicated by using a computer.
Overall I found this topic to be very thought provoking and an extremely interesting. It has made me thinking carefully about my actions as an internet customer.
References
Hanchard, S. 2007. Leveraging online consumer behaviour. http://www.insideretailing.com.au/articles-
Laudon, KC & Traver, CG 2007, E-Commerce: Business technology and society [MGT330 Readings 1].
Charles Sturt University.
The Australian Guidelines for Electronic Commerce 2006 http://www.treasury.gov.au/documents/1083/HTML/docshell.asp?URL=australian_guidelines_for_electronic_commerce.htm
The Nielsen Report 2008 Over 875 Million Consumers Have Shopped Online -- The Number of Internet Shoppers Up 40% in Two Years http://www.nielsen.com/media/2008/pr_080128b.html
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