Exercise - select five applications that you have not heard of before from Popular URL's Web 2.0 awards or the webware awards and describe on your blog page how they could be useful to a business.
After looking at the webware awards there were plenty of applications which I had not heard of. Web 2.0 has expanded over the years and become rather popular. Such applications as Safari, Firefox and internet explorer are internet browser which has emerged. Internet explorer has been a dominate application for the internet but over the past few years other applications have emerged. The five applications which I have chosen to discuss are:
· Skype
· Mint
· About.com
· Pandora
· Hi5
Skype is a program which allows people to communicate through text, voice and video-chatting through the internet (Skype, 2009). Skype can act as a device to communicate to other people by using the internet. Skype allows people to “call outside numbers, both long distance and international” (Skype, 2009). This would be useful for a business because it would be useful for meetings over the internet. By having meetings using Skype this would be more effective and efficient if a business has clients overseas or interstate. With having a function which allows people to communicate through video chatting this makes meetings easier and more convenient.
Mint acts as a financial function system. Mint manages your finances by keeping people up to date on their finances. Mint keeps track of clients spending by sending emails or mobile alerts when ‘bills are due, the clients account drops to a certain level, large purchases paid on credit card or any other high financial transactions’ (Mint, 2009). Mint would be beneficial for companies because this is a good way to stay on track of spending or owing. By having alerts send emails to the company of money due or transactions this would keep the company more informed. Mint also gives advice which could help the company (Mint, 2009).
About.com is an application which acts as a “how to guide and informational pages” (About.com, 2009). About.com has paid credible sources who have written the guides (About.com, 2009). About.com also allows people to discuss articles and topics through forums (About.com). About.com could be useful for a company if the company wanted to know an answer to a question. With About.com having credible sources who write about topics this allows companies to read topics from credible sources.
Pandora is a music service. Pandora acts as a music and recommendation service by recommending songs which Pandora thinks the client might like (Pandora, 2009). This service allows clients to pick which songs they like and dislike. When a client decides they like a song the application then puts up songs which they think the client might also enjoy because there from the same genre (Pandora, 2009). Pandora could be useful for a business because it could act as a way to keep the employees motivated. By introducing music into the workplace this creates a calm atmosphere and encourages the employees to work harder. Pandora acts as a type of playlist which allows clients to play songs which interest them.
Hi5 is a social networking site which has over 60 million users (Hi5, 2009). Hi5 is a network which allows users to create their own profile and upload pictures (Hi5, 2009). This application is similar to Facebook and Myspace which has similar types of functions although Hi5 over 80% of users are not in America (Hi5, 2009). This application could be useful for a business because it allows the business to be recognised in another country. Hi5 would give a business more recognition especially if the company wanted to break into a foreign market. By having a profile on a social networking site gives more recognition and is a great way to communicate.
References:
About.com.(2009). Webware 100 winner: About.com. Retrieved June 1, 2009 from: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13546_109-10237656-29.html
Hi5.(2009). Webware 100 winner: Hi5. Retrieved June 1, 2009 from: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13546_109-10237639-29.html?tag=mncol
Mint.(2009). Webware 100 winner: Mint. Retrieved June 1, 2009 from:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13546_109-10237665-29.html
Pandora.(2009). Webware 100 winner: Pandora. Retrieved June 1, 2009 from: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13546_109-10236913-29.html
Skype.(2009). Webware 100 winner: Skype. Retrieved June 1, 2009 from: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13546_109-10237739-29.html
Monday, June 1, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Week 11: Privacy
Question 1 -
See if you can find an example of a privacy breach that was reported in the Australian or international news in the last 6 months. What were the consequences? i.e. legal, political, financial, personal etc. What action was taken in response to the privacy breach?
The article I have found about a privacy breach is the article “Online leaks splash confidential medical details on net” by Anna Caldwell. The article discusses how over 250 patients details were leaked. Such information as their ‘names, phone numbers, addresses and medical histories were exposed’ (Caldwell, 2009). This is a major breach of privacy due to all the information is private. The consequences of the breach were legal although no fines could be placed unless one of the affected parties (patients) lodged a complaint (Caldwell, 2009). Such issues as privacy breaches usually result in legal and financial ramifications. The people who have been affected could sue the business because their privacy has been breached and leaked onto the internet. The actions which have been put into place are that Privacy commission is looking into the issue. There have been more privacy breach issues which have been reported causing the Privacy Commission to look into more breaches (Caldwell, 2009).
Question 2 - Have you been using Turnitin software this semester? If you have was it a positive or negative experience and why?
This semester I have not used turnitin although my first semester at university I used Turnitin. It has been a few years since I have used it although I must say I have mixed feelings about the process. Such as since everyone’s work has been submitted to the program any similarities are picked up considering the assignments are meant to be similiarish. Little things get picked up such as a sentence is similar to someone in another country who has a similar question which they have answered and sent to Turnitin. A rather bad aspect of the whole process is sometimes it takes days for turnitin to generate the result. This causes a lot of concern because the time that it takes to wait for the result there might be a few changes which you want to make. The time it takes to wait can also become alarming if the assignment is due within a couple of days. When your whole class has to submit through turnitin the process takes longer and become rather frustrating.
Caldwell, A.(2009). Online leaks splash confidential medical details on net. Retrieved May 25, 2009 from: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,25266776-3102,00.html
See if you can find an example of a privacy breach that was reported in the Australian or international news in the last 6 months. What were the consequences? i.e. legal, political, financial, personal etc. What action was taken in response to the privacy breach?
The article I have found about a privacy breach is the article “Online leaks splash confidential medical details on net” by Anna Caldwell. The article discusses how over 250 patients details were leaked. Such information as their ‘names, phone numbers, addresses and medical histories were exposed’ (Caldwell, 2009). This is a major breach of privacy due to all the information is private. The consequences of the breach were legal although no fines could be placed unless one of the affected parties (patients) lodged a complaint (Caldwell, 2009). Such issues as privacy breaches usually result in legal and financial ramifications. The people who have been affected could sue the business because their privacy has been breached and leaked onto the internet. The actions which have been put into place are that Privacy commission is looking into the issue. There have been more privacy breach issues which have been reported causing the Privacy Commission to look into more breaches (Caldwell, 2009).
Question 2 - Have you been using Turnitin software this semester? If you have was it a positive or negative experience and why?
This semester I have not used turnitin although my first semester at university I used Turnitin. It has been a few years since I have used it although I must say I have mixed feelings about the process. Such as since everyone’s work has been submitted to the program any similarities are picked up considering the assignments are meant to be similiarish. Little things get picked up such as a sentence is similar to someone in another country who has a similar question which they have answered and sent to Turnitin. A rather bad aspect of the whole process is sometimes it takes days for turnitin to generate the result. This causes a lot of concern because the time that it takes to wait for the result there might be a few changes which you want to make. The time it takes to wait can also become alarming if the assignment is due within a couple of days. When your whole class has to submit through turnitin the process takes longer and become rather frustrating.
Caldwell, A.(2009). Online leaks splash confidential medical details on net. Retrieved May 25, 2009 from: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,25266776-3102,00.html
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Week 10: Trust
a) Have a look at the following websites. What are some of the elements that have been incorporated to increase your trust in the sites? If there are also some aspects which decrease your level of trust describe them as well.
Ebay have certain elements which have been incorporated to increase trust such as having certain precautions as:
· Having Trust and Safety area on the website which consumers/buyers/sellers can read which explains precautions eBay has placed to protect clients.
· eBay has a feedback area which allows buyers and sellers to tell eBay about their experience and fairness of transactions.
· When making a transaction eBay recommends using such payment programs as Paypal which protects both the seller and the buyer.
· eBay have placed a security centre so people can have guidance when purchasing or selling items.
Ebay is rather formal which gives consumers and sellers more sense of trust. When a website looks rather professional and states how to be protected there is more of a sense of trust (eBay, 2009).
ANZ is a banking website which needs to give its clients and potential clients a sense of trust. ANZ has client’s details and banking details over the internet which causes a sense of worry. ANZ has to have precautions to ensure that clients feel that their information is protected. The bank has precautions such as:
· Security and privacy statements
· ANZ privacy statement
· Information explaining bout personal information
· Information about information collected
· The collection of the IP address
· Use and disclosure of information
This ensures clients feel safe and know what is happening with their information (ANZ, 2007).
Paypal is a transaction site which deals with sellers and buyers of products. Trust needs to be in place since there is a transaction of money. Such precautions Paypal uses to ensure clients trust are:
· An overview of the process
· What information is collected
· The use and disclosure of information
· Information security
· Accessing and changing information
· How to contact the company
Overall there has to be trust within these websites because these websites are all dealing with transactions. If a website does not look professional and does not evoke trust then people would not want to make a transaction (Paypal, 2009).
http://www.eBay.com.au
http://www.anz.com.au
http://www.paypal.com.au
b) Find a web site yourself that you think looks untrustworthy.
There are a few websites which I have looked into that seem trustworthy in which they look professional but yet there are still some sense of doubt. Certain websites which I have looked into such as TV series on DVD show that while the website looks good do not necessarily mean that everything is legitimate. I’ve looked at these sites and made a decision that i would not purchase the items because of my sense of doubt.
Paypal.(2009).Policies. Retrieved May 22, 2009 from: https://www.paypal.com/au/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/ua/policy_privacy-outside
eBay.(2009). About eBay. Retrieved May 22, 2009 from: http://pages.ebay.com.au/aboutebay/trustandsafety.html
ANZ.(2007). Website security. Retrieved May 22, 2009 from: http://www.anz.com.au/Help/ANZs-Web-Site/ANZ-Web-Site-Security-And-Privacy-Statement.asp
Ebay have certain elements which have been incorporated to increase trust such as having certain precautions as:
· Having Trust and Safety area on the website which consumers/buyers/sellers can read which explains precautions eBay has placed to protect clients.
· eBay has a feedback area which allows buyers and sellers to tell eBay about their experience and fairness of transactions.
· When making a transaction eBay recommends using such payment programs as Paypal which protects both the seller and the buyer.
· eBay have placed a security centre so people can have guidance when purchasing or selling items.
Ebay is rather formal which gives consumers and sellers more sense of trust. When a website looks rather professional and states how to be protected there is more of a sense of trust (eBay, 2009).
ANZ is a banking website which needs to give its clients and potential clients a sense of trust. ANZ has client’s details and banking details over the internet which causes a sense of worry. ANZ has to have precautions to ensure that clients feel that their information is protected. The bank has precautions such as:
· Security and privacy statements
· ANZ privacy statement
· Information explaining bout personal information
· Information about information collected
· The collection of the IP address
· Use and disclosure of information
This ensures clients feel safe and know what is happening with their information (ANZ, 2007).
Paypal is a transaction site which deals with sellers and buyers of products. Trust needs to be in place since there is a transaction of money. Such precautions Paypal uses to ensure clients trust are:
· An overview of the process
· What information is collected
· The use and disclosure of information
· Information security
· Accessing and changing information
· How to contact the company
Overall there has to be trust within these websites because these websites are all dealing with transactions. If a website does not look professional and does not evoke trust then people would not want to make a transaction (Paypal, 2009).
http://www.eBay.com.au
http://www.anz.com.au
http://www.paypal.com.au
b) Find a web site yourself that you think looks untrustworthy.
There are a few websites which I have looked into that seem trustworthy in which they look professional but yet there are still some sense of doubt. Certain websites which I have looked into such as TV series on DVD show that while the website looks good do not necessarily mean that everything is legitimate. I’ve looked at these sites and made a decision that i would not purchase the items because of my sense of doubt.
Paypal.(2009).Policies. Retrieved May 22, 2009 from: https://www.paypal.com/au/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/ua/policy_privacy-outside
eBay.(2009). About eBay. Retrieved May 22, 2009 from: http://pages.ebay.com.au/aboutebay/trustandsafety.html
ANZ.(2007). Website security. Retrieved May 22, 2009 from: http://www.anz.com.au/Help/ANZs-Web-Site/ANZ-Web-Site-Security-And-Privacy-Statement.asp
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Week 8: Auctions
Q1: eBay is one of the only major Internet "pure plays" to consistently make a profit from its inception. What is eBay's business model? Why has it been so successful?
Ebay is a website which allows people to buy and sell objects over the internet. EBay business model is the broker model. The broker model is when people buy and sell over the internet making a transaction. EBay has been rather successful because most people have a rather good experience. EBay is a website which tries to ensure that people are being genuine. If and account seems to be fraudulent then eBay would delete their account. EBay has safety measures to ensure that people are not being ripped off.
Q2: Other major web sites, like Amazon.com and Yahoo!, have entered the auction marketplace with far less success than eBay. How has eBay been able to maintain its dominant position?
EBay has been able to maintain its dominant position because of how eBay has been operated. Amazon allows consumers go onto the website and buy items which Amazon has in stock. Amazon is more of a company where as eBay allows anyone to put items up for auction. After an item has been sold on eBay, the website receives a commission from the sale. EBay allows consumers to bid for items and who ever offers the most for the item wins the bid. EBay taps into people competitive nature which for some consumers makes it more worthwhile to bid and try to win.
Q3: What method does eBay use to reduce the potential for fraud among traders on its site? What kinds of fraud, if any, are eBay users most susceptible?
EBay has such methods of having information on their website to ensure that people know about security on their website. Such information on their website is in the security centre. The security centre tells consumers and sellers about what to do to reduce risk such as using Paypal. This is a function which eBay trusts and has a protection element for buyers and consumers (eBay, 2009). Such programs as Paypal are put in place to protect buyers and sellers if they use this program on eBay. If the buyer/seller uses another paying method then the Paypal protection does not apply to them (eBay, 2009). EBay also relies on feedback to know about who is being fraudulent. This allows EBay to know about people trying to scam the system.
The types of fraud eBay users are susceptible to are:
· Identity thief
· Sellers fraud
· Buyers fraud
· Fraudulent emails
Q4: eBay makes every effort to conceptualize its users as a community (as opposed to, say "customers" or "clients"). What is the purpose of this conceptual twist and does eBay gain something by doing it?
EBay does this because eBay wants people to come back onto the website. EBay interacts as a community to give people a good experience since people can buy and sell not having to rely on a shop. EBay allows people to search for items which might be unusual or items which you cannot purchase in stores. This means people rely on trying to sell products. Such items as concert tickets people try and sell for the best price because the tickets may be hard to get. People sell items on eBay such as tickets to try and receive a profit. EBay gains because more people will come back to eBay since items are different and ordinary everyday people sell the products.
Q5: eBay has long been a marketplace for used goods and collectibles. Today, it is increasingly a place where major businesses come to auction their wares. Why would a brand name vendor set-up shop on eBay?
In my opinion brand name vendors would set up shop on eBay because more people are buying items online. With the internet being more convenient more people are shopping online. With eBay increasing in popularity it would be logical to think that more businesses would sell on eBay to increase in popularity and increase recognition. EBay would allow consumers to buy brand items at a bidding price which might not be extremely high.
eBay.(2009). Security centre. Retrieved May 22, 2009 from: http://pages.ebay.com.au/securitycentre/index.html
Ebay is a website which allows people to buy and sell objects over the internet. EBay business model is the broker model. The broker model is when people buy and sell over the internet making a transaction. EBay has been rather successful because most people have a rather good experience. EBay is a website which tries to ensure that people are being genuine. If and account seems to be fraudulent then eBay would delete their account. EBay has safety measures to ensure that people are not being ripped off.
Q2: Other major web sites, like Amazon.com and Yahoo!, have entered the auction marketplace with far less success than eBay. How has eBay been able to maintain its dominant position?
EBay has been able to maintain its dominant position because of how eBay has been operated. Amazon allows consumers go onto the website and buy items which Amazon has in stock. Amazon is more of a company where as eBay allows anyone to put items up for auction. After an item has been sold on eBay, the website receives a commission from the sale. EBay allows consumers to bid for items and who ever offers the most for the item wins the bid. EBay taps into people competitive nature which for some consumers makes it more worthwhile to bid and try to win.
Q3: What method does eBay use to reduce the potential for fraud among traders on its site? What kinds of fraud, if any, are eBay users most susceptible?
EBay has such methods of having information on their website to ensure that people know about security on their website. Such information on their website is in the security centre. The security centre tells consumers and sellers about what to do to reduce risk such as using Paypal. This is a function which eBay trusts and has a protection element for buyers and consumers (eBay, 2009). Such programs as Paypal are put in place to protect buyers and sellers if they use this program on eBay. If the buyer/seller uses another paying method then the Paypal protection does not apply to them (eBay, 2009). EBay also relies on feedback to know about who is being fraudulent. This allows EBay to know about people trying to scam the system.
The types of fraud eBay users are susceptible to are:
· Identity thief
· Sellers fraud
· Buyers fraud
· Fraudulent emails
Q4: eBay makes every effort to conceptualize its users as a community (as opposed to, say "customers" or "clients"). What is the purpose of this conceptual twist and does eBay gain something by doing it?
EBay does this because eBay wants people to come back onto the website. EBay interacts as a community to give people a good experience since people can buy and sell not having to rely on a shop. EBay allows people to search for items which might be unusual or items which you cannot purchase in stores. This means people rely on trying to sell products. Such items as concert tickets people try and sell for the best price because the tickets may be hard to get. People sell items on eBay such as tickets to try and receive a profit. EBay gains because more people will come back to eBay since items are different and ordinary everyday people sell the products.
Q5: eBay has long been a marketplace for used goods and collectibles. Today, it is increasingly a place where major businesses come to auction their wares. Why would a brand name vendor set-up shop on eBay?
In my opinion brand name vendors would set up shop on eBay because more people are buying items online. With the internet being more convenient more people are shopping online. With eBay increasing in popularity it would be logical to think that more businesses would sell on eBay to increase in popularity and increase recognition. EBay would allow consumers to buy brand items at a bidding price which might not be extremely high.
eBay.(2009). Security centre. Retrieved May 22, 2009 from: http://pages.ebay.com.au/securitycentre/index.html
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Week 7: Automata
Write a one paragraph describing the Turing test and another paragraph describing an argument against the Turing Test, known as the about the Chinese room.
Turning test:
The turning test can be described as a way to test a machines (system) “capability to demonstrate thought” (Turning, 1950). This demonstrates a computer/system operating without the need of a user (operator). The turning test, tests “whether or not a system is intelligent” (University of Alberta, n.d). When looking at turning testing Alan Turning came up with the test and described it as when a person/human is having a conversation on the computer/system. If the person/human cannot “distinguish the machine from a human” (University of Alberta, n.d) the system would be deemed as intelligent. This can be interpreted as when a person is on a computer and receives replies the person does not know it is a computer not another person replying to their instructions.
University of Alberta.(n.d). Dictionary of cognitive science. Retrieved May 3, 2009 from: http://www.bcp.psych.ualberta.ca/~mike/Pearl_Street/Dictionary/contents/T/turing_test.html
Chinese room:
In contrast the Chinese room argument shows that if the system uses Chinese symbols then the system would pass the turning test. This argument shows that if the system replies with Chinese symbols the user may think it’s another human which it is not. This in theory would be a successful turning test but the system might just send out Chinese symbols but the symbols do not make sense with the question or conversation. Searle states that a Chinese speaker communicates with the system can the system responds in Chinese the person might think it is another person but the system might not actually be intelligent (Eliasmith, 2004). This demonstrates that the Chinese speaker may think it is another speaker who may not know how to read the symbols properly.
Chris Eliasmith.(2004). Chinese room. Retrieved May 4, 2009 from: http://philosophy.uwaterloo.ca/MindDict/chineseroom.html
Can virtual agents succeed in delivering high-quality customer service over the Web? Think of examples which support or disprove the question or just offer an opinion based on your personal experience.
There are many different categories concerning agents. Such categories are:
· Mobile agents
· Distributed agents
· Autonomous agents
· Intelligent agents
· Fuzzy agents
Knox,I.(2009) Automata week 7 power point presentation.
When discussing whether or not a virtual agent can succeed in delivering high quality customer service over the web, there are a few different things to consider. The internet has many virtual agents. Such companies as Google have agents which when a user/customer put in a word or question into the search engine the agent gives a reply with similar websites relating. This can be successful but also frustrating in my experience. When putting in a word of phrase into the search engine the response is not necessarily correct and might not even be completely relevant. In such cases as Google and other search engines which require agents this demonstrates not always does the agent give high quality customer service. The agent ideally gives the best customer service it can but does not always give the customer what they ideally want (Rappa, 2005).
Rappa,M.(2005) Automata. Retrieved May 2, 2009 from: http://digitalenterprise.org/transcripts/automata_tr.html
Turning test:
The turning test can be described as a way to test a machines (system) “capability to demonstrate thought” (Turning, 1950). This demonstrates a computer/system operating without the need of a user (operator). The turning test, tests “whether or not a system is intelligent” (University of Alberta, n.d). When looking at turning testing Alan Turning came up with the test and described it as when a person/human is having a conversation on the computer/system. If the person/human cannot “distinguish the machine from a human” (University of Alberta, n.d) the system would be deemed as intelligent. This can be interpreted as when a person is on a computer and receives replies the person does not know it is a computer not another person replying to their instructions.
University of Alberta.(n.d). Dictionary of cognitive science. Retrieved May 3, 2009 from: http://www.bcp.psych.ualberta.ca/~mike/Pearl_Street/Dictionary/contents/T/turing_test.html
Chinese room:
In contrast the Chinese room argument shows that if the system uses Chinese symbols then the system would pass the turning test. This argument shows that if the system replies with Chinese symbols the user may think it’s another human which it is not. This in theory would be a successful turning test but the system might just send out Chinese symbols but the symbols do not make sense with the question or conversation. Searle states that a Chinese speaker communicates with the system can the system responds in Chinese the person might think it is another person but the system might not actually be intelligent (Eliasmith, 2004). This demonstrates that the Chinese speaker may think it is another speaker who may not know how to read the symbols properly.
Chris Eliasmith.(2004). Chinese room. Retrieved May 4, 2009 from: http://philosophy.uwaterloo.ca/MindDict/chineseroom.html
Can virtual agents succeed in delivering high-quality customer service over the Web? Think of examples which support or disprove the question or just offer an opinion based on your personal experience.
There are many different categories concerning agents. Such categories are:
· Mobile agents
· Distributed agents
· Autonomous agents
· Intelligent agents
· Fuzzy agents
Knox,I.(2009) Automata week 7 power point presentation.
When discussing whether or not a virtual agent can succeed in delivering high quality customer service over the web, there are a few different things to consider. The internet has many virtual agents. Such companies as Google have agents which when a user/customer put in a word or question into the search engine the agent gives a reply with similar websites relating. This can be successful but also frustrating in my experience. When putting in a word of phrase into the search engine the response is not necessarily correct and might not even be completely relevant. In such cases as Google and other search engines which require agents this demonstrates not always does the agent give high quality customer service. The agent ideally gives the best customer service it can but does not always give the customer what they ideally want (Rappa, 2005).
Rappa,M.(2005) Automata. Retrieved May 2, 2009 from: http://digitalenterprise.org/transcripts/automata_tr.html
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Week 6: Digital markets
Question 1
a) What experiences have you had with shopping online?
The only online experience I have had is looking for items online at the JB hifi store. JB hifi has an online store and a physical store. You can either order items online or just look at the items online and see prices which helps you make decisions to whether or not you want to purchase. I look at the JB hifi store to see if they have what music/TV shows or movies that I want. If they do not have it then I won’t go to the store until the website states that they have it.
b) Describe a good experience.
My experiences have been good. I have purchased a few items because of the online presence. I tend to look at the items and price to determine whether ill purchase the items or not. A good experience is when the consumer goes on the online store and purchases items which they want. The experience is good when you purchase the item and receive the item in the stated time.
c) What did you like about the online store you used?
The things I liked about the online store I used were that I could look at the items and see what for example special features that the DVD comes with. The last item I purchased from Jb was One Tree Hill season 5 which I looked at the online store before purchase. I looked at the price and to see when the DVD was coming out. The online store allows you to see different editions of movies such as Twilight I was looking at which DVD was better. To whether the special edition was better than the original version or not.
d) Describe a bad experience.
A bad experience of online shopping is that the site does not work properly. When trying to make a transaction if the site does not work properly you might not get the item which you want. I have yet to have a bad experience but I’m sure that a lot of people have.
e) What problems did you have with the online store?
There were no real problems which I have encountered when looking online or ordering. The only issue that I have come across is the store not having the item when I wanted it. For example the store did not have the movie which I wanted at the time and I decided not to purchase until I have the item.
f) What features make an online store more appealing?
Personally when looking at an online store I prefer to look at the items. The items have to say how much the item costs whether in stores have the items and what are on the item such as movies features.
g) What features make an online store less appealing?
In my opinion online stores which have little information about what they are seeing is very unappealing. I want to know exactly what I am purchasing. The appearance of the online store is very important. It has to look professional. If the website looks dodgy I won’t look or even order from it. Such websites as the banks have to have a professional feel since if they did not many people would not bank online.
h) Should we expect to see the prices of goods and services rise or fall due to the migration of consumers online?In my opinion I think it depends. There are a lot of consumers who still do not shop online. The introduction of eBay has increased people in using the internet to shop and purchase online. In my opinion it depends on the product or service. Such things as CD’s have significantly changed. Buying music online is cheaper than buying physical CD’s. Overall prices change depending on the product.
Question 2
a) The dispersion of prices (that is, the spread between the lowest and highest price for a particular product) will narrow.
In this case I agree. Consumers generally always look for products and compare the prices. Most of the time consumers look at products from different stores not necessarily just in store but online also and decide which to buy through the price. If an online store has a product cheaper than a physical store then the consumer will be more incline to buy from the online store to save money.
b) The importance of brand names will decrease.
The importance of brand names in my opinion will not decrease. A lot of consumers are very brand loyal. Some consumers will buy a certain product because of the brand no matter the cost. For example consumers will buy Ford cars even though there might be a cheaper car will the same features and just as good quality.
c) Price competition will make all products cheaper.
I agree that when stores compete on price that the product becomes cheaper. Such items as iPods when people purchase them they look around at the price since the product is the same in each store.
d) Digital markets will become dominated by a handful of mega-sites, like Amazon.com.
I agree that digital markets are dominated by mega sites. Sites such as Amazon, eBay and other sites dominate since are well known so consumers turn to them first.
e) How do you think the balance of power between buyers and sellers will change?
I think that the balance of power will change between buyers and sellers are that people will be looking online for things. The buyers have to make sure that their prices are competing with other stores. If other stores are cheaper than consumers are more incline to go elsewhere. Sellers have more opportunity now since they can go online and see where they can get a product for a cheaper price.
f) Prices are cluster online.
This statement I am unsure about. I believe that the prices online vary. If products can be purchased online this does not mean that the prices are all the same.
g) Online prices are elastic. (I.e. immune to change up and down with demand).
I think this depends. Most prices would most likely stay the same due to demand always varies. Such items go through waves of popularity. If the items continually change through demand then the prices will change throughout the seasons. The price for a product might reduce for a certain amount of time but I do not think that prices online are elastic.
h) Online prices are generally transparent (the extent to which prices for a given product or service are known by buyers in the marketplace.).
I agree that online prices are transparent. Online prices would be close to the marketplace prices. Certain products are known for their value so if the online price is more expensive than other prices then consumers would purchase elsewhere.
http://moodle.ballarat.edu.au/file.php/24/Digital_Markets/MIT_price_paper.pdf
Question 3
a) What types of m-commerce services does your cell phone provider offer?
My mobile provider which is Optus provides such m-commerce as:
· paying bills online,
· emailing
· Bluetooth
· Games
· Internet
b) Which of these services do you use?
The only service that I use when it comes to my mobile phone is games and entertainment. I tend to use Bluetooth to send photos to my laptop and send files but I do not bank through my phone and generally do not use the internet on my phone.
c) What types of transactions do you perform through your cell phone or other wireless device? I generally do not make transactions on my phone. I send messages and call people but apart from that I hardly use it for much else. Many people I know use their phone to do many things. Some people use their phone to go onto the internet such as facebook and bank using their phone to know their bank balance.
d) What types of transactions would you like to perform, but are currently unable to?
Personally I don’t really want to make transactions on my phone since I have the internet at home which allows me to check things which need to be checked. On my phone I can go on the internet and download ringtones and download games.
e) What is your opinion of wireless advertising/mobile marketing?
In my opinion wireless advertising is a smart idea such as more people has a mobile then has the internet at their home. With people always on their phones it makes sense that marketers would tap into this trend. By making it easier for people to make transactions using their phone this helps people do things faster. With the introduction of iphones people have seen this as the latest craze since it allows consumers to go onto the internet to do normal things they would do on their computer. The iphone is bigger and easier to take anywhere.
a) What experiences have you had with shopping online?
The only online experience I have had is looking for items online at the JB hifi store. JB hifi has an online store and a physical store. You can either order items online or just look at the items online and see prices which helps you make decisions to whether or not you want to purchase. I look at the JB hifi store to see if they have what music/TV shows or movies that I want. If they do not have it then I won’t go to the store until the website states that they have it.
b) Describe a good experience.
My experiences have been good. I have purchased a few items because of the online presence. I tend to look at the items and price to determine whether ill purchase the items or not. A good experience is when the consumer goes on the online store and purchases items which they want. The experience is good when you purchase the item and receive the item in the stated time.
c) What did you like about the online store you used?
The things I liked about the online store I used were that I could look at the items and see what for example special features that the DVD comes with. The last item I purchased from Jb was One Tree Hill season 5 which I looked at the online store before purchase. I looked at the price and to see when the DVD was coming out. The online store allows you to see different editions of movies such as Twilight I was looking at which DVD was better. To whether the special edition was better than the original version or not.
d) Describe a bad experience.
A bad experience of online shopping is that the site does not work properly. When trying to make a transaction if the site does not work properly you might not get the item which you want. I have yet to have a bad experience but I’m sure that a lot of people have.
e) What problems did you have with the online store?
There were no real problems which I have encountered when looking online or ordering. The only issue that I have come across is the store not having the item when I wanted it. For example the store did not have the movie which I wanted at the time and I decided not to purchase until I have the item.
f) What features make an online store more appealing?
Personally when looking at an online store I prefer to look at the items. The items have to say how much the item costs whether in stores have the items and what are on the item such as movies features.
g) What features make an online store less appealing?
In my opinion online stores which have little information about what they are seeing is very unappealing. I want to know exactly what I am purchasing. The appearance of the online store is very important. It has to look professional. If the website looks dodgy I won’t look or even order from it. Such websites as the banks have to have a professional feel since if they did not many people would not bank online.
h) Should we expect to see the prices of goods and services rise or fall due to the migration of consumers online?In my opinion I think it depends. There are a lot of consumers who still do not shop online. The introduction of eBay has increased people in using the internet to shop and purchase online. In my opinion it depends on the product or service. Such things as CD’s have significantly changed. Buying music online is cheaper than buying physical CD’s. Overall prices change depending on the product.
Question 2
a) The dispersion of prices (that is, the spread between the lowest and highest price for a particular product) will narrow.
In this case I agree. Consumers generally always look for products and compare the prices. Most of the time consumers look at products from different stores not necessarily just in store but online also and decide which to buy through the price. If an online store has a product cheaper than a physical store then the consumer will be more incline to buy from the online store to save money.
b) The importance of brand names will decrease.
The importance of brand names in my opinion will not decrease. A lot of consumers are very brand loyal. Some consumers will buy a certain product because of the brand no matter the cost. For example consumers will buy Ford cars even though there might be a cheaper car will the same features and just as good quality.
c) Price competition will make all products cheaper.
I agree that when stores compete on price that the product becomes cheaper. Such items as iPods when people purchase them they look around at the price since the product is the same in each store.
d) Digital markets will become dominated by a handful of mega-sites, like Amazon.com.
I agree that digital markets are dominated by mega sites. Sites such as Amazon, eBay and other sites dominate since are well known so consumers turn to them first.
e) How do you think the balance of power between buyers and sellers will change?
I think that the balance of power will change between buyers and sellers are that people will be looking online for things. The buyers have to make sure that their prices are competing with other stores. If other stores are cheaper than consumers are more incline to go elsewhere. Sellers have more opportunity now since they can go online and see where they can get a product for a cheaper price.
f) Prices are cluster online.
This statement I am unsure about. I believe that the prices online vary. If products can be purchased online this does not mean that the prices are all the same.
g) Online prices are elastic. (I.e. immune to change up and down with demand).
I think this depends. Most prices would most likely stay the same due to demand always varies. Such items go through waves of popularity. If the items continually change through demand then the prices will change throughout the seasons. The price for a product might reduce for a certain amount of time but I do not think that prices online are elastic.
h) Online prices are generally transparent (the extent to which prices for a given product or service are known by buyers in the marketplace.).
I agree that online prices are transparent. Online prices would be close to the marketplace prices. Certain products are known for their value so if the online price is more expensive than other prices then consumers would purchase elsewhere.
http://moodle.ballarat.edu.au/file.php/24/Digital_Markets/MIT_price_paper.pdf
Question 3
a) What types of m-commerce services does your cell phone provider offer?
My mobile provider which is Optus provides such m-commerce as:
· paying bills online,
· emailing
· Bluetooth
· Games
· Internet
b) Which of these services do you use?
The only service that I use when it comes to my mobile phone is games and entertainment. I tend to use Bluetooth to send photos to my laptop and send files but I do not bank through my phone and generally do not use the internet on my phone.
c) What types of transactions do you perform through your cell phone or other wireless device? I generally do not make transactions on my phone. I send messages and call people but apart from that I hardly use it for much else. Many people I know use their phone to do many things. Some people use their phone to go onto the internet such as facebook and bank using their phone to know their bank balance.
d) What types of transactions would you like to perform, but are currently unable to?
Personally I don’t really want to make transactions on my phone since I have the internet at home which allows me to check things which need to be checked. On my phone I can go on the internet and download ringtones and download games.
e) What is your opinion of wireless advertising/mobile marketing?
In my opinion wireless advertising is a smart idea such as more people has a mobile then has the internet at their home. With people always on their phones it makes sense that marketers would tap into this trend. By making it easier for people to make transactions using their phone this helps people do things faster. With the introduction of iphones people have seen this as the latest craze since it allows consumers to go onto the internet to do normal things they would do on their computer. The iphone is bigger and easier to take anywhere.
Week 5: models
How does Australia rate?The Global Information Technology Report 2008-2009 was released at the world economic forum in the past few days (March 2009). See http://www.weforum.org/en/index.htm A countries 'Technology readiness' is an important part of its eBusiness readiness.Spend some time looking at the Technology report, particularly the country profiles and rankings. Use some of the tools to answer the following -
1) What is the Mobile phone use /100 population - compare Australia, USA, China, India
· Australia: 102.5
· USA: 83.5
· China: 41.2
· India: 20.0
2) Internet use population - compare Australia, USA, China, India
· Australia: 54.2
· USA: 71.9
· China: 15.8
· India: 6.9
3) Compare main strengths and weaknesses of Australia in the survey.
Strengths:
· Political regulory environment
· Infrastructure environment
· Individual readiness
Weakeness
· Market environment
· Business readiness
· Government readiness
By looking at the survey Australia was not ranked completely low. There was afew areas which Australia needs to improve on to become ranked higher.
4) What does the survey suggest to you about the Information Technology readiness of Australian business compared to Australian consumers?
This survey suggests that Australian business readiness is ranked 22 compared to individual Australian consumer which is ranked 13. This shows that the Australian consumer is ranked higher than Australian businesses.
All information is sourced through this website:
World Economic forum.(2009). The global information technology report. Retrieved April 25, 2009 from: http://www.insead.edu/v1/gitr/wef/main/fullreport/index.html
1) What is the Mobile phone use /100 population - compare Australia, USA, China, India
· Australia: 102.5
· USA: 83.5
· China: 41.2
· India: 20.0
2) Internet use population - compare Australia, USA, China, India
· Australia: 54.2
· USA: 71.9
· China: 15.8
· India: 6.9
3) Compare main strengths and weaknesses of Australia in the survey.
Strengths:
· Political regulory environment
· Infrastructure environment
· Individual readiness
Weakeness
· Market environment
· Business readiness
· Government readiness
By looking at the survey Australia was not ranked completely low. There was afew areas which Australia needs to improve on to become ranked higher.
4) What does the survey suggest to you about the Information Technology readiness of Australian business compared to Australian consumers?
This survey suggests that Australian business readiness is ranked 22 compared to individual Australian consumer which is ranked 13. This shows that the Australian consumer is ranked higher than Australian businesses.
All information is sourced through this website:
World Economic forum.(2009). The global information technology report. Retrieved April 25, 2009 from: http://www.insead.edu/v1/gitr/wef/main/fullreport/index.html
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Week 4 questions: Analytics
1) Looking at the site useage, what does the terms visits, page views and pages/visit mean? What does the bounce rate mean and does it vary much from day to day? By looking at the Analytical website the term visit means how many people have visited the website. There were 348 people who visited the OZRURAL site. The page views mean how many times the page has been viewed. In this case the page had been viewed 571 times. ( As from April 2, 2009) This will vary. Bounce rate is generally when the user/viewer goes to a different page or site from that site. The bounce rate does vary from day to day such as the average rate was 70.69%. On Monday the 2nd of March the bounce rate was 53.85% where as on Wednesday the 1st of April the bounce rate of OZRURAL was 83.33% according to the Google Analytic website. (Google, 2009).
Google.(2009). Google Analytics. Retrieved April 2, 2009 from:https://www.google.com/analytics/reporting/bounce_rate?id=2683968&pdr=20090302-20090401&cmp=average&trows=10&gdfmt=nth_day&lp=%2Fanalytics%2Freporting%2Fvisitors#lts=1238648578739
2) Now look at the traffic sources report. What are the three sources of traffic and where has most of the traffic come from? The three sources of traffic are direct traffic, referring sites and Search engines. Most of the traffic comes from Search engines which consist of 75.86%. Direct traffic is 20.40% and referring sites is 3.74%. The main search engine which gives most traffic to the OZRURAL site is Google. (Google, 2009).
Google.(2009). Traffic source overview. Retrieved from:https://www.google.com/analytics/reporting/sources?id=2683968&pdr=20090302-20090401&cmp=average&trows=10&gdfmt=nth_day&lp=%2Fanalytics%2Freporting%2Fvisitors#lts=1238648950048
3) What was the most popular web browser used to access the site?The most popular web browser is Internet explorer. 240 people used Internet Explorer, 75 used Fire Fox, 19 Safari, 13 used Chrome and 1 used Mozilla. Internet explorer is the most popular web browser because it is the most used and common. (Google, 2009).
Google.(2009). Visitors Overview. Retrieved April 2, 2009 from: https://www.google.com/analytics/reporting/visitors?id=2683968&pdr=20090302-20090401&cmp=average&lp=%2Fanalytics%2Freporting%2F&trows=10&gdfmt=nth_day&rpt=VisitorsOverviewReport&tab=0&tchcol=0&tst=0&tscol=v0&tsdir=0&mdet=WORLD&midx=0&gidx=0&glcnt=1#lts=1238648521170
4) How many countries did visitors to OZRURAL come from and what were the top three countries?
On the 1st of April 2009 the website states that there were 20 different countries which visited OZRURAL. The top 3 countries which visited the OZRURAL website was Australia with 238, The United States which had 52 and Canada which had 16. (Google, 2009).
Google.(2009). Map overlay. Retrieved on April 2, 2009 from: https://www.google.com/analytics/reporting/maps?id=2683968&pdr=20090302-20090401&trows=10&gdfmt=nth_day&lp=%2Fanalytics%2Freporting%2Fbenchmark#lts=1238649361499
5) Having clicked every possible link on my analytics, make a few comments on
(a) What you can track, On the website you can track:
· Visits
· Page views
· Time on site
· Bounce rate
· Traffic source
· List of countries that the user comes from
· User overview
(b) What you can track over time
· Number of visits
· Number of times pages have been visited
· How long people spend on a page
· Number of countries which visit the website
· Bounce rate
(c) What you can’t track.
· The gender of the user
· The direct location of the user
· Age of the user
6) What do the following terms mean? These are just a few, you may like to add some more and perhaps include them on the Moodle glossary
.high bounce rate:High bounce rate means how many times a user/person left the website after entering. Generally this means the website isn’t relevant and the user might not return to the website.
Google.(2009). What does Bounce Rate mean? Retrieved April 2, 2009 from:https://adwords.google.com.au/support/bin/answer.py?answer=81986&hl=en-uk&ctx=rosetta
key words: In the context of the internet keywords are when searching for a website keywords allow the user to find a relevant website that contains the keywords which the user is looking for.
Average Page Depth:Average page depth means on average the user visits pages on a site.
Google.(2009). Average page depth. Retrieved April 2, 2009 from:http://www.google.com/support/analytics/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=32974
click through rate:Click through rate is when a user clicks “on an ad then divided by the number of times the ad is shown” (google, 2009).
Google.(2009). Click through rate. Retrieved April 2, 2009 from:http://adwords.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=6305
click:Click means pressing a button on a mouse.
Cookie:Cookies are stored data such as small text files which is data about websites visited. (Keane, 2003).
Keane, T., Lawson, J., Kitchen, T. & Stortell, A.(2003). Information processing and management. Southbank, Vic, Australia:Nelson Australia
Impression:Impression is viewing a website or looking at an advertisement.
Encyclo.(2009). Impression. Retrieved April 2, 2009 from http://www.encyclo.co.uk/define/impression
Hyperlink:A Hyperlink is a text or image that when a user/person clicks onto it the hyperlink takes then user directing to the website. (Encyclo, 2009).
Encyclo.(2009). Hyperlink. Retrieved April 2, 2009 from: http://www.encyclo.co.uk/search.php
Navigation:Navigation is when a person goes to a website through an internet browser. (Everland, 2009).
Everlands.(2009). Web design and hosting. Retrieved April 2, 2009 from: http://www.everlands.co.uk/glossary.htm
Pageview:Is when the internet page is viewed.
Session:A session is how long the user is on the website for.
Unique Visitors (or Absolute Unique Visitors):Unique visitor is when the website identifies the user using an IP address (Encyclo, 2009).
Encyclo.(2009). Unique visitors. Retrieved April 2, 2009 from: http://www.encyclo.co.uk/search.php
URL:This stands for Universal Resource Locator. This “identifies a file is on the internet” (Everlands, 2009).
Everlands.(2009). Web design and hosting. Retrieved April 2, 2009 from: http://www.everlands.co.uk/glossary.htm
Visitor:A visitor is a user/person who visits a website.
Visitor Session:A visitor session is the amount of time a user/person spends on a website.
https://www.google.com/analytics/reporting/?reset=1&id=2683968&pdr=20090302-20090401
Google.(2009). Google Analytics. Retrieved April 2, 2009 from:https://www.google.com/analytics/reporting/bounce_rate?id=2683968&pdr=20090302-20090401&cmp=average&trows=10&gdfmt=nth_day&lp=%2Fanalytics%2Freporting%2Fvisitors#lts=1238648578739
2) Now look at the traffic sources report. What are the three sources of traffic and where has most of the traffic come from? The three sources of traffic are direct traffic, referring sites and Search engines. Most of the traffic comes from Search engines which consist of 75.86%. Direct traffic is 20.40% and referring sites is 3.74%. The main search engine which gives most traffic to the OZRURAL site is Google. (Google, 2009).
Google.(2009). Traffic source overview. Retrieved from:https://www.google.com/analytics/reporting/sources?id=2683968&pdr=20090302-20090401&cmp=average&trows=10&gdfmt=nth_day&lp=%2Fanalytics%2Freporting%2Fvisitors#lts=1238648950048
3) What was the most popular web browser used to access the site?The most popular web browser is Internet explorer. 240 people used Internet Explorer, 75 used Fire Fox, 19 Safari, 13 used Chrome and 1 used Mozilla. Internet explorer is the most popular web browser because it is the most used and common. (Google, 2009).
Google.(2009). Visitors Overview. Retrieved April 2, 2009 from: https://www.google.com/analytics/reporting/visitors?id=2683968&pdr=20090302-20090401&cmp=average&lp=%2Fanalytics%2Freporting%2F&trows=10&gdfmt=nth_day&rpt=VisitorsOverviewReport&tab=0&tchcol=0&tst=0&tscol=v0&tsdir=0&mdet=WORLD&midx=0&gidx=0&glcnt=1#lts=1238648521170
4) How many countries did visitors to OZRURAL come from and what were the top three countries?
On the 1st of April 2009 the website states that there were 20 different countries which visited OZRURAL. The top 3 countries which visited the OZRURAL website was Australia with 238, The United States which had 52 and Canada which had 16. (Google, 2009).
Google.(2009). Map overlay. Retrieved on April 2, 2009 from: https://www.google.com/analytics/reporting/maps?id=2683968&pdr=20090302-20090401&trows=10&gdfmt=nth_day&lp=%2Fanalytics%2Freporting%2Fbenchmark#lts=1238649361499
5) Having clicked every possible link on my analytics, make a few comments on
(a) What you can track, On the website you can track:
· Visits
· Page views
· Time on site
· Bounce rate
· Traffic source
· List of countries that the user comes from
· User overview
(b) What you can track over time
· Number of visits
· Number of times pages have been visited
· How long people spend on a page
· Number of countries which visit the website
· Bounce rate
(c) What you can’t track.
· The gender of the user
· The direct location of the user
· Age of the user
6) What do the following terms mean? These are just a few, you may like to add some more and perhaps include them on the Moodle glossary
.high bounce rate:High bounce rate means how many times a user/person left the website after entering. Generally this means the website isn’t relevant and the user might not return to the website.
Google.(2009). What does Bounce Rate mean? Retrieved April 2, 2009 from:https://adwords.google.com.au/support/bin/answer.py?answer=81986&hl=en-uk&ctx=rosetta
key words: In the context of the internet keywords are when searching for a website keywords allow the user to find a relevant website that contains the keywords which the user is looking for.
Average Page Depth:Average page depth means on average the user visits pages on a site.
Google.(2009). Average page depth. Retrieved April 2, 2009 from:http://www.google.com/support/analytics/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=32974
click through rate:Click through rate is when a user clicks “on an ad then divided by the number of times the ad is shown” (google, 2009).
Google.(2009). Click through rate. Retrieved April 2, 2009 from:http://adwords.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=6305
click:Click means pressing a button on a mouse.
Cookie:Cookies are stored data such as small text files which is data about websites visited. (Keane, 2003).
Keane, T., Lawson, J., Kitchen, T. & Stortell, A.(2003). Information processing and management. Southbank, Vic, Australia:Nelson Australia
Impression:Impression is viewing a website or looking at an advertisement.
Encyclo.(2009). Impression. Retrieved April 2, 2009 from http://www.encyclo.co.uk/define/impression
Hyperlink:A Hyperlink is a text or image that when a user/person clicks onto it the hyperlink takes then user directing to the website. (Encyclo, 2009).
Encyclo.(2009). Hyperlink. Retrieved April 2, 2009 from: http://www.encyclo.co.uk/search.php
Navigation:Navigation is when a person goes to a website through an internet browser. (Everland, 2009).
Everlands.(2009). Web design and hosting. Retrieved April 2, 2009 from: http://www.everlands.co.uk/glossary.htm
Pageview:Is when the internet page is viewed.
Session:A session is how long the user is on the website for.
Unique Visitors (or Absolute Unique Visitors):Unique visitor is when the website identifies the user using an IP address (Encyclo, 2009).
Encyclo.(2009). Unique visitors. Retrieved April 2, 2009 from: http://www.encyclo.co.uk/search.php
URL:This stands for Universal Resource Locator. This “identifies a file is on the internet” (Everlands, 2009).
Everlands.(2009). Web design and hosting. Retrieved April 2, 2009 from: http://www.everlands.co.uk/glossary.htm
Visitor:A visitor is a user/person who visits a website.
Visitor Session:A visitor session is the amount of time a user/person spends on a website.
https://www.google.com/analytics/reporting/?reset=1&id=2683968&pdr=20090302-20090401
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
TOPIC 3: Questions on Digital Design
1. In two paragraphs explain why a customer centric Web site design is so important, yet so difficult to accomplish.
Customer centric web site design is very important but is difficult to accomplish because consumers are ever changing. Customer centric websites are websites which basically are designed specifically for customers to cater for all their wants and needs (Pivarnik, 2000). A customer centric website is very important yet difficult to accomplish because the company has to aim the website to cater for the consumer’s wants and not necessarily what the company thinks the consumers want and need thus advertising products which are somewhat popular and not products which do not sell. The company needs to advertise products which consumers want and advertise them on the website (McGovern, 2006).
When designing a customer centric web site the website has to be easy to use. If the website is difficult to use then the consumer will not stay on the website very long (McGovern, 2006). When designing a customer centric web site the company has to ensure that the website is catering for the consumers needs of “convenience, speed ( doesn’t take long to download) and price (advertises the price)” (McGovern, 2006). This means that by having a website online the consumer can look at the website and either buy and enquires online about a product. The issue would be that if the website takes too long to download particular pages of certain products then the consumer will leave the website. By showing the price of products it gives the consumer an idea of the product. By not stating prices the consumer might become impatient since that might be the only reason they went onto the website in the first place (McGovern, 2006).
Pivarnik, C. (2000). Is Your Web Site Customer-Centric?. Retrieve on March 23, 2009 from the 4hb website: http://www.4hb.com/0520cpcustomercentric.html
McGovern, G. (2006).Catalog success. Retrieved on March 23, 2009 from the Catalog success website: http://www.catalogsuccess.com/article/e-commerce-10-tips-more-customer-centric-web-site-41482_1.html
2. Define the term 'presence'. Write an additional paragraph that describes why firms that do business on the Web should be more concerned about presence than firms that operate in the physical world.
The term presence can be defined as “being present; existence, occurrence or attendance at some place or in something” (Your dictionary.com, 2009). While looking at the ‘Your dictionary.com’ I found that this definition is what presence can mean in terms of websites and business.
In my opinion firms/businesses that do business over the internet on websites have to be more concerned about presence because consumers may not know about the businesses and would then most likely never search for that particular product/service. Online businesses have to be more aware of presence rather than businesses in the physical world because businesses in the physical world have shops and people can see the shop physically so it is easier for the business to be recognised. Businesses that are online have to advertise and try and make sure they become present and have a presence in consumers’ minds since a consumer is unlikely to know about the business if they have not made an impact.
Your dictionary. (2009). Presence. Retrieved March 23, 2009 from Your dictionary website: http://www.yourdictionary.com/presence
3. Write three paragraphs to briefly describe the things that Real Estate Agents can best accomplish through (1) their web sites (2) Mass media advertising (3) Personal contact
Websites:
Real estate agents use websites since most people use the internet to find out information. With people using the internet more real estate agents have caught onto the idea and used it to advertise property, houses, land and other things so consumers can see the product and not have to leave their home or work. This is easier for the customer since they can look at the website anytime and see if there is anything they are interested in, instead of physically going to a house or property which does not interest them. Such websites as Netlab show real estate agents/companies what should be on a website to increase sales. Such suggestions as having virtual tours, pictures and information about the house/property allows the agents to cater for the needs of the consumers by given them such information which lets the consumer a) see the house through tours and b) know what the house has to offer (Netlab, 2009). This allows busy work people look at the websites and homes in their own time and not have to worry about office times and looking through houses they would not want.
Netlab. (2009). Website Design Services for Real Estate Agents. Retrieved March 23, 2009 from the Netlab website: http://www.netlab.com.au/real-estate-website-design.htm
Mass media advertising:
In my opinion Real estate agents use mass media to advertise not only their business to receive recognition but to show potential buyers houses which might interest them. The best way agents can use mass media is to advertise their company on television, the radio, the newspaper and catalogues. In most local newspapers there are pictures of houses for sale in the newspaper which give the consumer a description of the house and a price. Potential clients can look at these pictures and see if they are interested in what the agents/business is offering. Although by using mass media such as television this give the business recognition because consumers physically see the business and can put an image into the consumers mind about the business. This can cause the consumer to look further into the business and what they are offering.
Personal contact:
In my opinion real estate agents use person contact to create a relationship with the client to make the client feel comfortable. Personal contact allows the real estate agent to be able to see what the client is looking for and is able to give help in the way of searching for things in their clients’ price range. Personal contact is in a way allows the agent to have a personal one on one contact with the client and are able to try and cater for their needs and wants.
Customer centric web site design is very important but is difficult to accomplish because consumers are ever changing. Customer centric websites are websites which basically are designed specifically for customers to cater for all their wants and needs (Pivarnik, 2000). A customer centric website is very important yet difficult to accomplish because the company has to aim the website to cater for the consumer’s wants and not necessarily what the company thinks the consumers want and need thus advertising products which are somewhat popular and not products which do not sell. The company needs to advertise products which consumers want and advertise them on the website (McGovern, 2006).
When designing a customer centric web site the website has to be easy to use. If the website is difficult to use then the consumer will not stay on the website very long (McGovern, 2006). When designing a customer centric web site the company has to ensure that the website is catering for the consumers needs of “convenience, speed ( doesn’t take long to download) and price (advertises the price)” (McGovern, 2006). This means that by having a website online the consumer can look at the website and either buy and enquires online about a product. The issue would be that if the website takes too long to download particular pages of certain products then the consumer will leave the website. By showing the price of products it gives the consumer an idea of the product. By not stating prices the consumer might become impatient since that might be the only reason they went onto the website in the first place (McGovern, 2006).
Pivarnik, C. (2000). Is Your Web Site Customer-Centric?. Retrieve on March 23, 2009 from the 4hb website: http://www.4hb.com/0520cpcustomercentric.html
McGovern, G. (2006).Catalog success. Retrieved on March 23, 2009 from the Catalog success website: http://www.catalogsuccess.com/article/e-commerce-10-tips-more-customer-centric-web-site-41482_1.html
2. Define the term 'presence'. Write an additional paragraph that describes why firms that do business on the Web should be more concerned about presence than firms that operate in the physical world.
The term presence can be defined as “being present; existence, occurrence or attendance at some place or in something” (Your dictionary.com, 2009). While looking at the ‘Your dictionary.com’ I found that this definition is what presence can mean in terms of websites and business.
In my opinion firms/businesses that do business over the internet on websites have to be more concerned about presence because consumers may not know about the businesses and would then most likely never search for that particular product/service. Online businesses have to be more aware of presence rather than businesses in the physical world because businesses in the physical world have shops and people can see the shop physically so it is easier for the business to be recognised. Businesses that are online have to advertise and try and make sure they become present and have a presence in consumers’ minds since a consumer is unlikely to know about the business if they have not made an impact.
Your dictionary. (2009). Presence. Retrieved March 23, 2009 from Your dictionary website: http://www.yourdictionary.com/presence
3. Write three paragraphs to briefly describe the things that Real Estate Agents can best accomplish through (1) their web sites (2) Mass media advertising (3) Personal contact
Websites:
Real estate agents use websites since most people use the internet to find out information. With people using the internet more real estate agents have caught onto the idea and used it to advertise property, houses, land and other things so consumers can see the product and not have to leave their home or work. This is easier for the customer since they can look at the website anytime and see if there is anything they are interested in, instead of physically going to a house or property which does not interest them. Such websites as Netlab show real estate agents/companies what should be on a website to increase sales. Such suggestions as having virtual tours, pictures and information about the house/property allows the agents to cater for the needs of the consumers by given them such information which lets the consumer a) see the house through tours and b) know what the house has to offer (Netlab, 2009). This allows busy work people look at the websites and homes in their own time and not have to worry about office times and looking through houses they would not want.
Netlab. (2009). Website Design Services for Real Estate Agents. Retrieved March 23, 2009 from the Netlab website: http://www.netlab.com.au/real-estate-website-design.htm
Mass media advertising:
In my opinion Real estate agents use mass media to advertise not only their business to receive recognition but to show potential buyers houses which might interest them. The best way agents can use mass media is to advertise their company on television, the radio, the newspaper and catalogues. In most local newspapers there are pictures of houses for sale in the newspaper which give the consumer a description of the house and a price. Potential clients can look at these pictures and see if they are interested in what the agents/business is offering. Although by using mass media such as television this give the business recognition because consumers physically see the business and can put an image into the consumers mind about the business. This can cause the consumer to look further into the business and what they are offering.
Personal contact:
In my opinion real estate agents use person contact to create a relationship with the client to make the client feel comfortable. Personal contact allows the real estate agent to be able to see what the client is looking for and is able to give help in the way of searching for things in their clients’ price range. Personal contact is in a way allows the agent to have a personal one on one contact with the client and are able to try and cater for their needs and wants.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Week 2 questions: Navigation
Part 1 - Navigation. One of the biggest challenges for businesses and customers alike is navigating the Internet. This week please -
1) Listen to the podcast on Navigation which can be found on the Digital Enterprise Page (Google - the digital enterprise). a) What are the four (4) main points Michael Rappa makes about search? Please write them on your blog page.After listening to the podcast by Michael Rappa the four main points that he made about search were that:
· When searching for information on the internet there is a lot of information out there on the internet. This is because data is being created on a daily basis (Rappa, 2005). Data/information which has been created may not have much relevance due to the storage of data is very cheap (Rappa, 2005). With data being not expensive this causes a lot of data/information on the internet not necessarily being significant. Rapper also states that oppose to 50 years ago information/data was hard to find and was expensive, but with data being not expensive this means there’s more information out there. (Rappa, 2005)
· Search engines search the key phrase or question and then display the website addresses in a list. There are generally millions of websites to choose from. But search engines display about 12 websites to a page. The first page is generally paid placements. (Rappa, 2005)
· Another point which Rappa makes is that the internet is a major part of search. This is through the use of search engines that help search for information. Companies have paid search engines to put their websites/advertisement on some of the first pages of search engines to receive more recognition. Generally people only look at the first page which appears on the search engine. So with paying a search engine to make their website appear on the first page this is beneficial to the company. Paid placement would cause presumption that the company would not abuse their position. (Rappa, 2005)
· Searching through a search engines such as Google and yahoo help people search for information. Although there is a problem which is that search engines cannot collect all the information available on the internet (Rappa, 2005). The data on the internet increases everyday but this does not mean the data base has all the information. Search engines do not always have every part of data that is available on the internet.(Rappa, 2005)
Rappa,M.(2005). Managing the Digital Enterprise. Retrieved on March 10, 2009 from the Digital Enterprise website: http://digitalenterprise.org/navigation/nav.html
b) Watch or read the Marissa Mayer interview. Write a paragraph or two, on four points made by Marissa Mayer, that you think were the most interesting or significant for business. There are no right or wrong answers here; I just want your opinion.
Melissa Mayer is the vice president of search products and user experience at Google. Melissa Mayer made a few interesting points concerning business. The points I found most interesting were:
· By using her experience at Google Mayer talked about how they created the prototype. She discussed how they used the feedback and information gathered from users of the prototype to see if it satisfied their needs. They also used this information to see where they need to improve (Mayer, 2009). Businesses have to do this to see where they need to improve their product and even to see if the product is successful. If companies do not use the feedback that they obtain then the company might hit some obstacles and not know how to deal with issues surrounding a particular product or service. Companies need to satisfy consumer’s needs and wants or consumers would not buy or use the product/service. (Mayer, 2009)
· Mayer also talked about advertisements on the internet. Businesses can pay such internet sites/businesses like Google to advertise their business since people browse search engines. People browse search engines and may pay attention to ads being advertised. Mayer states “the amount of attention that a user pays on each page...is fundamentally different” (Mayer, 2009). This means that when ads appear on search engines when people are searching information the ads might only attract or catch the focus of a few people but not everyone. Companies can use this information to their advantage by having advertisements on the internet that attract the user’s attention. (Mayer, 2009)
· Throughout the interview Mayer talks about Google in other countries (their effect in other countries). Google can be accessed from any country. Although Google launched a different product in India and Brazil which was more successful in those countries then the US. (Mayer, 2009). This is important for companies due to by introducing product in another country it extend recognition. Although the company needs the resources to attempt such international marketing to be successful. While doing this the company has to research the country and see what/who their main competition are (Mayer, 2009).
· Mayer also stated an important issue which is that there are not many women engineers. This shows women should try and break into this industry since there is a minority of women who are engineers. I found this rather interesting because there is a big opportunity for women to become engineers. (Mayer, 2009).
Mayer,M.(2009).Marissa Mayer on Charlie Rose: The future of google, Future of search. Retrieved March 10, 2009 from the Tech Crunch website: http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/06/marissa-mayer-on-charlie-rose-the-future-of-google/
1) Listen to the podcast on Navigation which can be found on the Digital Enterprise Page (Google - the digital enterprise). a) What are the four (4) main points Michael Rappa makes about search? Please write them on your blog page.After listening to the podcast by Michael Rappa the four main points that he made about search were that:
· When searching for information on the internet there is a lot of information out there on the internet. This is because data is being created on a daily basis (Rappa, 2005). Data/information which has been created may not have much relevance due to the storage of data is very cheap (Rappa, 2005). With data being not expensive this causes a lot of data/information on the internet not necessarily being significant. Rapper also states that oppose to 50 years ago information/data was hard to find and was expensive, but with data being not expensive this means there’s more information out there. (Rappa, 2005)
· Search engines search the key phrase or question and then display the website addresses in a list. There are generally millions of websites to choose from. But search engines display about 12 websites to a page. The first page is generally paid placements. (Rappa, 2005)
· Another point which Rappa makes is that the internet is a major part of search. This is through the use of search engines that help search for information. Companies have paid search engines to put their websites/advertisement on some of the first pages of search engines to receive more recognition. Generally people only look at the first page which appears on the search engine. So with paying a search engine to make their website appear on the first page this is beneficial to the company. Paid placement would cause presumption that the company would not abuse their position. (Rappa, 2005)
· Searching through a search engines such as Google and yahoo help people search for information. Although there is a problem which is that search engines cannot collect all the information available on the internet (Rappa, 2005). The data on the internet increases everyday but this does not mean the data base has all the information. Search engines do not always have every part of data that is available on the internet.(Rappa, 2005)
Rappa,M.(2005). Managing the Digital Enterprise. Retrieved on March 10, 2009 from the Digital Enterprise website: http://digitalenterprise.org/navigation/nav.html
b) Watch or read the Marissa Mayer interview. Write a paragraph or two, on four points made by Marissa Mayer, that you think were the most interesting or significant for business. There are no right or wrong answers here; I just want your opinion.
Melissa Mayer is the vice president of search products and user experience at Google. Melissa Mayer made a few interesting points concerning business. The points I found most interesting were:
· By using her experience at Google Mayer talked about how they created the prototype. She discussed how they used the feedback and information gathered from users of the prototype to see if it satisfied their needs. They also used this information to see where they need to improve (Mayer, 2009). Businesses have to do this to see where they need to improve their product and even to see if the product is successful. If companies do not use the feedback that they obtain then the company might hit some obstacles and not know how to deal with issues surrounding a particular product or service. Companies need to satisfy consumer’s needs and wants or consumers would not buy or use the product/service. (Mayer, 2009)
· Mayer also talked about advertisements on the internet. Businesses can pay such internet sites/businesses like Google to advertise their business since people browse search engines. People browse search engines and may pay attention to ads being advertised. Mayer states “the amount of attention that a user pays on each page...is fundamentally different” (Mayer, 2009). This means that when ads appear on search engines when people are searching information the ads might only attract or catch the focus of a few people but not everyone. Companies can use this information to their advantage by having advertisements on the internet that attract the user’s attention. (Mayer, 2009)
· Throughout the interview Mayer talks about Google in other countries (their effect in other countries). Google can be accessed from any country. Although Google launched a different product in India and Brazil which was more successful in those countries then the US. (Mayer, 2009). This is important for companies due to by introducing product in another country it extend recognition. Although the company needs the resources to attempt such international marketing to be successful. While doing this the company has to research the country and see what/who their main competition are (Mayer, 2009).
· Mayer also stated an important issue which is that there are not many women engineers. This shows women should try and break into this industry since there is a minority of women who are engineers. I found this rather interesting because there is a big opportunity for women to become engineers. (Mayer, 2009).
Mayer,M.(2009).Marissa Mayer on Charlie Rose: The future of google, Future of search. Retrieved March 10, 2009 from the Tech Crunch website: http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/06/marissa-mayer-on-charlie-rose-the-future-of-google/
Sunday, March 8, 2009
TOPIC ONE QUESTIONS
Topic one questions:
1. Internet risks – give examples of four things that can go wrong with a transactional site?
There are many internet risks when it comes to making a transaction over the internet. Such examples are when making a transaction over the internet the website has to have some encryptions to ensure that private information and details are protected. (Living internet, 2009)
Security is a major risk when making a transaction on a transaction website. The website has to be secure to make sure that all your information is safe and won’t be spread over the internet or misuse of information. (Living internet, 2009)
Another risk is that the website has to be authentic. If the website does not look authentic then the chances are that it is not. When making transactions over the internet people have to make sure they can trust the website which they are making a transaction with. Such as if the website has no information about the company as such then the website may not be authentic. If there is not information about the company anywhere else on the internet there is a chance it is not authentic. (Living internet, 2009)
Fraud is another risk. Fraud is a major issue due to since the transaction is made over the internet if the website is not proper then money can be taken. If the website is fraudulent, money is at risk and card details could be misused by the fraudulent person charging things to the account. (Living internet, 2009).
Living internet.(2009)Financial Transaction on the web. Retrieved on March 8, 2009 from the Iiving internet website: http://www.livinginternet.com/w/wa_buy.htm
2. Write down a definition for each:
a) E-commerce: E-commerce is when there are transactions over the internet which transfers information. E-commerce can exchange goods or services over the internet without having to worry about time and distance. E-commerce allows businesses to make transactions over the internet. (Network solutions, 2007).
Network solutions.(2007). E-commerce. Retrieved on March 7, 2009 from the Network Solutions website. http://ecommerce.networksolutions.com/ecommerce_what_is_ecommerce.asp
b) E-business: E-business is using technology such as the “internet to improve business processes” (Northern Territory Government, 2006). E-business is when a company uses the internet to “communicate with suppliers, customers, employees and partners” (Dictionary, 2009) without having to physically having to have physical contact.
Dictionary.(2009). Retrieved on March 7, 2009 from the Encarta website:http://uk.encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861819452/e-business.html
Northern Territory Government.(2006). Business. Retrieved on March 7, 2009 from the Northern Territory government website: http://www.nt.gov.au/business/services.cfm?contentid=39&cat5id=3
3. What is the difference between buy side and sell side eCommerce?
The difference between buy side e-commerce and sell side e-commerce is the buy side of e-commerce is when a business buys from another business such as a manufacturer (Oracle, n.a). Where as sell side e-commerce is when a business sells a product or service over the internet through a website(Oracle, n.a). Generally buy side e-commerce buys products from the internet where as sell side e-business sells on the internet.
Oracle.(n.a). Whats the difference between e-business and e-commerce. Retrieved on March 9, 2009 from the Inquirer website: http://www.inquirer.net/infotech/oct99wk3/info_7.htm
4. Describe the different types of eBusiness.
There are many different types of ebusinesses such as:
· B2B: Business to business: Is when a business sells a product to another business such as a manufacturer selling to a distributor and a wholesaler to a retailer (Digitsmith, 2006).
· B2C: Business to consumer: Business to consumer is when a business sells to an actual consumer. Such businesses are amazon which sells products to consumers via the internet.
· C2B: Consumer to business: This is when a consumer wants a certain product or service which they display what they want and their budget. This allows businesses to present their bid and allows the consumer to choose which business they want to use.
· C2C: Consumer to consumer: This is when a consumer can buy or sell products over the internet to other consumers. E-bay is an example such as consumers try and buy or sell their items over the internet and people can bid for the items.
· G2G: Government to government: The government sells to another government. The government exchanges information with another government (Digitsmith, 2006).
· C2G: Consumer to government. This is when consumers tell the government their thoughts and opinions through pressure groups (Knox, 2009).
· G2B: Government to business: This is when the government charges the business tax. The internet can be used to lodge tax returns.
· B2G: Business to Government: This is when a business tells the government their thoughts and opinions which might be through a lobby group.
· G2C: Government to consumer: This is when the government charges the consumer tax and the consumer can lodge their tax return over the internet(Knox, 2009.pg 13).
Digitsmith.(2006). Ecommerce definition and types of e-commerce. Retrieved on March 7, 2008 from the Digitsmith website: http://www.digitsmith.com/ecommerce-definition.html
Knox, I.(2009). Introduction to e-business. Powerpoint presentation pg 13
5. Which digital technology has the highest penetration rate? Explain and source your answer.
The digital technology which has the highest penetration rate is mobile phones. Mobile phones have the highest penetration rate since most people have a mobile or even more then one mobile phone. According to Moco news.net the penetration rate globally is 61.1%. This shows that mobiles are increasingly popular and increasing globally (Pearce, 2009).
Pearce .J.(2009). Report: 4.1 Billion Mobile Subscribers Worldwide Helps Reduce Digital Divide (Slightly). Retrieved March 8, 2009 from the Moco news website: http://www.moconews.net/entry/419-4.1-billion-mobile-subscribers-mobile-helping-reduce-digital-divide-sli/
6. List::Four drivers to adoption of sell-side e-commerce by business.
The four drivers to adopt the sell side of e-commerce are that:
· By using the selling side of e-commerce there are a few benefits such as the marketing cost are reduced due to the sales and advertising is done online. (Knox, 2009. Pg 17)
· There is an increase in revenue such as selling to new customers, repeat selling to customers and cross selling to customers. (Knox, 2009. Pg 17)
· There is a reduction of administrative costs invoice payments. This is a benefit because with less administrative costs this allows the business to make more money and less time consuming. (Knox, 2009. Pg 17)
· Supply chain reduction is a driver since there is a shorter time to order and receive stock to sell to the customer. This is a driver due to the business does not have to have the stock in hand but can order the stock when an order comes through. (Knox, 2009. Pg 17)
Knox,I. (2009). Introduction to e-business. Powerpoint presentation. Retrieved from page 17.
7. Four barriers to adoption of sell-side e-commerce by business.
There are certain barriers which cause businesses to opt not to adopt the sell-side of e-commerce. Such barriers are:
· The start up cost of an e-business company can be a barrier due to the start up price. (Knox, 2009. Pg 20)
· Time and resources can become an issue due to the business may not have the time to dedicate to the online business. A business may not have the resources to pay for or continue to run an online business. (Knox, 2009. Pg 20)
· Lack of knowledge. If the business does not have the basic understanding on the internet then the businesses would most likely not be profitable to be online. If the business does not know how to work the internet or have programs so people can purchase online the business would not succeed. (Knox, 2009. Pg 20)
· Reluctance of suppliers would become a barrier due to if the company does not sell the items to the business through online then that would become an issue. If the business cannot get a supplier which supplies online or even a supplier at all then the
business would be in trouble. (Knox, 2009. Pg 20)
Knox,I. (2009). Introduction to e-business. Powerpoint presentation. Retrieved from page 20.
8. How might a restaurant in Sturt Street Ballarat benefit from an online presence?
A restaurant in Sturt Street would benefit by having an online presence because people use the internet to search for almost everything. If the restaurant had a website people who look up the website on the internet to check for certain things such as the phone number or even a menu. The restaurant would benefit more by having a website since when looking up restaurants in the area the restaurant would appear allowing more recognition. A website gives general information and allows the observer to look at the website and see what kind of experience the restaurant offers. (Knox, 2009. Pg 21)
Knox,I. (2009). Introduction to e-business. Powerpoint presentation. Retrieved from page 21.
9. What are some examples of Digital information??
The different examples of digital information are:
· Cd’s
· DVD’s
· Digital camera
· Mobile phones
· The internet
· Digital television
Digital information is information which can be changed and altered “without losing quality” (Digital, 2009).
Digital.(2009) Retrieved on March 8, 2009 from the tech terms website:http://www.techterms.com/definition/digital
10. What is the semantic web? Are we there yet?
The semantic web is ideally more direct and more useful for users. The reason for this is that the semantic web ideally finds information and data which is relevant to what the user wants. When comparing the semantic web to the world wide web, the world wide web finds general information based on a request but not necessarily what the users wants. The semantic web is meant to be more accurate of a request.(Altova, 2009). By reading some of the information about the semantic web there does not seem to be a big demand or alot of recognition about the products. Needless to say there are semantic web products available people have not necessarily caught onto the concept. The use of search engines presumably dominates over the semantic web.
Altova.(2009). What is the semantic web? Retrieved on March 7, 2009 from the Altova website:http://www.altova.com/semantic_web.html
1. Internet risks – give examples of four things that can go wrong with a transactional site?
There are many internet risks when it comes to making a transaction over the internet. Such examples are when making a transaction over the internet the website has to have some encryptions to ensure that private information and details are protected. (Living internet, 2009)
Security is a major risk when making a transaction on a transaction website. The website has to be secure to make sure that all your information is safe and won’t be spread over the internet or misuse of information. (Living internet, 2009)
Another risk is that the website has to be authentic. If the website does not look authentic then the chances are that it is not. When making transactions over the internet people have to make sure they can trust the website which they are making a transaction with. Such as if the website has no information about the company as such then the website may not be authentic. If there is not information about the company anywhere else on the internet there is a chance it is not authentic. (Living internet, 2009)
Fraud is another risk. Fraud is a major issue due to since the transaction is made over the internet if the website is not proper then money can be taken. If the website is fraudulent, money is at risk and card details could be misused by the fraudulent person charging things to the account. (Living internet, 2009).
Living internet.(2009)Financial Transaction on the web. Retrieved on March 8, 2009 from the Iiving internet website: http://www.livinginternet.com/w/wa_buy.htm
2. Write down a definition for each:
a) E-commerce: E-commerce is when there are transactions over the internet which transfers information. E-commerce can exchange goods or services over the internet without having to worry about time and distance. E-commerce allows businesses to make transactions over the internet. (Network solutions, 2007).
Network solutions.(2007). E-commerce. Retrieved on March 7, 2009 from the Network Solutions website. http://ecommerce.networksolutions.com/ecommerce_what_is_ecommerce.asp
b) E-business: E-business is using technology such as the “internet to improve business processes” (Northern Territory Government, 2006). E-business is when a company uses the internet to “communicate with suppliers, customers, employees and partners” (Dictionary, 2009) without having to physically having to have physical contact.
Dictionary.(2009). Retrieved on March 7, 2009 from the Encarta website:http://uk.encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861819452/e-business.html
Northern Territory Government.(2006). Business. Retrieved on March 7, 2009 from the Northern Territory government website: http://www.nt.gov.au/business/services.cfm?contentid=39&cat5id=3
3. What is the difference between buy side and sell side eCommerce?
The difference between buy side e-commerce and sell side e-commerce is the buy side of e-commerce is when a business buys from another business such as a manufacturer (Oracle, n.a). Where as sell side e-commerce is when a business sells a product or service over the internet through a website(Oracle, n.a). Generally buy side e-commerce buys products from the internet where as sell side e-business sells on the internet.
Oracle.(n.a). Whats the difference between e-business and e-commerce. Retrieved on March 9, 2009 from the Inquirer website: http://www.inquirer.net/infotech/oct99wk3/info_7.htm
4. Describe the different types of eBusiness.
There are many different types of ebusinesses such as:
· B2B: Business to business: Is when a business sells a product to another business such as a manufacturer selling to a distributor and a wholesaler to a retailer (Digitsmith, 2006).
· B2C: Business to consumer: Business to consumer is when a business sells to an actual consumer. Such businesses are amazon which sells products to consumers via the internet.
· C2B: Consumer to business: This is when a consumer wants a certain product or service which they display what they want and their budget. This allows businesses to present their bid and allows the consumer to choose which business they want to use.
· C2C: Consumer to consumer: This is when a consumer can buy or sell products over the internet to other consumers. E-bay is an example such as consumers try and buy or sell their items over the internet and people can bid for the items.
· G2G: Government to government: The government sells to another government. The government exchanges information with another government (Digitsmith, 2006).
· C2G: Consumer to government. This is when consumers tell the government their thoughts and opinions through pressure groups (Knox, 2009).
· G2B: Government to business: This is when the government charges the business tax. The internet can be used to lodge tax returns.
· B2G: Business to Government: This is when a business tells the government their thoughts and opinions which might be through a lobby group.
· G2C: Government to consumer: This is when the government charges the consumer tax and the consumer can lodge their tax return over the internet(Knox, 2009.pg 13).
Digitsmith.(2006). Ecommerce definition and types of e-commerce. Retrieved on March 7, 2008 from the Digitsmith website: http://www.digitsmith.com/ecommerce-definition.html
Knox, I.(2009). Introduction to e-business. Powerpoint presentation pg 13
5. Which digital technology has the highest penetration rate? Explain and source your answer.
The digital technology which has the highest penetration rate is mobile phones. Mobile phones have the highest penetration rate since most people have a mobile or even more then one mobile phone. According to Moco news.net the penetration rate globally is 61.1%. This shows that mobiles are increasingly popular and increasing globally (Pearce, 2009).
Pearce .J.(2009). Report: 4.1 Billion Mobile Subscribers Worldwide Helps Reduce Digital Divide (Slightly). Retrieved March 8, 2009 from the Moco news website: http://www.moconews.net/entry/419-4.1-billion-mobile-subscribers-mobile-helping-reduce-digital-divide-sli/
6. List::Four drivers to adoption of sell-side e-commerce by business.
The four drivers to adopt the sell side of e-commerce are that:
· By using the selling side of e-commerce there are a few benefits such as the marketing cost are reduced due to the sales and advertising is done online. (Knox, 2009. Pg 17)
· There is an increase in revenue such as selling to new customers, repeat selling to customers and cross selling to customers. (Knox, 2009. Pg 17)
· There is a reduction of administrative costs invoice payments. This is a benefit because with less administrative costs this allows the business to make more money and less time consuming. (Knox, 2009. Pg 17)
· Supply chain reduction is a driver since there is a shorter time to order and receive stock to sell to the customer. This is a driver due to the business does not have to have the stock in hand but can order the stock when an order comes through. (Knox, 2009. Pg 17)
Knox,I. (2009). Introduction to e-business. Powerpoint presentation. Retrieved from page 17.
7. Four barriers to adoption of sell-side e-commerce by business.
There are certain barriers which cause businesses to opt not to adopt the sell-side of e-commerce. Such barriers are:
· The start up cost of an e-business company can be a barrier due to the start up price. (Knox, 2009. Pg 20)
· Time and resources can become an issue due to the business may not have the time to dedicate to the online business. A business may not have the resources to pay for or continue to run an online business. (Knox, 2009. Pg 20)
· Lack of knowledge. If the business does not have the basic understanding on the internet then the businesses would most likely not be profitable to be online. If the business does not know how to work the internet or have programs so people can purchase online the business would not succeed. (Knox, 2009. Pg 20)
· Reluctance of suppliers would become a barrier due to if the company does not sell the items to the business through online then that would become an issue. If the business cannot get a supplier which supplies online or even a supplier at all then the
business would be in trouble. (Knox, 2009. Pg 20)
Knox,I. (2009). Introduction to e-business. Powerpoint presentation. Retrieved from page 20.
8. How might a restaurant in Sturt Street Ballarat benefit from an online presence?
A restaurant in Sturt Street would benefit by having an online presence because people use the internet to search for almost everything. If the restaurant had a website people who look up the website on the internet to check for certain things such as the phone number or even a menu. The restaurant would benefit more by having a website since when looking up restaurants in the area the restaurant would appear allowing more recognition. A website gives general information and allows the observer to look at the website and see what kind of experience the restaurant offers. (Knox, 2009. Pg 21)
Knox,I. (2009). Introduction to e-business. Powerpoint presentation. Retrieved from page 21.
9. What are some examples of Digital information??
The different examples of digital information are:
· Cd’s
· DVD’s
· Digital camera
· Mobile phones
· The internet
· Digital television
Digital information is information which can be changed and altered “without losing quality” (Digital, 2009).
Digital.(2009) Retrieved on March 8, 2009 from the tech terms website:http://www.techterms.com/definition/digital
10. What is the semantic web? Are we there yet?
The semantic web is ideally more direct and more useful for users. The reason for this is that the semantic web ideally finds information and data which is relevant to what the user wants. When comparing the semantic web to the world wide web, the world wide web finds general information based on a request but not necessarily what the users wants. The semantic web is meant to be more accurate of a request.(Altova, 2009). By reading some of the information about the semantic web there does not seem to be a big demand or alot of recognition about the products. Needless to say there are semantic web products available people have not necessarily caught onto the concept. The use of search engines presumably dominates over the semantic web.
Altova.(2009). What is the semantic web? Retrieved on March 7, 2009 from the Altova website:http://www.altova.com/semantic_web.html
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
My first Blog
So this is my first blog. Well where should i start? Well this blog shall be used to post questions concerning my business class which is rather interesting and a different way to show our learning and work. So this is techically my 3rd year at Ballarat university but i have about 18 months left of my degree. I changed from commerce to business which is mostly why i have an extra 6 months. Well thats all for now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)