Cybertopia's World

E-Auction : Types, Benefits, Fraud and Prevention

2009-07-17T23:35:00.004+08:00

An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder. In economic theory, an auction may refer to any mechanism or set of trading rules for exchange. It is characterized by the competitive and dynamic nature by which the final price is reached. Electronic auctions (E-auctions) are auctions conducted online. There are many types of Auctions like English auction, Dutch auction, Sealed first-price auction, Vickrey auction, forward auction, reverse auction, silent auction, top-up auction and so on.

Forward auction or regular auctions are electronic auctions, which can be used by sellers to sell their items to many potential buyers. Sellers and buyers can be individuals, organizations etc. Items are commonly placed at a special site for auction (e.g. eBay.com). Buyers can continuously bid for the items they are interested in. Eventually the highest bidder wins the item. Two types of forward auctions are common. The first is a liquidate auction. Here buyers seek to obtain the lowest price for an item they are interested in. The second type is a marketing efficiency auction. Buyers wish to obtain a unique item.

In a regular auction, purchasers are allowed to place a bid on an item, which is the amount they are willing to pay in order to buy the item. The person who places the highest bid usually ends up with the item. With a reverse auction, however, the opposite is true. More specifically, the buyer advertises a need for an item or service. Then a pool of suppliers or sellers is selected. A Request for Quote (RFQ) is sent out to the suppliers. Suppliers then place bids for the amount they expect to be paid in order to perform such a service or provide such an item. Generally, the supplier who places the lowest bid will win the job or sell the item.

E-Auction replaces the conventional methods of requesting sealed paper tenders, however, it must be emphasized that success depends on at least the same market knowledge and sourcing skills as the paper-based process it replaces.

Benefits of E-auctions

Benefits to sellers

1) Increased revenues
Sellers can reach the most interested buyers and sell the things at price which equal to buyer valuation by broadening the customer base and shortening the disposal cycle time. they can eliminate the need to predict demand.

2) Better customer relationships
Buyers and sellers have more time and chances to interact with each other. Seller can gather information about customer interest and delivery more personalized content.

3) Lower transaction and administrative costs
Compared to manual auctions and liquidation, E-auctions offers lower transaction cost. Cost of selling will be lower too.

Benefits to buyers

1) Market Transparency
An electronic reverse auction with multiple, qualified bidders can be used to flush out the true market price of the auctioned items. Furthermore, this information can be used as the basis for real-time benchmarks for future sourcing projects. Auctions spark healthy competition, which can help all participants understand the true market value and identify areas where they need improvement. A buyer benefits by knowing true – often lower – costs. Suppliers benefit by knowing the market rate so they can review their own business or pricing model.

2) Opportunities to find unique items and collectibles. Items that are hard to find are auctioned regularly on the internet.

3) Anonymity. Nobody knows who are the buyer, only can see that the price is increasing.

Fraud & Prevention

There are many types of e-auction fraud. For example:

Shilling: It is a place where placing fake bid on auction items. The main purpose is to rise up the bidding price.

Bid shielding: there is some phantom bidders bid at a very high price at the start of an auction and pull out at the last minute and this will cause a bidder of a much lower price to win.

Fake photos and misleading descriptions: some seller will distort what they can truly sell. They tried to falsified facts by convey false impression of the item.

Selling reproductions: sellers sell something that claims are original but actually it is a reproduction.

Loss and damage claim: buyers claim that they did not receive an item or they received it in a damage condition and thus ask for refund. They might be trying to get a freebie.

Other fraud: sale of stolen goods, use of false identities, providing false contact information, selling the same item to several buyers and so on.

From the above statements, it is important for everyone to prevent e-auction fraud. There are some ways to be taken to prevent fraud:

1)Become familiar with the auction website. Look into the websites protection policies. Never assume you are protected from auction fraud.

2)Before placing a bid, learn as much as you can about the seller. If you can’t find anything out about the seller, than avoid doing business with them. Never fall for promises of better deals by moving away from the original auction website.

3)Never ever give out your social security number, drivers license number, credit card number, or bank account information until you have thoroughly checked out the seller and the escrow service.

4)Always save 100% of the transaction information. You’ll be glad you did in the event your case makes it to court.

5)If after the sale you feel the item/payment should have been delivered already, try to work it out with the seller/buyer. If at that point you feel that fraud is involved, immediately contact your state attorney general’s office and the FTC at http://www.ftc.gov/

Related links:

1)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auction
2)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward_auction
3)http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-reverse-auction.htm
4)http://www.finance.gov.tt/documents/172.pdf
5)http://www.esourcingwiki.com/index.php/E-Auctions_in_Sourcing#Benefits_of_online_auctions_.E2.80.93_Suppliers
6)http://www.crimcheck.com/background-check-news/whats-internet-auction-fraud-and-how-do-i-prevent-it

Electronic Payment

2009-07-17T01:25:00.006+08:00

Electronic payment (e-payment) is any digital financial payment transaction involving currency transfer between two or more parties. It is an electronic payment device that is used in modern times. This has payment by via net possible to businesses, banks and citizens. However, it is important that when you are talking about e-payment you should know that they are connected e-Business and moreover, the online payment has become one of the solutions to businesses.

When it comes to payment options, nothing is more convenient than e-payment. You do not have to write a check, swipe a credit card or handle any paper money; all you have to do is enter some information into your Web browser and click your mouse. It is no wonder that more and more people are turning to e-payment as an alternative to sending checks through the mail.

Methods and types of electronic payment
An e-payment is any kind of non-cash payment that does not involve a paper check. Methods of e-payment include credit cards, debit cards and the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network. The ACH system comprises direct deposit, direct debit and electronic checks (e-checks).

For all these methods of e-payment, there are three main types of transactions:
1. A one-time customer-to-vendor payment is commonly used when you shop online at an e-commerce site, such as Amazon. You click on the shopping cart icon, type in your credit card information and click on the checkout button. The site processes your credit card information and sends you an e-mail notifying you that your payment was received. On some Web sites, you can use an e-check instead of a credit card. To pay by e-check, you type in your account number and your bank's routing number. The vendor authorizes payment through the customer's bank, which then either initiates an electronic funds transfer (EFT) or prints a check and mails it to the vendor.

2. You make a recurring customer-to-vendor payment when you pay a bill through a regularly scheduled direct debit from your checking account or an automatic charge to your credit card. This type of payment plan is commonly offered by car insurance companies, phone companies, and loan management companies. Some long-term contracts (like those at gyms or fitness centers) require this type of automated payment schedule.

3. To use automatic bank-to-vendor payment, your bank must offer a service called online bill pay. You log on to your bank's Web site, enter the vendor's information and authorize your bank to electronically transfer money from your account to pay your bill. In most cases, you can choose whether to do this manually for each billing cycle or have your bills automatically paid on the same day each month.

Benefits of Electronic Payment

1. E-payment is very convenient for the consumer.
In most cases, you only need to enter your account information, such as your credit card number and shipping address once the information is then stored in a database on the retailer's Web server. When you come back to the Web site, you just log in with your username and password. Completing a transaction is as simple as clicking your mouse. All you have to do is confirm your purchase and you're done.

2. E-payment lowers costs for businesses.
Low set-up and transaction fees. The more payments they can process electronically, the less they spend on paper and postage. Offering e-payment can also help businesses improve customer retention. A customer is more likely to return to the same e-commerce site where his or her information has already been entered and stored.

3. No risks.
When processing the order, you can be sure, that the order has been paid for. Your credit risks are thereby significantly reduced.

4. It is simple.
It is easy for customers to pay with e-payment. They only have to use their Solo Internet codes to approve the pre-filled payment order and the transaction is done!

5. Speed.
Confirmation of the payment made by customers reaches the organization in moments.

6. In addition, below are some of the points of benefits of Electronic Payment:
(a) Easy to integrate into the merchant web site.
(b) Comprehensive reporting tools provided via the e-payment web site with secure log in.
(c) Ability to acquire a merchant account with multiple banks.
(d) 24-hour support line.
(e) Outsourcing of security means less reason for merchant site to be attacked.

Concerns about Electronic Payment
1. Identity theft. The main drawbacks to e-payments are concerns over privacy and the possibility of identity theft. Fortunately, there are many safeguards available to protect your sensitive personal information from falling into the wrong hands. You can defend yourself against identity theft by using virus protection software and a firewall on your computer. You should also make sure that you send your credit card information over a secure server. Your Internet browser will notify you when a server is secure by showing a lock or key icon. In addition, the URL on a secure site is usually designated by the prefix "https" instead of "http." Retailers do their part by using data encryption, which codes your information in such a way that only the key holder can decode it.

2. Privacy concerns aside, some people simply dislike making e-payments. They find the setup too time-consuming and do not want more logons and passwords to remember. Others simply prefer the familiarity of writing checks and dropping envelopes in the mail. For some people that do not have the basic computer skill, there mind be a problem for them to do e-payment as well. Regardless of these concerns, e-payment will likely continue to rise in popularity.

3. There is a great risk involves in the theft or losing of the smart cards. In case the cards fall in unsafe hands, there is a danger of the expenditure of your entire bank balance. There are measures to inform the concerned authorities about the loss of the card. But, the time between losing the card and informing the authorities is critical. Unauthorized users may carry out transactions in your name during this period of time.

CONCLUSION:
This was not to discourage you from taking to electronic payments although there are some disadvantages of e-payment. It was rather to make you aware of the disadvantages of electronic payment systems. While we are moving towards a paperless environment, we are inviting issues related to electronic security.

With all the benefits of e-payment, it is no wonder that its use is on the rise. E-payments grew as payment by check declined, which means that e-payments are replacing checks.

Related Links:
1. http://communication.howstuffworks.com/electronic-payment.htm
2. http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?
3. http://ezinearticles.com/?Disadvantages-of-Electronic-Payment-Systems&id=2003183

A discussion on E-learning offered in Malaysian universities: Pros and Cons from the students perspective

2009-07-15T10:37:00.014+08:00

Electronic learning (or E-Learning) is a term for all types of technology-enhanced learning (TEL), where technology is used to support the learning process. Often the medium of instruction is through computer technology, particularly involving digital technologies. E-learning has been defined as "pedagogy empowered by digital technology". In some instances, no face- to- face interaction takes place.

E-learning is used interchangeably in a wide variety of contexts. Lately in most Universities, E-learning is used to define a specific mode to attend a course or programmed of study where the students rarely, if ever, attend face-to-face for on-campus access to educational facilities, because they study online. Universities which provide online degrees involve more and more electronic facilities to give their online students fast and qualified assistance.

There are several benefits and challenges to E-learning. Here are some pros and cons from the students’ perspective.

Pros:
(a) All of students’ class materials, assignments, lectures, quizzes are made available by students’ instructor online. This benefit is particularly advantageous for those of students who have ever lost class documents. Now students can go back to the class webpage (eg: utar called it as wble) and print out copies whenever they need them. With an e-learning course, students can also review assignment details and lecture materials any time.

(b) Students can access the information online from any internet-ready computer. Non-traditional students, for examples those with full-time jobs and/or those with children and other family priorities, will enjoy this flexible learning environment that allows them to dedicate time and attention to their day-to-day responsibilities and still be successful students.

(c) Support different learning styles (using flexible learning materials).
It accommodates multiple learning styles using a variety of delivery methods geared to different students and is more effective for certain learners.

(d) Encourage anytime, anyplace access to course materials.
24/7 accessibility makes scheduling easy and allows all the students access to the e-learning site (eg: wble) anytime. This on-demand access means learning can happen precisely when needed.

(e) Fosters greater student interaction and collaboration
Increase opportunities for student participation, encouraging less confident students to take part. Students can have better interaction and discussion in the forum. The online environment is far easier (and often more comfortable) to work in since students do not have to be face-to-face.

(f) Travel time and associated costs (parking, fuel, and vehicle maintenance) are reduced or eliminated. Students no need purposely go to universities to get some information.

(g) Overall student costs are frequently less (tuition, residence, food, transportation) if compare with offline learning.

(h) Fosters greater student or instructor contact. This can facilitate the communication between students or promoting peer group support. This can also improve communication with course tutor and teaching assistants.

(i) Enhances computer and Internet skills. By having E-learning, students must have some computer and internet skills to make our learning process successful.

(j) Provide self-directed and self-paced learning, allowing students to keep track of their own progress.

(k) Promote student engagement (using interactive learning materials), improving learner motivation and satisfaction.

(l) Give direct access to relevant and up-to-date information.

(m) Alternate and complementary ways of learning often help to facilitate students’ understanding.

(n) Improve universities of course materials.

(o) Students can do preparation of future topics, and revision of previous topics.

(p) Increase the accessibility of information and course materials to students with disabilities.

Cons:
(a) Large classes are more challenging to teach online than in the classroom. In most cases, 15 students are the largest number of students that an instructor can accommodate within an online class.

(b) Lack of face-to-face communication with lecturers and tutors contribute lack of understanding between students and lecturers or tutors. While a lecturers or tutors cannot easily feel a student's demands, interests and motivations, a student can simply be lazy being non-motivated enough and having free time schedule for his or her E-learning. This may result a low scope of the student's knowledge and the lecturers' or tutors’ accusation in lack of proficiency.

(c) Next, online classes, conferences and discussions are limited in time and totally exclude emotional interactivity. Though some universities which provide online courses and give online degrees evolve voice communication through networking technologies but there is still lack of gestures, vivid dialogue and feeling of students’ interlocutor's presence.

(d) Of course, less motivated employees will have difficulty dealing with the lack of structure in a self-paced E-learning program. Deal with that issue by scheduling time off for your employees so they can complete the assigned module. Also consider setting up an area that's quiet and conducive to learning, so workers can focus on their coursework.

In conclusion, like any form of teaching, E-learning requires various resources to be developed successfully. Things to keep in mind is E-learning does not have to be the only way of students course is delivered. It is often E-learning is delivered through "blended learning", in which E-learning is used to complement traditional educational methods. Besides that, E-learning could be a large or small part of students’ course.

E-learning has been becoming more and more popular among students living in Malaysia. There are pros and cons on e-learning studies. So, there is no good or bad on E-learning studies, but by having E-learning, there are much more benefits if compared with the disadvantages. As a students, need to make good use of the E-learning that provided by universities.

Related Links:
1. http://garts.latech.edu/tamaram/elearning/page2.htm
2. http://www.worldwidelearn.com/elearning-essentials/elearning-benefits.htm
3. http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/elan/getting_started/benefits
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_learning

Corporate Blogging: A new marketing communication tool for companies

2009-07-12T14:09:00.014+08:00

BLOGS, defined as web pages that serves as a publicly accessible personal journals have been attracting media and public eye for the last few years. The amount of registered blogs is huge and still increasing. Such phenomenon, appreciated and popularized by many internet users, has also been regarded in literature as innovative communication tool for business. That is why the new term has been coined – corporate blog.

Corporate blog is a weblog published and used by an organization to reach its organizational goals. The purposes of blog usage can be grouped in three fields – brand building (include leadership), customer service (include product development) and promotion (include sponsorship and advertising).

Corporate blogs have some unique features which make them perfect alterative or upgrade to typical corporate web pages which are usually exemplified by minor usage of user generated content – i.e. the communication is one sided or asymmetric and the users do not have many opportunities to provide company with valuable information, not mentioning about the possibility of having on-line dialogue with company’s employees and other clients.

Bellow are the types of corporate blogs:
1. Leadership corporate blogs

in which particular person from company is thoroughly chosen to represent the company not only for brand building, but also for presenting company’s views on various aspects. Such blogs are mainly used by companies which are market leaders.

2. Group corporate blogs

in which all employees have right to participate in the development of company’s blog. In such case, company uses only one blog, which is usually incorporated within the structure of company’s corporate web site and the blog has many co-authors.

3. Corporate blogs platform

consisting of many blogs written by employees or company’s business partners. Such blogs can promote particular individuals as specialists in given fields and are often used as customer service support.

4. Promotional blogs

such as sponsored blogs, advertising and contest blogs where the leading role is played by product, event or other marketing action, not by an author.

Corporate blogging provides a way for companies and readers to meet on common ground and discuss ideas, products and services in the hopes of building an audience that can become customers. A corporate blog provides a cost-effective alternative to having a website. For small and medium sized business entrepreneurs without the time and the means to set up a website, corporate blogging offers an inexpensive tool to herald the company's presence on the powerful Internet.

Corporate blogs provide small and medium sized businesses with an avenue to share their expertise and knowledge with a bigger audience. Both online and offline small and medium sized businesses can use blogs to take their products and services to a wider audience increasing web traffic and boosting sales. The fact is corporate blogging is fast becoming a sustainable marketing strategy for any online marketer. There are numerous ways a business can benefit from a blog.

An effective corporate blog can help give a human face to a business. Blogs bring a personal dimension to the web. Blogs make business sites more personal. Since blogs are updated by individuals, the "voice" of the blogger will resonate through. This will assure potential customers that there are real people behind the blog engaging them in real conversations. Blogs can be opinionated, informative, at other times infused with humor thus eliciting better response from target audience.

A corporate blog if used productively can improve customer service. It provides instant customer feedback through comments. It allows one's audience to comment on a post and create a dialogue with them. A blog can act as a question and answer forum. Customers can post questions and receive instant replies. An effective corporate blog functions as a central knowledge base of articles, tutorials, product development status, and other relevant product or service information. This is good customer service.

A corporate blog keeps an archive of older posts organized by date and categorized by topic. This gives the target audience easier access to information. With corporate blogs, it is also easy to add new information on a regular basis. Frequent updates in the form of fresh new posts mean visitors will have all the reasons to keep coming back thus building loyal readers and best potential clients.

A corporate blog can increase the chances of prospective clients to visit a company's website. For a start, visitors to a corporate blog can be redirected to the company's main site through links and special offers. Use of relevant keywords and popular links to specific sales pages improve search engine ranking of both the business blog and the main website. Just like the main website, top search result rank equals traffic. With more and more people turning to the all-powerful Internet to search for products and services, it is essential for small businesses to be easily crawled by search engines. Since search engines thrive on new content, the more likely the search engines are going to visit the blog and share it with the world.

Regularly posting valuable content on a corporate blog builds company credibility and creates sound business reputation. A corporate blog can help project a company as an expert in a chosen business area. Customers feel more comfortable transacting business with a reputable company.

A corporate blog can be an avenue to introduce company products or services. Ideally, a blog is not about selling. A blog can be used to mention new products or services and direct visitors to the company's main website in the process generating more sales. Interestingly, several advertising programs such as Google Adsense allow companies to monetize their business blogs and generate extra revenue.

However, a corporate blog is not urgent but important for small and medium sized businesses. A corporate blog alone is not enough to market a company product or service. But it is good investment for startup businesses to have conversations with customers and prospective clients. Corporate blogging is an effective way to start conversing with visitors interested in ones products or services but it is in no way to be viewed as a standalone strategy. Yes, corporate blogging can do wonders. But it is not going to work on its own. A corporate blog is most effective when it is used in conjunction with other online communication tools such as e-mail, press release, pay per click, company websites, to name a few.

Setting up and maintaining a great corporate blog that visitors will find useful and relevant is just like having an effective built-in public relations staff that will spread the word about the business.

Starting a business blog is easy but transforming it into a marketing tool that drives traffic and sales to a business takes time, dedication and consistency.

15 Most Popular Corporate Blogs (Technorati ranked) – May 2008

No.1 Google – Authority: 8492

No.2 Adobe – Authority: 1797
No.3 Flickr – Authority: 1744

No.4 Facebook – Authority: 1478

No.5 Yahoo! Search – Authority: 1130
No.6 Dell – Authority: 799

No.7 Digg – Authority: 641

No.8 LinkedIn – Authority: 591

No.9 Ask – Authority: 364

No.10 General Motors – Authority: 364

No.11 Yahoo! – Authority: 297

No.12 Delta – Authority: 252

No.13 Kodak – Authority: 105

No.14 Monster – Authority: 73

No.15 Boeing – Authority: 67

Source: New PR Wiki, provides the listing of corporate blogs

2. http://www.enterpriseblogs.info/corporate-blogging/advantages

3. http://www.blogopreneur.com/2007/03/30/the-benefits-of-corporate-blogging/

4. http://www.backbonemedia.com/blogsurvey/23-advantages-corporate-blog.htm

5. http://www.internetviz-newsletters.com/bulldog/e_article000404957.cfm

E-government in Malaysia : Its Implementation So Far and Citizen's Adoption Strategies

2009-07-11T23:02:00.001+08:00

E-government is a short form for electronic government. E-government is also known as e-gov, digital government, transformational government and lastly online government. Basically, e-government is the use of technology to enhance the access to and delivery of government services to benefit citizens, business partners and employees.The local, state and federal government set up a central website where the public can find the public information, download government forms and contact government representatives. It involves computerized and automation of existing paper-based procedures. E-gov aims to make the interaction between government and citizens (G2C), government and business enterprises (G2B), and inter-agency relationships (G2G).

The implementations of e-government in Malaysia are:
a) Generic Office Environment (GEO)
b) Electronic Procurement (eP) Project
c) Human Resource Management Information System
d) Project Monitoring System (PMS)
e) Electronic Services Directory (eServices)
f) Electronic Labor Exchange (ELX)
g) E-Syariah

a. Generic Office Environment (GEO)
The goal of GEO is to introduce a fully integrated, distributed and scalable office environment that leverages the use of multimedia information technology. This project is to have an effective and efficient communication among the workers, allowing collaboration across the workers within the organisation and to ensure the right information reaching the right person in a timely manner.

b. Electronic Procurement (eP) Project
The aim of eP is to re-engineer, automate, and transform the current procurement system. Electronic procurement covers central contract, tender, and direct purchases. Besides, the use of eP is save time, money and encourages the electronic and joins K-economy.

c. Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS)
HRMIS provide a single interface for government employees to perform human resource function effectively and efficiently in an integrated environment. It standardizes human resource processes for federal, state, statutory body and local authority services. HRMIS is not just record keeping but it also provide transactional functions such as employee selection, recruitment, leave application and loan processing.

d. Project Monitoring System (PMS)
PMS create a mechanism that monitors the project implementation throughout various government agencies and statutory bodies. Besides, it provides a platform to exchange idea and to demonstrate best practices in information management and communication services. PMS consist of 3 services which are Application Services, Data Services and Communication Services.

e. Electronic Services Directory (eServices)
It is a pilot project which allows the Malaysian citizens to engage in transactions with government and utilities payment such as telephone and electricity bills, police summons, Road and Transport Department Services and so forth. Besides, it is accessed through multi channel service delivery such as Internet and kiosks machine.

f. Electronic Labor Exchange (ELX)
ELX aim is to improve the mobilization of human resources and optimize work force utilization through systematic matching of job seekers to job vacancies. Besides, it also enables the Ministry of Human Resources (MOHR) to be one-step centre for labor market information that will be accessible to the public.

g. E-Syariah
The main aim of e-syariah is to implement the quality of service in syariah courts. Basically, it enhances Islamic Affairs Department’s effectiveness through better monitoring and co-ordination if its agencies and improves the management of its 102 syariah courts. E-syariah application consists of Syariah Court Case Management System, Office Automation System, E-syariah Portal, Syarie Lawyers Registration System and Library Management System.

* The above is adopt from an article wrote by Mohsin bin Haji Ahmad

Citizen’s adoption strategies
a) Customer satisfaction
E-government is able to increase customer satisfaction. Nowadays, customer is able to solve their inquiry and also enquiry through online government services. Whatever public information customer is able to obtain through the website and they don’t need to make a call to the office. Everything can be done online.

b) Service quality
Online service quality for e-Government could be measured in terms of quality of content provided on the website. The example would be the speed of responding to citizen’s query with a solution to it. Besides, there is also telephone and fax number of the personnel to whom the citizen might want to interact with about other mean if necessary.

c) Website design
The design of online government could build the relationship with the visitor and enhance their experience. This is due to the personalization of websites and customization of product offerings. Basically, it give visitors a sense of control and participation.

Related Links:
1. http://webopedia.com/TERM/E/e_government.html
2. http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/E-government/Definition
3. www.intanbk.intan.my/psimr/articles/Article1%20-%20Full.pdf

Review a local, transactional e-commerce site

2009-07-10T12:41:00.002+08:00

Electronic Commerce consists of the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. The amount of trade conducted electronically has grown extraordinarily with widespread Internet usage. People who shop online are most familiar with transactional e-commerce site. A transactional site may be an electronic storefront for a brick-and-mortar retailer or a catalog business, like Lands’ End, or a manufacturer showroom for those wishing to sell directly to the public like Dell Computer. Transactional sites conduct full “end-to-end” transactions via the website, allowing customers to search for, order, and pay for products online as well as allowing them to contact the company for after-sales service. The most sophisticated sites create efficiencies by integrating the transaction process with back-office systems such as accounting, inventory, sales and others like Amazon.com.

http://www.dell.com.my/ is one of the local transactional e-commerce sites. Dell was founded in 1984 by Michael Dell on a simple concept, by selling computer systems directly to customers, could best understand their needs and efficiently provide the most effective computing solutions to meet those needs. Dell evolving business strategy combines the revolutionary direct customer model with new distribution channels to reach commercial customers and individual consumers around the world.

The way people connect and communicate is changing, and changing the world. A truly globalized information technology infrastructure and those who build, run and use it are creating a new era — the Connected Era. Already, IT connects communities, governments and businesses to one another and to a storehouse of information larger than we can imagine. In the Connected Era, these trends will only accelerate. While the future of the Connected Era will be shaped by many forces, Dell believes four inevitable priorities will define the next stage of technology which are regenerating, simplifying, listening and connecting.

In Dell website, consumer may from the Store welcome page, start by clicking on the icon for the particular brand and system type which are interested in. If the customer unfamiliar with the product line, can select "Learn More" to connect to online product catalog and get more detailed information about each of the system families listed. Then, proceed as directed.

Dell provides varieties of products and services. After choosing a system type of interest on the Store welcome page or after selecting "Continue", on a product page in Dell online catalog, click on one of the systems listed for the brand of interest. Dell also provides comparison features. Customer can select few models and made comparison based on the price, capacity and so on to help they consider which product most suitable for them.

After made up your mind, customer lick anywhere on the system's description to begin customizing own system. Dell’s systems are sorted by key attributes such as desktop type (e.g., mini-tower, mid-size, low-profile), processor type, and processor speed. Prices for systems, as they have been configured by Dell, are shown to help guide customer selection. But system price can vary greatly from that displayed based on the component selections make when customizing.

After customized, customer can review the order and able to view the full details including total cast and tax. Then customer needs to confirm whether the billing and shipping address are the same. The checkout page consists of 3 steps: delivery information, payment information and order information. Once the customer provide the information requested then can submit order to finalize the purchase.

Of course, the security and privacy of order information always are the main issue to the consumer. At Dell, consumer right to privacy and data security is a primary concern. That's why, when visit to dell.com, they help you maintain control over your personal data on the Internet. Dell only asks for specific types of personal information that will enable to enhance the site, to assist with purchase and technical support issues. It is completely optional for customer to participate. Dell only uses personal information for specific purpose. The information provided will be kept confidential and used to support customer relationship with Dell.

Related Links:
1. http://www.export.gov/sellingonline/typesofsites.asp
2. http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/about_dell/company/history/history?c=my&l=en&s=corp
3. http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/about_dell/company/connected_era/connected_era?~ck=ln&c=my&l=en&lnki=0&s=corp
4. http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/ap/topics/storeinfo/en/howtobuy?c=in&l=en&cs=inbsd1

The application of pre-paid cash card for consumers

2009-07-04T19:33:00.022+08:00

Prepaid cash cards look like credit and debit cards and they offer the same ability to purchase products and services but with a crucial difference – people can only spend the balance that has been preloaded onto the card. This means there is no risk of running into debt as it has no credit or overdraft facility.

Customers will be give a Pin number when their purchase a card, and once money has been credited, it can be used in the same way as a debit or credit card – for high street, online or telephone purchases, as well as cash withdrawals from ATMs.

Money can be loaded onto a prepaid cash card by cash at a bank, Post Office, at Payzone or PayPoint terminals or via a bank transfer. However, not all prepaid providers offer all of these loading options, so customers need to bear this in mind when comparing deals as some are more flexible than others.

The application of pre-paid cash card for consumers are stated below:

(i) Buying petrol and groceries at petrol station

(ii) Pay bills

(iii) For people who wish to use foreign currency on a holidays.

(iv) Withdrawn money from ATMs

(v) Internet shopping

(vi) For people who have a poor credit rating or a history of bad debt, it is difficult for them to get a credit card. So, it is another choice for them to apply prepaid cash card.

(vii) Top up mobile phone

The advantages of using prepaid cash card:

(a) Easy to Get, Easy to Use

There is no credit check and no bank account required. When you carry a prepaid card, you can leave your cash at home and enjoy some of the benefits of a bank account without actually having one.

(b) Easy to pay bills and manage expenses

No more waiting in line for money orders. Use your card to pay bills and manage your expenses easily with your statement and online financial tools.

There are no credits checks, which mean you can get a card without worrying about your credit history. All prepaid card providers will carry out an identity check to confirm you are who you say you are.

(d) Control

Prepaid cash cards are an ideal way to budget for yourself or help to manage your children’s spending. Like a credit card you get a full breakdown of spending on the card so you can see what has been purchased, who from and when.

(e) No debt risk

With a prepaid cash card there is no chance of spending too much as you are limited to the amount you put on your card.

(f) The card for travel

Prepaid cash cards are a good option if customers are going overseas. They are popular with students heading off on gap years and children who go abroad on school trips as parents can load them up.

In conclusion, with a prepaid cash card, it makes our life easier.

2. http://www.mastercard.com/us/personal/en/aboutourcards/prepaid/index.html

Credit Card debts: Causes and Prevention

2009-07-03T12:22:00.002+08:00

A credit card is part of a system of payments named after the small plastic card issued to users of the system. It is a card entitling its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services. The issuer of the card grants a line of credit to the consumer (or the user) from which the user can borrow money for payment to a merchant or as a cash advance to the user.

Most of the time holding credit card is equal to holding debts. Credit debt results when a client of a credit card company purchases an item or service through the card system. Debt accumulates and increases via interest and penalties when the consumer does not pay the company for the money he or she has spent.

Is RM24.4 billion big money? This is the amount of credit card debt owed by Malaysians, according to Bank Negara Malaysia’s statistics as at end of March 2009. Speaking of credit debt reasons, we can pick out a host of various factors that may have a dramatic impact on financial situation.

Causes of debt ~
1. Poor Money Management
Poor money management is one of the best reasons why so many people accumulate lots of debt. Not having a monthly spending plan and not keeping track of monthly bills makes you unaware of where your money is going. People might be spending hundreds of dollars every month toward items that are useless and have no value in life, yet do not realize it. While money is going towards purchasing useless items, you might also be charging your necessary purchases on your credit card, forcing you to pay interest on these purchases every month.

2. Less Income, More Expenses
People prefer to pay with credit card because it is convenient and can be used regardless whether there is any money in your account. It so happens that the main breadwinner of the household loses the job but monthly expenses are not cut down in line with the reduction in income. People always hold more than one credit card, so they will use one card to cover the debts of the other cards. This obviously leads to higher interest rates and a rise in debt.

3. Savings little or not at all
Savings is the most simple and important way to avoid debt. We can pay with credit card for many things and it is crucial for us to pay off the balance each month. Sometimes we might have some unexpected expenses, if without some savings or during the layoff time we are not able to pay back the credit card bill and end up with a rise in debt.

4. Social Pressure
Social pressure one of the most common reasons people sight for getting into debt, it is the need to feel like they are keeping up with everyone else. In other words, it leads many people to unnecessarily spend money on things that they don’t really need so they can feel like they fit in. It is an age old cycle with devastating consequences.

5. High Interest Rates
Everyone can use the credit card but not everyone able to pay off the balance. Carrying a balance, though, is very costly. Interest rates can be as high as 21% and by paying the minimum payment per month (usually about 2% of the balance) credit card companies are quite happy to loan money for your purchases. If you unable to pay off, debt plus interest plus compounded interest it will cause accumulation of debts.

Prevention ~
The key to good health begins with a dose of prevention. Financial health is no different. By taking a few steps of prevention today, tomorrow your finances will have a clean bill of health freeing you to live a life of opportunity rather than of difficulty.

1. Manage your finances
First step is determining your monthly income and needed expenses. As part of these monthly expenses, figure in a portion of the income to set aside for emergencies, long range savings. If you have some savings then you avoid having to put large amounts of debt on a credit card in times of a crisis. Next, you have to stick to your budget and it is often more difficult task. In order to help you keep on track of the budgets, you may put motivators in place. But just keep in mind that whatever you choose as a reward, it shouldn’t compromise the hard work you’ve done in managing your finances.

2. Pay the balance in full and pay on time
Pay the balance in full is important in keeping control of your credit cards. Before using a credit card for a purchase, often ask yourself whether have fund to pay for this. In cases of emergencies where your emergency fund won’t cover the whole amount you need to charge, at least pay more than the required minimum payment. Never make a late is also a very important concept. Because of the universal default clause in credit cards’ terms and conditions, credit card companies can raise your interest rate if you are late paying any creditor or even your utility company.

3. Know the interest rate
Regardless if you pay the balance in full each month, you need to know the interest rate. This means not only knowing what interest rate you were offered, but also the interest rate the issuer actually gives you on approval. In addition, check the rate on your monthly statements because credit card issuers can raise your rates for little or no apparent reason and with little warning.

Even those who don’t carry a balance need to know their interest rate because emergencies do happen. While it’s always a good idea to have an emergency fund, sometimes the job search takes longer than expected leaving you with no other choice but to put some expenses on the card. If you’re not up to date on your interest rate, you might end up paying more in interest than you have to.

4. Keep the right perspectives
Now today, nearly everyone has access to a credit card. Much of the problem with credit card debt problems comes from changes in credit card availability, advertising, and values. There is a shift from saving for the future to a society of trying to keep up with satisfying the desire of the moment. Add the purchasing power that comes with a credit card and you have the perfect formula for disaster. There’s one thing that consumers have to know, it’s that you don’t have to be a slave to the credit card company or even to the seduction to be a slave to the credit card company or even to the seduction of advertising. You can have control over your financial health without depending on a credit card.

Other than that, credit card holders also can cut up cards so that not tempted to use them and just save one card for emergencies. Do not overspend. Yielding to the sale offers for something that you don't really need, is a big mistake that leads to overspending. Prevention is always better than cure. If we use credit card appropriately, we can enjoy the benefit of the cards and at the same time free ourselves from the problem of credit card debts.

Related Links:
1. http://www.3debtconsolidation.com/top10-causes.html
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_card_debt
3. http://www.credit-land.com/articles/articles_page_68600_1881780_120.php
4. http://www.nurido.at/news/social-pressure-a-cause-of-credit-card-debt-124653.html
5. http://www.cardratings.com/howtoavoidcreditcarddebt.html

Electronic currency

2009-07-02T21:25:00.000+08:00

Over the years, money as we know it has been undergoing transformation. The shape and form of money has changed from precious metals to metal coins and paper money with no intrinsic value and today it presents us with a formless form in the name of digital or e-currency. E-currency refers to money or scrip which is exchanged only electronically. The digitization of money appears to be inevitable in the light of the recent developments with regards to the Internet and the various e-commerce opportunities presented by the World Wide Web.

There are several benefits of using e-currency:

Using Online

1. The e-currency can be used on the internet related commercial applications such as shopping on the internet and doing personal investment via internet.

2. The using of the e- currency services for example e-gold and PayPal brings people a new way not to use their credit card as the only payment method on the internet since sometime there exists a big risk to provide your credit card information to the merchant you do not know them very well and most of them are far away in the other side of the earth.

3. The e-currency service companies such as e-gold and PayPal can provide both the buyers and merchant the convenient way to send and receive the payment just by clicking the confirm button and the deal is done. None of the payment methods in the world right now can provide this kind of efficiency capability.

Using Offline

1. The user is anonymous unless he commits a double expenditure.

2. The bank can effectively detect a double spender.

3. The bank doesn't need to synchronize its servers very often. This is mostly done via batch updates.

There are several disadvantages of using e-currency:

Using Online

1. Security and anonymity cost become a bottleneck of the system. This can happen at times during real-time verifications.

2. The bank will have to maintain a detailed and confidential database.

3. The bank needs to synchronize its server every time transaction is made. It would be insanely impractical to maintain.

Using Offline

1. Double spending may not be prevented effectively and immediately.

2. The implementation expenditure is high. The required additional hardware is quite costly to install.

Types of e-currency

There are two major types of e-currency in the world. The major different is their backed base.

One is backed by precious metal such as e-gold is backed by gold.

Another type of e-currency is backed by hard currency like Paypal.

Both of them are all called e-currency. Digital Gold Currencies (DGCs) are a form of Internet money denominated in gold weight. The typical unit of account for such currencies is the gold gram or the troy ounce, although other units such as the gold dinar are sometimes used. Due to its rarity and durability, gold has long been used as a means of payment. The exact nature of the evolution of money varies significantly across time and place, though it is believed by historians that gold's high value for its utility, density, resistance to corrosion, uniformity and easy divisibility made it useful both as a store of value and as a unit of account for stored value of other kinds.

In several countries there is electronic currency equal to real paper money. This kind of currency is very easy in use and it does not need any bills, checks or other bank documents. The main advantage of such money, comparing with its real equivalent, is very low costs of transactions, especially inner (from one account to another). These low costs allow using e-currency for small transactions where usual cashless funds are not comfortable. This plus during time becomes more and more important.

One rare success has been Hong Kong's Octopus card system, which started as a transit payment system and has grown into a widely used electronic cash system. Singapore also has an electronic money implementation for its public transportation system (commuter trains, bus, etc), which is very similar to Hong Kong's Octopus card and based on the same type of card (FeliCa). There is also one implementation in the Netherlands, known as Chipknip.

The Octopus card is a rechargeable contactless stored value smart card used to transfer electronic payments in online or offline systems in Hong Kong. The Octopus card is also used for payment at convenience stores, supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, on-street parking meters, car parks, and other point-of-sale applications such as service stations and vending machines.

Making or recording a payment using the card for public transport or purchases at Octopus-enabled retailers can be done by holding the card against or waving it over an Octopus card reader from up to a few centimetres away without the user taking out the card. The reader will acknowledge payment by emitting a beep sound, and display the amount deducted and the remaining balance of the card.

In Malaysia, the first attempt at e-currency implementation was in 1999 with the introduction of MEPS cash in the Klang Valley. The initial response was not encouraging at all. The facilities to reload the cards with cash was limited, the outlets where MEPS cash was accepted was also few in numbers. However, the situation is quite different today where almost every ATM machine in the country is equipped with the ability to reload MEPS cash.

Another effort in implementing electronic money in Malaysia came in the form of the Touch and Go cards offered by Rangkaian Segar which is a private company. Touch ‘n Go cards were originally intended for toll payments along the Malaysian highways. The cards may either be linked to ones credit or bank card with automatic reload facilities to a stipulated maximum level once the amount on the cards fall to a predetermined minimum level. The cards may also be reloaded at some of the toll booths or at some banks ATM terminals. Despite the availability of these cards, it is not surprising to find long queues during peak hours along the cash booths along the local highways. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that today the Touch ‘n Go cards are also used for other payments such as parking bays and train and bus fares.

As the allegro expansion of internet economical applications, the using of e-currency will be the trend in the coming future just like credit card application before. But however there is no unified definition to the e-currency service industries .For example ,Will we define a e-currency company as the bank service or just a financial service firm ? This question remains gray area.

Related Links:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_money

2. http://projects.exeter.ac.uk/RDavies/arian/emoney.html

3. http://www.persiox.com/2009/04/methods-of-using-perfect-money.html

4. http://www.digitalibrary.my/dmdocuments/malaysiakini/266_20Dr_Balachandher.pdf

5. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-electronic-cash.html

Mobile payment systems in Malysia: Its potentials and customers' adoption strategies

2009-07-01T22:49:00.000+08:00

Mobile payment is known as m-payment. M-payment is a real-time payment which is made with the use of a mobile device, such as cell phone, Smartphone, or personal digital assistant (PDA). It involves submitting an electronic remittance for an outstanding bill. Instead of paying with cash, check or credit cards, a consumer can use his or her mobile phone to pay for the goods and services which they purchased. Those goods and services are:-
a) Music, videos, ringtones, online game subscription, wallpapers and other digital goods.
b) Transportation fare such as bus, subway or train, parking meters and other services.
c) Books, magazines, tickets and other hard goods.

There are a total of four types of model payment which is available in Malaysia. Those models are:-
a) Premium SMS based transactional payments
b) Direct mobile billing
c) Mobile web payment (WAP)
d) Contactless Near Field Communication (NFC)

1) Premium SMS based transactional payment
Premium SMS based transactional payment enables customer to send a payment request via SMS text messages to a short code. A premium charge will be stated in the customer’s phone bill. Premium SMS transaction is normally used by customer who enjoys downloading music, ringtones, themes and so forth using their SMS. Customer only need to key in the specific code of the particular item to confirm that they want to purchase. The merchant involved is then informed of the payment success and can then release the paid for goods.

2) Direct mobile billing
Direct mobile billing enable customer to use mobile billing option during checkout at an ecommerce site. For example an online gaming site to make a payment. After the two factors which involve authentication of PIN and PASSWORD, the customer’s mobile account is automatically charged for the purchase. This is one of the methods where it does not require the use of credit card, debit card or even pre-registration online payment solution such as PayPal. The benefit is, it bypass the bank and credit card companies all together. There are other benefits that can be seen when using direct mobile billing, such as:-
i. Security – two factor authentication and risk management engine in order to prevent fraud.
ii. Convenience – no pre-registration and no new mobile software is required.
iii. Easy – it is just another option during a checkout process.
iv. Fast – most of the transaction are completed in less than 10 seconds.

3) Mobile web payments (WAP)
Mobile web payments enable user uses web pages displayed or additional application he/ she download and install on his/her phone to make a payment. It uses WAP as underlying technology which inherits all the advantages and disadvantages of it. The benefits of using WAP are:-
i. Follow-on sales – it can lead the consumer back to a store/ to other goods whichever they like. These pages have its own URL which can be a bookmark making it easy for the user to re-visit/share with their friends.
ii. High customer satisfaction – customer are satisfied using WAP due to the quick and predictable payments.
iii. Ease of use – it is a familiar set of online payment pages making user who uses it easier understand how does the WAP work.

4) Contactless Near Field Communication (NFC)
Contactless NFC is mainly used when making payment for the purchases made in the physical stores/transportation services. Most of the time, a transaction do not require authentication but there is still some transaction that need authentication like using PIN in order to complete a transaction. The payment made could be directly deduct from pre-paid account/charged to mobile or even bank account. Payments that use NFC faces vital challenges for wide and fast adoption, meanwhile, there are some phone manufacturers are enthusiastic due to lack of supporting infrastructure.

Potentials
As we know, mobile payments have been rapidly developing and are well used in Malaysia.
Nowadays, almost everyone is using mobile payments in their daily life. Users feel like and easy whenever they use mobile payment. They do not need to carry along credit cards, debit card of even cash. It is very convenient for the user because they just need to pay it through their mobile phones. For example, customer who uses this system does not need to queue up for the bill payment in the restaurant. The system is available for prepaid and postpaid service billings. Besides, it also covers most of the mobile operator in Malaysia.

Customers’ adoption strategies
a) Educate consumers about mobile payments, how to use and introduce its functions.
Mobile payments are widely used in Malaysia but there is still a group of people who does not familiar with this system. Therefore is important to teach this group of people how to use the systems. Having a campaign would be the best solution to it. Through this campaign, public are able to know the advantages of using the system such as making their life more convenient when making payment.

b) Enhance security and confidence to mobile users
Customer can now purchase goods through online without disclosing their credit card information. Through mobile payments, customer can purchase whatever goods or services they like without disclosing credit card information. It makes the user feel more secured and have confidence when using it.

c) Maintain customer’s loyalty
In order to maintain customer’s loyalty, company can reward customer who is using this systems. Reward can be in the form of gifts after customer purchase until a certain level or giving them extra credits in order for them to purchase more. Rewarding the customer is one of the ways to keep them using this system.

Related Link:
1. http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci772807,00.html
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_payment
3. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-m-payment.htm

Buy Air Asia merchandise online

2009-06-29T15:30:00.000+08:00

AirAsia, the leading and largest low-cost carrier in Asia, services the most extensive network with 122 routes covering more than 65 destinations. Within the grasp of 7 years of operation, AirAsia has carried over 65 million passengers and grown its fleet from just two aircraft to 80. The airline today is proud to be a truly Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) airline with established operations based in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, servicing a network stretching across all Asean countries, China, India and Bangladesh. This is further complemented by AirAsia X, its low cost long-haul affiliate carrier that currently flies to destinations in China, Australia and the UK. AirAsia is the only regional carrier with the largest destination network and highest flight frequencies. AirAsia has been awarded the 2009 World’s Best Low Cost Airline in the annual World Airline Survey by Skytrax.

Recently AirAsia just launched its online store offering its own merchandise - The Red Megastore. Now we need not wait until go to the plane only can buy the merchandise, we can buy it anytime and anywhere where you can online with affordable price. Isn't that sound nice?

The affordable AirAsia merchandise range from fashionable, exclusively designed caps and tee-shirts to practical items like universal travel adaptors, watches, thermos mugs, in-flight comfort kits and durable leather passport holders.

Products also include USB flash drives – encased in cartoon-like, miniature Airbus A320s for easy document storage on the go.

All you have to do is just log on to http://www.redmegastore.com/, from the comfort of home or anywhere you can go online.

With a click of the mouse shoppers can browse through the store’s online catalogue which organised under specific categories so shoppers can easily navigate through the portal and choose the products that they wish to purchase.

Extending its motto of providing everyday low fares, AirAsia also ensures that all products sold via the Red Megastore are meticulously designed and manufactured to meet the highest quality standards, while maintaining its affordability.

The Red Megastore which accepts payments via Visa and MasterCard, also ensures that delivery of purchases will reach customers in Malaysia within seven days and for overseas shipments to major cities, 14 days from the date of order.

The application of 3rd party certification programme in Malaysia

2009-06-28T10:41:00.014+08:00

In today's world, electronic commerce is a fast growing industry. Businessmen are transferring their businesses onto the Web in order to increase the sales of their goods and services beyond their geographical area. This helps them to use better options for selling and buying. They also have the option to sell their products directly without the help of distributors or middlemen.

Building trust in e-commerce is essential for any online retailer. If you've launched an ecommerce site but your e-business isn't doing as well as you hoped, it could be that prospective customers simply don't trust you.

When it comes time to enter personal information or complete a business transaction on the Internet, most people hesitate, and understandably so. They've read about credit card fraud, identity theft, spoofing, hacking, phishing and other abuses. It should come as no surprise that many e-shoppers are still concerned about security and privacy issues. As such, you've got to convince them that you are trustworthy in three specific areas: security, privacy and reliability.

When you are shopping on a website, how do you know that the website isn't set up by somebody posing as the e-merchant? How do you know that the data you enter will be protected as it flies across the Internet?

The de facto mechanism for ensuring e-commerce security is the digital certificate.

In fact, the sole goal of digital certificates is to make sure online shoppers feel secure, by authenticating the legitimacy of the certificate owner and by protecting your sensitive data.
Digital certificates are issued by a third-party certificate authority. The certificate authority will only issue a digital certificate after they have thoroughly checked out a company.

Once you get a digital certificate, you can post a logo on your website. Presumably, customers who see a digital certificate logo prominently displayed on your site will trust you considerably more than if you didn't have the digital certificate. They know that you've gone through a vetting process and that the personal data they submit to your site will be encrypted.

Digicert Sdn Bhd is the first certification authority in Malaysia licensed to issue digital signature and digital certificate. DIGICERT is a smart partnership between POS Malaysia Berhad and MIMOS Berhad. They are the leading Certification Authority (CA) in Malaysia providing trust solutions fore-businesses. It provides a safe environment for business-to-business transactions, a sure route to reduce costs and gain efficiency. It allows consumers that trade through the Internet to sign electronically - in the form of adigital signature that is in line with the requirements of the Malaysian Digital Signature Act 1997 and the Digital Signature Regulations 1998. Its trust solutions are legally recognized under Malaysian law.

DIGICERT is proud to be the Certification Authority in many strategic projects, to name a few eGovernment, ePerolehan, Online Pharmaceutical, MyKad PKI and PKI-based Internet Banking. The launching of e-Filing Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (LHDN) project in which DIGICERT was chosen to be the premier CA, marked another milestone to the healthy growth of secured e-commerce and transactions using a digital certificate over the Internet in Malaysia. Their projects are from various sectors of the economy, including manufacturing, education, technology, emerging business, professional services, healthcare, telecommunications, financial, architecture and insurance sectors.

DIGICERT provides certification management services as follows:

* Screening of the authority of the people that apply for issuance and revocation of certificates.

* Issuance, revocation and publication of certificates.

* Delivery, storage and archiving of certificates and certificates revocation list.

The end-user product of the service is a digital certificate. A digital certificate is used by an entity as a credential to provide virtual identity or other security-related functions. The entity that possesses the certificate is known as a Subscriber. A Subscriber can be an individual, an organization, a device or an individual. The credential is then used, for example, to access a website or service of a business. An organization that relies on the digital certificate as a form of identity is known as a "Relying Party." DIGICERT uses PKI-based Identity Management that has distinct entities with defined areas of responsibilities. These entities include Certification Authority (CA), Subscribers, and Relying Parties (RP). Each entity has specific roles, with associated obligations, and may have direct contractual relationships with one another or be non-affiliated. Digital certificate is stored on smartcard e.g. MyKad, USB token, floppy disk and computer hard disk.

Msctrustage.com is the second certification authority company in Malaysia to provide security services such as issuing digital certificates, establishing public key infrastructureand providing cryptographic technology to various Internet markets. Since its formation, MSC Trustgate.com Sdn Bhd, as the Malaysia's premier licensed Certification Authority and an affiliate of VeriSign Inc., an international Internet security company, has diligently geared itself to become a disciplined, market-leader and strategic provider of cutting-edge security infrastructure solutions. Today, MSC Trustgate.com is the leading provider of Internet trust and security solutions in ASEAN. Over 500 companies across industry rely on our solution for secure e-business and e-commerce.

Related Links:

1. http://www.gaebler.com/Conveying-Trustworthiness-in-E-Commerce.htm

2. http://www.ucertify.com/article/security-of-an-e-commerce-site.html

3. http://majlis.fsktm.um.edu.my/document.aspx?FileName=173.pdf

4. http://www.digicert.com.my/

5. http://www.msctrustgate.com/

How to safeguard our personal and financial data?

2009-06-28T09:33:00.000+08:00

Nowadays, internet is one of the ways that connect billions of computers throughout the world. People rely mostly on the computer especially the internet to store and manage their so called personal and financial information. Information travels rapidly through the internet. Information becomes vulnerable and easily expose to threat when they are travelled via the internet. That is why internet security is very important for most of the internet user.

There are few ways which users are able to safeguard their personal and also financial data:
(a) Install a firewall
A firewall is a software program designed to allow good people in and keep bad people out. Nowadays, most of the computers come with firewalls integrated into their operating systems. Users who use DSL or cable modem have an added layer of protection because these modems come with another firewall built in.

(b) Install and update antispyware and antivirus programs
Microsoft and numerous application vendors offer users regular updates to existing antispyware programs, so be on the lookout. As for antivirus protection, Symantec and Norton antivirus are popular choices.

(c) Avoid accessing financial information in public
It is best for the user not to check their bank balance when working from a coffee shop such as starbucks, coffee bean that offers free wireless access. Although the system are convenient to access but it is unknown. Casual users have no way of assessing how sturdy their firewalls are.

(d) Update your browser
User is encouraged to update theirs browser on a regular basis. This is can help plug up security holes, so as to make it a habit.

(e) Look for "locks"
How can you tell if your financial site is really secure before you log on? The Web address should start with "https" instead of "http" says Weston. Also, look for small lock icon in the lower-right corner of the browser window.

(f) Don't open mystery attachments
It is very important to never open an attachment or click on a link sent to user by an unknown party. The attachments can contain viruses and links can lead unsuspecting users to dummy sites where they are asked to input financial information.

(g) Use a credit card with a small limit
User is encouraged to use a credit card with a small limit for mail-order and online purchases. It is very easy for a dishonest sales clerk to use user’s credit card information. If the card user use for these purchases has a low credit limit, at least thieves won't be able to rack up many bills before hitting a wall.

(h) Choose your PIN wisely
When user wants to choose something that he or she could easily remember, the pin should not be something that a clever thief could figure out just by learning your birth date or your child's name. A combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols will offer user more security.

(i) Pay attention when using an ATM
User must keep his or her eyes peeled for anyone who seems a little too interested in the transactions. Use a free hand to shield the keypad when entering the PIN. Besides that, banker can add on fingerprint scanning on ATM machine.

Related Links:
1. http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/103893/Six-Ways-to-Safeguard-Your-Online-Assets
2. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=5351346
3. http://www.fool.com/personal-finance/general/2006/09/23/safeguard-your-financial-life.aspx
4. http://amazingcommerce.wordpress.com/2008/06/18/how-to-safeguard-our-personal-and-financial-data/

Phishing: Examples and its prevention methods

2009-06-27T20:49:00.004+08:00

The term phishing comes from the fact that Internet scammers are using increasingly sophisticated lures as they "fish" for users' financial information and password data.

In the field of computer security, phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Communications purporting to be from popular social web sites, auction sites, online payment processors or IT Administrators are commonly used to lure the unsuspecting public.

Phishing is typically carried out by e-mail or instant messaging, and it often directs users to enter details at a fake website whose look and feel are almost identical to the legitimate one. (This is why phishing is also called brand spoofing). Even when using server authentication, it may require tremendous skill to detect that the website is fake. Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques used to fool users, and exploits the poor usability of current web security technologies. Attempts to deal with the growing number of reported phishing incidents include legislation, user training, public awareness, and technical security measures.

A phishing technique was described in detail in 1987, and the first recorded use of the term "phishing" was made in 1996. The term is a variant of fishing, probably influenced by phreaking, and alludes to baits used to "catch" financial information and passwords.

Free Money in Three Easy Steps

The first step is to reach as many possible potential victims in the shortest amount of time with the least amount of effort. The below is a typical e-mail call to action as rendered by Microsoft’s Outlook Express.

In later sections, the structure of various tactics of phishers will be explored. Generally speaking, most phishing e-mail will appear similar in both appearance and structure. Virtually all will have one common feature: a clickable link to a fake site that has been built to look similar or identical to the legitimate site it's masquerading as.

The Catch:
A fraction of the potential victim pool, sometimes as much as two to three percent, fulfill the following criteria:
• They are customers of the phisher’s chosen brand (Citibank, PayPal, etc.).
• They become sufficiently convinced the message (and supplied link) is a valid communication from their financial institution.
• Their immediate action is required to prevent a catastrophe (or, rarely, collect a reward).Once these requirements are met, the attacker must also provide these qualified victims with a credible facsimile of the targeted brand’s login page, such as the (fake) site below:

Often, these forms lead to a second page, which collects even more account-relevant information, specifically, account numbers and PINs.

However, even if a user provided an accurate password, that could change before the phisher has a chance to log in to the newly acquired victim account. So once account information has been collected, the most straightforward next step would be to log in to the phished account and perform an electronic funds transfer.

Examples of phishing:
Phishers typically include upsetting or exciting (but false) statements in the emails to get people to react immediately. They will ask for information such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers, date of birth, etc. PayPal showed above is only one of the examples of phishing email. Besides that, there are First Generic Bank, Citibank, Bank of America, Bank of Scotland, HSBC, ebay, Intelligent Finance, Nationwide and so on. The phishing threat is spread all over the world through internet.

Prevention methods
In order to prevent becoming the victim of phishing, users must always alert of the emails received. There are tips on how to avoid the Internet scam:

Be suspicious of any email with urgent requests for personal financial information unless the email is digitally signed.
If you receive an unexpected e-mail saying your account will be shut down unless you confirm your billing information, do not reply or click any links in the e-mail body. Instead, call the company on the telephone, or log onto the website directly by typing in the Web address in your browser.
Avoid filling out forms in email messages that ask for personal financial information. You should only communicate information such as credit card numbers or account information via a secure website or the telephone.
Before submitting financial information through a Web site, look for the "lock" icon on the browser's status bar. It means your information is secure during transmission.
If you are uncertain about the information, contact the company through an address or telephone number you know to be genuine.
Consider installing a Web browser tool bar to help protect you from known fraudulent websites. These toolbars match where you are going with lists of known phisher Web sites and will alert you.
Regularly log into and check your online accounts, bank, credit and debit card statements to ensure that all transactions are legitimate. Don't leave it for as long as a month before you check each account. If anything is suspicious or you don't recognize the transaction, contact your bank and all card issuers.
If you unknowingly supplied personal or financial information, contact your bank and Credit Card Company immediately.
Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software, as well as a firewall, and update them all regularly. And always be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading any files from emails you receive, regardless of who sent them.
Forward phishing emails to spam@uce.gov – and to the company, bank, or organization impersonated in the phishing email. You also may report phishing email to reportphishing@antiphishing.org. Suspicious e-mail can be forwarded to uce@ftc.gov, and complaints should be filed with the state attorney general's office or through the FTC at http://www.ftc.gov/. The Anti-Phishing Working Group, a consortium of ISPs, security vendors, financial institutions and law enforcement agencies, uses these reports to fight phishing.

Besides that, users can install Phishing Filter. It offers dynamic new technology to help protect internet users from Web fraud and the risks of personal data theft. Scams known as "phishing scams” typically attempt to lure users into visiting phony Web sites where the personal information or credit card information can be collected for criminal use. This form of identity theft is growing quickly on the Web.

Phishing Filter includes several patent-pending technologies designed to warn or block users from potentially harmful Web sites. There are three ways Phishing Filter helps to protect:

1. A built-in filter in your browser that scans the Web addresses and Web pages you visit for characteristics associated with known online Web fraud or phishing scams, and warns you if sites you visit are suspicious.

2. An online service to help block you from confirmed scams with up-to-the-hour information about reported phishing Web sites. (Phishing sites often appear and disappear in 24–48 hours, so up-to-the-hour information is critical to protection.)

3. A built-in way for you to report suspicious sites or scams. With Phishing Filter, you can help provide valuable information on any Web sites you believe are potentially fraudulent phishing attacks. You submit the information to Microsoft and Microsoft evaluates it. If the information is confirmed, the online service adds the information to a database to help protect the community of Internet Explorer users.

The threat of online security: How safe is our data?

2009-06-27T17:26:00.019+08:00

Just about anyone that gets online is at risk. Online security threats are one of the biggest challenges on the Internet today. The problem is that the people that want to attack your computer and the computers of the people that you know don't create difficult methods to create problems instead they focus on common failures that will give them access. When those that get on the Internet know how these attacks take place, these attacks can be lessened and even prevented in most cases.

The best thing you can do if you get on the Internet at all is to use security software and hardware such as firewalls and authentication servers, as this is the most effective way to protect your computer and your personal information.

The problem is that every day there are new viruses and security threats that are launched all over the Internet, which means you need programs that can be updated continuously and don't just target one specific type of problem.

It is best if you choose hardware and software that will update itself each time you are on the Internet, without you having to remember. It's also very important that you choose your passwords carefully, so that those that might want access to your information won't be able to guess as to what password you might use.

Some of the online security threats are:

1. Computer viruses
The most common form of malicious code is a computer virus, a program or a fragment of code that replicates by attaching copies of itself to other programs.

There are four main classes of viruses:
(a) The first class consists of file infectors, which imbed themselves into ordinary executable files and attach to other system executables when the file is run.

(b) The second category is system or boot-record infectors, which infect the first sector on a driver from which the operating system is booted-up. These viruses are not as prevalent now that floppy disks are less frequently used.

(c) The third group of viruses is called macro viruses, which infect data files that include scripting "macros."

(d) Finally, viruses that use more than one attack method are called multi-part viruses.

For example, the May 2000 "I LOVE YOU" virus was even simpler a small piece of code attached to electronic mail. Double-clicking on the executable caused it to send an e-mail to everyone in an address book, subsequently damaging victims' machines. Fast-spreading viruses like "I LOVE YOU" cause e-mail servers to overload and businesses to shut down email correspondence. For example, in one day, the "I LOVE YOU" virus caused over $100 million in United States damages and over $1 billion in worldwide losses.

2. Denial of Service Attacks (DOS)
DOS is another form of malicious code, are carefully crafted and executed. DOS attacks are not new, yet they are growing in sophistication. Traditional DOS attacks usually involve one computer attacking another, but the use of multiple computers in a highly organized attack is becoming increasingly common. Such attacks, known as Distributed Denial of Service attacks (DDOS), were witnessed in a number of large corporate computer shutdowns in 2000. Understanding the technical components of a DDOS attack is important, since these attacks precisely reveal the vulnerabilities inherent to the Internet. A DDOS attack functions by overwhelming a server with a deluge of messages that appear to be normal.

3. Online fraud

It is a broad term covering Internet transactions that involve falsified information. Some of the most common forms of online fraud are the sale via Internet of counterfeit documents, such as fake IDs, diplomas, and recommendation letters sold as credentials; offers of easy money, such as work at-home offers that claim to earn individuals thousands of dollars for trivial tasks; prank calls, in which dial-up connections lead to expensive long distance charges; and charity facades, where donations are solicited for phony causes.

4. Phishing
It is a technique used to gain personal information for purposes of identity theft, using fraudulent e-mail messages that appear to come from legitimate businesses. These authentic-looking messages are designed to fool recipients into divulging personal data such as account numbers and passwords, credit card numbers.

5. Worms
A computer worm is a self-replicating computer program. It uses a network to send copies of itself to other nodes (computers on the network) and it may do so without any user intervention. A worm is similar to a virus by design and is considered to be a sub-class of a virus. Worms spread from computer to computer, but unlike a virus, it has the capability to travel without any human action. A worm takes advantage of file or information transport features on your system, which is what allows it to travel unaided. One example would be for a worm to send a copy of itself to everyone listed in your e-mail address book. Then, the worm replicates and sends itself out to everyone listed in each of the receiver's address book, and the manifest continues on down the line.

6. Trojan horse
The Trojan Horse, at first glance will appear to be useful software but will actually do damage once installed or run on your computer. Those on the receiving end of a Trojan Horse are usually tricked into opening them because they appear to be receiving legitimate software or files from a legitimate source. When a Trojan is activated on your computer, the results can vary. Some Trojans are designed to be more annoying than malicious (like changing your desktop, adding silly active desktop icons) or they can cause serious damage by deleting files and destroying information on your system. Trojans are also known to create a backdoor on your computer that gives malicious users access to your system, possibly allowing confidential or personal information to be compromised. Unlike viruses and worms, Trojans do not reproduce by infecting other files nor do they self-replicate.

7. Web servers and services
Many default HTTP web servers expose visitors every time they log on to these websites. You should be sure that you have the patches available that have been released over the last few years and that your computer isn't utilizing a default configuration.

8. Spyware attacks
Spyware attacks are something that we are probably all familiar with, as they are the most common online security threat faced by Internet users. Spyware is simply a computer program that is designed to steal information from your computer without your knowledge. The software will typically be installed on your computer without you even knowing it, and then it will send your personal information such as documents, passwords, credit card numbers, bank accounts, and many others to another source. Common spyware includes Trojan horses, key loggers, dialers, and adware programs.

Online threats are very real, but if you know how you become vulnerable, you will be able to better protect yourself. You should be able to get online without constantly worrying.

Below are some of the tips for keeping the company data safe:
1. Encrypt it
It's one of the most overlooked-and easily fixable-precautions that a small business can take.

2. Back it up
When data goes missing, it is often the only copy. Not only has the information potentially fallen into the wrong hands, but it's probably also lost forever. Make sure to back up all important files onto the company servers before leaving town. If those servers are in turn backed up to an e-vaulting provider, it may be possible to restore your files directly from the provider to your hastily-purchased replacement."

3. Travel smart with your technology
A few simple precautions can prevent data loss, that is never leave your laptop unattended. Don't leave it in the car, in the conference room, or in the workspace you're using at a client's office unless it is locked.

4. Do not work from an unsecured computer
Many hotels and conference centers offer courtesy PCs to guests so they can access e-mail while they're away. The single most important tip for securing road warrior information is to minimize work done on a local computer. The better way will be directly connect to a remote server for document and data management, preferable from your own PC or PDA. Many of these public computers are infected with spyware that monitors and records your keystrokes. It is important to not be lulled into a false sense of security.

5. Use a password
Believe it or not, many mobile devices lack even the most basic password-protection. Passwords are among the simplest and most reliable form of data protection available. There are four basic password rules. First, make sure your password is at least eight characters. Second, include at least one number, one capital letter and one special character, such as "#" (but don't use numbers instead of letters, such as m0us3, since password crackers check for these). Third, never use a word that can be found in a dictionary, thereby preventing a "dictionary attack." And finally, resist the urge to use personal information such as your birthday because this information can be found out.

6. Get on a stick
Instead of carrying your company's sensitive data on a PC or PDA, keep it on a memory stick or portable hard drive. It doesn't matter if your laptop is stolen or damaged, your data will be fine as long as you have the USB memory device. As a bonus, many of these devices allow you to encrypt the information on them, so even if they are lost, they're useless.

7. Get a security policy and stick to it
Having an ironclad policy about how to treat company laptops will take you a long way in keeping your data safe. Such a policy should be comprehensive. It should address what to do with a laptop, anytime and anywhere, regardless if the laptop is on, off or even online. A server that is deployed on the enterprise premise should terminate secure tunnels and manage user credentials, patch management and security policies.

8. Inoculate your laptops before releasing them into the wild
There is a lot of bad stuff out there. Make sure your employees' mobile computing devices are protected. Be sure your laptop is equipped with the right blend of IT security: anti-spam, anti-spyware, a Virtual Private Network and a personal firewall because hackers use a variety of tactics to defeat security.

9. Educate your employees
If your people do not know what is out there, how can they take the necessary precautions? Mobile users should be aware of every site they visit and every communication they open on their mobile devices. Unsolicited communications, no matter how inviting, can contain threats to the mobile device. People should only open communications from known sources and limit mobile Internet browsing to trusted sites.

10. Don't be stupid
People display highly sensitive data, like company secrets and even information that could facilitate identity thefts, on their laptops. They do not bother to install an inexpensive polarizing overlay that could avoid shoulder-surfing. In other words, if your case says "IBM" or "HP" or "DELL" or even a well-known manufacturer of computer bags, you have increased your radar profile for thieves. There are lots of less noticeable bags out there that can help you avoid being the next victim.

11. Consider data-level security precautions
These add yet another layer of security to your documents, protecting them from would-be thieves. There are cost-effective security solutions on the market that are easily integrated with Microsoft products like Exchange, SharePoint and the Office suite. They provide a simple way for small businesses to benefit from these solutions without radically changing existing IT policies and procedures."

12. Do not leave well enough alone
If you're really concerned with security, these precautions just represent a good start. Experts say you should always be working to improve your safeguards, even as the bad guys try to crack your defenses. You have to control who can access your data. For companies that are serious about security, a user ID and password are not good enough. There should be some form of two-factor authentication, like a Smart Card, USB token or SoftCerts. But do not rely solely on passwords. Keeping your data safe while you're out of the office is an ongoing challenge.

Besides that, another way for company to secure customer information is outsourcing security service. But company has to be careful not to outsource privacy completely, or to rely too much on the consultant to make important decisions. Turn to outside help for direction, but always remain of its own programme.

Company should also limit the connectivity for example, limit downloads. Do not simply download software that you have never heard of, instead stick with the names that you know. You should also take care to scan all files before they are downloaded.

The employees of the company use only authorized media for loading data and software.

On the other hand, enforce the mandatory access controls. The employees of the company should always remember to scan their computer with Anti-virus. Delete all the cookies in the computer to prevent track on the history or password and on the firewall to prevent hackers.

In conclusion, with a few precautions and by taking a long view on mobile security, you can make sure the company’s valuable information does not fall into the wrong hands.

Related Links:

1. http://www.tech-faq.com/online-security-threats.shtml
2.http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/technology/security/Keep-data-safe-on-the-road-12-tips.aspx#Keepdatasafeontheroad12tips
3. http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Internet/2004/virus.asp

Advantages and disadvantages of E-Commerce

2009-06-22T12:49:00.001+08:00

E-Commerce is playing a very essential role in the online business world. Although it is one of the best and cheapest intermediate ways for reaching out to new customers in the online market, but, if e-commerce implemented effectively, it also offers a smart way of doing online business & expanding it more. Furthermore, e-commerce is planned and implemented to provide customer with a convenient, satisfying and protected shopping experience.

Advantages
1. Being able to conduct business
E-commerce systems can operate throughout the day. The physical storefront does not need to be open in order for customers and suppliers to be doing business with the company electronically.

2. Access the global marketplace
The Internet spans the world, and it is possible to do business with any business or person who is connected to the Internet. Simple local businesses such as specialist record stores are able to market and sell their offerings internationally using e-commerce. This global opportunity is assisted by the fact that, unlike traditional communications methods, users are not charged according to the distance over which they are communicating.

3. Speed
Electronic communications allow messages to traverse the world almost instantaneously. There is no need to wait weeks for a catalogue to arrive by post: that communications delay is not a part of the Internet / e-commerce world.

4. Marketplace
The market in which web-based businesses operate is the global market. It may not be evident to them, but many businesses are already facing international competition from web-enabled businesses

5. Opportunity to reduce costs
The Internet makes it very easy to 'shop around' for products and services that may be cheaper or more effective than we might otherwise settle for. It is sometimes possible to, through some online research, identify original manufacturers for some goods - thereby bypassing wholesalers and achieving a cheaper price.

Disadvantages
1. Time for delivery of physical products
E-commerce is often used to buy goods that are not available locally from businesses all over the world, meaning that physical goods need to be delivered, which takes time and costs money.

2. Physical product, supplier & delivery uncertainty
In some aspects e-commerce purchases are made on trust. This is because, firstly, not having had physical access to the product, a purchase is made on an expectation of what that product is and its condition. Secondly, because supplying businesses can be conducted across the world, it can be uncertain whether or not they are legitimate businesses and are not just going to take your money. Thirdly, even if the item is sent, it is easy to start wondering whether or not it will ever arrive.

3. Returning goods
Returning goods online can be an area of difficulty. The uncertainties surrounding the initial payment and delivery of goods can be exacerbated in this process. Will the goods get back to their source? Who pays for the return postage? Will the refund be paid? Will I be left with nothing? How long will it take? Contrast this with the offline experience of returning goods to a shop.

4. Privacy, security, payment, identity, contract
Many issues arise - privacy of information, security of that information and payment details, whether or not payment details (e.g. credit card details) will be misused, identity theft, contract, and, whether we have one or not, what laws and legal jurisdiction apply.

Related Links:
1. http://www.smarte-commerce.com/advantages-of-e-commerce-in-present-business-scenario/
2. http://www.marcbowles.com/sample_courses/amc/ec1/ec1_3.htm
3. http://www.isos.com.my/ecommerce/advantages.htm
4. http://wiki.media-culture.org.au/index.php/E-commerce_-_Overview_-_Advantages

Revenue Model for Google, eBay & Amazon.com

2009-06-21T02:25:00.025+08:00

E-Commerce Revenue Model describes how the publisher’s websites will earn revenue, generate profits, and produce a superior return on invested capital. The 5 major types are sales, transaction fees, subscription fees, advertising fees, affiliate fees.

Sales - Sales of goods, merchandise information and services provided in the publishers' websites.

Transaction fees - Commission earned based on either the volume of the transactions (the higher the volume, the higher the transaction fees will be) or fees per transaction conducted on the website (a fixed fee per trade regardless of the volume).

Advertisement fees - Publishers can allocate some advertisements spaces in their website for other companies to place their banners or advertisement, in return for a fee named advertisement fees.

Subscription fees - customers would have to pay a fixed amount of fees either monthly or yearly when they are subscribing to contents and services offered by the website.

Affiliate fees - Companies receive commissions for referring customers to others' websites. It can include CPM (cost per thousand impressions), CPC (cost per click) and CPA (cost per acquisition/action).

Google Inc. is an American public corporation, earning revenue from advertising related to its Internet search, e-mail, online-mapping, office productivity, social networking and video sharing services as well as selling advertising-free versions of the same technologies. 99% of Google's revenue is derived from its advertising programs. For the 2006 fiscal year, the company reported US$10.492 billion in total advertising revenues and only US$112 million in licensing and other revenues. Google offers targeted advertising solutions and global Internet search solutions. Its principal products and services include:

Google AdWords. It is Google's flagship advertising product and main source of revenue ($21 billion in 2008). AdWords is a pay per click advertising program of Google designed to allow the advertisers to present advertisements to people at the instant the people are looking for information related to what the advertiser has to offer. When a user searches Google's search engine, ads for relevant words are shown as "sponsored link" on the right side of the screen, and sometimes above the main search results. Google generate most of the revenue from Google AdWords. Google recognize as revenue the fees charged advertisers when their ads are published in magazines. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) is an online advertising payment model in which payment is based on qualifying click-through. An advertiser has to pay every time his ad receives a click. The Advertisers decide the keywords relevant to their offer that should display their ad and the maximum amount they are willing to pay per click for that keyword.

Google AdSense. It is an ad serving program run by Google. It provides a fast and easy way for website publishers of all sizes to display relevant Google ads on their website's content pages and earn money. It's also a way for website publishers to provide Google web and site search to their visitors, and to earn money by displaying Google ads on the search results pages. Website owners can enroll in this program to enable text, image and, video advertisements on their sites. Revenue is generated through affiliate fees which on a per-click or per-thousand-ads-displayed basis and the ads are administered by Google. AdSense program includes AdSense for search and AdSense for content. AdSense for search was launched in the first quarter of 2002 and is Google’s service for distributing relevant ads from its advertisers for display with search results on the Google Network members’ sites. AdSense for content, launched in the first quarter of 2003, distributes ads from Google’s advertisers that are relevant to content on Google Network members’ sites. Google advertisers are required to pay Google a fee each time a user clicks on one of their ads displayed on Google Network members’ web sites.

eBay Inc. is an American Internet company that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide. eBay do not have inventory, it generates revenue from a number of fees. The eBay fee system is quite complex; there are fees to list a product (Insertion Fee) and fees when the product sells (Final Value Fee), plus several optional adornment fees, all based on various factors and scales. eBay may earned transaction fees from each successful transaction made by the bidders or sellers. eBay now owns the Paypal payment system which has fees of its own. Paypal founded in 1998 and acquired by eBay Inc. in October 2002. Paypal enables any individual or business with an email address to securely, easily and quickly send and receive payments online. Paypal's service builds on the existing financial infrastructure of bank accounts and credit cards and uses the world's most advanced proprietary fraud prevention systems to create a safe payment solution. A global leader in online payment solutions, Paypal has tens of millions of registered accounts and is accepted by millions of merchants worldwide, on and off eBay. Revenues from PayPal's transaction fees were $243.9 million, a gain of 51 percent from the year-ago quarter and 145 percent from querter2 2003. And the number of registered PayPal users shot up to 79 million from 50 million a year ago. ebay also earn advertising fees for allow some advertiser posting their advertisement on the website. eBay offers several advertising programs that may help advertisement publishers increase their sales cost-effectively.

Amazon.com, Inc. is an American-based multinational electronic commerce company. Amazon.com is a well known online shopping on the web, it provides a wide range of advertising channels to reach the most demographic availability. Amazon uses the internet as the sole method for selling goods to its consumers. Its major revenue is come from the sales included books, movies, musics, computer, electronic, toys, sports and others on domestic and international Websites, such as Amazon Marketplace. Since year 2000, Amazon.com entered into new partnerships designed to increase the firm's revenue and make it profitable. Example like through its agreement with Greenlight.com, Amazon.com added cars to its product offerings in August 2000. The new link presented information on automobiles and trucks in the standard Amazon.com format.

Amazon charges a commission rate based on the sales price, a transaction fee, and a variable closing fee for each successful sale. Amazon.com Inc. said that earnings climbed to $177 million, or 41 cents per share, in the first quarter in year 2009 was thanks to strong sales of products.

Related Links:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google

2. http://www.organicspam.com/google_revenue_model.asp

3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AdWords

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EBay

5. http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/essentials/ebay/article.php/3522981

6. http://ecommerce.hostip.info/pages/29/Amazon-Com-NEW-PARTNERS-HELP-INCREASE-REVENUE.html

An Example of an E-Commerce failure and its causes

2009-06-21T01:01:00.035+08:00

Toys "R" Us (currently spelled Toys Я Us in the logo, and before as Toys "Я" Us with a reversal on the "R".) is a toy store chain based in the United States. The chain also has locations in Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, and Canada. The company currently operates 585 stores in the United States and 716 stores in 34 other countries, with some of them under franchises or licenses. Being an $11 billion business with 1600 stores worldwide, this huge regime operates in five divisions:
Toys "R" Us, U.S.

Toys "R" Us, International

Kids "R" Us

Babies "R" Us

Imaginarium

In order to provide the customers the products and services whenever and wherever they need, Toys "R" Us announced its plans to create an e-commerce subsidiary, Toysrus.com. In 1999, Toysrus.com has established as a premier online toy, video game and baby store outlet. Tragedy happened at the end of 1999.

During Christmas 1999, Toysrus.com employees faced a real siege. The company’s “Black Sunday” came on Sunday, November 6, 1999 as 62 million advertising circulars were placed in local newspapers around the U.S. offering free shipping on Christmas toy orders placed over the Internet. When Toysrus.com was unable to fulfill orders in time for Christmas, the firm received numerous consumer complaints and negative publicity from newspaper and magazine articles and TV news reports about the firm’s problems. Toys "R" Us had the toys available in its warehouses, but was unable to pick, pack, and ship customer orders in a timely manner. Many employees worked for 49 straight days to fill orders, with some employees reported to pull sleeping bags out from under their desks to rest during the round-the-clock operation. Despite the heroic efforts, customers were still displeased. “I have never been exposed to fouler language,” explained Joel Anderson, a Toysrus.com vice president, as he described the angry e-mails from unhappy customers.

Failing to handle the orders flushed into its website, the company totally lost track of thousands of orders or failed to deliver them on time. When it was clear that the company was not going to be able to ship all its orders by the time Santa slid down the chimney, Toysrus.com took the unusual step of breaking the bad news to their customers via e-mail. They refunded 3% of the total orders and mailed $100 Toys “R” Us gift certificates to affected customers. Besides that, the Federal Trade Commission also fined Toys "R" Us $350,000 for not notifying customers soon enough. Although the company had pumped millions of dollars into setting up its own online operation and distribution network for order fulfillment it had to announce 75% slump in profits in 2000.

Technical errors were one reason for Toysrus.com's inability to fulfill some orders by the holidays. Toys "R" Us badly bungled the operations side of creating a Web site able to handle large traffic and shipping orders. They couldn’t execute their Web business effectively due to a lack of experience with both the front-end design and the back-end order fulfillment processes. As a result, one in 20 children failed to get presents in time for Christmas from Toys "R" Us.

In addition, Toysrus.com only had one distribution center, located in Memphis. Thousands of orders can arrive in almost no time. For example, if thousands of Sony PlayStation 2's were sold in only twenty- three seconds, thus, additional staffing, as well as more distribution centers are crucial for fulfillment.

Toysrus.com's distribution center in Memphis

The entire process appears simple, but one glitch can cause the whole operation to collapse. As soon as the consumer types in an order, it is fed into a computer system in the distribution center. The order is printed out and "picked off" by a worker, who then packages it and sends it to be shipped. If a company is lacking in the technology to process the order and the bodies to distribute it, there's no guarantee that an order can be completed.

The company had to change its ailing e-commerce strategy and operation. In 2000, Toys "R" Us announced its Internet joint venture with Amazon.com. Toys "R" Us would take charge of buying and managing inventory while Amazon will oversee all web operations of order fulfillment, and customer service. Toysrus.com's alliance with Amazon changes all the technical problems.

Toys "R" Us Website

Video Clip

Toys "R" Us commercial in 1999 which aired during Christmas

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toys_R_Us

3. https://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/2990820/c_2984379/?f=archives

4. http://www.cenktolunay.com/toysrus.htm

5. http://www.ibam.com/pubs/jbam/articles/vol4/case4_2.htm

6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5S9xIsMeDo - source from errantellipses

An example of an E-Commerce success and its causes

2009-06-21T00:38:00.030+08:00

eBay is one of the success example for e-commerce. It is a well known website for everyone. How eBay started? eBay was born over Labor Day weekend in 1995, eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, in an experiment, put a broken laser pointer up for sale online, and to his surprise, found a buyer. When he told the buyer the item was broken, the buyer said: "I' m a collector of broken laser pointers." It was then that Omidyar knew anything was possible. It has around 14 years of history.

eBay is The World’s Online Marketplace, enabling trade on a local, national and international basis. With a diverse and passionate community if individuals and small businesses. Besides that, eBay also offers an online platform where millions of items are traded each day. There are about 276 million registered eBay users worldwide until year 2008. More than US$2,039 (RM6,490) worth of goods are traded every second.

Since its initial public offering in 1998, the company has continued to innovate and connect people and not just through its marketplaces. Two critical acquisitions have made eBay Inc. a global leader in online payments (PayPal- acquired in October 2002) and communications (Skype- acquired in October 2005) as well.

PayPal enables any individual or business with an email address to securely, easily and quickly send and receive payments online. Acquired by eBay Inc. in October 2002, PayPal builds on the existing financial infrastructure of bank accounts and credit cards and uses the world's most advanced proprietary fraud prevention systems to create a safe payment solution. Today, PayPal is a global leader in online payment solutions: It has 149 million registered users and is accepted by millions of merchants worldwide - on and off eBay. PayPal's Q1 2008 global total payment volume of $14.4 billion accounted for nearly 9 percent of worldwide eCommerce.

Acquired by eBay Inc. in October 2005, Skype is an Internet communication company that has revolutionized the way people talk online. With more than 309 million registered users as of early 2008, Skype allows people everywhere to make unlimited voice and video calls online for free using its software. Skype is available in 28 languages and is used in almost every country on Earth. This business unit generates revenue through its premium offerings, such as calls (using its software) made to and from landline and mobile phones; voicemail; call forwarding; and personalization, including ringtones and avatars. In addition to its presence on eBay, Skype has relationships with a growing network of hardware and software providers.

Other key acquisitions have strengthened eBay Inc.'s portfolio of ecommerce companies, including shopping.com, a pioneer in online comparison shopping; Stubhub, a leading online marketplace for the resale of event tickets; rent.com, the most visited online apartment listing service in the U.S.; StumbleUpon, an online solution that helps people discover and share content on the web; and market-leading online classifieds sites including LoQUo.com, Intoko, and Netherlands-based Marktplaats.nl. The company has also grown its classifieds business through Kijiji, which launched in the U.S. in 2007.

Causes of its success:

(a) eBay's success is based on its ability to transform many fragmented, primarily local markets into global ones at a relatively low cost to its users. People have always had a need and an interest in buying and selling used, surplus, and collectible items. Traditionally, they have done so through garage sales, classified advertising in local newspapers, and flea markets.

(b) For a price comparable to advertising an item in the classifieds section of their local newspaper with three or four lines of text, users can post lengthy descriptions and pictures available to a worldwide audience. Concerns about fraud have been mitigated through a user feedback system escrow services. The company's ability to bring a large number of buyers and sellers together is what has driven its growth. The more buyers there are, the more sellers want to participate. Conversely, the more sellers there are, the more items are to buy, and the greater the attraction of the service to buyers. eBay has allowed many people to become entrepreneurs with little upfront expense or overhead and provides a method for companies and even governments to dispose of unwanted items.

(c) eBay makes money by charging listing fees and collecting a percentage of the selling price of items sold through the site. eBay also owns PayPal, which makes money through investing its clients' assets and from transaction fees. eBay's growth has been remarkable.

(d) eBay appears to have significant growth potential. It has successfully introduced new markets, such as car sales, which many thought would not be adaptable to its business model. Besides that, it is so successful because it meets its customer's needs better than any competing service. No one else has accumulated such a large number of buyers and sellers in a single marketplace.

(e) According to the interview with the spokesperson of eBay, Kevin Pursglove, he thinks that people really enjoy the experience of the shopping bazaar. They enjoy the hunt. They enjoy looking around for merchandise.

(f) The other component is that Kevin Pursglove believes they really enjoy the competition of the bidding process. Everybody likes to get a bargain, and everybody, I think, in some way, shape, or form, likes to haggle a little bit over the price. Their auction format allows users to do that.

Video Clips:

1)Brief introduction of eBay

2) eBay music video (Have fun XD)

Related Links:
1. http://www.ebay.com/
2. http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/2127.html?welcome=1213184390
3. http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=245309
4. http://www.neowave.com.my/malaysia_ecommerce_radar.asp
5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt0qIPAeLXM - source from WatchMojo
6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YXHcbX36Ao - source from dps001

The history and evolution of E-Commerce

2009-06-20T17:12:00.026+08:00

Definition of Electronic Commerce

Electronic Commerce commonly known as electronic marketing or e-commerce. E-commerce consists of the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. E-commerce uses paperless exchange of business information using electronic data interchange (EDI), e-mail, electronic bulletin boards, fax transmissions, and electronic funds transfer.The amount of trade conducted electronically has grown extraordinarily with the widespread of Internet usage. Modern e-commerce typically uses the World Wide Web (known as www) at least at some point in the transaction's lifecycle. The concept of e-commerce is all about using the Internet to do business better and faster. It is about giving customers controlled access to your computer systems and letting people serve themselves. It is about committing your company to a serious online effort and integrating your Web site with the heart of your business. If you do that, you will see results!

History of Electronic Commerce

a) Early development
In the beginning the Earth was without form, void and darkness was on the face of the deep. Telegraph (demonstrated in 1844) spread with the railroads in the mid 1800’s. This can be seen through the wire transfer of funds (backed by physical transit later on by Express), the promise of goods and of payment, and, so forth.

History of ecommerce dates back to the invention of the very old notion of “sell and buy”, electricity, cables, computers, modems, and the Internet. The trading of goods has been a major drive of human survival since the beginning of recorded history and beyond. The mass adoption of Internet has created a paradigm shift in the way businesses are conducted today. The past decade has seen an emergence of a new kind of commerce, the buying and selling of goods, through human-computer interaction over the Internet. Today, the line between e-commerce and traditional commerce is becoming more blurred as more businesses start and continue to integrate the Internet and e-commerce technologies into their business processes.

a) Timeline
1. 1990: Tim Berners-Lee writes the first web browser, World Wide Web, using a NeXT computer.

2. 1992: J.H. Snider and Terra Ziporyn publish Future Shop: How New Technologies Will Change the Way We Shop and What We Buy. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312063598.

3. 1994: Netscape releases the Navigator browser in October under the code name Mozilla. Pizza Hut offers pizza ordering on its Web page. The first online bank opens. Attempts to offer flower delivery and magazine subscriptions online. Adult materials also becomes commercially available, as do cars and bikes. Netscape 1.0 is introduced in late 1994 SSL encryption that made transactions secure.

4. 1995: Jeff Bezos launches Amazon.com and the first commercial-free 24 hour, internet-only radio stations, Radio HK and NetRadio start broadcasting. Dell and Cisco begin to aggressively use Internet for commercial transactions. eBay is founded by computer programmer Pierre Omidyar as AuctionWeb.

5. 1998: Electronic postal stamps can be purchased and downloaded for printing from the Web.

6. 1999: Business.com sold for US $7.5 million to eCompanies, which was purchased in 1997 for US $149,000. The peer-to-peer filesharing software Napster launches. ATG Stores launches to sell decorative items for the home online.

7. 2000: The dot-com bust.

8. 2002: eBay acquires PayPal for $1.5 billion. Niche retail companies CSN Stores and NetShops are founded with the concept of selling products through several targeted domains, rather than a central portal.

9. 2003: Amazon.com posts first yearly profit.

10. 2007: Business.com acquired by R.H. Donnelley for $345 million .

11. 2008: US E-Commerce and Online Retail sales projected to reach $204 billion, an increase of 17 percent over 2007.

Evolution of Electronic Commerce
E-Commerce was birth out of the World-Wide-Web (WWW). Although many people use the terms WWW and Internet interchangeably, the WWW is just one of the many services available on the Internet. The aspect of the WWW actually is a relatively new aspect of the Internet. While the Internet was developed in the late 1960s, the WWW came into existence more than a decade ago - in the early 1990s. Since then, it has grown phenomenally to become the most widely used service on the Internet. The Web has made online shopping possible for many businesses and individuals. Now, even banks have been using electronic funds transfer (EFT, also called wire transfer), which are electronic transmissions of account exchange information over private communication networks.

Businesses also have been engaging in a form of electronic commerce, known as electronic data interchange, for many years. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) occurs when business transmits computer-readable data in a standard format to another business. In the 1960s, businesses realized that many of the documents they exchange related to the shipping of goods - such as invoices, purchase orders, and bills of lading - and included the same set of information for almost every transaction. They also realized that they were spending a good deal of time and money entering these data into their computers, printing paper forms, and then re-entering the data on the other side of the transaction. Although the purchase order, invoice, and bill of lading for each transaction contained much of the same information such as item numbers, descriptions, prices and quantities - each paper form had its own unique format for presenting that information. By creating a set of standard formats for transmitting that information electronically, businesses were able to reduce errors, avoid printing and mailing costs, and eliminate the need to re-enter the data.

The Evolution of E-Commerce

Related Links:
History websites
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_commerce
2. http://www.flysyk02.netfirms.com/Ecommerce/History.htm
3. http://www.ecommerce-land.com/history_ecommerce.html

Evolution websites
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW4X3b_j0eE – source from sandeepchagger
2. http://www.klein.com/dvk/publications/ecommerce.ppt

About - Mei Yee -

2009-06-18T21:32:00.000+08:00

My name is Chiang Mei Yee. Currently I’m studying in University Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) which is located in Sungai Long. This is the third year in UTAR. I major in Accounting. This is my 1st time writing a blog about myself. I’ve never write a blog before. In my perception a blog is where people write about their problems and also expressing their own feelings not writing about themselves.

What about myself? I am a girl that really can fool around when I am with my close friends. This the time where I really play and be myself. It does not happen when I am studying. Besides, I like to mix around with different types of people. People tend to notice that there is a difference when they 1st know me and after knowing me. I love to go for a vacation during my semester break. This is the time when I really can relax my mind and have no worries about my studies. It is also another way to motivate myself to work harder for the next semester. There is one thing that I enjoy doing, which is, cooking. Cooking can be considered as one of my hobby. Besides, it is also one of the ways I express my feelings. Whether I am happy or sad, I’ll express it through cooking. I enjoy seeing my family eats the food I cook for them. I cook whenever I am free. Other than that, I like to spend time with my family during the weekend.

The top 5 websites that I visited the most are:
1) http://www.google.com.my/
Google is like a garbage in and garbage out website where I can obtain whatever information I need. It is a user-friendly website. Whenever I need to search for information, google will be my best choice. Just type in whatever you want to search and the information needed will be displayed.

2) http://www.facebook.com/
Lately, I found a new website that is facebook. I often visit this website also. Facebook enable me to connect with my friends easily, that is through online conversation. Furthermore, there are a lot of games like pet society, restaurant city and lot more.

3) http://www.chrunchyroll.com/
I love to watch Korean and Taiwan drama. Crunhcyroll is my choice of watching Korean and also Taiwan drama. They have the latest drama you need. Just name it!!! Whenever I am free I will spend my time watching dramas.

4) https://iveette.blogspot.com/
Iveette blogspot is one of my best friend’s website. Both of us are far apart and one of the ways to know what her current condition is through her blogs. Although we don’t chat much but we know each other conditions through msn and also her blogs.

5) http://www.zedge.net/
Not only that I also enjoy downloading themes from zedge.net. There is variety of categories themes which I get to download. I love to have a lot of themes inside my handphone. I will not get boring with latest themes.

The top 5 internet activities that I always do are:
1. Chatting with friends using facebook and also Windows Live Messanger (MSN).
2. Sign in yahoo to check my emails.
3. Open PPStream to watch online drama without any lagging.
4. Open TTPlayer to listen to songs and also understand the meaning of the lyric.
5. Read news through CNN or TheStarOnline to know what is happening to the world at outside

About - Seok Fen -

2009-06-17T17:55:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone, I am seok fen. I was born in Kuala Lumpur. Currently I am taking my degree at Utar Sg Long, main in Accounting. I like white colour very much. Number 30 is my lucky number. I am especially interested in watching movie. It is an amusement during my leisure time. I like to cycle and play badminton with my cousin in my spare time. I will back to home every weekend because when schooling, I stay at hostel. As a result, gathering and chatting with my family on weekend is the most enjoyable moment in my life. Family is the most important in my life. However, I am an emotional people, sometimes when I was moody, my family will be the one that I can released all my feeling to them. They forgive me with all my wrongdoing, but then I felt sorry with what I done with them especially when I talk loudly to them. I try to control my emotion to become a people with high EQ. Besides that, got one thing that always obsession me, that is my eyes dark circle problem. It is born inherent. But since I sleep very late very often, as a result, it becomes more serious. That why, I have a pair of panda eyes.

The top 5 websites that I visited the most are:
1) http://www.facebook.com/
This website brings me to connect with my primary and secondary schoolmates and also college friends. I felt grateful for that. Besides that, there are many applications to play on facebook. It is very useful to me when I felt bored. In addition, I can know a lot of friends from different country and know about their culture. It is quite interesting.

2) http://www.hotmail.com/
This is the place where I can check all my electronic mail that sent by my friends. I have received many different types of e-mail such as horror, funny, comedy, romantic, meaningful, informative and etc. I can also know some general knowledge about our life through checking the e-mail.

3) http://wble.utar.edu.my/
wble is known as Web Based Learning Environment. All my subjects will be uploaded at there by the lecturers. So, as a student, I need to surf this website very often to download all the lecture notes and tutorial questions. There are no spoon feed anymore because we are an adult already. As a result, I need to be independent and download them by myself.

4) http://www.google.com/
I can find all the information that I needed through this website. It is very easy as I just have to type the keywords under search engine there and all the relevant result will be available for me. It is very convenient and time saving.

5) http://www.gougou.com/
I visit this website to download all my favorite songs especially jay chou’s song. I like his singing very much and I find that he is a very talented people. He knows to play different types of music instruments. All the latest songs are available in this website.

The top 5 internet activities that I always do are:
1) Chatting with friends using the Windows Life Messenger.
2) Open facebook to play games and see other people’s profile.
3) Open PPStream to watch drama through online.
4) Update my antivirus software every day.
5) Surf the relevant website to find journals and articles.

Internet is one of the great inventions from people. It helps us a lot. No matter where we are, where we from, we can connect with each other by using internet. Nowadays, people cannot live without internet. It has become an important part in our life.

About - Hui Jing -

2009-06-16T17:41:00.002+08:00

Hello everyone! Welcome to our blog. I am Hui Jing and was born on the 9th November 1988. That makes me 21 this year and a Scorpio. I come from Penang which was known as Prince of Wales Island. It is a wonderful state in Malaysia and also a home to many great tourist attractions. Penang is famous with beaches, temples, heritage, flora & fauna and of course delicious food. I miss my CharKoayTeow, Hokkien Mee, Laksa so much .. Haha !!

I am currently pursuing my final year in Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) Accounting at University Tunku Abdul Rahman, Sg Long campus. After receive my degree I will take the ACCA. There is no particular reason, just everyone tells me that accountant with ACCA qualification can make a lot of money. Muahaha ~

Internet is a very important part of my life. I am a Korean hit. My favourite korean artist are dong bang shin ki, super junior,BoA,SNSD all SM town family, 2pm and so on. Everyday I will look for their latest news and download their latest stuff. I like to watch korean drama and HK drama so much. I will always keep myself up-to-date with all these. I can’t live without internet and my laptop .. Definitely .. Haha !! Other than, what I will do during my free time is just sleep and eat ~~

TVXQ SJ
BoA SNSD

The top 5 websites I visited the most:
1) tvxqfamily (http://www.tvxqfamily.com/bbs/index.php). TVXQ or Dong Bang Shin Ki is my favourite Korean artist. In this forum I can update myself with their latest news, can download their latest songs and photos and also know many others Cassiopeia (fans of TVXQ) from all over the world. Besides that, as I am obsessed with Korean hit, I can download other Korean artist stuff from this websites too.

2) ‘BaoLanGe’ (http://sjbluecn.ifensi.com/index.php). This is the forum of Super Junior whose also one of my favourite Korean group. I can get their latest news and download many other Korean variety shows and music shows from here.

3) Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/). I can upload and share the videos with the world and watch the latest music video, movie trial in the first time. I also able to look for the old video, music and show in youtube.

4) Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/). It helps me to connect with my friend and also provides a lot of games, quiz and application that can play and interacts with all of my friends.

5) Googles (http://www.google.com/). It is the most common searching tool and it provides all the information I wish to know. It is especially important for me in order to complete all the assignments.

The top 5 internet activities :
1) use msn chat with my friends & family
2) open facebook play games, quiz and look for friends updates
3) go to forum chat and download songs and show
4) visit baidu to read news and read on the novel wrote by China friends
5) google ~~ search for anything

About - Pei Yee -

2009-06-15T17:34:00.006+08:00

Hello everyone. When you step into G14 and if you heard people calling “ Ah Geh “, it is me. Actually my name is Pei Yee, but most of the time my friend will only call me “Ah Geh” as Geh is my surname. I was born and raised in the beautiful country of Malaysia and my hometown is Butterworth which is in the state of Penang. I am majoring in Accounting. Currently I am studying in UTAR Sg Long. This is my final year here. I am going to graduate with a degree in accounting in a year time. I like to watch drama, listen to music and watch Korean variety shows. Normally I only listen to Korean songs. I am a KPOP fan. I like Korean artist very much especially TVXQ! and Super Junior. Besides that, I also like Rain, BoA, Big Bang, SHINee, 2AM, 2PM, Wonder Girls, SNSD and so on. All of them are Korean artists. I will go online everyday to read about the news of the artists whom I like and download the music, drama and variety shows.

TVXQ!

Super Junior

The top 5 websites that I visited the most are listed below:
1. http://www.tvxqfamily.com/bbs/ [TVXQFamily]
This is TVXQ!’s forum in China. I always visit this forum to get the latest news of TVXQ! , download the variety show of TVXQ! and chat with Cassiopeia in China. (Cassiopeia are the fans of TVXQ!)

2. http://sjbluecn.ifensi.com/index.php [SJBlueCN]
This is Super Junior’s forum in China. I always visit this forum to get the latest news of Super Junior, download the variety show of Super Junior and chat with the E.L.F in China. (E.L.F are the fans of Super Junior).

3. http://bbs.kanhanguo.com/ [KANHANGUO]
This is the forum for all the KPOP fans in China as well. I always visit this forum to get the latest news of other Korean artists and also download the latest Korean music and variety show. (KPOP stands for Korean Pop)

4. http://www.tskscn.com/ [TSKSCN]
I always visit this forum because I can download all the latest Korean drama with Chinese subtitle here.

5. http://www.cyworld.com.cn/main/ [CYWORLD]
I always visit this website as my mini home is located here. Besides that, I can also leave message in the mini home of the artist I like and they will read it.

The top 5 internet activities that I always do are listed below:
1. Go to the forum and chat with all the fans.
2. Open Windows Live Messenger and chat with my friends.
3. Open TVANTS and watch the Korea TV Channel Live. ( TVANTS is the software where we can watch most of the TV channel all around the world live.)
4. Go to my mini home and update my diary.
5. Go to Facebook and play games.
My life will be bored without internet. That is the reason why I will go online every day.

From the left : Hui Jing, Mei Yee, Seok Fen and Pei Yee