Review A Local E-commerce Site

E-commerce site
Public Bank Berhad is one of the most formidable banks in Malaysia. It is the fifth largest company in Malaysia by billions of market capitalization. The Founder and Chairman of Public Bank is Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr. Teh Hong Piow. It has strong corporate governance and a corporate culture which are committed to excellence. Under the corporate banking services, Public Bank is a market leader in consumer banking and retail commercial lending to SMEs in Malaysia.

Establishment of Public Bank’s website has given more convenience to internet users. Public bank’s website at http://www.phebank.com.my/ provides a wide range of information about the company such as corporate information, Board of Directors, senior management, corporate mission, corporate structure and product and services. The provision is actually assisting the users such as potential investors to have a better understanding of the company.

In addition, the provision of the website of Public Bank has rendered significant impacts on customers. Customers can actually get updated by surfing the website. Customers can also search the information such as financing loan, interest charges and the current promotions.

Other than that, customers can utilize their e-banking services. Customers are given opportunity to check their saving balances and credit card debts through the website. Furthermore, customers are allowed to settle their debts or make payments through the website by just using the password.

http://www.publicbank.com.my/

Prevention of E-Auction Fraud

E-Auction is defined as a bidding market mechanism where buyers compete to grad the desired products at low price.Ebay.com is one of the popular auction websites where users can get the products for low price. However, fraud aspect should be taken into consideration before bidding the products.

One of the examples of e-auction fraud is bid shielding. Bid shielding is one of the ways to mislead the real bidders. Fake participant starts bidding with very high price and they quit the bidding at last minute. The real bidder who bid for low price will eventually pay for it. The purpose is to mislead the real buyer’s concentration to their products.

There are a few ways of preventing e-auction fraud. First of all, users are highly encouraged to get a better understanding on the running of e-auction such as knowing the obligations of buyer and seller. In addition, Users are advised to utilize identification verification for safety purposes. In other words, disclosure of personal data to outsiders is totally discouraged.

Users can ask for warranty or insurance policy for assurance if there is any problem on item purchases. Moreover, users can review the feedback rating of the seller. Logically thinking; buyers will not bid on the items if the particular sellers have notorious feedback. In order to avoid any redundant cost, users are advised to read the information about the shipping and handling fees carefully. Clarification must be made before bidding is started.

Related Articles: How to prevent e-auction fraud and how to avoid online auction fraud

E-Government in Malaysia: Its implementation so far and citizen’s adoption strategies

The Electronic Government initiative in Malaysia was launched to lead the country
into the Information Age. It has improved both how the government operates internally
as well as how it delivers services to the people of Malaysia. It seeks to improve the
convenience, accessibility and quality of interactions with citizens and businesses;

The 7 pilot projects of the Electronic Government Flagship Application are as
follows:

1. Project Monitoring System (SPP II)
- Online system that monitors the entire lifecycle of national programs, i.e. from project application to approval to implementation, mid-term review and completion.

2. Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS)
- HRMIS is an integrated, technology enabled Human Resource Management Information System for the Malaysian Public Service, incorporating Global Best Practices in HR that would enable the Public Service to successfully deal with the Challenges of the K-Economy.

3. Generic Office Environment (GOE)
- Powerful document and office management solution that enables users to effectively and efficiently manage their office environment. It is fully web-based and has been customized based on local developed package, DRDok.

4. Electronic Procurement (EP)
- An electronic procurement system, which enables suppliers to sell goods and services to the Government through the Internet. Suppliers “open shop” on the World Wide Web, advertise their goods, present their pricing, process orders and deliveries.

5. Electronic Services (E-Services)
- E-Services is one of the pilot projects under the Electronic Government Flagship within the
Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) initiative. With E-Services, one can now conduct transactions with Government agencies, such as the Road Transport Department (RTD) and private utility companies such as Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) through various convenient channels.

6. Electronic Labour Exchange (ELX)
-ELX is one stop-centre for labor market information, as supervised by the Ministry of Human Resource (MOHR), to enable employers and job seekers to communicate on the same platform.

7. E-Syariah
- e-Syariah is the seventh project under the Electronic Government flagship application of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC). A case management system that integrates the processes related to management of cases for the Syariah Courts.

In order for citizens to adopt e-government services, there are several criteria that must be meet. First of all, citizens must be educated on how to use the services available in e-government website. Secondly, government must make sure that the web design must be clear and not only to build relationship with the visitors, but also to enhance their experience. These features give visitors a sense of control and participation and could potentially enhance their adoption. And lastly, the service quality of e-government must be good to build confidences among the users. Some measurements that can be used is the speed of the response to the citizens concerns with problem solving approach, and the availability of names.

references link(s):
http://www.gov.my/

www.american.edu/initeb/ym6974a/egovernment.htm

Corporate blogging: A new marketing communication tool for companies

A corporate weblog is published and used by an organization to reach its organizational goals. Corporate blogging is being used as a new marketing communication tool for companies. Corporate blogging can provide clear guidelines of overall marketing or communication strategy to its employees and third parties. In other ways, blogs are fast way to join the customers' discussions, provide tips and insights or receive feedback, thus they improve the customer relationship.


Advantages of corporate blog:
Corporate blogging give the writer an opportunity to answer critics in a controlled forum. Good blogs may even effectively use moderated comments to allow users of the product to post feedback and effectively use links to take visitors to other sites that they would find helpful. Beside that, posts and comments are easy to reach and follow due to centralized hosting and generally structured conversation threads.

Disadvantages of corporate blog:
However, corporate blogging might make it easy for defamation and invasion of privacy or to breach information security and loss of company confidentiality. In addition, the corporate blog can be tricky to drag public comment out of a company without first routing through the sanitizing filter of a press office and there is a risk that an ill-judged comment could be seized upon by the media or disgruntled investors.

Examples of corporate blog include:
Company Blog (eg.Google, Adobe, Flickr, Facebook, and Yahoo! Search), CEO Blog (eg.Sun CEO), Industry Blog and Department or Product Blog (eg.Microsoft Community Blogs). Although there are many different types of corporate blogs, most can be categorized as either external or internal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_blog
http://www.enterpriseblogs.info/corporate-blogging/disadvantages
http://www.enterpriseblogs.info/corporate-blogging/advantages

Mobile Payments Service

Mobile payment which is also known as mobile web payment or WAP billing is a point of sale payment made through a mobile device. It is also a collection of money from a customer via mobile devices such as Smartphone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), mobile devices and other devices. In addition, mobile money is one of mobile payment services. Mobile money is money in mobile. It enables users to make payment on spot as well as render convenience to users to purchase products such as cinema tickets and air tickets by following short messaging service (SMS) instructions.
In year 2007, Maxis Communications Berhad is on trialing to provide a mobile phone multi payment service incorporating credit card and prepaid transits payment with the co-operation of Maybank, Visa International and Touch `n Go. This technology is only available on Nokia 6131 which is a Near Field Communication (NFC) phone. It allows users to touch their handsets against contactless payment readers to make purchase. It is stated that Malaysia was the first market in Asia Pacific region to offer Visa contactless payment. From that case, the mobile payment service is developing well in Malaysia.
Following are the potentials of mobile payment service:
a) There is still an enormous market shares available in mobile industry.
b) Mobile payment service in Malaysia is still under developing stage.
c) Increase of adoption of mobile payment services due to the increase of mobile phone users.

Following are the strategies of mobile payment service:
a) Increase customer satisfaction and maintain their loyalty.
b) Add value to customer by enhancing security and confidence to mobile users.
c) Educate customers the usefulness of mobile payments

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_payment
http://www.mobile88.com

Electronic Currency

Electronic currency, also known as electronic cash, e-money, digital currency and etc. It refers to money or scrip which is exchanged only electronically. Typically, this involves use of computer networks, the internet and digital stored value systems. Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) and direct deposit are examples of electronic money.
You cannot take this money into your hands, count with your fingers or sense its. However, it is real. Electronic money functions also prove its full value. It is the measure of value, payment means, means of circulation and (to a lower extent) means of hoarding. It meets all requirements stipulated for the world finance. That is why, electronic money are used as international payment unit.

The basic feature of electronic money from legal point of view is its emission. The number of electronic money shall be guaranteed with cash. Legislation and civil law of some countries have not yet establish some rules regulating the emission. Thereby, virtual money is still considered electronic monetary obligation of the issuer. The issuer is, mainly, the banks. As banks are not very trusted sometimes so the electronic money use is thus far limited. Government, for its part, issues cash and is very trusted by population and businessmen.

Although digital cash can provide many benefits such as convenience and privacy, increased efficiency of transactions, lower transaction fees, new business opportunities with the expansion of economic activities on the Internet, there are many potential issues with the use of digital cash. The transfer of digital currencies raises local issues such as how to levy taxes or the possible ease of money laundering. There are also potential macroeconomic effects such as exchange rate instabilities and shortage of money supplies (total amount of digital cash versus total amount of real cash available, basically the possibility that digital cash could exceed the real cash available).

Electronic currency has to overcome several obstacles in order to evolve further, 1) being able to use it through a wider range of hardware such as secured credit cards; and 2) linked bank accounts that would generally be used over an internet means, for exchange with a secure micropayment system such as in large corporations (PayPal).

references link(s):

http://www.e-money.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_money

The application of pre-paid cash card for consumers

Nowadays, pre-paid cash card become common use in our life. Pre-paid cash card is similar as debit card. Before purchase goods or services, the users need to reload money to make payment. It is very convenience for users, more common know by people is touch n go.

The pre-paid cash cared application for consumers include:

1. Drivers can use touch n go to pay toll at all highways in Malaysia, and railways station. It helps users save time because it’s just need to scan and without queue up to purchase ticket. Some of the shopping center allow use touch n go to pay parking ticket.

2. Paying bill like Rent, utilities, insurance, car payment, and cell phone bills can be paid instantly.

3. Recently have numbers of retailer accept pre-paid cash card use to pay buys fuel at the pump, pay by phone, and shop on the Internet.

4. For some prepaid cash card they provide the service Transferring money to friends or family between cards.

5. Withdrawing cash from an ATM at any time.

6. Used as a replacement for travelers’ cash or travel cheques.


In HK, there is the application of a pre-paid cash card called the Octopus card.It is widely used in payment system for transportation, car parks, supermarkets, fast food restaurant and other pint of sale application. Mainly there are two types of Octopus cards, the on-loan card and the payment for airport transport and on-loan card have six categories offered by the company. They can add money to through Add Value Machines.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus_card
http://www.hong-kong-travel.org/Octopus.asp