E-Auction  

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Auctions are common in markets where the goods sold are valuable (like art) or when their prices can't be easily determined. The process of an auction aims to find a fair price for the goods by identifying buyers who need them the most. Such auctions are called forward auctions. In forward auctions buyers compete with each other by placing bids for the goods to be sold.
At metaljunction, we pioneered the concept of eAuctions for steel by moving the entire process of auctions to the Internet. With state-of-art technology and unique services to support buyers and sellers in the decision making, financing and logistics stages we make sure that our auction tools help enterprises realize their sales and procurement goals with considerable cost savings.
However, the fraud occurring today became the big problem for the people who doing the transactions. Besides, e-auction fraud can also appear in a way whereby fake photos are taken and misleading descriptions given, improper grading techniques, selling reproductions as originals, failure to pay the auction house, high shipping costs and handling fees, failure to ship merchandise, loss and damage claims and others.

Things to take note to prevent e-auction when a consumer participating in an e-auction:
i User identity verification
– a voluntary program that encourages users to supply eBay with information for online verification.
ii Authentication service
– a service to determine whether an item is genuine and described appropriately.
iii Grading services
– a service that determines the physical condition of an item.
iv Feedback forum
– a forum that provides users with the ability to comment on their auction experiences with other individuals.
v Insurance policy
– investing in insurance policy that offers by the auction websites.
vi Appraisal services
-Appraisers use a variety of methods to appraise items, including expert assessment of authenticity and condition and reviewing what comparable items have sold for in the marketplace in recent months.

Review a local e-commerce site  

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www.airasia.com is a local e-commerce site set up by an airline company, Air Asia Bhd. This website provides the information need for travel and allows users to purchase their service through online. Usually, traveler can obtain cheaper price or even free of charge by booking the fare online without involving travel agent. One of this e-commerce site include a feature, that’s all the services can be enjoyed by e-payment with range of payment ways to suit traveler will.

Other than booking flight ticket, now the company provides service that link traveler to find hotel within the departure region and state through online. This site also offer traveler to rent car but is only available for some states such as Australia, Hang Zhou and Malaysia. Additionally, Air Asia provides destination guide for many areas around 14 countries. The most amazing is, this website provides the link to the medical too. Air Asia pride theirselves on finding new and interesting ways of innovating, such as Web check-in, Express Boarding, E-gift Voucher, Booking via mobile phone, Official airline and Air Asia Extra Long. There are more service listed in the website which includes boarding express, further request, check and change fare, route map, and others.

To make an online purchase, first you have to search your desired information. After you found what you wanted, select your destination and date. Then, proceed to the "guest" and "contact" part by filling in your information. Next, continue to the type of payment that you wanted to select. Finally, you will reach the last part, itinerary.




E-Government in M'sia: Its implementation so far and citizen's adoption  

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E-commerce tends to be diffused across the economy, which leads to a wider and more competitive environment in comparison to the traditional economy. In relation to this, government (through E-government) can significantly influence the environment in which the business sector operates and provides the necessary institutional framework to make the overall economy more helpful for E-commerce activities. The Electronic Government initiative was launched to lead the country into the Information Age. It will improve 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. As the challenges arising from the implementation of E-government are extensive, the MSC have a huge technology park that is considered crucial for Malaysia to achieve a knowledge-based economy.

The development of MSC is a necessity as the new engine of economic growth to ensure Malaysia is moving in the right direction in implementation the IT revolution. The vision of Electronic Government focuses on effectively and efficiently delivering services from the government to the people of Malaysia, enabling the government to become more responsive to the needs of its citizens. The 7 pilot projects of the Electronic Government Flagship Application are as follows;
1. Project Monitoring System (SPP II)
2. Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS)
3. Generic Office Environment (GOE)
4. Electronic Procurement (EP)
5. Electronic Services (E-Services)
6. Electronic Labour Exchange (ELX)
7. E-Syariah

The Malaysian Model of E-government Development

Corporate Blogging: A new marketing communication tool for companies  

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A corporate weblog is published and used by an organization to reach its organizational goals. The advantage of blogs is that posts and comments are easy to reach and follow due to centralized hosting and generally structured conversation threads .So that, blogs have already been considered important in the corporate realm.

The basic functions for which corporate blogs are utilized which are: PR/Image, Marketing, Customer Relations, HR/Recruiting, Intra-company/intra-industry Communication, and Strategy. Amount of those functions we believe that the major function of blogging in the corporate world is its facility to promote customer relations. Specifically, through blogging, corporations can improve their name and products' visibility as most people nowadays have easy access to the Internet. Therefore, it is easier and much cheaper to advertise online.
A company's blog site becomes a venue for clients and potential customers to know you even better and vice versa. Apart from its function to reach out to the customers, corporate blogging also encourages internal communication. In particular, blogging promotes employee or staff participation, internal collaboration, channels of communication among all members of the company, and lastly, it gives the members a sense of community.
Moreover, corporate blogging can also foster media relations. Because as we know, the media is very influential. And having a connection with the media means more benefits to the company. Aside from the media, there are also other organizations that the corporation might want to build relations with.
Through corporate blogging, the company can increase its contacts through creating networks and virtual communities.

Credit Card Debts  

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Are you one of the millions Americans who carry a balance on your credit cards? If so, your debt can cost you much than you bargained for. Americans have consumed indebtedness that exceeds $2 trillion dollars. About 40 % of all credit card users pay their bills in full every, which means that they need to pay along with interest every months. In this kind of situation, if you are one of the “revolvers”, that is, you carry a balance from month to month.

So that, what is the actual reason that let you receives this kind of credit debt in the end of each month? These are several reasons:
1. Reduced income or expenses: Too often we delay bringing expenses in order to a reduction in income for a mass of good reasons and let debt fill the gap. The sooner you adjust to your new reality, whether it be temporary or permanent, the better off you'll be.
2. Poor money management: A money spending plan is essential. Without planning you may spend hundreds of dollars unnecessarily each month and end of the month you may have to pay extra changes and expenses on your credit card services.
3. Underemployment: Some of the unemployed citizen may misuse the credit cards. They may treat the credit debts as their future income. Down the road if you increase your income due to more hours, a second job, or a better job, then is the time to start adding in some of the previous spending before you become underemployed.
4. Gambling: call it America's new entertainment or the Indian's revenge. Either way this is a guarantees exchange of money from you to “the house”. It can be addictive, hard to stop and loans are freely available. Gambling establishment may be the only place you can mortgage your house while intoxicates and have it be legal.
5. Saving too little or not at all: The simplest way to avoid unwanted debt is to prepare for unexpected expenditures by saving three to six months of living expensive.
6. Banking on a windfall: Spending tomorrow's money today is very tempting. A planned job bonus may not be a sure thing. The inheritance that you believe will come your way may not. The lesson is don't spend the money until the check clears.
7. Financial illiteracy: Many people don't understand how money works and grows how to save and invest. You are responsible for your life and your money anyway. Financial mistake are increasingly expensive and complicated to resolve. Get educated and get in control.


There are a number of things you can do to prevent getting taken to the cleaners.


1. Restrict your use of credit. Cut up your credit cards. Stop using them whenever possible.
2. If you keep a card or two, pay them off full every month. Never carry a balance.
3. Set up a savings account for the unexpected.
4. Set up another account for semi-major repairs and expensive. Use that account to replace the washer, reroof the house and so on.
5. Set a budget and work on your self-discipline. Budgets need to be realistic to work, but they don't necessarily have to be hideously painful.
6. Pay cash for transient events like dining, entertainment, and travel. Charge that vacation and you'll be paying for it for a long, long time.

Electronic Currency  

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Electronic currency is also known as e-money, electronic cash, digital money, digital cash or digital currency. It refers to money or script transferred electronically through computer networks, the internet or digitally stored value systems. Electronic currency will possible like public-key cryptography and digital signatures make e-money possible. A private key known only to the owner, and a public key, made available to everyone. Whatever the private key encrypts, the public key can decrypt, and vice verse. Examples of how electronic currency are used are such as Hong Kong's Octopus Card system which started as a way to pay for transit payments but has now progressed to an electronic cash system, Singapore's FeliCa card and Netherlands Chipknip which has the same use as Hong Kongs Octupus Card, and Malaysia's Touch 'n Go card.There are two difference types of electronic currency: identified e-money and anonymous e-money (also known as digital cash).

Identified e-money contains information revealing the identity of the person who originally withdrew the money from the bank. Also, in much the same manner as credit cards, identified e-money enables the bank to track the money as it moves through the economy. Anonymous e-money works just like real paper cash.

Once anonymous e-money is withdrawn from an account, it can be spent or given away without leaving a transaction trail. You create anonymous e-money by using blind signatures rather than non-blind signatures. Online means you need to interact with a bank (via modem or network) to conduct a transaction with a third party. Offline means you can conduct a transaction without having to directly involve a bank. Offline anonymous e-money (true digital cash) is the most complex form of e-money because of the double-spending problem.

One of the primary benefits that electronic currency trading is that it allows doing business and earning with only a few dollars of investment. In fact, some electronic currency trading experts even suggest that beginners should start with only a few dollars so that they can first learn the ropes about electronic currency. Electronic currency trading does not demand much and it is really up to you if you want to increase your investment or not. With electronic currency trading you are given many opportunities to profit without spending too much on investment.

Moblie Payment system in M'sia: Its potentials and consumers' adoption strategies  

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Mobile phones are being used for phone calling, internet surfing, instant messaging, music playing, appointment scheduling, game playing, emailing, time telling and math calculating all over the world. Mobile payment, also called mobile web payment or WAP billing, is the collection of money from a consumer through mobile device such as mobile phone, Personal Digital Assistant or other device. To use this mobile payment function the user entails electing to make a mobile payment, being connected to a server via the mobile device to perform authentication and authorization, and subsequently being presented with confirmation of the completed transaction. Mobile Money is designed to overcome the limitations created by cash, cheques and credit cards. This Mobile Money encourages more consumers to shop online.


Potential

ü Safety of the consumers as transmits payment without credit card and cash.

ü Eliminates the hassle to queue up for bills payment.

ü Can be use when need for payments urgently or lack of other payment instruments.

ü Enhanced payment instrument availability.

ü Low signup fees and low transaction fee.

ü No minimum monthly transaction like credit cards and no merchant account required.

ü Support refund and reversal functions.

Strategies for mobile payment system adoption


B Attract consumers if the transaction cost of mobile payment included in the price of the purchased items become lower.

B Strengthen consumer confidence in safety, security and reliability of its networks as a means for consumers to access financial services.

B Increase consumer convenience in make payment at anytime, anywhere using mobile phone coupled with a 6-digit security PIN via SMS.

B Organize seminar and campaign of mobile payment about its advantages, benefit and awareness.

B Automatic activate customers’ telephones by logging into websites after register their mobile telephone numbers.