Corporate Blogging: A New Marketing Communication Tool for Companies

Posted by Xingpei


That is a known fact that blogging is not just for individuals. Corporate blogs that utilize their reach to promote their products and businesses started to gain popularity among people, and thus, blog has emerged as one of the low cost and high return – the best marketing tool on the web. Blogging has given a new way for the marketers to interact with possible customers and clients – Promote! If you know how to maximize marketing opportunities through your blog, it can be one of the best marketing tools you will be hiding in your tool box.

Tool for Improving Visibility

A blog will require you to create content and update regularly with information. Quality content is usually linked by other bloggers. If an entrepreneur launches a new business idea and if it is good it will be linked by most bloggers and will be the talk of town. This will definitely help you to gain better placement in search engines and increases your visibility.

Tool for Building Customer Loyalty

The interactive aspects of blogs stimulate exchange and incite Internet users to return regularly to follow the discussion and even participate. Moreover, the important feature of blog is that it allows you to receive instant feedback and reviews on your products or your business. This rapid and instant feedback will help you tweak and respond better to the market you are trying to target. You can get feedbacks within minutes after publishing a post.

Tool for Promoting Events or Ad Campaigns

In 2003, Nike launched the first major campaign using a blog. For 20 days prior to the official launch of a new ad campaign, Nike invited Internet users to share their opinions about the works of 15 young filmmakers exploring the theme of “the art of speed.” This concept is also being applied for album and movie launches, or to encourage discussion following tradeshow. So, advertising is FREE with blog and you can save great advertising and media release cost. Now, that is marketing at its best and your blog helps you do that.

The chart above shows some of the organizations that are at the forefront of the corporate blogging wave. In addition to the big corporate names and the bloggers at companies involved in the blogging space, there are a large number of individual consultants, small business owners, and individuals which fill the “other” category. These are people who are blogging about what is going on at their businesses.


Corporate Blogs of McDonalds and Intel

Even though some of the largest technology companies are represented in this graph, it shows that we are still at the relative start of accepted use of blogging as a part of corporate policy - and that there is still a tremendous opportunity for forward-thinking companies and management to have a significant positive impact on their public perception by encouraging an enlightened blogging policy, encouraging openness both within and outside of the organization.

References:

http://marketinghackz.com/the-importance-of-blogs-in-business-and-marketing/

http://www.adviso.ca/en/using-blogs-as-a-marketing-tool.html

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

Posted by Qi Ying

E-Government is the use of e-commerce to provide access to government information, services and interacts with people to increase efficiency, convenience and accessibility of public sector services to individuals, business partners and its internal operation.

The Implementation of E-Government

The implementation of electronic government (E-Government) started with the initiation of Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) by the Malaysian government in 1996. The implementation of e-Government in Malaysia heralds the beginning of a journey of reinventing the government by transforming the way it operate, modernising and enhansing its service delivery. Similtaneously, it will improve information flow and processess within the government , improve the speed and quality of policy development and improve coordination and enforcement. This would enable the government to be more responsive to the needs of its citizens.

There are seven E-Government Application Flagship introduced in MSC. It includes:

  1. Electronic Procurement (eP) www.eperolehan.gov.my
  2. Project Monitoring System (PMS)
  3. Electronic Services Delivery (eServices)
  4. Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS)
  5. Generic Office Environment (GOE)
  6. Electronic Labour Exchange (ELX) http://www.elx.gov.my/
  7. E-Syariah http://www.esyariah.gov.my

The implementation of e-government services will bring benefit to the public, businesses and the government itself. As for the public, saving time and oney are the primary reasons to use the e-government services. Government should market the offers, improve citisen’s awareness of benefits and increase take-up of online services to ensure the success of e-government implementation.

Citizen's Adoption Strategies

Generally, new technologies are forcing governments to be particularly considerate to time. Nowadays, Citizens expect and demand governmental services with a high degree of quality, quantity, and availability in a 24-hour. Therefore, governments all over the world are developing information systems and electronic services that have the capacity to meet the needs and demands of the citizens and other clients. E-Services form an emerging field, which is rapidly gaining attention and importance. Success in delivering electronic services depends upon the capability and self-confidence of citizens in performing e-transactions, as well as their trust and confidence in the protection of their personal data within an open and accountable government.

References:

http://www.apdip.net/publications/iespprimers/eprimer-egov.pdf

http://www.archives.go.jp/news/pdf/MrShaidin2.pdf

http://www.intanbk.intan.my/psimr/articles/Article1%20-%20Full.pdf

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Things to take note to prevent e-auction fraud when a consumer participating in an e-auction

Posted by Qiau Hui

Internet auction fraud is a growing epidemic worldwide, as online shopping has grown significantly every year that online shopping has been available. 51,000 cases of internet fraud cases were reported in 2002. In 2006, that number ballooned to 97,000. The numbers are staggering, but everyone can lower their risk by knowing what auction fraud is, how to detect it, and how to prevent falling for it.

Most internet auction fraud cases involve straightforward scams where consumers allegedly win merchandise by being the highest bidder. All sounds good until they send the payment and never receive the merchandise.

Below are some tips on keeping your risk at a minimum when purchasing items from an online auction website:
· Understand as much as you can about how the internet auctions work, what your obligation are as a buyer, and what the seller’s obligations are before you bid. 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.

· To avoid unexpected cost, you must read the information in the listing about shipping and handling fees carefully. If not specified, you may want to clarify before you start bidding.

· Do not simply disclose your personal data – if you see e-mail messages from someone you do not know that ask you for personal data for examples, credit card number, account number, or password, do not just send the data without knowing more about who is asking.

· Review the feedback rating for the seller, and use common sense; if the seller has a history of negative feedback, then the participants do not bid with the particular seller.

· Always save 100% of the transaction information and must ask the seller when delivery can be expected if not specified in the listing, and about warranty, exchange or return of merchandise you find unsatisfactory.

· When giving your credit card details or your debit account details at a website, check that the Internet connection you are using is secure. Look for the lock at the bottom or https (an‘s’ appended to ‘http’) in the address field of your browser. These indicate that the connection is a secure one.

· Be aware of phishing. Verify that you are receiving emails from the correct source and that you are logging in at the correct website.

· When making payment, prefer using your credit card over online transfer. Using a credit card give you the opportunity of a chargeback in case the transaction turns out a fraud. Use debit card, wire transfer, or money order only when you completely trust the seller.

· If the seller wants you to use an escrow service you’ve never heard of, look into it. Check out the website. Call up customer support. Contact us to digg up data on the business in question. If you can’t confirm the legitimacy, don’t use it.

References:
http://www.onlineguards.com/topics/onlineauctionfraud.aspx
http://www.crimcheck.com/background-check-news/whats-internet-auction-fraud-and-how-do-i-prevent-it
http://ecommercesite.wordpress.com/2008/06/29/things-to-take-note-to-prevent-e-auction-fraud-when-a-consumer-participating-in-an-e-auction/

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Review a Local E-commerce Site : Lelong.com.my

Posted by Pit Ei

A local e-commerce site that I want to review is Malaysia’s largest online auction website (http://www.lelong.com.my). It is an auction platform that provides people to buy and sell things online, with 6,000 to 8,000 items listed at any one time.

The background of this site is white because white background can prominent the products and make it easier for us to view the products. From the homepage, we already can see there are different types of products and the prices displayed at the center of the web page and there are a lot of advertisements listed at the both sides of the web page.



The search engine locates at the top of the web page which allows you to type the name or brand of the product that we want and select the category of your product and then click "Search". It will link us to another page to show all the results of the product that we want.



After choosing the product that we want, we must sign in to our own registered account and then we have two choices to buy that product - we can bid with others who have the same interest of the product or we can contact the auctioneer and negotiate for a lower price. Before we bid or buy the product, we should view the auctioneer's profile and rating, check the auctioneer's trade history and feedback, so that we are more confident to trade with the auctioneer and avoid unnecessary fraud case.



If we win in the auction or buy the product, we must follow the auctioneer's Payment Method (eg. Maybank/Maybank 2U, Bank Transfer/ TT/ Cash on Collection). The product will ship to us only when the payment is made successfully.

For those that never try to do online auction before, what are you waiting for? Check it out now!

Reference:
http://www.lelong.com.my/

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Mobile Payment System in Malaysia: Its potentials and Consumers' Adoption Strategies

Posted by Xingpei

Making wide range of payments without cash, cheques, credit cards or doing online payments are the PAST! There is the new system that only requires your mobile phone! Now, you can pay at the office, in your car, at home or just anywhere, by not even have to be at the point of purchase to make payments! Seems interesting?! Read on…

Mobile Money and Mobile Wallet are examples of Mobile Service Provider.

This brand new system is going to take the lead in the near future, known as “Mobile Money”. It is an innovative closed loop payment system where consumers will be informed via SMS each time he or she makes a payment. In short, it simply means that it brings payments to you instead of you having to go to make payments.

“Mobile Money” is convenient yet secure and rewarding. It is designed with 9 levels of protection to enhance security and to minimize fraud. Each transaction will also be rewarded with instant cash rebate and the “e-cash” accumulated can be used to make purchases at any “Mobile Money” retail outlets. At the same time, participating outlets are also running their own loyalty programmes and offering bonus points to their “Mobile Money” customers, further enhancing the benefits of paying via this mobile payment system.

Potential of Mobile Payment System

There are a great room of potential for this payment system to grow more rapidly. With the mobile payment system, consumers no longer need to carry cash, credit cards, or clicking through ample of different websites or going to the outlets looking for parking and queuing up to pay bills. Thus, it is hassle free! What you need to do is to get yourself registered to the “Mobile Money” service provider and top up with “M-Money” instantly and you can start paying your bills or doing remote shopping by just typing a SMS code, and your transaction is done! Anywhere, anytime, anyone!

These 2 diagrams show how Mobile Payment System work. Simple?!

Next, consumers are reluctant to change their payment methods due to security problem. Everyone is worried about the violation of privacy where all our personal or financial information and tools fell into the wrong hands. However, the mobile payment system is designed with 9 levels of protection to enhance security and minimize fraud. Thus, it is much safer, you need not worry even if you lost your mobile phone...

Consumer Adoption Strategies

As long as the mobile payment system perform as well as it designed to, Malaysians will adopt this new convenient payment method. Moreover, in order to make this payment system being adopted quickly, mobile payment service providers should work hand-in-hand to do aggregate advertising and educate all Malaysians with the benefits of “M-Money”.

References:

http://www.mobile-money.com/2iamuser.html

http://www.mobilewallet2u.com/lang/en/services_main.html

http://www.hlb.com.my/news/2005/corn143.jsp?flag=092005

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Electronic Currency

Posted by Pit Ei

Electronic currency (also known as e-money, electronic money, electronic cash, digital money, digital cash or digital currency) refers to money or scrip which is exchanged only electronically. This involves use of computer networks, the Internet and digital stored value systems. Moreover, it is a collective term for financial cryptography and technologies enabling it.

There are two examples of electronic currency - Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) and direct deposit. EFT refers to the computer-based systems used to perform financial transactions electronically. However, direct deposit refers to the electronic transfer of a payment directly from the account of the payer to that of the party being paid.

One rare success has been Hong Kong's Octopus card system which started as a transit payment system and has growth into a widely used electronic cash system. Singapore also has an electronic currency 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). A very successful implementation is in the Netherland, known as Chipknip.



Future evolution
The main focuses of digital cash development are being able to use it through a wider range of hardware such as secured credit cards and 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).Theoretical developments in the area of decentralized money are underway that may rival traditional, centralized money. Systems of accounting such as Altruistic Economics are emerging that are entirely electronic, and can be more efficient and more realistic because they do not assume a zero-sum transaction model.

Pros
Electronic currency 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.

Cons
The transfer of electronic currency raises disadvantages 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). These issues may only be addressable by some type of cyberspace regulations or laws that regulate the transactions and watch for signs of trouble.

References:
http://www.answers.com/topic/electronic-money
http://www.answers.com/topic/electronic-funds-transfer
http://www.answers.com/topic/direct-deposit

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The Application of Pre-paid Cash Card for Consumers

Posted by Qi Ying

Nowadays, people can limit their spending with their prepaid cash card that load funds onto the card and use the money. A prepaid cash card allows consumers to purchase something even when they don’t have the cash to pay for it. It benefits consumers in their everyday life. Basically, a prepaid card looks like a credit or debit card, and gives users the ability to purchase products and services with a card but with a crucial difference - you 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.

The application of pre-paid cash card for consumers:
  • Buying groceries and petrol
  • As a replacement for travellers cheques or travel cash for a low cost alternative to paying for goods and services abroad
  • Topping up your mobile phone
  • Internet shopping including eBay
  • Paying bills
  • Transferring money to friends and family either in the UK or overseas (known as remittance)
  • Withdrawing cash from an ATM

They have particular appeal to those including:

  • People who wish to use foreign currency on a holiday
  • Newly arrived immigrant, who although earning, cannot yet obtain credit due to having no credit footprint in the UK
  • A person who has a poor credit rating or a history of bad debt who cannot get a credit card
  • Parent of a young person travelling abroad

There are numerous benefits to the prepaid card. These include:

  • Availability - There are no credit checks, which means 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.
  • No debt risk - With a prepaid card there is no chance of spending too much as you are limited to the amount you put on your card.
  • The card for travel - As well as being able to top up the card, depending on the specific provider, you will be able to use it at ATMs worldwide. Many providers now offer dollar and euro cards and offer a better exchange rate on their travel cards than what is commonly available from bureau de change.

There are several types of pre-paid cash card:
Pre-paid Vista Cash Card
It is issued by Four Oaks Bank & Trust Company that given the opportunity for consumers with poor credit record and young children by not spending more than the balance on the card. Visa permits travelers access to money at automated teller machines in 65 countries and book the train tickets by offering prepaid cash card such as Metro Card in New York City.

Tough ‘n Go (TnG)
(TnG)smart card is used by Malaysian for electronic payment system to toll expressway and highway. It is expanding its business to retail purchase by starting with fast food industry that enables consumers to buy dough nut, burger or fast-food from 21 outlets such as Burger King, 7-Eleven, Dunkin’ Donut.

Maybank Visa Debit Card












References:

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Credit Card debts: Causes and Prevention

Posted by Qiau Hui

Credit cards can be a great tool but all too often we find we've spent more than we can manage to pay back. This is especially true when we have multiple credit cards and lose track of how much we owe on each of them. Nowadays, credit card debts are major cause of bankruptcies each year. It is because many people do not pay money that they have spent to the company. Therefore, debt accumulates and increases via interest and penalties.

Causes

POOR MONEY MANAGEMENT
Poor money management is ONE of the best reasons that why so many families have accumulated many credit card debts. It is because people are unaware to conduct a monthly spending plan and do not keep tracks of monthly bills. People have never realized their spending on the items that are useless and do not have any value in their life. This might force them to pay interest on these purchases every month. Thus, it has lead to rise in debts by using credit cards.

FINANCIAL OVER LIMIT
The downside to credit card debt is that the interest rates alone can force the average person or family to eventually have to rely on bankruptcy. If they can't afford something they really want, they charge it. Then when it comes time to paying the bill they pay the minimum amount due (very bad thing) only. This then accumulates an awful amount of interest and the next month when you get your bill, the balance is about the same.

TOO MANY CREDIT CARDS
Many people think that having many credit cards in the wallet is representing sign of wealth. In fact having too many credit cards is one of the factors that drive a people towards credit card debt. Many people do not realize that every single money used from credit cards has to be repaid and that too with interest.

Prevention

STOP USING CREDIT CARDS
The credit card users need to stop using credit cards, unless it is an urgent situation. The smart card user only uses the card in place of cash, or to obtain a purchase they can afford. Once the user has reduced credit card debt, they can stop worrying about falling deeper into debt.

SELF CONTROL AND DISCIPLINE
One of the best practices is to have a direct set up so that able to pay back the full amount each month and use in emergencies. Thus, self control and discipline to keep these cards in wallet and would not overspend.

MAKING AN BUDGET
The users have to create clear budget and stick on it that includes monthly bills, food, clothes, entertainment and miscellaneous expenses. This will prevent from overspending and fall under deeper debt load.


References:

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The Threat of Online Security: How Safe is Our Data?

Posted by Pit Ei

Online Security has become an enormous concern to people surfing the Internet, and to people conducting business on the World Wide Web. We have all heard reports of and been affected by online viruses spread through emails, online business scams, online identity theft, and online sexual abuses. So, online security really refers to many aspects of our new online world.

The Scary Part
Just about everybody has heard about computer viruses and “worms” that can infect your PC and wreak havoc on your operating system or files, and very few of us have completely escaped from these forms of online threats. New forms of these threats emerge every day. These viruses and worms are insidious little programs that can take control of your system or email service and cause great annoyance if not damage. Recently new variants of software called spyware and adware have rampaged over the web to monitor and try and take control of your online activities.

Today online security risk for Home PC users has escalated even further due to the many people online via dedicated broadband connections. Some folks remain online 24 hours a day. People who remain connected through such a broadband connection are “sitting on the Internet” and potentially exposed to any hacker out there with a malicious desire to try to access your files.

Another reason security risk has escalated is the increased availability of wireless access and use of wireless home networks. For those that use them, these are great and they're fast! But they do present some risk. The bottom line is that unless your PC and your network is protected, a malicious person could be standing in your driveway and gain access to an Excel file that contains the names and phone numbers of your best friends, or into a Word document that contains a list of your credit cards.

How to Protect Your PC and Data?
Virus Protection

Malicious code such as viruses, worms, and Trojan horses can infiltrate personal computers, allowing attackers to compromise the integrity of software packages or even take control of your computer. It's up to you to protect your critical information.

Fortunately, it’s easy to safeguard your computer against viruses and malicious code. First, install antivirus software to protect, detect, and repair attacks from most viruses. Second, and just as important, ensure that software is up to date. New viruses appear daily. Your antivirus software is only as good as its last update.

Personal FirewallsHackers' virus-like worms are constantly “knocking on doors” looking for available targets. You can help protect your computer by using a firewall. Firewall software on computers protects them from the hazards of the Internet by monitoring the types of activity or attempted activity between the computer and a network. Computers guarded by a firewall can refuse attempted connections that aren't initiated by you or that are suspicious.

SpywareEven computers that are protected by a firewall and safeguarded against viruses can be targeted by spyware. Spyware is software that appears to offer some tangible benefit, but actually monitors your behavior, typically to deliver targeted popup advertising. This illegal access is often used to intercept the user IDs and passwords to your online accounts. So, install anti-spyware software which will help combat and remove spyware from your computer.

Password PrecautionsYour best line of defense on the Internet is your password. No amount of technology can protect you if your password becomes compromised or is easy to guess. Here are a few tips for keeping this personal information safe.

1. Change your password regularly
2. Practice smart password management
- Create longer user names and passwords because they're more secure than shorter ones.
- Refrain from using your name as part of your user name or password because it's too easy to guess.

References:

http://www.online-security-solution.com/

http://www.firstrade.com/public/en_us/knowledgecenter/securitycenter/protectyourself/

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How Do You Safeguard Our Personal and Financial Data?

Posted by Qi Ying

How do you safeguard your personal and financial data? Nowadays, computer and internet are very common to everyone. We will rely on computer to save our personal data and using online financial services to do financial transactions such as online banking in order to safe time. Protecting personal and financial information is paramount these days. Criminals are looking for easy ways to get people's personal and financial data to commit identity theft. Therefore, it is important that users take measures to protect their date from lost and damage.

Here are a few approaches on how to safeguard our personal and financial data:
1. Set up a username and password
Set up a username and password for logging on to your computer. This can be done by your administrator and will be separate from the login you enter to gain access to the network. Furthermore, avoid using passwords that are easy for someone to guess, such as the date of birth. Also, never write this information down and never carry it in your wallet. Besides, longer passwords provide greater security than shorter ones. Once selecting a password, change it frequently.

2. Be cautious about providing your information
Don't give your financial information or personally identifying details to organizations you don't know such as bank account numbers, credit card account numbers. Don't disclose the personal financial data on any Web site or online service location, or on the phone, or through the mail unless you receive a secured authentication key from your provider.

3. Install antispyware and antivirus software
Install an antivirus program such as Symantec and Norton antivirus, AVG antivirus or other more in order to protect yourself against viruses and Trojan horses that may steal or modify the data on your own computer. It cleans the computer and protects personal information, financial data. In order for the well protection, you must make sure to keep your virus definitions up to date.

4. Install a firewall
Users can use firewalls to protect their computers and data from unauthorized intrusions. A firewall is a software program designed to allow good people in and keep bad people out. Most new computers come with firewalls integrated into their operating systems. If you have an older computer or use dial up, you may need to purchase a firewall separately and install it yourself.

5. Never open mystery attachments
Never open an attachment or click on a link sent to you by an unknown party. Attachments can contain viruses and links can lead unsuspecting users to dummy sites where they are asked to input financial information.

References:
http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/103893/Six-Ways-to-Safeguard-Your-Online-Assets
http://www.ehow.com/how_2065985_safeguard-personal-information-work-computer.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art

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Phishing: Examples and its prevention methods

Posted by Xingpei


Phishing is an e-mail fraudulent method that attempts to gather personal and financial information such as credit card details, usernames and passwords from recipients. The messages usually appears to come from well known and trustworthy websites. Popular websites that are frequently spoofed are social websites (YouTube, Window Live Messenger), auction sites (eBay, lelong.com.my), online banks (Maybank2u.com), online payment processors (PayPal) and it is typically done through e-mail or instant messaging.

Let me illustrate few classic examples of phishing. 

Illustration 1: eBay

Illustration 2: PayPal

Hints to Spot Phishing Scams

All legitimate institution communication will always greet the user with his or her real name or the name of the email, not just with a generic greeting like, "Dear Accountholder." Other signs that the message is a fraud are misspellings of simple words, bad grammar and the threat of consequences such as account suspension if the recipient fails to comply with the message's requests.

Nevertheless, we should also examine the link provided whether it goes to where it supposes to go. In the example of eBay in Illustration 1, it seems that you are being directed to eBay site for verification https://scgi.ebay.com/saw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?VerifyInformation but if you click on the link, you will find that you have been directed to a different site. The best way to avoid this is to copy and paste the link (NEVER click it!) to your address bar.

Preventions

The best way to keep yourself away from phishing scams is to preventing them to go in your mailbox. You may have separate email addresses for different usage, one for financial institutions, one for trusted friends and families and one for public or general use. You have to do everything possible to keep the address you use for financial transactions as private as possible.

Moreover, there are ample of anti-phishing softwares available in the market such as McAfee SiteAdvisor, Kaspersky Internet Security, Norton 360 and etc. Even web browsers like Microsoft Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 2.0 also comes with anti-phishing functions. So, all these may help to keep you away from being the bait.

The last piece of advice to avoid becoming a phishing scam victim is to use your best judgement. None of the financial institution with any sense will email you and ask you to input all your sensitive and private information. In fact, most institutions are reminding and informing customers that “We will NEVER ask you for your personal information via phone or email.”

Video Sharing to clarify on Phishing Scams in Plain English


References:

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Prevent-Phishing-Scams&id=1147318

http://banking.about.com/od/securityandsafety/a/phishingscams.htm

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

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The Application of 3rd Party Certification Programme in Malaysia

Posted by Qiau Hui

The most famous application of 3rd party program in Malaysia is provided by MSC Trustgate.com Sdn Bhd. MSC Trustgate.com Sdn Bhd is a licensed Certification Authority (CA) operating within the Multimedia Super Corridor and was incorporated in 1999. The objective of Trustgate is to secure the open network communications and become the catalyst for the growth of e-commerce, both locally and across the ASEAN region.

Trustgate is licensed under the Digital Signature Act 1997 (DSA), a Malaysia law that sets a global precedent for the mandate of a CA. As a CA, Trustgate offer complete security solutions and leading trust services that are needed by individuals, enterprises, government, and e-commerce service providers using digital certificates, digital signatures, encryption and decryption.

The products and services provided are SSL Certificate, Managed PKI, Personal ID, MyKAD ID, MyTRUST , SSL VPN and so on. Since security is the primary concern of entering into the new Internet economy, the ever-changing paradigm of e-commerce requires a well-mandated security infrastructure. The vision of Trustgate is ‘to enable organizations to conduct their business securely over the Internet, as much as what they have been enjoying in the physical world.’

Why 3rd party is IMPORTANT?
The REASON is there are threats of internet security spreading over the net nowadays. By having the certification from 3rd party, we can ensure that our information traveled over the internet reaches the intended recipients and is safe. Besides, those parties are needed because they can provide e-mail protection and validation, secure online shopping in order to avoid hacked and attacked by Trojan, virus and worms.

With the 3rd party certification program in Malaysia, we will be able to transact on the internet without fear of having our personal data stolen, our information contaminated by third parties, and our transacting party denying any commercial commitment with us. Furthermore, it assists in the development of greater Internet based activities.

Reference:

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Discuss How E-commerce Can Reduce Cycle Time, Improve Employees' Empowerment and Facilitate Customer Support

Posted by Pit Ei

E-commerce is widely used by individual and organizations these days because it brings many benefits to us such as reduce cycle time, improve employees' empowerment and facilitate customer support.


Reduce Cycle Time
Cycle time is the total amount of time between the orders that placing by consumers and receiving the goods and services. E-commerce can reduce the cycle time by eliminating steps in the business process and take a shorter time to complete a business transaction. Once the customers request the products and make the payment online through credit cards, the organization can send the products directly to the customers without the process of middle man and intermediaries. By this, the organization can reduce the cycle time, costs and gain competitive advantages towards other competitors. For example, TradeNet in Singapore reduced the administrative time of port-related transactions from days to minutes.

Improve Employees' Empowerment
Employees' empowerment is the process of enabling or authorizing an employee to think, behave, take action and control work and decision making in autonomous ways. By giving more flexibilities to access information such as Internet, Intranet, Electronic-Data-Interchange (EDI) and other access to global regulations and latest information are able to improve employees' empowerment. Therefore, the employees have the ability to make decision for customers, have sufficient alertness of the complaints and they are able to handle the complaints efficiently. By having E-commerce, the employees even can work at their own house and can provide a quick response or feedback to the customers. As a result, it will benefit organization in term of getting closer to customers, improving service quality, innovating continuously, increasing productivity and gaining the competitive edge.

Facilitate Customer Support
E-commerce also providing a wide range of technological solutions and communication opportunity. It can provide unlimited shopping hours for customers to place their order as it is run on a 24 hours basis. Customer has direct access to product information updates, and other promotion by visiting the online stores that create an interactive and easier way for customer to buy the products that they need compared to the traditional stores. Besides, it also provides electronic bulletin for customer in order to report fault and dissatisfaction.

References:
http://www.businesstown.com/internet/ecomm-definition.asp
http://www.remarkable.co.nz/ebusiness/ebusiness_cost_benefit.htm
http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/080324/0378211.html

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An Example of an E-commerce Success and Its Causes : Lelong.com

Posted by Xingpei

10 years down the road, Lelong.com is one of the earliest e-commerce companies being set up in 1999. This auction site was mostly filled with gadgets ranging from personal computers to mobile phones, anything from household appliances to electronics goods to toys, including used and new products. Today, Lelong.com achieved more than 31 million pageviews and a million unique visitors a month. Undoubtedly, Lelong.com is Malaysia’s biggest and most active Internet auction site. According to Richard Tan, the number of people trading online is growing and e-commerce is more popular among the younger generation. Around 80% of their members are below 35-years-old.




Pushing Factors
Similar online services such as lowyat.net and eBay Malaysia are helping to spread the word on online transactions, in turn helping Lelong.com to build more traffic. More Malaysians are experiencing such transactions and realizing that is a worthwhile pursuit especially if they are hunting for collectibles, really good bargain. Nevertheless, the broadband Internet services with access speed of 1Mbps to 4Mbps, Lelong.com pages load very fast compared to the early days using dial-up connections.


Key Success Factors
Richard Tan believes its success comes from ensuring Lelong.com’s business is built firmly on trust. “That’s the main reason people keep coming to our website for trading,” he says. One of the key success factors according to Richard Tan was their stringent security measures. He claimed that, in order to build trust between sellers and buyers who use the site, Lelong.com does not allow its seller to be anonymous. As for your information, there are many other sites and forums that allow seller to sell if they insist on anonymity. Lelong.com ensures all sellers go through a stringent verification process to guarantee a safe shopping environment for buyers. It shows how serious Lelong.com is on the issue is the security tagline on its website – “Guilty as Fraudster – Until Proven Not.” Though there is no such thing as complete security, but Lelong.com strives to reduce the risks to a large extent. Due to all these measures, there are hardly fraud-related complaints from users of the auction website, and the most complaints that they received do with shipping delays.

Another key success factor of Lelong.com was they do not charge a listing fee or earn sales commissions for its services. It only sells advertising space and charges customers who want their product to be prominently featured on the site, a small fee. Users can list items free on the site with only premium features, having a reserve price and offering Dutch auctions incurring charges. With RM 168 a year, users can set up an online store at Lelong.com. Richard also claimed that the toughest part in e-commerce business is not building a website but attracting traffic to the site. Thus, being in the Featured section could make a difference as it makes your items to stand out from the crowd, which is why they charge for the service. Moreover, Lelong.com retains its “For Malaysians only” clause is to enable it to have better control should there be incidents of fraud.

I believe Lelong.com will continue to chalk up more milestone in the next decade, as e-commerce is getting more popular as time goes on.

Reference:

http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2008/5/20/itfeature/1208205&sec=itfeature

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