Review on a post on http://ecommerze.blogspot.com/search/label/Legal --- Bid shilling - a jewellery store fined USD400, 000.

Bid-shilling has been growing in the e-market these years. It is a type of e-auction fraud which the processes that the sellers would “push” the selling price higher themselves if the final bidding does not reach their expectation. This type of fraud is nearly impossible to detect the fraudsters. However, there is some website still invent some sophisticated tools to trait those fraudsters secretly. A number of fraudsters has been send to jail in the past decade.

Although technology is getting better recently, but there is still a lot of shilling fraudsters around us. All bidders who participated in e-auction should pay attention to the current issues. The related e-auction website should take action on those fraudsters in order to secure customers and building trust.

In the cases “Jeweler to Pay $400,000 in Online Auction Fraud Settlement”, the jewelry dealer ask his employees place the bid to inflate the price secretly, their deceptive behavior cause the customers pay extra for the original bidding price. Finally the jewelry dealer is being complaint and fined for USD$400, 000 and barred from participating any e-auction for 4 years.

In my opinion, the barring for that merchant has not solved the problem, that individual still able to create another account to continue his shilling deceptive behavior. He should receive a more serious punishment like jail!

For this issue, eBay has done a good job in controlling. Ebay has installed a number of policies and surveillance tactics aimed at curbing shill bidding.

*review on http://ecommerze.blogspot.com/search/label/Legal

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

E-auction is type of business model which the auctions conducted online through internet. There are dynamic pricing changes due to demand and supply relationship at any given time. Actually E-auction is one of the best strategies to test the price of a new product. Although E-auction is convenience, but there is still some fraud occur in E-auction.

Type of E-auction fraud:

- - Bid- shielding: There are fake bidders bid at very high prices and then pull out at the last minute.

- Shilling: Placing fake bids on auction items to jack up the bidding price.

- Fake photos and misleading description.

- Improper grading techniques.

- Selling reproductions

- Failure to pay.

- Inflated shipping and handling cost

- Failure to ship merchandise.

- Loss and damage claims.

- Switch and return.

The method to prevent E-auction fraud

i) User verification: The E-auction website should request bidders to verify their personal id before bidding.

ii) Authentication service: A component of Windows Server operating systems that provides centralized user authentication and authorization, auditing and accounting.

iii) Grading service

iv) Feedback Forum: Set up a forum for all buyers and sellers, all the information or history of any sellers could be acquired through the forum.

v) Insurance policy: The transaction is protected under the insurance of websites or sellers.

vi) Escrow service: The middleman as in transaction between buyer and seller. Escrow service hold the payment or item from one party A until that party has received items from party B. Once the party A receives the item, escrow service just sends the payment or items to party B.

vii) Nonpayment punishment: The punishment to those who escape for paying.

viii) Appraisal services: To better understanding the profile of sellers and buyers.

ix) Physical inspection: Monitoring by the users themselves.

x) Verification: Final verification for the deal.

E-Government in Malaysia

Electronic government (E-government) is defined as the use of Internet and other digital devices in public sector to deliver services and information.

The implementation of electronic government started since the initiation of Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) by the Malaysian government. By implementing e-government, it will help to improve the government processes, connect citizens and build interactions with and within the civil society.

Today, there are many opinions regarding the implementation of E-government in Malaysia. Some say, users are not satisfied with the e-government services provided. Others say, Malaysia has a low penetration in terms of e-government usage among their citizens. Malaysia’s online services were barely above the interactive level and the citizen-centric component is only minimally present. Malaysia is categorized under the “Slow Starters” group which means that the e-government implementation in Malaysia is at a slow pace.

There are 5 Conditions to ensure the success of E-Government Implementation in Malaysia:

1. Usage – widespread public adoption :
2. Access – wide variety of delivery channel for public access
3. Equality – reaching to all segments of society
4. Quicker Roll-out – quick, focused and comprehensive roll-out
5. Expense – minimal capital outlay

Citizens' adoption is another important issue, because the success and acceptance of e-Government initiatives are dependent on citizens’ willingness to adopt and utilize these services. Some barriers toward adoption of e-government service are Technology and security barriers and Citizen Barriers.

1. Technology and Security Barriers: lack of technical infrastructure - a significant barrier to the development of government organizations ’ capabilities to make available online services and transactions.

2. Citizen Barriers: little is known about how consumers distinguish and estimate electronic service release.

The underlying criteria for evaluating security in e-government are based on the common security principles which are: Availability, Integrity of Data and System, Confidentiality of Data and System, Accountability, Assurance, and Trust. This research will Identify and analyze the factors that affect the adoption of e-government services that will successes e-government Implementation, Characterize the barriers of citizen adoption of electronic service, and The final objective of this study is to implement conceptual framework that successes the adoption of e-government services.

Some Malaysian e-government websites:

1. Malaysia Trade And Industry
2. Road Transport Department (JPJ)
3. Majlis Perbandaran Kajang (MPKJ)
4. Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN)
5. Immigration Department
6. IPTA
   

-Joel Vergis-

Review of Local E-Comerce Site

*Updated Post

The website I have chosen to review is Noel. This is a website that specializes in gifts and flowers for various occasions.

Here is a video walkthrough of Noel.com.my:

*Noel.com Main Page

This website has a large selection of flowers as gifts, yet, Blooming has much more variety and is much more customizable. I would even come to the conclusion that Blooming's main competitor in the e-commerce scene is Noel.

Being a gift website, Noel does not have many choices of practical gifts that I could actually give to my friends and family members. Most of their array of gifts are very exotic in nature. Hence, they are not suitable to be given just to anyone. However, if a last-minute purchase needs to be made, and you don't have any idea what to get, this website is an excellent choice.

Another thing that I couldn't help but notice was that most of the products offered are focused on the 'Valentine's Day' market, because they are very 'lovey-dovey' in nature and have many flowers and cute soft toys, etc. for purchase.

They also have a large selection of cakes. In my opinion, SecretRecipe has a better selection of cakes to choose from. Therefore, we can assume that Noel is focusing on a one-stop solution for gifts in general, hence, it does not have a wide variety of products to choose from.

-Joel Vergis-

Corporate Blogging: A new marketing communication tool for companies.

Blogs were born from the need to easily publish personal voices online. Blogs, by the nature of the medium, encourage casual banter and informal language. Unlike Web sites, which are crafted and branded and carefully planned out to be "on message," the daily journal format of a blog produces more vulnerability from its authors. In marketing terms, a blog can bring a human personality to a faceless company, which can create a connection between the corporation and the client. This can lead to deeper loyalty and richer feedback.




A corporate weblog is published and used by an organization to reach its organizational goals. A conversation going on the company, for internal communication or for community building.
There is scope – even if limited – for using corporate blogs.
For example, a company could keep a customer relationship blog as a forum for discussing products. CEO blogs can be used as an instrument for business agenda-setting or image-building. Before a corporate blog is established the responsible parties must address various strategic issues in order to decide on the practicality of the tool:

1. Is a blog a good fit for the company, its targets and its culture?

As blogs can sometimes be very provocative, they may not be compatible
with a company’s image.

2. As regards content, limitations arise – especially for listed companies.
The content of a blog has to comply with legal and regulatory standards.
From the reader’s standpoint, this substantially dims the attractiveness of
CEO blogs in particular.

Even if companies decide against running a corporate blog, the topic should
stay on their agenda with a view to developments going forward. Companies
should keep track of how their image fares in the “blogosphere”, the new
communications arena. This is underpinned by the argument that
substantial reputational risks can emerge if the companies misjudge the
rapidly formed opinions in the blogosphere.

In companies employees will inevitably start blogging as private individuals
one day. For this reason, companies require a clear blogging policy.
Besides setting guidelines for employees blogging privately, it should also set
out rules saying how employees are allowed to blog on behalf of the
company.

5 most popular corporate blog:



1. Yahoo!



2. Dell



3. General Motors



4. Google



5. Kodak

Credit Card Debts: Causes And Prevention

Credit card debt is an example of unsecured consumer debt, accessed through ISO 7810 plastic credit cards.

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.

The results of not paying this debt on time are that the company will charge a late payment penalty (generally in the US from $10 to $40) and report the late payment to credit rating agencies. Being late on a payment is sometimes referred to as being in "default". The late payment penalty itself increases the amount of debt the consumer has.

When a consumer has been late on a payment, it is possible that other creditors, even creditors the consumer was not late in paying, may increase the interest rates the consumer is paying. This practice is called universal default.

There is NO positive side to credit card use. You will spend more if you use credit cards. Even by paying the bills on time, you are not beating the system! But most families don't pay on time. The average family today carries $8,000 in credit card debt according to the American Bankers' Association.

Here are a few videos taken from the Documentary 'Maxed Out':

Causes:

When you pay cash, you can "feel" the money leaving you. This is not true with credit cards. Flipping a credit card up on a counter registers nothing emotionally. If you use credit cards instead of cash you will spend 12-18% more.

Prevention:

Personal finance is 80% behavior. You need to cut out habits that make you spend more. You do not build wealth with credit cards. Use common sense. When you play with a multi-billion dollar industry and you think you're going to win at their game, you are naive. You cannot beat the credit card companies.

-Joel Vergis-

Mobile payment systems in Malaysia: Its potential and consumers'adoption strategies

Mobile payment is the collection of money from a consumer via a mobile device such as mobile phone, Smartphone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) or other such device.

There have two primary models for mobile payment: Premium SMS based transactional payments and Mobile web payment (WAP). Mobile payment can be used to pay any number fees of digital or physical goods, such as videos, ringtones, games, wallpapers, books, magazines, tickets and other goods. Mobile payment service is developing fast recently in Malaysia. It will work best in those areas where it can emphasize the core virtue of mobile networks-convenience.

WAP is consumer uses web pages displayed on their mobile phone to make a payment. This process is quicker than premium SMS based transactional payments for digital content and also enables the sale of physical goods.

In the following, some benefit that consumer make payment through mobile payment system:

1. Follow-on sales where the mobile web payment can lead back to a store or to other goods the consumer may like. These pages have a URL and can be bookmarked making it easy to re-visit or share with friends.
2. High customer satisfaction from quick and predictable payments
3. Ease of use from a familiar set of online payment pages