Corporate Blogging: A new marketing communication tool for companies
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).1. Leadership corporate blogs
E-government in Malaysia : Its Implementation So Far and Citizen's Adoption Strategies
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Ahmada) 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
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
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.
(a) Easy to Get, Easy to UseCredit Card debts: Causes and Prevention
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
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.
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.
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.Mobile payment systems in Malysia: Its potentials and customers' adoption strategies
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
