eGovernment

Malaysian government has identified initiatives to implement the modernization of the public sector. MSC is Malaysia’s initiative for the global information and communication technology (ICT) industry. The e-Government initiative was launched in Malaysia in the year 1997 by the former Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as one of the seven flagships of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) initiative. The e-Government initiative focuses on increasing efficiency and at the same time reducing operational costs of public services offered. All government agencies will be equipped to quick start to offer public services through e-Government if there is a standardized framework for guidance.

The current applications of e-government in Malaysia such as e-Filling, Renewing Road Tax and Driving License Online, KWSP’s i-Akaun and E-Perolehan. Nowadays, we can renew road tax and motor insurance policy at http://www.myeg.com.my/. It also provides a list of about 100 insurances companies for citizen to choose it. In addition, we also can renew driving licenses and pay or check traffic summonses through the online at http://www.jpj.gov.my/.
However, many citizens in Malaysia do not use e-government because they are lack of computer knowledge. Besides that, the languages available of e-government applications are more on English and Malay. Some consumers are not proficient in those languages, so they are rarely using the e-government applications.

Citizen’s adoption strategies
The government should be able to propose an effective strategy to encourage citizen’s adoption of e-government by focusing on these 4 areas.

1. Customer satisfaction
E-Government adoption requires that citizens show higher levels of satisfaction with the online service provided by the government. A higher level of customer satisfaction will increase the rate of e-Government adoption.

2. Service Quality
Online service quality for e-Government could be measured in terms of quality of content provided on the website, the speed of the response to the citizens concerns with problem solving approach, and the availability of names. Other important measurement factors are telephone and fax numbers of personnel with whom citizens might need to get in touch, and the integration of an offline channel with online channel so that citizens could interact with government departments through other means if necessary. Higher quality of service will lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction and thus can increase the use of e-government services.

3. Website Design
Personalization of websites, customization of product offerings, and self-care are the three key features that could be used not only to build relationship with the visitors, but also to enhance their experience. These features give visitors a sense of control and participation and could potentially enhance their adoption

4. User Characteristic
User characteristics such as perceived risk, perceived control, and internet experience can have a direct impact on internet adoption. Experience influences a citizen’s trust of e-Government. Users with prior experience, especially if satisfied, would be more likely to return to use e-Government services. Perceived risk leads to security and privacy issues that could discourage the use of online services. It is important to ensure that citizens can transact online securely and their personal information will be kept confidential to increase the level of trust and the e-government adoption rate.

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review on local e-commerce site

Blooming florist is a click and mortar business which started its business only a small retail florist in year 1981. Now, it is not just only a florist in a physical store but also with an e-commerce operation. It offered the choices between the physical location or using the website to provide the services to the customers.

There are various types of product provided in this e-commerce site. With all of these items, it has offered many type of gift packages for the customers in the different type of the occasions. For example, you can order the red rose in hand bouquet with the Berlys heart shaped chococlate during the valentine day for your girlfriend or flowers with the baby products for the new born baby.

Blooming.com.my incorporates different types and hyperlink to direct the users to their desired page, giving them the choice of pathways.The list of catalog is given in the e-commerce site, therefore it give the customers flexibility and convenience to get what they want in just a click aways in the site. After you click on the item you decide to purchase, it will link to the shopping cart. In the shopping cart, it will show the item you have selected as a review before you make the payment. After that, click the checkout now, it will appear list of form for you to fill up the delivery date and time, card message, the receipient and your billing information with the payment option. At the end, click on the confirm now button.

In conclusion, the blooming website is user-friendly website that enable the users to browse and satisfy their needs. For those who feel interest in these gift package, you may have a look in http://www.blooming.com.my/ .

Referrence:

www.blooming.com.my

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A discussion on E-learning offered in Malaysian universities: Pros and Cons from students perspective

E-learning is a term for all types of technology -enhanced learning (TEL), where technology is used to support the learning process. E-learning strategies have been introduced into public universities in Malaysia after the establishment of the Multimedia Super Corridor since 1996 . The Malaysian universities that embraces e-learning include Open University Malaysia (OUM), Multimedia University (MMU), and University Tun Abdul Razak (UNITAR).

Pros and Cons from students perspective

One of the advantages of E-learning is its accessibility to all students irrespective of their residence. The learning options are not constrained by students geographic location. Self-paced learning modules allow learners to work at their own pace. So there is no need for student to worry about the transport problem, especially for the students who are living in the rural area.

Besides that, E-learning can lower the cost of extra expenses for traveling, accommodation, food and high fees for tutors. Usually, it is less costs for students than traditional programs. So the students who are facing financial difficulty can afford getting higher education degrees through E-learning.

Another advantage of e-learning is its time flexibility. Learning can be fit into student's busy schedule, especially for the part time student. One can get online resources, communicate with his tutor or class mates, send his query and write term paper at any time he can get access to the Internet.

However, there are still a few disadvantages in e-learning The major disadvantage of E-learning is lack of face to face interaction between the students and the teachers. This contributes the lack of understanding between them. While a teacher cannot easily feel a student’s demands, interests and motivations, a student can simply be lazy being non-motivated enough and having free time schedule for his e-learning.


The other disadvantage is it does not provide many social aspects of a true campus or traditional classroom. E-learning are obviously unique that the students are distanced from their teacher and classmates, and need to communicate electronically rather than face to face. This distance seemed generally to contribute a lack of class community. Thus, the student may feel isolated or miss social interaction from their teacher or classmates.


References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_learning
http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/website/index.pl?read=309

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Corporate blogging: A new marketing communication tool for companies

Because technology is changing rapidly, this means that the way people communicate, both personally and professionally, is changing rapidly as well. Corporations that used to rely on pen and paper have advanced to voicemail, e-mail, and even instant messaging to make sure that employees are connected to volumes of information at any given second.Some companies are even looking even beyond e-mail and instant messaging to other new ways of communicating electronically: through blogs (Web logs), podcasts, wikis, discussion boards and streaming video among other means. Indeed new ways of communicating digitally are being developed at a fast pace and with greater speed.

According to a recent report by Forrester Research that looked at 90 blogs from Fortune 500 companies, most corporate blogs are “dull, drab, and don’t stimulate discussion.” Sadly, two-thirds hardly ever get any comments, 70% stick strictly to business topics, and worse 56% just republish press releases or already public news.The research states that Amazon is one of the companies that really get corporate blogging and produce blogs that are informative, fascinating, and a joy to read.

Amazon Web Services Blog is a corporate blog about Amazon web services, products, tools and developer information. It helps to improve the communication and its customer services, attract more people to consume and discuss new products online. It is truly one of the great corporate blogs because it reads like a fan blog. You’d never know that Jeff Barr, the scribe behind the AWS blog, is a Web Services Evangelist at Amazon just by reading his posts. That’s because Barr doesn’t write like a corporate flak. Instead he writes with the voice of someone who is truly amazed each day by the stuff that people build on Amazon’s suite of web services, and that makes reading the blog a pleasure.

Pros and Cons of corporate blog

The pros:

• It’s very easy to set up a company blog. The technologies available today are so user-friendly that the average employee will quickly learn how to update the company blog. Therefore, this task can be delegated to trusted staff members with solid writing skills, and they can be empowered to make updates as necessary.
• Corporate blogging appeals to younger consumer groups and employees. If you want to capitalize on the energy, enthusiasm and buying power of this demographic group, then corporate blogging is an excellent resource.
• In the face of a crisis or emergency, a company blog is a good way to spread information. Blogs have quickly become a powerful tool for combating public relations fires and responding to catastrophic situations. They can be modified quickly to post critical information for employees, consumers and stakeholders.

The cons:

• A company blog is time-consuming to maintain. It takes a great deal of creative energy and regular updating to keep the content fresh. The time it takes to maintain a good company blog might actually end up costing more than the benefits that it generates.
• Corporate blogging requires strong written communication skills, and you might not have the right people in positions to produce good posts.
• Blogs are so popular that their credibility as a source of information is declining. Anyone can compose and post information in the internet these days. Visitors to your website might not view a company blog as a credible source. Likewise, stakeholders and employees may respond more effectively to more traditional mediums like email communication, memos and announcements in meetings.

Referred links:

1.http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2008/08/08/15-companies-that-really-get-corporate-blogging/

2.http://www.helium.com/items/254062-the-pros-and-cons-of-corporate-blogging

3.http://www.selfseo.com/story-19130.php

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