E-commerce is known as the most important facet of internet technologies nowadays. B2B e- commerce (Business to Business) which is one of business models in varying business over the internet. B2B e- commerce is the exchange of products and services between businesses rather than between business and consumers. Its competitive advantage not only in local and international market are recognized in the recent time and is believed to increased more rapidly in the next several years. More and more businesses are turned into B2B e- commerce especially there business is associated in World Wide Web. Buying and selling of goods are done through digital communication which offers a lot of benefits for business organization over a traditional way of making transaction. In the past, to succeed in the business and got a place in the marketplace depends on each strategy in running the business. Once you’ve got the best strategy definitely you’ve gain more profit over other business. To have the best strategy, you need to have a lot of minds to think and compare with to come up with the optimum strategy suited for the company to gain more profit over the other. However, these become successful for big companies who got a lot of employees and have some group which specializes in finding for the best business strategy. This job before requires someone to research and study the current trend in the market, have to go to other places just like the traditional ways of gathering information. This will take time and cost that mostly big scale businesses can afford. That’s the reason why, only multinational companies and the like dominate in the market. How about the medium especially small scale businesses? They were not given the enough chance to excel in the market. It will take long time for them to gain little progress on their business, as well as its hard for them to be informed with the latest business strategy the suit for the current business trend since information was not made available for everyone.
With e- commerce discrimination issues large, medium, small scale businesses have been eliminated. Internet technologies offer a chance to each business organization to excel in the market. Information has been made available in the internet. The company can search for the best strategy in running a business in different scope, as well as provide them information with an update on current business trend and how to put their business inline. It enables them to make their business compete both in local and international market.
In this technological age, internet has been a necessity in almost all fields. Its contribution in e- business and e- commerce opens an opportunity to a faster, accurate and efficient customer service with a less consumed time and cost. With internet technologies offer a direct communication link for customer and supplier, thus eliminate intermediary people which the main cause of high cost and delay. From that, lower cost on purchasing and selling products are achieved as well as offers satisfaction to both customer and supplier in terms of time spent from business transaction to delivery. Direct transaction definitely reduces time and cost spent, thus leads to more profit for the organization.
The internet offers a wider range of marketplace. Companies are able to compete both in local and international market without considering so much its size. Putting your business in World Wide Web, you’re making it available around the world and you’re doing business in different nationalities. E- commerce allows people to carry out business without the barriers of time and distance. Anyone can log on to the internet at any point of time. With e- commerce it makes your business available anytime, either day or night. As e-commerce system also made available with do automation in almost all business process the company does. You can directly purchase and sell products and services at a single click of the mouse via organization website with accuracy and speed. It is made possible to negotiate and deal business virtually anytime even without human supervision. E-commerce is known as the most important facet of internet technologies nowadays. B2B e- commerce (Business to Business) which is one of business models in varying business over the internet. B2B e- commerce is the exchange of products and services between businesses rather than between business and consumers. Its competitive advantage not only in local and international market are recognized in the recent time and is believed to increased more rapidly in the next several years. More and more businesses are turned into B2B e- commerce especially there business is associated in World Wide Web. Buying and selling of goods are done through digital communication which offers a lot of benefits for business organization over a traditional way of making transaction. In the past, to succeed in the business and got a place in the marketplace depends on each strategy in running the business. Once you’ve got the best strategy definitely you’ve gain more profit over other business. To have the best strategy, you need to have a lot of minds to think and compare with to come up with the optimum strategy suited for the company to gain more profit over the other. However, these become successful for big companies who got a lot of employees and have some group which specializes in finding for the best business strategy. This job before requires someone to research and study the current trend in the market, have to go to other places just like the traditional ways of gathering information. This will take time and cost that mostly big scale businesses can afford. That’s the reason why, only multinational companies and the like dominate in the market. How about the medium especially small scale businesses? They were not given the enough chance to excel in the market. It will take long time for them to gain little progress on their business, as well as its hard for them to be informed with the latest business strategy the suit for the current business trend since information was not made available for everyone.
With e- commerce discrimination issues large, medium, small scale businesses have been eliminated. Internet technologies offer a chance to each business organization to excel in the market. Information has been made available in the internet. The company can search for the best strategy in running a business in different scope, as well as provide them information with an update on current business trend and how to put their business inline. It enables them to make their business compete both in local and international market.
In this technological age, internet has been a necessity in almost all fields. Its contribution in e- business and e- commerce opens an opportunity to a faster, accurate and efficient customer service with a less consumed time and cost. With internet technologies offer a direct communication link for customer and supplier, thus eliminate intermediary people which the main cause of high cost and delay. From that, lower cost on purchasing and selling products are achieved as well as offers satisfaction to both customer and supplier in terms of time spent from business transaction to delivery. Direct transaction definitely reduces time and cost spent, thus leads to more profit for the organization.
The internet offers a wider range of marketplace. Companies are able to compete both in local and international market without considering so much its size. Putting your business in World Wide Web, you’re making it available around the world and you’re doing business in different nationalities. E- commerce allows people to carry out business without the barriers of time and distance. Anyone can log on to the internet at any point of time. With e- commerce it makes your business available anytime, either day or night. As e-commerce system also made available with do automation in almost all business process the company does. You can directly purchase and sell products and services at a single click of the mouse via organization website with accuracy and speed. It is made possible to negotiate and deal business virtually anytime even without human supervision. Furthermore the direct cost of sale for an order taken form an organizational website is lower than through traditional means (retail, paper based), as there is no human interaction during the online electronic purchase order process. Also electronic selling virtually eliminates processing errors as well as being faster and convenient for the visitors.
E- commerce centralizes business process that leads to faster, accurate and up to date data processing. For instance, once the companies cater order from customer via organizations website, the order taken out will be automatically recorded: update inventory with the latest available stocks, create invoice then manage payments. This process will only take a very short period of time as compare to traditional way of business process. Then delivery of orders is taken right afterwards. The strategic benefits of making the business e- commerce enabled is that it helps reduce the delivery time, labor cost and cost incurred most in the common areas: document preparation, error detection, mail preparation, telephone calling, data entry, overtime, supervision expenses. These tasks are included for the task to automatically perform by the e- commerce system.
Converting business into e- business also provides operational benefits, as mentioned human interaction is no longer that necessary. E- commerce include reducing both time and personnel required to complete business processes, and reducing strain on other resources.
With the continuous progress and development of internet technologies, it also offers progress and development in all the fields associated with it, including e- commerce. With that, e-commerce technology will not only become faster and smarter, but could completely transform the way companies’ processes in terns of handling internal information and customer service.
In B2B e- commerce, one promising concept is the “collaborative commerce”, in which companies set up hubs that can be used not only by their customers but can interact also with other companies site. This innovation was found out to change the way companies do business with one another. With these portals, companies that regularly do business with one another will be able to access real time information about product availability and pricing. Companies will be able to send invoices and pay liabilities.
In e- commerce, the internet serves as the primary medium to handle almost all of business transactions. It provides low cost advertising and fastest way of doing business open to all size of businesses.
references:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_and_society
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/SPT/v3_n4/pdf/HICKMAN.PDF
http://www.cw.com.hk/article.php?id_article=2110
http://www.dole.gov.ph/news/details.asp?id=N000000764
http://www.cw.com.hk/article.php?id_article=2110
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~macinnis@ozemail.com.au/scifun/splatstech.htm#social
http://www.loka.org/idt/SocialEffects.htm
Monday, January 19, 2009
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Significant event for innovation in Technology
There’s a lot of significant events in society that has a contribution on the innovation and development of technologies. These events either local events has a contribution on technology innovations in that locality, the same way in national or international events has something to do in technology innovations in national or worldwide scope. Innovation in technology can be defined as the improvement or development of such technology either existing or newly invented. When we say technology innovation, we are referring broadly in terms of technology since it covers different fields. With this innovation in technology might differ from any other fields such as its application in Medical Technology, Agriculture, Engineering and Architecture, Education, Business, etc.
Technology innovation in the Philippines, as we have observed is in its continuous growth though we are found to be a year behind compare with highly technological and developing countries such as Japan. In my own understanding one of the factors that contribute to its continuous innovation is the increasing number of foreign investors that continue to invest in the country.
Philippine is considered to be an attractive investment destination as it has a strategic location, skilled and highly trainable human resources, a stable democratic environment and free enterprise economy. Sustainable resources found in the Philippines attract many foreign investors in different fields based on business concepts.
As stated in "How to Invest in the Philippines" by PricewaterhouseCoopers Philippines, the Philippine economic environment, in its general market structure, the Philippines adheres to the principle of free enterprise and recognizes the indispensable role of the private sector in the economic development of the country. It has been observed that after the Asian financial crisis in 1997, the country started to recover ahead of other countries in Asia. This is because of continued political stability, prudent monetary and fiscal measures; bolder moves toward deregulation, liberalization and privatization and improved infrastructure development. This is somewhat attracts foreign investors to invest their business in the country. And it foster economic development in the country as well as leads to innovation and development of technologies used.
Foreign investors are commonly known to own big companies and business establishments and uses high technology and facilities. With foreign investors that extended their reach here in the countries has a big significant on the development of technologies. They have influence us in the kind of technology they have by sending it here to be used in their business, and eventually it’s been applied in any other business foreign or Filipino owned.
One of those technologies that have used and developed because of foreign investments in the country is the communication. Big businesses are very concerned of its way of communication cause for them good communication within their establishments or workplace is a good business strategy. The innovation in communication comes up after. As businesses in the country continue to grow locally and internationally, the need for a good and secure communication is in demand for each business. From that, the continuous innovation in communication and information sharing is established and has considered as the necessity not only in business, as well as in education and any other form of transaction at our present time. Even before telecommunication companies and providers make it possible to provide these businesses adequate communication links within the country and other country around the world, and later on these companies are also offer similar services in all urban centers, that’s why cellular phones and paging systems have substantially augmented existing landlines. According also to PricewaterhouseCoopers Philippines, the number of cellular mobile telephone service subscribers had increased by more than 400% since 1996 with around 6.5 million subscribers accounted for as of the end of 2000. From that, we can have the idea of how much its increase in the current time. Cell phones nowadays have so many additional features making you connected in so many ways. Video cameras, music player, are just a few features you can enjoy in your current cell phones.
Its continuous innovation and development later become the innovation and development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). There is an increasing recognition of ICT potential and contribution it the market place. It has been a part of the success in every businesses, and one that has a very wide range and scope in the business world. One of its major contribution is it enables people and enterprises to capture economic opportunities by increasing process efficiency, promoting participation in expanded economic networks and creating opportunities for employment. The following are the innovations that take place in Information and Communication Technology, taken from the paper “Information and Communication Technology and Microfinance: Options for Mongolia, Innovations of Information and Communication Technology” by Gaamaa Hishigsuren.
(Gaamaa Hishigsuren 2006) In relation to microfinance the use of ICT began with the arrival of the Palm Pilot (or called, Personal Digital Assistant – PDA). These pocket computers allowed loan officers to fill out forms containing customer information and provide an initial indication of whether loan would be approved or not in the field, thereby automating the information gathering process (Silva, 2002). In a series of articles by Steve Whelan, for The Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest (CGAP), talks of the various technological devices that are currently being used around the world (Whelan, 2003). These articles highlight devices such as automated teller machines (ATMs), interactive voice response technology (IVRs), smart cards and personal digital assistants (PDAs).
Below are the most commonly used Information and Communication Technology applications used in Microfinance:
Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) or Point of Sales (POS) devices– conduct many banking transactions that would otherwise require staff attention: they furnish account information, accept deposits, draw down on pre-approved loans and transfer funds.
Interactive voice response (IVR) technology - refers to examples like using phones (either mobile or stationary phones) to check an account balance, make transfers, learn about products, and find the nearest branch location and its office hours. This saves time both for the clients and staff.
Internet banking –clients can make the same transactions as with phone banking (checking their account balance, making transfers, learning about products and finding the nearest branch location and its office hours) on the Internet.
Personal digital assistant (PDA) – can be used by loan officers to process loan applications by using the preset credit scoring model, to review a client’s historical data, and to monitor loan performance by reviewing the list of borrowers and their loan repayment status. Virtually all client data and client visit records are stored electronically and are immediately available in this small device (like a palm pilot).
Management information system (MIS): - provides computerized data processing for management decision making; it is used primarily for portfolio management, accounting and financial performance management.
Credit scoring – analyzes historical client data, identifies links between client characteristics and behavior; and assumes those links will persist to predict how clients will act. The technology can help a microfinance institution analyze how its clients have behaved in the past to make more reliable loan application decisions, devise more effective collection strategies, better target marketing efforts and increase client retention.
Complimentary Devices:
Smart cards – can be used for financial services, such as managing savings accounts, disbursing loans, or making transfers. There are different forms of personal identification, such as biometric technology and fingerprinting. Smart cards function like an electronic passbook. There is also a lower cost card, which operates through a magnetic strip on the reverse side of the card. A smart card differs in that it operates through more expensive chips that can store information offline on the embedded chips. Both cards are used in conjunction with ATMs or POS.
Biometric technology – measures an individual’s unique physical or behavioral characteristics, voice pattern and gait, to recognize and confirm identity. This is a supplementary technology used with ATMs or POS.
Automatic Teller Machines
Hirschland (2003) observes that ATMs provide 24-hour access to speedy transactions. ATMs, supplemented by smart cards and debit cards can provide flexible payment options and more convenient access to client accounts. They can also reduce branch infrastructure and employee costs, and facilitate financial services in areas with poor communications and electricity supplies. In particular, staff of MFIs could be relieved of some mundane functions like processing withdrawals and fund transfer over the counter, and rather, focus on personalized services. When fully utilized, ATMs can be used for balance inquiry, cash withdrawal, and transfer of funds, bill payments and making deposits.
As a summary, the continuous number of foreign investments in the country leads to adopting and application of foreign technologies, then its innovation to cater the needs and demands of these businesses just for instance the increasing need of communication links to their consumer and clients. As it is being used and adopt by foreign own companies in the country, Filipino owned business has to acquire and used it also to excel in the business world and cannot be left behind by foreign investor. As a part of business strategy, they need to have a good and secure communication links that make them connected to their clients and employees, in any part of the country or abroad. From that, communication providers take their part in making these possible. Innovation on communication takes place, and as we observed it changes or innovates every year (if I’m not mistaken). Then, innovation in information and communication technology (ICT), have extended the reach to a good and secure communication to be applied and used not only on business but in other fields even people and enterprises in isolated communities. As we all know, businesses today, despite it scale (local, multinational, international) have introduced to automation of their business process and transaction. Automation uncovered the manual business process, making them capable to process transaction in a short period of time with 99% accuracy and meet their client’s highest expectations. Nowadays, worldwide businesses systems have been centralized making all their branches around the world to be connected, plus it can be viewed by authorized persons anywhere as long as internet connection is available (as of now, there just few places in the world that don’t have a connection).
Cool Cool Cool
References:
http://www.philippinebusiness.com.ph/guide/prc00b.htm
http://www.adbi.org/discussion-paper/2006/02/16/1685.ict.microfinance.mongolia/innovations.of.information.and.communication.technology/
Technology innovation in the Philippines, as we have observed is in its continuous growth though we are found to be a year behind compare with highly technological and developing countries such as Japan. In my own understanding one of the factors that contribute to its continuous innovation is the increasing number of foreign investors that continue to invest in the country.
Philippine is considered to be an attractive investment destination as it has a strategic location, skilled and highly trainable human resources, a stable democratic environment and free enterprise economy. Sustainable resources found in the Philippines attract many foreign investors in different fields based on business concepts.
As stated in "How to Invest in the Philippines" by PricewaterhouseCoopers Philippines, the Philippine economic environment, in its general market structure, the Philippines adheres to the principle of free enterprise and recognizes the indispensable role of the private sector in the economic development of the country. It has been observed that after the Asian financial crisis in 1997, the country started to recover ahead of other countries in Asia. This is because of continued political stability, prudent monetary and fiscal measures; bolder moves toward deregulation, liberalization and privatization and improved infrastructure development. This is somewhat attracts foreign investors to invest their business in the country. And it foster economic development in the country as well as leads to innovation and development of technologies used.
Foreign investors are commonly known to own big companies and business establishments and uses high technology and facilities. With foreign investors that extended their reach here in the countries has a big significant on the development of technologies. They have influence us in the kind of technology they have by sending it here to be used in their business, and eventually it’s been applied in any other business foreign or Filipino owned.
One of those technologies that have used and developed because of foreign investments in the country is the communication. Big businesses are very concerned of its way of communication cause for them good communication within their establishments or workplace is a good business strategy. The innovation in communication comes up after. As businesses in the country continue to grow locally and internationally, the need for a good and secure communication is in demand for each business. From that, the continuous innovation in communication and information sharing is established and has considered as the necessity not only in business, as well as in education and any other form of transaction at our present time. Even before telecommunication companies and providers make it possible to provide these businesses adequate communication links within the country and other country around the world, and later on these companies are also offer similar services in all urban centers, that’s why cellular phones and paging systems have substantially augmented existing landlines. According also to PricewaterhouseCoopers Philippines, the number of cellular mobile telephone service subscribers had increased by more than 400% since 1996 with around 6.5 million subscribers accounted for as of the end of 2000. From that, we can have the idea of how much its increase in the current time. Cell phones nowadays have so many additional features making you connected in so many ways. Video cameras, music player, are just a few features you can enjoy in your current cell phones.
Its continuous innovation and development later become the innovation and development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). There is an increasing recognition of ICT potential and contribution it the market place. It has been a part of the success in every businesses, and one that has a very wide range and scope in the business world. One of its major contribution is it enables people and enterprises to capture economic opportunities by increasing process efficiency, promoting participation in expanded economic networks and creating opportunities for employment. The following are the innovations that take place in Information and Communication Technology, taken from the paper “Information and Communication Technology and Microfinance: Options for Mongolia, Innovations of Information and Communication Technology” by Gaamaa Hishigsuren.
(Gaamaa Hishigsuren 2006) In relation to microfinance the use of ICT began with the arrival of the Palm Pilot (or called, Personal Digital Assistant – PDA). These pocket computers allowed loan officers to fill out forms containing customer information and provide an initial indication of whether loan would be approved or not in the field, thereby automating the information gathering process (Silva, 2002). In a series of articles by Steve Whelan, for The Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest (CGAP), talks of the various technological devices that are currently being used around the world (Whelan, 2003). These articles highlight devices such as automated teller machines (ATMs), interactive voice response technology (IVRs), smart cards and personal digital assistants (PDAs).
Below are the most commonly used Information and Communication Technology applications used in Microfinance:
Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) or Point of Sales (POS) devices– conduct many banking transactions that would otherwise require staff attention: they furnish account information, accept deposits, draw down on pre-approved loans and transfer funds.
Interactive voice response (IVR) technology - refers to examples like using phones (either mobile or stationary phones) to check an account balance, make transfers, learn about products, and find the nearest branch location and its office hours. This saves time both for the clients and staff.
Internet banking –clients can make the same transactions as with phone banking (checking their account balance, making transfers, learning about products and finding the nearest branch location and its office hours) on the Internet.
Personal digital assistant (PDA) – can be used by loan officers to process loan applications by using the preset credit scoring model, to review a client’s historical data, and to monitor loan performance by reviewing the list of borrowers and their loan repayment status. Virtually all client data and client visit records are stored electronically and are immediately available in this small device (like a palm pilot).
Management information system (MIS): - provides computerized data processing for management decision making; it is used primarily for portfolio management, accounting and financial performance management.
Credit scoring – analyzes historical client data, identifies links between client characteristics and behavior; and assumes those links will persist to predict how clients will act. The technology can help a microfinance institution analyze how its clients have behaved in the past to make more reliable loan application decisions, devise more effective collection strategies, better target marketing efforts and increase client retention.
Complimentary Devices:
Smart cards – can be used for financial services, such as managing savings accounts, disbursing loans, or making transfers. There are different forms of personal identification, such as biometric technology and fingerprinting. Smart cards function like an electronic passbook. There is also a lower cost card, which operates through a magnetic strip on the reverse side of the card. A smart card differs in that it operates through more expensive chips that can store information offline on the embedded chips. Both cards are used in conjunction with ATMs or POS.
Biometric technology – measures an individual’s unique physical or behavioral characteristics, voice pattern and gait, to recognize and confirm identity. This is a supplementary technology used with ATMs or POS.
Automatic Teller Machines
Hirschland (2003) observes that ATMs provide 24-hour access to speedy transactions. ATMs, supplemented by smart cards and debit cards can provide flexible payment options and more convenient access to client accounts. They can also reduce branch infrastructure and employee costs, and facilitate financial services in areas with poor communications and electricity supplies. In particular, staff of MFIs could be relieved of some mundane functions like processing withdrawals and fund transfer over the counter, and rather, focus on personalized services. When fully utilized, ATMs can be used for balance inquiry, cash withdrawal, and transfer of funds, bill payments and making deposits.
As a summary, the continuous number of foreign investments in the country leads to adopting and application of foreign technologies, then its innovation to cater the needs and demands of these businesses just for instance the increasing need of communication links to their consumer and clients. As it is being used and adopt by foreign own companies in the country, Filipino owned business has to acquire and used it also to excel in the business world and cannot be left behind by foreign investor. As a part of business strategy, they need to have a good and secure communication links that make them connected to their clients and employees, in any part of the country or abroad. From that, communication providers take their part in making these possible. Innovation on communication takes place, and as we observed it changes or innovates every year (if I’m not mistaken). Then, innovation in information and communication technology (ICT), have extended the reach to a good and secure communication to be applied and used not only on business but in other fields even people and enterprises in isolated communities. As we all know, businesses today, despite it scale (local, multinational, international) have introduced to automation of their business process and transaction. Automation uncovered the manual business process, making them capable to process transaction in a short period of time with 99% accuracy and meet their client’s highest expectations. Nowadays, worldwide businesses systems have been centralized making all their branches around the world to be connected, plus it can be viewed by authorized persons anywhere as long as internet connection is available (as of now, there just few places in the world that don’t have a connection).
Cool Cool Cool
References:
http://www.philippinebusiness.com.ph/guide/prc00b.htm
http://www.adbi.org/discussion-paper/2006/02/16/1685.ict.microfinance.mongolia/innovations.of.information.and.communication.technology/
SIMPLE tips to address Climate Change
“Climate change is one of the most complex, multifaceted and serious threats the world faces. The response to this threat is fundamentally linked to pressing concerns of sustainable development and global fairness; of economy, poverty reduction and society; and of the world we want to hand down to our children.” - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
Nowadays, almost all people living in this world are experiencing the climate changes anywhere in the world. We all know that this is bring about the technologies we used, the innovations in technology though provide us the conveniences and benefits most of us are enjoying but behind this is destruction of our natural resources. If we are being asked about the causes of global warming and climate change, there are already answers in our mind that technologies caused it all. We are right of thinking that way. There are already several authors who write articles about it.
(S. L. O'Brien,2007) the increase of CO2 or greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere accelerates the climate change. This all started as innovation in technology brougth the industrial revolution came the idea of burning coal, smelting iron, and steam driven machines (Montagne, 2007). Since then, we have been emitting CO2 into our atmosphere at a rate faster than nature can compensate for. Now, we have produced so much CO2, that it is absorbing solar energy and changing our climate (Krulwich, 2007). These changes have been evident in extreme weather events, such as Hurricane Katrina, a two foot snowfall in Los Angeles, unprecedented rainfall in Bombay, India, severe droughts, and wildfires (Gelbspan, 2005).
The continuous wants of human in finding ways in making life easier, comfortable and faster with the aide of available technologies had contribute to greenhouse gasses increased in Earths atmosphere. Because of this technologies that we considered as out necessity, we are having insatiable need of energy to make used of it, much of which comes from burning fossil fuels and emitting toxic levels of CO2 into our atmosphere. The effects are global warming, intense weather, flooding, and drought.
However, to address the global warming and climate change need also the aide of latest technologies with concerned human participation. Finding ways to solve or lessens its effect to individual lives and the entire world as a whole, innovations for current technologies is the only way and optimum solution because of the increasing presence of greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere. Developed and developing countries are finding ways to avoid the direct effect of climate change. What everyone wants are solutions which are not only good for the planet, but also good for business and good for development. Technological innovation is seen as the best hope and solution for these.
(Elizabeth March, 2008) Technological solutions are needed for the challenges of both mitigation and adaptation, as they are referred to in climate change terminology. Mitigation is about slowing down global warming by reducing the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Among the many mitigation technologies already on – or nearing – the market are renewable energy sources, such as biofuels, biomass, wind, solar and hydro power; low carbon building materials; and emerging technologies which aim to capture carbon out of the atmosphere and lock it away.
Adaptation involves dealing with the existing or anticipated effects of climate change, particularly in the developing, least developed and small island countries, which are most severely affected. In addition to “soft” technologies, such as crop rotation, hard technologies for adaptation include improved irrigation techniques to cope with drought, and new plant varieties which are resistant to drought or to salt water.
The Industrial Revolution in the 19th century saw the large-scale use of fossil fuels for industrial activities. These industries created jobs and over the years, people moved from rural areas to the cities. This trend is continuing even today. More and more land that was covered with vegetation has been cleared to make way for houses. Natural resources are being used extensively for construction, industries, transport, and consumption. Consumerism (our increasing want for material things) has increased by leaps and bounds, creating mountains of waste. Also, our population has increased to an incredible extent.
All this has contributed to a rise in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas supply most of the energy needed to run vehicles, generate electricity for industries, households, etc. The energy sector is responsible for about ¾ of the carbon dioxide emissions, 1/5 of the methane emissions and a large quantity of nitrous oxide. It also produces nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) which are not greenhouse gases but do have an influence on the chemical cycles in the atmosphere that produce or destroy greenhouse gases.
Carbon dioxide is undoubtedly, the most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Changes in land use pattern, deforestation, land clearing, agriculture, and other activities have all led to a rise in the emission of carbon dioxide.
Methane is another important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. About ¼ of all methane emissions are said to come from domesticated animals such as dairy cows, goats, pigs, buffaloes, camels, horses, and sheep. These animals produce methane during the cud-chewing process. Methane is also released from rice or paddy fields that are flooded during the sowing and maturing periods. When soil is covered with water it becomes anaerobic or lacking in oxygen. Under such conditions, methane-producing bacteria and other organisms decompose organic matter in the soil to form methane. Nearly 90% of the paddy-growing area in the world is found in Asia, as rice is the staple food there. China and India, between them, have 80-90% of the world's rice-growing areas.
Methane is also emitted from landfills and other waste dumps. If the waste is put into an incinerator or burnt in the open, carbon dioxide is emitted. Methane is also emitted during the process of oil drilling, coal mining and also from leaking gas pipelines (due to accidents and poor maintenance of sites).
A large amount of nitrous oxide emission has been attributed to fertilizer application. This in turn depends on the type of fertilizer that is used, how and when it is used and the methods of tilling that are followed. Contributions are also made by leguminous plants, such as beans and pulses that add nitrogen to the soil. Those are the common sources of greenhouse gasses.
All of us in our daily lives contribute our bit to this change in the climate. The following are our daily activities that contribute to the acceleration of the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere:
- Electricity is the main source of power in urban areas. All our gadgets run on electricity generated mainly from thermal power plants. These thermal power plants are run on fossil fuels (mostly coal) and are responsible for the emission of huge amounts of greenhouse gases and other pollutants.
- Cars, buses, and trucks are the principal ways by which goods and people are transported in most of our cities. These are run mainly on petrol or diesel, both fossil fuels.
- We generate large quantities of waste in the form of plastics that remain in the environment for many years and cause damage.
- We use a huge quantity of paper in our work at schools and in offices. Have we ever thought about the number of trees that we use in a day?
- Timber is used in large quantities for construction of houses, which means that large areas of forest have to be cut down.
- A growing population has meant more and more mouths to feed. Because the land area available for agriculture is limited (and in fact, is actually shrinking as a result of ecological degradation!), high-yielding varieties of crop are being grown to increase the agricultural output from a given area of land. However, such high-yielding varieties of crops require large quantities of fertilizers; and more fertilizer means more emissions of nitrous oxide, both from the field into which it is put and the fertilizer industry that makes it. Pollution also results from the run-off of fertilizer into water bodies.
How would we address this global problem as as IT student?
To address this kind of problem is everybody's concern. Every little help will matter and make sense to reduced the amount of greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere that is the primary reason of climate change. As a member of our society theres a lot I could do in helping out with this global problem. Greenhouse effect begin when human activities continue to create more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
As a student together with my fellow student around the world are introduced with the cause and effect of greenhouse gases to climate change. We are capable to do the following steps to address and help minimize its effect to our lives and environment:
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
If there is a recycling program in your community, recycle your newspapers, beverage containers, paper and other goods. Use products in containers that can be recycled and items that can be repaired or reused. In addition, support recycling markets by buying products made from recycled materials. Reducing, reusing, and recycling in your home helps conserve energy and reduces pollution and greenhouse gases from resource extraction, manufacturing, and disposal. This would be a great help especially that almost all our equipment used are electronics which cannot easily disposed. Anyone of us has the capability to do this simple task yet provide a great help in solving problems regarding climate change. With this, the number of electronic waste (the remains of electronic equipments that we're not using) that stays in our environment for so many years can be reduced, as well as reduces greenhouse gases emission.
Garbage Segregation
To reduce the garbage to be send in landfills, it will help if we do garbage segregation at home. Only the non biodegradable be send to garbage fills, and we do composting of our biodegradable waste. We know its a good fertilizer to our plants a home, so we don't have to buy some at the store. This would have a double purpose, you have help address the greenhouse problem the same time you have save money to buy fertilizer.
Use for long term quality products
Choose for long term quality products when buying new equipments at home for instance. Products that are durable and can be used in a long period of time will reduce the amount of appliances dumped in landfills. Electronic product nowadays can easily be obsolete, and new products arrives in the market. In this scenario,we consumer have to buy the new one and dumped the old caused maybe by some compatibility problems. This is one of the business strategy of such companies, that also caused of the extensively increased of greenhouse gases emission in the environment.
Save energy
Saving energy will greatly reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The more we used energy, it also produces gases. I know that most of us have our way on how to save energy in our home or work areas. Just don't used it if its not necessary.
Use water efficiently
Saving water around the home is simple. We can save water in our own simple way and common sense. Municipal water systems require a lot of energy to purify and distribute water to households, and saving water, especially hot water, can lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Support Programs that addressed Climate Change
Be active to participate in any programs that aimed to address the issues regarding climate change environmental activities will be. This will not require much on one time, however you can make a big difference. There a lot of institutions both public and private sectors, however they needing a lot of volunteer to joined them. If we can do to increase their member by signing ourselves in, it will also increased the possibility we ca succeed our mission.
Encourage other family member and friends
Tell family and friends that energy efficiency is good for their homes and good for the environment because it lowers greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Share with them the simple tips you do to make it, and show them how you make it yourself. That's the best way to convince them. If you can encourage at least five of them would be a great help.
Those are the simple tips in which a student like me have something to do to address the global problem and climate change. However, being an IT student made us one step ahead from other student in terms of the ways we can do in solving this global problem.
As what have mentioned earlier that technology is the biggest contributor to climate change. The increased of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has started on Industrial Revolution that bring about the evolution of technology. This is where the innovation in technology takes place from generation to generation for the purpose of finding ways to met the unending wants of human in making their lives comfortable, faster and easier. Having the degree of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, technology is somewhat the focus of our study and we belong in this field of specification.
As IT we can acquire knowledge and skill that enable us to make a difference. How? In the future we will be working in technology related job, we might become a software developers, system analyst, web developers, web designers and the like. But what we really have is the capacity to introduced future technology and the chance to make it environment friendly.
The following is a story of a open source software developer that have help address the global problem of climate change. This is very related to us as soon to be IT people, and might encourage us to do the same.
(Thomas W. Malone, Mark Klein,2007) Matt Shields works in Santa Clara, California, designing integrated circuits for Cisco. He loved programming in college, but now he doesn’t get much chance to write software at work. So for several years, he has spent some time at night and on weekends contributing to the Linux open source software project. Matt is also passionate about environmental issues. He drives a hybrid car, recycles everything he can, and recently has been thinking about getting involved with some kind of environmental activism. When he heard about the Climate Collaboratorium, he knew it was for him! Here was a place where he could use his programming skills, indulge his passion for software, and try to make the world better, all at once.
Collaboratorium project has a goal to address the global problem of climate change through the creation of a new class of web-mediated discussion and decision making forum, called the "Collaboratorium." This system, currently under development, will use an innovative combination of internet-mediated interaction, collectively generated idea repositories, computer simulation, and explicit representation of argumentation to help large, diverse, and geographically dispersed groups systematically explore, evaluate, and come to decisions concerning systemic challenges.
The current version of the most widely used Collaboratorium simulator divides world economic activity into five major regions. For the last six months, Matt has been working on new software modules that will allow people to subdivide these regions into much smaller units (such as countries, states, and cities). Matt had a clever idea about how to do this, and he’s now almost through debugging the new software he wrote.With a little luck, he hopes to get his new modules accepted by the Collaboratorium software committee and included in an official software release. And he hopes that soon after that, people all over the world will be using his software to develop more detailed models of their own cities and regions. One of Matt’s friends recently got a job offer from Google, based in part on the volunteer programming work he had done on the Collaboratorium.Matt is happy with his current job, so he’s not looking to copy his friend. But he sometimes daydreams about a day—many years from now—when he can tell stories to his grandchildren about how, in his twenties, he helped saved the world from a global climate catastrophe.
This forums are accessible worldwide, anybody can participate in sharing each ideas and views, as well as suggest solutions for the problem. In the current trend of technology, wireless connection enable everyone to be connected and participate in this online activity. As IT we have also able to host a forum, earn money online for the benefits of environmental activities. From that, you can help.
Is it too late for our planet? No, because we still have something to do for it. Though we are experiencing it right now, we still have the chance not to make it worst. The idea is as long as we're still in the top of this planet, we still the chance to do the ways suggested above.
Have we done too much damage? Basing on the current situation in which countries all over the world is experiencing climate change, we can say that we have done to much damage. Because of our activities we contributed to the extensively increased of greenhouse gases in the earth atmosphere. The earth suffered for global warming and greenhouse effect due to human generated greenhouse gases emission.
What we are experiencing now is still not the worst thing greenhouse gases could give us. Changes in climate is not only we have to experienced if we refuse to realized our responsibility to address it. Perhaps there is still time to make changes, changes that will help to reverse the effects of our current practices. While we may have caused the acceleration of global climate change, simple actions, like reducing energy and water consumption, recycling, and changing to compact fluorescent light bulbs, can help restore the balance. These small changes may very well result in the restoration of our planet.
References:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/377459/causes_for_climate_change_what_makes.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/195464/climate_change_throughout_modern_times.html?cat=58
http://www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine/en/2008/01/article_0001.html
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/07/11/global-solar.html
http://www.exxonmobil.com/files/PA/UK/cc_our_view.pdf
http://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/climate/causes.htm
http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/a/greenhouse.htm
http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/itgg.2007.2.3.15?cookieSet=1
http://climatechangepsychology.blogspot.com/2008/07/climate-collaboratorium-harnessing.html
Nowadays, almost all people living in this world are experiencing the climate changes anywhere in the world. We all know that this is bring about the technologies we used, the innovations in technology though provide us the conveniences and benefits most of us are enjoying but behind this is destruction of our natural resources. If we are being asked about the causes of global warming and climate change, there are already answers in our mind that technologies caused it all. We are right of thinking that way. There are already several authors who write articles about it.
(S. L. O'Brien,2007) the increase of CO2 or greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere accelerates the climate change. This all started as innovation in technology brougth the industrial revolution came the idea of burning coal, smelting iron, and steam driven machines (Montagne, 2007). Since then, we have been emitting CO2 into our atmosphere at a rate faster than nature can compensate for. Now, we have produced so much CO2, that it is absorbing solar energy and changing our climate (Krulwich, 2007). These changes have been evident in extreme weather events, such as Hurricane Katrina, a two foot snowfall in Los Angeles, unprecedented rainfall in Bombay, India, severe droughts, and wildfires (Gelbspan, 2005).
The continuous wants of human in finding ways in making life easier, comfortable and faster with the aide of available technologies had contribute to greenhouse gasses increased in Earths atmosphere. Because of this technologies that we considered as out necessity, we are having insatiable need of energy to make used of it, much of which comes from burning fossil fuels and emitting toxic levels of CO2 into our atmosphere. The effects are global warming, intense weather, flooding, and drought.
However, to address the global warming and climate change need also the aide of latest technologies with concerned human participation. Finding ways to solve or lessens its effect to individual lives and the entire world as a whole, innovations for current technologies is the only way and optimum solution because of the increasing presence of greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere. Developed and developing countries are finding ways to avoid the direct effect of climate change. What everyone wants are solutions which are not only good for the planet, but also good for business and good for development. Technological innovation is seen as the best hope and solution for these.
(Elizabeth March, 2008) Technological solutions are needed for the challenges of both mitigation and adaptation, as they are referred to in climate change terminology. Mitigation is about slowing down global warming by reducing the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Among the many mitigation technologies already on – or nearing – the market are renewable energy sources, such as biofuels, biomass, wind, solar and hydro power; low carbon building materials; and emerging technologies which aim to capture carbon out of the atmosphere and lock it away.
Adaptation involves dealing with the existing or anticipated effects of climate change, particularly in the developing, least developed and small island countries, which are most severely affected. In addition to “soft” technologies, such as crop rotation, hard technologies for adaptation include improved irrigation techniques to cope with drought, and new plant varieties which are resistant to drought or to salt water.
The Industrial Revolution in the 19th century saw the large-scale use of fossil fuels for industrial activities. These industries created jobs and over the years, people moved from rural areas to the cities. This trend is continuing even today. More and more land that was covered with vegetation has been cleared to make way for houses. Natural resources are being used extensively for construction, industries, transport, and consumption. Consumerism (our increasing want for material things) has increased by leaps and bounds, creating mountains of waste. Also, our population has increased to an incredible extent.
All this has contributed to a rise in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas supply most of the energy needed to run vehicles, generate electricity for industries, households, etc. The energy sector is responsible for about ¾ of the carbon dioxide emissions, 1/5 of the methane emissions and a large quantity of nitrous oxide. It also produces nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) which are not greenhouse gases but do have an influence on the chemical cycles in the atmosphere that produce or destroy greenhouse gases.
Carbon dioxide is undoubtedly, the most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Changes in land use pattern, deforestation, land clearing, agriculture, and other activities have all led to a rise in the emission of carbon dioxide.
Methane is another important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. About ¼ of all methane emissions are said to come from domesticated animals such as dairy cows, goats, pigs, buffaloes, camels, horses, and sheep. These animals produce methane during the cud-chewing process. Methane is also released from rice or paddy fields that are flooded during the sowing and maturing periods. When soil is covered with water it becomes anaerobic or lacking in oxygen. Under such conditions, methane-producing bacteria and other organisms decompose organic matter in the soil to form methane. Nearly 90% of the paddy-growing area in the world is found in Asia, as rice is the staple food there. China and India, between them, have 80-90% of the world's rice-growing areas.
Methane is also emitted from landfills and other waste dumps. If the waste is put into an incinerator or burnt in the open, carbon dioxide is emitted. Methane is also emitted during the process of oil drilling, coal mining and also from leaking gas pipelines (due to accidents and poor maintenance of sites).
A large amount of nitrous oxide emission has been attributed to fertilizer application. This in turn depends on the type of fertilizer that is used, how and when it is used and the methods of tilling that are followed. Contributions are also made by leguminous plants, such as beans and pulses that add nitrogen to the soil. Those are the common sources of greenhouse gasses.
All of us in our daily lives contribute our bit to this change in the climate. The following are our daily activities that contribute to the acceleration of the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere:
- Electricity is the main source of power in urban areas. All our gadgets run on electricity generated mainly from thermal power plants. These thermal power plants are run on fossil fuels (mostly coal) and are responsible for the emission of huge amounts of greenhouse gases and other pollutants.
- Cars, buses, and trucks are the principal ways by which goods and people are transported in most of our cities. These are run mainly on petrol or diesel, both fossil fuels.
- We generate large quantities of waste in the form of plastics that remain in the environment for many years and cause damage.
- We use a huge quantity of paper in our work at schools and in offices. Have we ever thought about the number of trees that we use in a day?
- Timber is used in large quantities for construction of houses, which means that large areas of forest have to be cut down.
- A growing population has meant more and more mouths to feed. Because the land area available for agriculture is limited (and in fact, is actually shrinking as a result of ecological degradation!), high-yielding varieties of crop are being grown to increase the agricultural output from a given area of land. However, such high-yielding varieties of crops require large quantities of fertilizers; and more fertilizer means more emissions of nitrous oxide, both from the field into which it is put and the fertilizer industry that makes it. Pollution also results from the run-off of fertilizer into water bodies.
How would we address this global problem as as IT student?
To address this kind of problem is everybody's concern. Every little help will matter and make sense to reduced the amount of greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere that is the primary reason of climate change. As a member of our society theres a lot I could do in helping out with this global problem. Greenhouse effect begin when human activities continue to create more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
As a student together with my fellow student around the world are introduced with the cause and effect of greenhouse gases to climate change. We are capable to do the following steps to address and help minimize its effect to our lives and environment:
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
If there is a recycling program in your community, recycle your newspapers, beverage containers, paper and other goods. Use products in containers that can be recycled and items that can be repaired or reused. In addition, support recycling markets by buying products made from recycled materials. Reducing, reusing, and recycling in your home helps conserve energy and reduces pollution and greenhouse gases from resource extraction, manufacturing, and disposal. This would be a great help especially that almost all our equipment used are electronics which cannot easily disposed. Anyone of us has the capability to do this simple task yet provide a great help in solving problems regarding climate change. With this, the number of electronic waste (the remains of electronic equipments that we're not using) that stays in our environment for so many years can be reduced, as well as reduces greenhouse gases emission.
Garbage Segregation
To reduce the garbage to be send in landfills, it will help if we do garbage segregation at home. Only the non biodegradable be send to garbage fills, and we do composting of our biodegradable waste. We know its a good fertilizer to our plants a home, so we don't have to buy some at the store. This would have a double purpose, you have help address the greenhouse problem the same time you have save money to buy fertilizer.
Use for long term quality products
Choose for long term quality products when buying new equipments at home for instance. Products that are durable and can be used in a long period of time will reduce the amount of appliances dumped in landfills. Electronic product nowadays can easily be obsolete, and new products arrives in the market. In this scenario,we consumer have to buy the new one and dumped the old caused maybe by some compatibility problems. This is one of the business strategy of such companies, that also caused of the extensively increased of greenhouse gases emission in the environment.
Save energy
Saving energy will greatly reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The more we used energy, it also produces gases. I know that most of us have our way on how to save energy in our home or work areas. Just don't used it if its not necessary.
Use water efficiently
Saving water around the home is simple. We can save water in our own simple way and common sense. Municipal water systems require a lot of energy to purify and distribute water to households, and saving water, especially hot water, can lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Support Programs that addressed Climate Change
Be active to participate in any programs that aimed to address the issues regarding climate change environmental activities will be. This will not require much on one time, however you can make a big difference. There a lot of institutions both public and private sectors, however they needing a lot of volunteer to joined them. If we can do to increase their member by signing ourselves in, it will also increased the possibility we ca succeed our mission.
Encourage other family member and friends
Tell family and friends that energy efficiency is good for their homes and good for the environment because it lowers greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Share with them the simple tips you do to make it, and show them how you make it yourself. That's the best way to convince them. If you can encourage at least five of them would be a great help.
Those are the simple tips in which a student like me have something to do to address the global problem and climate change. However, being an IT student made us one step ahead from other student in terms of the ways we can do in solving this global problem.
As what have mentioned earlier that technology is the biggest contributor to climate change. The increased of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has started on Industrial Revolution that bring about the evolution of technology. This is where the innovation in technology takes place from generation to generation for the purpose of finding ways to met the unending wants of human in making their lives comfortable, faster and easier. Having the degree of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, technology is somewhat the focus of our study and we belong in this field of specification.
As IT we can acquire knowledge and skill that enable us to make a difference. How? In the future we will be working in technology related job, we might become a software developers, system analyst, web developers, web designers and the like. But what we really have is the capacity to introduced future technology and the chance to make it environment friendly.
The following is a story of a open source software developer that have help address the global problem of climate change. This is very related to us as soon to be IT people, and might encourage us to do the same.
(Thomas W. Malone, Mark Klein,2007) Matt Shields works in Santa Clara, California, designing integrated circuits for Cisco. He loved programming in college, but now he doesn’t get much chance to write software at work. So for several years, he has spent some time at night and on weekends contributing to the Linux open source software project. Matt is also passionate about environmental issues. He drives a hybrid car, recycles everything he can, and recently has been thinking about getting involved with some kind of environmental activism. When he heard about the Climate Collaboratorium, he knew it was for him! Here was a place where he could use his programming skills, indulge his passion for software, and try to make the world better, all at once.
Collaboratorium project has a goal to address the global problem of climate change through the creation of a new class of web-mediated discussion and decision making forum, called the "Collaboratorium." This system, currently under development, will use an innovative combination of internet-mediated interaction, collectively generated idea repositories, computer simulation, and explicit representation of argumentation to help large, diverse, and geographically dispersed groups systematically explore, evaluate, and come to decisions concerning systemic challenges.
The current version of the most widely used Collaboratorium simulator divides world economic activity into five major regions. For the last six months, Matt has been working on new software modules that will allow people to subdivide these regions into much smaller units (such as countries, states, and cities). Matt had a clever idea about how to do this, and he’s now almost through debugging the new software he wrote.With a little luck, he hopes to get his new modules accepted by the Collaboratorium software committee and included in an official software release. And he hopes that soon after that, people all over the world will be using his software to develop more detailed models of their own cities and regions. One of Matt’s friends recently got a job offer from Google, based in part on the volunteer programming work he had done on the Collaboratorium.Matt is happy with his current job, so he’s not looking to copy his friend. But he sometimes daydreams about a day—many years from now—when he can tell stories to his grandchildren about how, in his twenties, he helped saved the world from a global climate catastrophe.
This forums are accessible worldwide, anybody can participate in sharing each ideas and views, as well as suggest solutions for the problem. In the current trend of technology, wireless connection enable everyone to be connected and participate in this online activity. As IT we have also able to host a forum, earn money online for the benefits of environmental activities. From that, you can help.
Is it too late for our planet? No, because we still have something to do for it. Though we are experiencing it right now, we still have the chance not to make it worst. The idea is as long as we're still in the top of this planet, we still the chance to do the ways suggested above.
Have we done too much damage? Basing on the current situation in which countries all over the world is experiencing climate change, we can say that we have done to much damage. Because of our activities we contributed to the extensively increased of greenhouse gases in the earth atmosphere. The earth suffered for global warming and greenhouse effect due to human generated greenhouse gases emission.
What we are experiencing now is still not the worst thing greenhouse gases could give us. Changes in climate is not only we have to experienced if we refuse to realized our responsibility to address it. Perhaps there is still time to make changes, changes that will help to reverse the effects of our current practices. While we may have caused the acceleration of global climate change, simple actions, like reducing energy and water consumption, recycling, and changing to compact fluorescent light bulbs, can help restore the balance. These small changes may very well result in the restoration of our planet.
References:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/377459/causes_for_climate_change_what_makes.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/195464/climate_change_throughout_modern_times.html?cat=58
http://www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine/en/2008/01/article_0001.html
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/07/11/global-solar.html
http://www.exxonmobil.com/files/PA/UK/cc_our_view.pdf
http://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/climate/causes.htm
http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/a/greenhouse.htm
http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/itgg.2007.2.3.15?cookieSet=1
http://climatechangepsychology.blogspot.com/2008/07/climate-collaboratorium-harnessing.html
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
TRUST as an Important Aspect of Successful E-commerce
(Jutta Jerlich, Mag, 2008)The critical factor in any e-business, e-commerce and e-learning is the missing human interaction that is created on the basis of trust and common values.
Trust could be defined as the consumer’s willingness to risk the loss of time, money and personal data (Nielsen Norman Group, 2000), in a situation involving uncertainty.
We all know that in the electronic business environment, the face to face communication between parties is lacking and being replaced by the human machine interface. A successful electronic commerce will now depend on the trust imposed between the communicating parties in product and services exchange w/c is the focused of this kind of industry. TRUST is considered as the essential factor in buyer-seller relationship, so there should be a alternate consideration when conducting it using electronic media technologies because its not the same as performing trust in physical or face to face environment.
What is trust in electronic commerce environment?
(Jones, Ambrose, Rai, 2003) One broad definition of trust is the willingness of a buyer to be vulnerable to a seller's non-desirable actions while expecting the seller to perform actions that are beneficial to the buyer without the buyer having to monitor these actions. Buyers look for signs from sellers that increase their trust, and sellers look at ways they can help build buyers' trust. Traditional trust-building mechanisms include physical presence, past actions, and legal and regulatory frameworks. The emergence of online businesses has brought about new challenges for building trust, in both B2B and B2C business environments. The evolution of new e-business models and the advances in information technology have raised more challenges than solutions for establishing and maintaining trust in the electronic marketplace. Both academicians and practitioners are looking for clearer answers to enhancers and suppressors of trust,...
Based on what have stated a while ago, building trust for successful electronic commerce business transactions depend for both the buyer and sellers side. It is in their hands for making it possible, they have to work hand in hand for it. As what have mentioned, they buyers is looking for signs in where they can trust the seller,at the same time the seller have to find ways on how to show that signs to the buyer. That commonly the starting stage in building good e-commerce relationship between buyers and sellers, and thats how trust is build between both of the parties. If it started that way, the possibility of a long and continuous transactions were made for each one benefits. However, the maintenance of a good relationship is not under control for both parties. Why? Its because trust is not established physically making it hard to detect or predict if theres changes before one will experienced the worst effect of it.
The majority of individual or organization who performed electronic commerce are those in business environment, so money is everybody concerned and the focus of almost all the transactions. The electronic network or the internet is the primary medium of online transaction and making electronic commerce possible for individual and organizations. However, the internet also offer the opportunity to individuals to earn money in a negative way or in illegal way. In buyers perspective, its hard to know if you've got the authorized or legitimate suppliers or sellers of bought product or services. You cant predict if all they want is to get your money or not, and cant be sure of it until your order has been delivered in your door. In sellers perspective, they never stop thinking of the best strategies to get the buyers trust. Its not that hard for them to get it for buyers won't know their real intentions without experiencing it. Though theres an existing e-commerce law to protect and avoid this kind of scenario, its still not that hard for illegitimate but knowledgeable enough buyers to escape from the law without even punisher of their actions. From that, aside from the benefits of e-commerce its also in favor for those illegitimate individuals.
To avoid it means successful electronic transaction between buyers-sellers relationship. One practical way of doing it is to build trust and implementing security measures to maintain it. The success of electronic commerce is highly and mainly depending on the ability of an organization to build up trust to their customers.
What are those security measures that the organization must take to have a successful electronic commerce transaction???
(Gaby Herrmann, Peter Herrmann,2004) because of the online environment of electronic commerce, theres already a lot of bankruptcies of e-commerce companies, and the main reason of this is the real and assumed lack of security in transacting and making businesses online. Often, organization and companies are trying to be confident to their users because of their state of art security measures and security mechanism. But this was found to be irrelevant for researchers, maybe this can be just a business strategy for organization to attract customers. Customers should not believe on that without proven yet. For organization, its not enough to gain the confidence your customers by declaring the your have a security measures and mechanisms for them to trust. There are other methods like insurances reducing the risk of frauds or active trust management, it would also be better to include the experiences of other users with an entity. With the presence of other user or customers experiences on your organization services will also the basis of your aspiring customers to trust you as what have done by your previous customers. If your organization is trustworthy on providing product and services online, it would be easy for your to get their testimony about it and be confident enough to present it to coming customers for reference. Remember its easy to spread your trustworthiness to other (it its real), your previous customers will be you positive tool to attract be referred to other customers.
(Clara Centeno,) Lack of security and consumer trust in internet payments has been repeatedly reported as one of the most important factors hindering the development of e-commerce. Indeed, most surveys show that consumers lack of trust is linked to concerns over the security of payment data (mostly credit cards) and the misuse of private data, with striking levels of 75% - 95% of respondents worried by these issues.
The events of 9/11, an increasing number of security audit reports stress the key role played by the human factor in the process of building security in general and on the internet in particular. Indeed, technology-based solutions need to be accompanied and supported by a general awareness of the risks, an internal risk management strategy, good internal managerial, organizational and operational procedures and education of employees and end users. The same principles apply to electronic commerce security.
Despite this relatively low percentage of fraud cases, most consumer surveys show that consumer lack of trust in e-commerce is linked to concerns over the security of payment data and misuse of private data.
The following are the risk found in e-commerce especially when trust is not successfully build:
On-line payment risks
The reported volume of e-commerce fraud points to the internet being riskier than the face-to-face environment. E-commerce could be looked at as a new form of distance selling, characterized by a lack of face-to-face interaction and synchronization of payment with delivery of goods, and in the case of payment by card, by the merchant’s inability to verify the payment card’s physical and security features. Committing fraud is therefore easier than in the physical world as invoices can be left without payment after reception of goods, goods can be left undelivered after reception of payment or card payment fraud can be easily committed as "plastic" is not required, i.e., only a card number and a delivery address are needed.
In addition, the internet has a number of characteristics that introduce new risk elements:
• The environment is a more favorable vehicle for fraudsters to communicate and act in due to its anonymity, low access barriers, rapid exchange of resources such as hacking programs and credit card numbers (GARTNER, 2001; FBI, 2000; LANG, 1999).
• The lack of cyber-security skills and tools: organizations often
overlook significant risks, i.e. system providers do not produce systems that
are immune to attack, network and system operators do not have the
personnel and practices in place to defend themselves against attacks and
minimize damage (PETHIA, CERT/CC, 2001);
• Merchants are often small and new, with limited security skills and
budget and are selling new goods (digital content) that are more vulnerable
to fraud (EXPERIAN, 2000);
• Users are more vulnerable: with increasing internet connectivity from
home and increasing PC power (available for hackers), average users know
little about risks and the security tools available to protect their computers
from external attacks;
• Legal prosecution is more difficult, because transaction amounts are
generally low, the electronic evidence tools and skills available are very
limited, legislation is not yet adapted to the internet environment and where
transactions have taken place across borders, complex jurisdictional and
procedural issues may arise (SCHNEIER, 1998; PETHIA, CERT/CC, 2001;
ELDON, FBI, 200218).
On-line payment transactional risks
With a view to understanding what security measures are needed and based on results of the analysis of fraud figures available, on-line payment risks can be classified into four categories as follows:
• Risk of merchant misbehavior or fraudulent behavior: merchants carrying out data capture, disappearing and charging unauthorized transactions; charging transaction amounts higher than agreed, charging unauthorized recurrent payments;
• Risk of identity and payment data theft for further fraudulent use on the internet or in the physical world (purchase, fraudulent card application, account take over). Identity data can be stolen through e-mail (or even phone) scam, or through on-line unauthorized access to merchant or ISP servers, to bank servers, to consumers’ PCs or to transactional data;
• Risk of impersonation, i.e. fraudulent use of (stolen) consumer identity and/or payment data, or software generated account numbers for purchasing;
• Risk of consumer fraudulently denying a transaction.
Measures for Building Online Payment Security
Security Requirements for online internet payments
In order to understand the role of "hard," or technology-based measures in building e-commerce payment security, the security requirements from consumer and merchant perspectives are analyses. Consumer payment security requirements derive from the need to:
- transact with trustworthy merchants,
- receive matching offers and deliveries,
- have a customer service or other mechanism for redressing potentially conflictive situations, and,
- protect personal data from unauthorized access and use.
Merchant payment security requirements, however, derive from the need for payment guarantees and for protection of commercial data from unauthorized access.
Technology-based measures to build security
Different technology-based security measures are proposed by card schemes and banks to address the on-line payment fraud risks faced by consumers and merchants. These aim to provide data confidentiality and integrity, consumer and merchant authentication and non-repudiation for each individual transaction. Solutions range from the cheap and easy SSL, complemented by real-time authorisation by the issuer, address and CVV/CVC2 validation, the use of passwords and user Ids, virtual and
pseudo card numbers, 3D-model based solutions, SET and EMV smart cards. The potential of Public Key Cryptography (PKC), Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Digital Signatures in building secure internet payments deserve particular attention.
The security of the environment in which on-line transactions take place, namely the technical infrastructure of the consumers, merchants, banks and service providers, also needs to be considered. In this area, payment schemes are promoting improved information security at banks, merchants and service providers with security standards and best practice.
We are aware of the success of the electronic commerce in global market, the trust building activity performed by an organization or sellers to their customers or buyers took a very long time to make it possible. Furthermore, for organization its easy and necessary to accept a very long term Return Of Investment due to the time needed to build up trust to their customers. Not only long scope of time is required to successfully build trust for organization, but the financial strength to survive sometimes for several years until the investment in building trust to the customers start to be paid, simply means to Return of Investment in building TRUST.
Reference:
http://ecdcconference.com/FullPaper08/PosterPDF/516.pdf
http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/eservice_journal/v002/2.2jones.pdf
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/eservice_journal/toc/current.html
http://resources.metapress.com/pdf-preview.axd?code=q746854420147832&size=larger
http://www.idate.fr/fic/revue_telech/257/C&S51_CENTENO.pdf
Trust could be defined as the consumer’s willingness to risk the loss of time, money and personal data (Nielsen Norman Group, 2000), in a situation involving uncertainty.
We all know that in the electronic business environment, the face to face communication between parties is lacking and being replaced by the human machine interface. A successful electronic commerce will now depend on the trust imposed between the communicating parties in product and services exchange w/c is the focused of this kind of industry. TRUST is considered as the essential factor in buyer-seller relationship, so there should be a alternate consideration when conducting it using electronic media technologies because its not the same as performing trust in physical or face to face environment.
What is trust in electronic commerce environment?
(Jones, Ambrose, Rai, 2003) One broad definition of trust is the willingness of a buyer to be vulnerable to a seller's non-desirable actions while expecting the seller to perform actions that are beneficial to the buyer without the buyer having to monitor these actions. Buyers look for signs from sellers that increase their trust, and sellers look at ways they can help build buyers' trust. Traditional trust-building mechanisms include physical presence, past actions, and legal and regulatory frameworks. The emergence of online businesses has brought about new challenges for building trust, in both B2B and B2C business environments. The evolution of new e-business models and the advances in information technology have raised more challenges than solutions for establishing and maintaining trust in the electronic marketplace. Both academicians and practitioners are looking for clearer answers to enhancers and suppressors of trust,...
Based on what have stated a while ago, building trust for successful electronic commerce business transactions depend for both the buyer and sellers side. It is in their hands for making it possible, they have to work hand in hand for it. As what have mentioned, they buyers is looking for signs in where they can trust the seller,at the same time the seller have to find ways on how to show that signs to the buyer. That commonly the starting stage in building good e-commerce relationship between buyers and sellers, and thats how trust is build between both of the parties. If it started that way, the possibility of a long and continuous transactions were made for each one benefits. However, the maintenance of a good relationship is not under control for both parties. Why? Its because trust is not established physically making it hard to detect or predict if theres changes before one will experienced the worst effect of it.
The majority of individual or organization who performed electronic commerce are those in business environment, so money is everybody concerned and the focus of almost all the transactions. The electronic network or the internet is the primary medium of online transaction and making electronic commerce possible for individual and organizations. However, the internet also offer the opportunity to individuals to earn money in a negative way or in illegal way. In buyers perspective, its hard to know if you've got the authorized or legitimate suppliers or sellers of bought product or services. You cant predict if all they want is to get your money or not, and cant be sure of it until your order has been delivered in your door. In sellers perspective, they never stop thinking of the best strategies to get the buyers trust. Its not that hard for them to get it for buyers won't know their real intentions without experiencing it. Though theres an existing e-commerce law to protect and avoid this kind of scenario, its still not that hard for illegitimate but knowledgeable enough buyers to escape from the law without even punisher of their actions. From that, aside from the benefits of e-commerce its also in favor for those illegitimate individuals.
To avoid it means successful electronic transaction between buyers-sellers relationship. One practical way of doing it is to build trust and implementing security measures to maintain it. The success of electronic commerce is highly and mainly depending on the ability of an organization to build up trust to their customers.
What are those security measures that the organization must take to have a successful electronic commerce transaction???
(Gaby Herrmann, Peter Herrmann,2004) because of the online environment of electronic commerce, theres already a lot of bankruptcies of e-commerce companies, and the main reason of this is the real and assumed lack of security in transacting and making businesses online. Often, organization and companies are trying to be confident to their users because of their state of art security measures and security mechanism. But this was found to be irrelevant for researchers, maybe this can be just a business strategy for organization to attract customers. Customers should not believe on that without proven yet. For organization, its not enough to gain the confidence your customers by declaring the your have a security measures and mechanisms for them to trust. There are other methods like insurances reducing the risk of frauds or active trust management, it would also be better to include the experiences of other users with an entity. With the presence of other user or customers experiences on your organization services will also the basis of your aspiring customers to trust you as what have done by your previous customers. If your organization is trustworthy on providing product and services online, it would be easy for your to get their testimony about it and be confident enough to present it to coming customers for reference. Remember its easy to spread your trustworthiness to other (it its real), your previous customers will be you positive tool to attract be referred to other customers.
(Clara Centeno,) Lack of security and consumer trust in internet payments has been repeatedly reported as one of the most important factors hindering the development of e-commerce. Indeed, most surveys show that consumers lack of trust is linked to concerns over the security of payment data (mostly credit cards) and the misuse of private data, with striking levels of 75% - 95% of respondents worried by these issues.
The events of 9/11, an increasing number of security audit reports stress the key role played by the human factor in the process of building security in general and on the internet in particular. Indeed, technology-based solutions need to be accompanied and supported by a general awareness of the risks, an internal risk management strategy, good internal managerial, organizational and operational procedures and education of employees and end users. The same principles apply to electronic commerce security.
Despite this relatively low percentage of fraud cases, most consumer surveys show that consumer lack of trust in e-commerce is linked to concerns over the security of payment data and misuse of private data.
The following are the risk found in e-commerce especially when trust is not successfully build:
On-line payment risks
The reported volume of e-commerce fraud points to the internet being riskier than the face-to-face environment. E-commerce could be looked at as a new form of distance selling, characterized by a lack of face-to-face interaction and synchronization of payment with delivery of goods, and in the case of payment by card, by the merchant’s inability to verify the payment card’s physical and security features. Committing fraud is therefore easier than in the physical world as invoices can be left without payment after reception of goods, goods can be left undelivered after reception of payment or card payment fraud can be easily committed as "plastic" is not required, i.e., only a card number and a delivery address are needed.
In addition, the internet has a number of characteristics that introduce new risk elements:
• The environment is a more favorable vehicle for fraudsters to communicate and act in due to its anonymity, low access barriers, rapid exchange of resources such as hacking programs and credit card numbers (GARTNER, 2001; FBI, 2000; LANG, 1999).
• The lack of cyber-security skills and tools: organizations often
overlook significant risks, i.e. system providers do not produce systems that
are immune to attack, network and system operators do not have the
personnel and practices in place to defend themselves against attacks and
minimize damage (PETHIA, CERT/CC, 2001);
• Merchants are often small and new, with limited security skills and
budget and are selling new goods (digital content) that are more vulnerable
to fraud (EXPERIAN, 2000);
• Users are more vulnerable: with increasing internet connectivity from
home and increasing PC power (available for hackers), average users know
little about risks and the security tools available to protect their computers
from external attacks;
• Legal prosecution is more difficult, because transaction amounts are
generally low, the electronic evidence tools and skills available are very
limited, legislation is not yet adapted to the internet environment and where
transactions have taken place across borders, complex jurisdictional and
procedural issues may arise (SCHNEIER, 1998; PETHIA, CERT/CC, 2001;
ELDON, FBI, 200218).
On-line payment transactional risks
With a view to understanding what security measures are needed and based on results of the analysis of fraud figures available, on-line payment risks can be classified into four categories as follows:
• Risk of merchant misbehavior or fraudulent behavior: merchants carrying out data capture, disappearing and charging unauthorized transactions; charging transaction amounts higher than agreed, charging unauthorized recurrent payments;
• Risk of identity and payment data theft for further fraudulent use on the internet or in the physical world (purchase, fraudulent card application, account take over). Identity data can be stolen through e-mail (or even phone) scam, or through on-line unauthorized access to merchant or ISP servers, to bank servers, to consumers’ PCs or to transactional data;
• Risk of impersonation, i.e. fraudulent use of (stolen) consumer identity and/or payment data, or software generated account numbers for purchasing;
• Risk of consumer fraudulently denying a transaction.
Measures for Building Online Payment Security
Security Requirements for online internet payments
In order to understand the role of "hard," or technology-based measures in building e-commerce payment security, the security requirements from consumer and merchant perspectives are analyses. Consumer payment security requirements derive from the need to:
- transact with trustworthy merchants,
- receive matching offers and deliveries,
- have a customer service or other mechanism for redressing potentially conflictive situations, and,
- protect personal data from unauthorized access and use.
Merchant payment security requirements, however, derive from the need for payment guarantees and for protection of commercial data from unauthorized access.
Technology-based measures to build security
Different technology-based security measures are proposed by card schemes and banks to address the on-line payment fraud risks faced by consumers and merchants. These aim to provide data confidentiality and integrity, consumer and merchant authentication and non-repudiation for each individual transaction. Solutions range from the cheap and easy SSL, complemented by real-time authorisation by the issuer, address and CVV/CVC2 validation, the use of passwords and user Ids, virtual and
pseudo card numbers, 3D-model based solutions, SET and EMV smart cards. The potential of Public Key Cryptography (PKC), Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Digital Signatures in building secure internet payments deserve particular attention.
The security of the environment in which on-line transactions take place, namely the technical infrastructure of the consumers, merchants, banks and service providers, also needs to be considered. In this area, payment schemes are promoting improved information security at banks, merchants and service providers with security standards and best practice.
We are aware of the success of the electronic commerce in global market, the trust building activity performed by an organization or sellers to their customers or buyers took a very long time to make it possible. Furthermore, for organization its easy and necessary to accept a very long term Return Of Investment due to the time needed to build up trust to their customers. Not only long scope of time is required to successfully build trust for organization, but the financial strength to survive sometimes for several years until the investment in building trust to the customers start to be paid, simply means to Return of Investment in building TRUST.
Reference:
http://ecdcconference.com/FullPaper08/PosterPDF/516.pdf
http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/eservice_journal/v002/2.2jones.pdf
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/eservice_journal/toc/current.html
http://resources.metapress.com/pdf-preview.axd?code=q746854420147832&size=larger
http://www.idate.fr/fic/revue_telech/257/C&S51_CENTENO.pdf
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Significant Event for Innovation in Technology
There’s a lot of significant events in society that has a contribution on the innovation and development of technologies. These events either local events has a contribution on technology innovations in that locality, the same way in national or international events has something to do in technology innovations in national or worldwide scope. Innovation in technology can be defined as the improvement or development of such technology either existing or newly invented. When we say technology innovation, we are referring broadly in terms of technology since it covers different fields. With this innovation in technology might differ from any other fields such as its application in Medical Technology, Agriculture, Engineering and Architecture, Education, Business, etc.
Technology innovation in the Philippines, as we have observed is in its continuous growth though we are found to be a year behind compare with highly technological and developing countries such as Japan. In my own understanding one of the factors that contribute to its continuous innovation is the increasing number of foreign investors that continue to invest in the country.
Philippine is considered to be an attractive investment destination as it has a strategic location, skilled and highly trainable human resources, a stable democratic environment and free enterprise economy. Sustainable resources found in the Philippines attract many foreign investors in different fields based on business concepts.
As stated in "How to Invest in the Philippines" by PricewaterhouseCoopers Philippines, the Philippine economic environment, in its general market structure, the Philippines adheres to the principle of free enterprise and recognizes the indispensable role of the private sector in the economic development of the country. It has been observed that after the Asian financial crisis in 1997, the country started to recover ahead of other countries in Asia. This is because of continued political stability, prudent monetary and fiscal measures; bolder moves toward deregulation, liberalization and privatization and improved infrastructure development. This is somewhat attracts foreign investors to invest their business in the country. And it foster economic development in the country as well as leads to innovation and development of technologies used.
Foreign investors are commonly known to own big companies and business establishments and uses high technology and facilities. With foreign investors that extended their reach here in the countries has a big significant on the development of technologies. They have influence us in the kind of technology they have by sending it here to be used in their business, and eventually it’s been applied in any other business foreign or Filipino owned.
One of those technologies that have used and developed because of foreign investments in the country is the communication. Big businesses are very concerned of its way of communication cause for them good communication within their establishments or workplace is a good business strategy. The innovation in communication comes up after. As businesses in the country continue to grow locally and internationally, the need for a good and secure communication is in demand for each business. From that, the continuous innovation in communication and information sharing is established and has considered as the necessity not only in business, as well as in education and any other form of transaction at our present time. Even before telecommunication companies and providers make it possible to provide these businesses adequate communication links within the country and other country around the world, and later on these companies are also offer similar services in all urban centers, that’s why cellular phones and paging systems have substantially augmented existing landlines. According also to PricewaterhouseCoopers Philippines, the number of cellular mobile telephone service subscribers had increased by more than 400% since 1996 with around 6.5 million subscribers accounted for as of the end of 2000. From that, we can have the idea of how much its increase in the current time. Cell phones nowadays have so many additional features making you connected in so many ways. Video cameras, music player, are just a few features you can enjoy in your current cell phones.
Its continuous innovation and development later become the innovation and development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). There is an increasing recognition of ICT potential and contribution it the market place. It has been a part of the success in every businesses, and one that has a very wide range and scope in the business world. One of its major contribution is it enables people and enterprises to capture economic opportunities by increasing process efficiency, promoting participation in expanded economic networks and creating opportunities for employment. The following are the innovations that take place in Information and Communication Technology, taken from the paper “Information and Communication Technology and Microfinance: Options for Mongolia, Innovations of Information and Communication Technology” by Gaamaa Hishigsuren.
(Gaamaa Hishigsuren 2006) In relation to microfinance the use of ICT began with the arrival of the Palm Pilot (or called, Personal Digital Assistant – PDA). These pocket computers allowed loan officers to fill out forms containing customer information and provide an initial indication of whether loan would be approved or not in the field, thereby automating the information gathering process (Silva, 2002). In a series of articles by Steve Whelan, for The Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest (CGAP), talks of the various technological devices that are currently being used around the world (Whelan, 2003). These articles highlight devices such as automated teller machines (ATMs), interactive voice response technology (IVRs), smart cards and personal digital assistants (PDAs).
Below are the most commonly used Information and Communication Technology applications used in Microfinance:
Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) or Point of Sales (POS) devices– conduct many banking transactions that would otherwise require staff attention: they furnish account information, accept deposits, draw down on pre-approved loans and transfer funds.
Interactive voice response (IVR) technology - refers to examples like using phones (either mobile or stationary phones) to check an account balance, make transfers, learn about products, and find the nearest branch location and its office hours. This saves time both for the clients and staff.
Internet banking –clients can make the same transactions as with phone banking (checking their account balance, making transfers, learning about products and finding the nearest branch location and its office hours) on the Internet.
Personal digital assistant (PDA) – can be used by loan officers to process loan applications by using the preset credit scoring model, to review a client’s historical data, and to monitor loan performance by reviewing the list of borrowers and their loan repayment status. Virtually all client data and client visit records are stored electronically and are immediately available in this small device (like a palm pilot).
Management information system (MIS): - provides computerized data processing for management decision making; it is used primarily for portfolio management, accounting and financial performance management.
Credit scoring – analyzes historical client data, identifies links between client characteristics and behavior; and assumes those links will persist to predict how clients will act. The technology can help a microfinance institution analyze how its clients have behaved in the past to make more reliable loan application decisions, devise more effective collection strategies, better target marketing efforts and increase client retention.
Complimentary Devices:
Smart cards – can be used for financial services, such as managing savings accounts, disbursing loans, or making transfers. There are different forms of personal identification, such as biometric technology and fingerprinting. Smart cards function like an electronic passbook. There is also a lower cost card, which operates through a magnetic strip on the reverse side of the card. A smart card differs in that it operates through more expensive chips that can store information offline on the embedded chips. Both cards are used in conjunction with ATMs or POS.
Biometric technology – measures an individual’s unique physical or behavioral characteristics, voice pattern and gait, to recognize and confirm identity. This is a supplementary technology used with ATMs or POS.
Automatic Teller Machines
Hirschland (2003) observes that ATMs provide 24-hour access to speedy transactions. ATMs, supplemented by smart cards and debit cards can provide flexible payment options and more convenient access to client accounts. They can also reduce branch infrastructure and employee costs, and facilitate financial services in areas with poor communications and electricity supplies. In particular, staff of MFIs could be relieved of some mundane functions like processing withdrawals and fund transfer over the counter, and rather, focus on personalized services. When fully utilized, ATMs can be used for balance inquiry, cash withdrawal, and transfer of funds, bill payments and making deposits.
As a summary, the continuous number of foreign investments in the country leads to adopting and application of foreign technologies, then its innovation to cater the needs and demands of these businesses just for instance the increasing need of communication links to their consumer and clients. As it is being used and adopt by foreign own companies in the country, Filipino owned business has to acquire and used it also to excel in the business world and cannot be left behind by foreign investor. As a part of business strategy, they need to have a good and secure communication links that make them connected to their clients and employees, in any part of the country or abroad. From that, communication providers take their part in making these possible. Innovation on communication takes place, and as we observed it changes or innovates every year (if I’m not mistaken). Then, innovation in information and communication technology (ICT), have extended the reach to a good and secure communication to be applied and used not only on business but in other fields even people and enterprises in isolated communities. As we all know, businesses today, despite it scale (local, multinational, international) have introduced to automation of their business process and transaction. Automation uncovered the manual business process, making them capable to process transaction in a short period of time with 99% accuracy and meet their client’s highest expectations. Nowadays, worldwide businesses systems have been centralized making all their branches around the world to be connected, plus it can be viewed by authorized persons anywhere as long as internet connection is available (as of now, there just few places in the world that don’t have a connection).
Technology innovation in the Philippines, as we have observed is in its continuous growth though we are found to be a year behind compare with highly technological and developing countries such as Japan. In my own understanding one of the factors that contribute to its continuous innovation is the increasing number of foreign investors that continue to invest in the country.
Philippine is considered to be an attractive investment destination as it has a strategic location, skilled and highly trainable human resources, a stable democratic environment and free enterprise economy. Sustainable resources found in the Philippines attract many foreign investors in different fields based on business concepts.
As stated in "How to Invest in the Philippines" by PricewaterhouseCoopers Philippines, the Philippine economic environment, in its general market structure, the Philippines adheres to the principle of free enterprise and recognizes the indispensable role of the private sector in the economic development of the country. It has been observed that after the Asian financial crisis in 1997, the country started to recover ahead of other countries in Asia. This is because of continued political stability, prudent monetary and fiscal measures; bolder moves toward deregulation, liberalization and privatization and improved infrastructure development. This is somewhat attracts foreign investors to invest their business in the country. And it foster economic development in the country as well as leads to innovation and development of technologies used.
Foreign investors are commonly known to own big companies and business establishments and uses high technology and facilities. With foreign investors that extended their reach here in the countries has a big significant on the development of technologies. They have influence us in the kind of technology they have by sending it here to be used in their business, and eventually it’s been applied in any other business foreign or Filipino owned.
One of those technologies that have used and developed because of foreign investments in the country is the communication. Big businesses are very concerned of its way of communication cause for them good communication within their establishments or workplace is a good business strategy. The innovation in communication comes up after. As businesses in the country continue to grow locally and internationally, the need for a good and secure communication is in demand for each business. From that, the continuous innovation in communication and information sharing is established and has considered as the necessity not only in business, as well as in education and any other form of transaction at our present time. Even before telecommunication companies and providers make it possible to provide these businesses adequate communication links within the country and other country around the world, and later on these companies are also offer similar services in all urban centers, that’s why cellular phones and paging systems have substantially augmented existing landlines. According also to PricewaterhouseCoopers Philippines, the number of cellular mobile telephone service subscribers had increased by more than 400% since 1996 with around 6.5 million subscribers accounted for as of the end of 2000. From that, we can have the idea of how much its increase in the current time. Cell phones nowadays have so many additional features making you connected in so many ways. Video cameras, music player, are just a few features you can enjoy in your current cell phones.
Its continuous innovation and development later become the innovation and development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). There is an increasing recognition of ICT potential and contribution it the market place. It has been a part of the success in every businesses, and one that has a very wide range and scope in the business world. One of its major contribution is it enables people and enterprises to capture economic opportunities by increasing process efficiency, promoting participation in expanded economic networks and creating opportunities for employment. The following are the innovations that take place in Information and Communication Technology, taken from the paper “Information and Communication Technology and Microfinance: Options for Mongolia, Innovations of Information and Communication Technology” by Gaamaa Hishigsuren.
(Gaamaa Hishigsuren 2006) In relation to microfinance the use of ICT began with the arrival of the Palm Pilot (or called, Personal Digital Assistant – PDA). These pocket computers allowed loan officers to fill out forms containing customer information and provide an initial indication of whether loan would be approved or not in the field, thereby automating the information gathering process (Silva, 2002). In a series of articles by Steve Whelan, for The Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest (CGAP), talks of the various technological devices that are currently being used around the world (Whelan, 2003). These articles highlight devices such as automated teller machines (ATMs), interactive voice response technology (IVRs), smart cards and personal digital assistants (PDAs).
Below are the most commonly used Information and Communication Technology applications used in Microfinance:
Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) or Point of Sales (POS) devices– conduct many banking transactions that would otherwise require staff attention: they furnish account information, accept deposits, draw down on pre-approved loans and transfer funds.
Interactive voice response (IVR) technology - refers to examples like using phones (either mobile or stationary phones) to check an account balance, make transfers, learn about products, and find the nearest branch location and its office hours. This saves time both for the clients and staff.
Internet banking –clients can make the same transactions as with phone banking (checking their account balance, making transfers, learning about products and finding the nearest branch location and its office hours) on the Internet.
Personal digital assistant (PDA) – can be used by loan officers to process loan applications by using the preset credit scoring model, to review a client’s historical data, and to monitor loan performance by reviewing the list of borrowers and their loan repayment status. Virtually all client data and client visit records are stored electronically and are immediately available in this small device (like a palm pilot).
Management information system (MIS): - provides computerized data processing for management decision making; it is used primarily for portfolio management, accounting and financial performance management.
Credit scoring – analyzes historical client data, identifies links between client characteristics and behavior; and assumes those links will persist to predict how clients will act. The technology can help a microfinance institution analyze how its clients have behaved in the past to make more reliable loan application decisions, devise more effective collection strategies, better target marketing efforts and increase client retention.
Complimentary Devices:
Smart cards – can be used for financial services, such as managing savings accounts, disbursing loans, or making transfers. There are different forms of personal identification, such as biometric technology and fingerprinting. Smart cards function like an electronic passbook. There is also a lower cost card, which operates through a magnetic strip on the reverse side of the card. A smart card differs in that it operates through more expensive chips that can store information offline on the embedded chips. Both cards are used in conjunction with ATMs or POS.
Biometric technology – measures an individual’s unique physical or behavioral characteristics, voice pattern and gait, to recognize and confirm identity. This is a supplementary technology used with ATMs or POS.
Automatic Teller Machines
Hirschland (2003) observes that ATMs provide 24-hour access to speedy transactions. ATMs, supplemented by smart cards and debit cards can provide flexible payment options and more convenient access to client accounts. They can also reduce branch infrastructure and employee costs, and facilitate financial services in areas with poor communications and electricity supplies. In particular, staff of MFIs could be relieved of some mundane functions like processing withdrawals and fund transfer over the counter, and rather, focus on personalized services. When fully utilized, ATMs can be used for balance inquiry, cash withdrawal, and transfer of funds, bill payments and making deposits.
As a summary, the continuous number of foreign investments in the country leads to adopting and application of foreign technologies, then its innovation to cater the needs and demands of these businesses just for instance the increasing need of communication links to their consumer and clients. As it is being used and adopt by foreign own companies in the country, Filipino owned business has to acquire and used it also to excel in the business world and cannot be left behind by foreign investor. As a part of business strategy, they need to have a good and secure communication links that make them connected to their clients and employees, in any part of the country or abroad. From that, communication providers take their part in making these possible. Innovation on communication takes place, and as we observed it changes or innovates every year (if I’m not mistaken). Then, innovation in information and communication technology (ICT), have extended the reach to a good and secure communication to be applied and used not only on business but in other fields even people and enterprises in isolated communities. As we all know, businesses today, despite it scale (local, multinational, international) have introduced to automation of their business process and transaction. Automation uncovered the manual business process, making them capable to process transaction in a short period of time with 99% accuracy and meet their client’s highest expectations. Nowadays, worldwide businesses systems have been centralized making all their branches around the world to be connected, plus it can be viewed by authorized persons anywhere as long as internet connection is available (as of now, there just few places in the world that don’t have a connection).
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Realization on how IT supposed to act????
Nov. 22, its a presentation day of out topic and FUTURE TECHNOLOGY's, we've been discussing different technologies and innovations and its application in different fields. we have shared significant information regarding the interrelation of technology from the past to the present, and sharing insights on how future technology will be basing in present technology...
Aside from sharing of ideas and information, we have also given a lot of "sermon" from our instructor towards our attitude on that day presentation. Most of us call it as "wake up call" and consider it as the strongest "wake up call" ever...And that made us realized that the technology and innovations we discussed and proposed are not enough to consider ourselves as IT prof... Sir Randy keep on telling us that its all nothing if we're not having a right attitude towards it...we might educated enough but incapable to take responsibility...(not to mention what have we done makin' us irresponsible).
Yeah....it really a wake up call, all of us aware from the start that it might happen if we act that way, but we've just take it for granted. we're just grateful enough to have an instructor that keep on reminding us every now and then.
(I) hope and trying that that will be the last time he ever remind us that way..i admit that it hurt and made me shaken but the best part of it is that, most of us come to realized that this somewhat a preparation for us on how we supposed to act as future IT prof..and how our character and attitude matters most in our future jobs......
thank you sir...
Aside from sharing of ideas and information, we have also given a lot of "sermon" from our instructor towards our attitude on that day presentation. Most of us call it as "wake up call" and consider it as the strongest "wake up call" ever...And that made us realized that the technology and innovations we discussed and proposed are not enough to consider ourselves as IT prof... Sir Randy keep on telling us that its all nothing if we're not having a right attitude towards it...we might educated enough but incapable to take responsibility...(not to mention what have we done makin' us irresponsible).
Yeah....it really a wake up call, all of us aware from the start that it might happen if we act that way, but we've just take it for granted. we're just grateful enough to have an instructor that keep on reminding us every now and then.
(I) hope and trying that that will be the last time he ever remind us that way..i admit that it hurt and made me shaken but the best part of it is that, most of us come to realized that this somewhat a preparation for us on how we supposed to act as future IT prof..and how our character and attitude matters most in our future jobs......
thank you sir...
My Research Topic Update...
as of this moment, i haven't find an adviser for my topic....Software Development Process Model for Offshore Development..im still looking for an adviser that have enough knowledge on my topic, coz it would be a great help for the to finish my research on time...i dont really want to extend another sem...huhuhu.
i have already someone in mind, but i still have to find extra courage and right words to convince him....
i have already someone in mind, but i still have to find extra courage and right words to convince him....
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