Corporate Blogging: A new marketing communication tool for companies

A corporate weblog is published and used by an organization to reach its organizational goals. Corporate blog has become a new marketing communication tool for companies. Corporate blog has divided into three types and there are internal blogs, external blogs, and CEO blogs. Thus, all current browsers which include Firefox, Opera, Safari and Internet Explorer 7 enable readers to read the recent posts easily without truly visit the blog through supporter of RSS technology.

One of the successful blogs is Amazon Web Services blog by Amazon.com that about Amazon web services, products, tools and developer information. It helps to improve the communication and its customer services, attract more people to consume and discuss new products online.

A corporate blog can be:

• A tool that helps the organization achieve a business goal-Redeploying scare resource just to have a blog makes no sense if there is no business case for one.
• A useful extension of the company image in the marketplace। It is however no substitute for bad products or lack of commitment to customers.
• An opportunity to open a two-way channel between employees and customers.

Corporate blogs are not only interesting and useful, they are also helping the companies hat author them develop a very new relationship with their customers। In some cases, the blogs have helped the company move the needle in reputation, cute and thus purchase consideration.

References:

http://specgirlz.blogspot.com/2009/02/corporate-blogging-new-marketing.html

http://www.internetviz-newsletters.com/bulldog/e_article000404957.cfm

http://ecommercesite.wordpress.com/2008/07/04/corporate-blogging-a-new-marketing-tool-for-companies/

http://38blog123.blogspot.com/2008/07/corporate-blogging-new-marketing.html

http://ecomspace.blogspot.com/2008/06/corporate-blogging-new-marketing.html

Review a local, transactional e-commerce site

After we do some research, we found that local e-commerce website is at http://www.lelong.com.my/ which is a website in Malaysia that provides online trading at a low cost. This e-commerce site had developed from Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) transaction to become Business-to-consumer (B2C) relationship. Some of the companies using this website to sell their products. According to this website there are approximately 70% of all items posed for auction on lelong.com.my are sold. So, all user get a chance of obtaining a successful transaction.

Lelong.com has provide many types of product such as books, cameras, cars, computers, computer’s software, jewelry, gemstone, clocks, watches, clothes, and even foods and beverages also sell in this website. Some big company use this website to sell their product like prepaid top up card is selling in this website and the price is lower than we buy at shop. Beside that, people like to collect antique or other like stamps, models also can found it when surf through this web site. It had properly classified the entire item in the website which is very convenient to all the users to find their favorable item. There are different languages in this website to be choosing by the user according to their preference.

This website can manage every aspect of the settlement process and remove risk from online transaction. Besides is also can manage well of the buyer want to get what they pay for and the seller wants to get paid. Users can paid by credit card after the transaction is successful.

Lelong.com.my provides a forum to let users to go in to share their opinion or any queries. Users can ask something about the product and can leave a comment whether they satisfy to this service or not. Most of the Malaysian are prefer to use Lelong.com.my as local E-commerce site to buy their product because it is more convenient, their no need to walk or drive a car to a physical store to buy it, they just click then the product will send to them within few days only. Besides that there are many product to let user to buy, users can buy whatever thing they want through this website

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

Times change the generation, it’s also change the learning style that we offer use in past. In the past, the learning is form to be vocal and written paper. However with the flow of the time and technologic grow in the years, a lot of high education school has come out with the style to teaching and letting the student to learning with different way compare to the past education formal. In the past, mostly educations are face-to face with the lecture to gain the knowledge. And now the styles of learning are changing form to e-learning which have improve a lot of in a lot aspect and also bring other side-effect to it.

Currently, the universities of Malaysia have already apply in the system of e-learning to education the youngster to provide more knowledge in advance to increase the ability of understanding and improve their learning ability. in the student perspective, we found out that e-learning have a lot provide advantages to us to sharing our knowledge and also more discussion be form to increasing our knowledge ,furthermore our ability. the e-learning also have help us in a lot aspect such as help students to communicate with their tutors, get clarifications regarding their subjects and study and access teaching materials through e-libraries. Universities and colleges which provide online degrees involve more and more electronic facilities to give their online students fast and qualified assistance. Students' interactions have become much easier than face-to-face communication.

Other than that, it also helps the student in saving time and flexible, which can get online resources, communicate with his tutor or class mates, send his query and write term paper at any time he can get access to the Internet.


The e-learning also have the pros in Asynchronous interaction. Unlike face-to-face or telephone conversations, electronic mail does not require participants to respond immediately. As a result, interactions can be more succinct and to-the-point, discussion can stay more on-track, and people can get a chance to craft their responses. This can lead to more thoughtful and creative conversations.

The cons of the e-learning are may be become a weakness for the learners with low motivation may fall behind. They are unable to follow up the topic of discussion and may make them give up in education and create more frustrated emotion in learning. And also may feel isolated from their teacher or classmates.

Secondly, hands-on or practical work is impossible in e-learning. Cause it need someone to guide and giving advice to correct their mistake.

In the end, I would conclude that, there have the advantages of e-learning however we must use it wise cause may bring up a lot matter in advance when we use in improper ways.


References:
http://www.newman.ac.uk/Students_Websites/~m.m.friel/dis.htm
http://www.articlealley.com/article_78603_45.html

E-Government in Malaysia: Its implementation so far and citizen's adoption strategies.

E-government also known as e-gov, digital government, online government or transformational government is a diffused neologism used to refer to the use of information and communication technology to provide and improve gonerment service, transaction and interaction with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government.

http://www.gov.my/ was launched in 1990’s in Malaysia. The website provides information ranging from payment to complaint applications, search and services. Beside that, users can download 3300 government forms for free. The service provided through the website is the government proactive way to help enhance the public service delivery system. This website also provided loan and quit rent payment, application to update mailing address with the Employee Provident Fund.

E-service is one of the pilot applications the Government has embarked upon to demonstrate how information and communication technology can be exploit for the benefit of the public deliveries via the fastest and most convenient ways, the internet, kiosk and mobile hand phone. Through e-service we can checking and pay JPJ summons through online. Besides we also can pay the electric bill and telephone bill through online to TNB and TM. http://www.gov.my/ makes our life more easy and convenient, we don’t have to go to the government department take number, queue up and pay all the bills. Sometimes traffic jam on the road waste our times only.

E-procurement is the government to business Electronic Government System. Traditionally, interested suppliers would write in and submit their quotation. Suppliers would make several trips to the office, checking on their status filling out countless forms. It allow Government Ministries to make an electronic approval process, create, submit and receive purchase order, delivery orders and remit payment to suppliers.

E-syariah allows clients to sort out their claims with the help if mediators without even having to step foot into hallowed halls. It allows teleconferencing and mediation via internet to update the level of service. It makes things easier for public and lesser work for the count. Besides less time spent at the counter and standardized documentation bodes well for better reference.

Nowadays many people also using online pay all the bill because can save many times and money. Besides that through online they also can search many information for reference.

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

Nowadays, there is high potential for mobile telecommunication networks to become an important electronic payment channel in our country as mobile phone services will make life easier for everyone. Mobile payment system is a system using mobile devices to make monetary transactions such as pay bills, perform banking transactions or shop online beyond voices.

In Malaysia there are several companies that already launched mobile payment systems such as Celcom, Maxis, Digi, TMtouch, Maybank, Hong Leong Bank, Mobile Money International Sdn Bhd, and mobileExec Sdn Bhd.

Celcom (Malaysia) Berhad, Malaysia's premier mobile network with the widest coverage, and paybox, the trendsetting company for mobile payment solutions, will be launching a mobile Banking & mobile Payment solution for the Malaysian market. Mobile Banking (m-banking) and mobile Payment (m-payment) in Malaysia provide real-time banking and payment instructions that enable customers access to their current e-banking systems using a Java client on their phone. It allows customers to access their accounts at any bank, at a minimal investment by the participating banks. Besides, Celcom will expand the system to include other partners and provide extended remittance, bill payment and merchant payment services.

As for consumers shop and pay via mobile phones, Visa International collaborated with Nokia Corporation had introduce the world's first credit card payment pilot system in Malaysia recently, called "Mobile Visa Wave Payment Pilot". The backbone of the mobile payment system is Visa Wave smart card technology. The technology is equipped with sophisticated radio frequencies that eliminate the need to swipe credit cards into a reader. The service will be available on the Nokia 3230 prototype phone. Users will be able to use the phones to make payments in 2,500 outlets equipped with Visa Wave readers. Nokia's business development senior manager Risto Sipila expects such services to become more popular as, mobile phone users worldwide are likely to go up to 3 billion by 2008. It is because visa is using a specialized chip with the latest cryptography, security and smart card technologies which making the system extremely secure and forging difficult.

MobileExec currently provides premium rate SMS messaging across the all major Malaysian carriers. In the Malaysia, premium rate SMS and reverse billing services are regulated by Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). Such services are developing fast in the Europe and recently in Malaysia. It provides customers with admission or money off vouchers which can be unique coded or designed to allow viral spread. The mobile payment gateway service covers all mobile operators on Malaysia, with support for prepaid and postpaid service billings. Those packages include the following:

1. Project Planning and Management Services


2. Product Catalogue Submission (to all mobile operators)


3. Premium Billing System Configuration


4. Systems and Load Testing


5. User Acceptance Testing (UAT) will all mobile networks


6. Service Launch


7. Monthly Service Monitoring and Progress Report


8. Settlement Reports, collections from mobile operators

In short, the mobile payment system is easier, more cost-effective and more convenient for consumers, merchants and service-providers to execute and receive payments. Furthermore, mobile payment is safe and secure. It allows people to make payment at anytime from anywhere with just one SMS. It also allows people to receive money from anyone at anytime. As for merchants, business can be done anywhere such as conduct billing. There will be increased business opportunities for merchants as remote mobile payment can be done easily with the lower transaction and maintenance cost.

Electronic currency

In our study electronic currency is the digital equivalent of paper currency and coins, which enables secure and anonymous purchase of low-priced item which is maybe the item, is selling below RM10. Electronic currency also called electronic money it also known as electronic cash, digital money, digital cash or digital currency.

Electronic currency refers to money or scrip which is exchange only electronically which mean do a transaction through online and pay the payment through online. Typically, this involves use of computer networks, the internet and digital stored value systems. Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) and direct deposit are the examples of electronic currency. Also, it is a collective term for financial cryptography and technologies enabling it.

Nowadays electronic currency is widely used throughout the world. Today nearly all the bank and institution are handled electronically though a series of computer network.

Many systems will sell their electronic currency directly to end user, such as Paypal, WebMoney, BitPass, Firstgate’s Click and Buy, PayLoadz, Paystone, Peppercoin, Beenz, Digicash, and also Flooz. Thus, Paypal is my target to discuss.

Paypal is an e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfer to be made through the internet. PayPal serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper methods such as checks and money orders.

A PayPal account can be funded with an electronic debit from a bank account or by a credit card. Paypal is an example of a payment intermediary service that facilitates worldwide e-commerce.

Currently, PayPal operates in 190 markets, and it manages over 184 million accounts. PayPal allows customers to send, receive, and hold funds in 19 currencies worldwide such as Australian dollar, Chinese renminbi, Hong kong dollar, Mexican peso, Singapore dollar and etc.

Credit Card debts: Causes and Prevention

CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC, due in theaters on February 13, 2009!

Rebecca Bloomwood is a sweet and charming New York City girl who has a tiny, little problem that is rapidly turning into a big problem: shes hopelessly addicted to shopping and drowning in a sea of debt. While Rebecca has dreams of working for a top fashion magazine, she can't quite get her foot in the door that is, until she snags a job as an advice columnist for a new financial magazine published by the same company. Overnight, her column becomes hugely popular, turning her into an overnight celebrity, But when her compulsive shopping and growing debt issues threaten to destroy her love life and derail her career, she struggles to keep it all from spiraling out of controland is ultimately forced to reevaluate whats really important in life. END!

Just click the following link if you wish to see the trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYYCSEV-i1Y&feature=fvst

Alright, no more discussion about Confessions of Shopaholic, please!!! I mean no more cos we are heading back to week 5 task. Oh ya~! Week 5 task. What is it, ya?! Oh..It's Credit Card debts: Causes and Prevention. Ever wonder why I suddenly link "that movie" with one of this week task? It's so simple. If you already watched "that movie" then you will know what exactly happen to Rebecca Bloomwood. She drowning in the sea of debt from her credit cards and struggle to save herself from suffocated. Haha..! I do believe that now you realize the relationship of "that movie" and my task.

Allows me to start my task. I believe that everyone is familiar with credit card (Magic card is the term used in "that movie"). It allows consumers to repeatedly borrow money or purchase products and services on credit. Normally, it is issued by banks, savings and loans, retail stores and other businesses. Credit cards or magic card suppose to make our life easier, but it gives rise to negative consequences in our society.

Today, credit card debt has become the main contributor to personal debt and cause for many financial problems. The following are some of the common causes of credit card debts.

1. Maintaining expenses on a reduced income ~ Excessive spending is one of the common causes of credit card debt. This is especially true if you continue to make charges after experiencing a reduction in your monthly income.


2. Poor money management ~ Spending without planning is likely to result in excessive expenses and inability to pay the monthly credit card bills. Higher interest rates will be charged on late payment and further increase your debts.


3. Not savings or saving too little ~ Those who are contributing very little or no funds to savings, are likely reach for their credit cards to cover any unexpected or emergency expenses.


4. Overspending ~ People often spend too much on things that they may not really need. As we live in a consumer culture, with glittery advertisements beckoning us to buy, around every corner, sometimes, we may use credit cards beyond our means.


5. Banking on windfall ~ Spending tomorrow’s money today is very tempting. Relying on credit cards to meet your monthly purchases will lead you down into credit card debt at the end.

Ladies and gentlemen, don't worry! Be happy~! There is always someway you can do to save yourself, right? Here are some useful tips to prevent credit card debts.

1. Manage Your Finance ~ Plan for your money by listing out all income and expenses on a monthly basis. It is important to know exactly where all of your funds are going. With a great management plan, you won't need to pull out your credit card from your wallet.


2. Choose Credit Card Wisely ~ Be cautious when choosing credit card. Try to find the credit card offers the lowest interest rate by reviewing and comparing various offers in the market.


3. Control Spending ~ Be extremely careful with your spending once you get the credit card. Consider whether you can afford the amount credited at the end of the month each time you use credit card. Set a credit limit as low as possible but sufficient to meet your daily needs.


4. Always Pay on Time ~ Paying on time is one of the best solution to shun away from debt. This can restrict debt from being grow into a huge amount that contributes to financial problem.


5. View Credit Card the Same as with Cash ~ Keep an equal perspective regarding credit card and cash. This helps you to be more aware and keen on spending too much.

Be a wise consumer and use your credit cards cautiously and don’t let credit cards control you. Do remember this: "You're the magician. So, magic card depend on you to show the magic to the people around you. Don't let magic card control you!"

References:

http://www.cardratings.com/howtoavoidcreditcarddebt.html

http://www.3debtconsolidation.com/creditcardmistakes.html

http://www.stop-credit-card-debt.com/2008/07/24/tips-on-credit-card-debt-prevention/

http://learnfobia.com/category-Business-62/tutorial-Manage-and-Eliminate-your-Credit-Card-Debt-1989.html

***HAPPY 19TH BIRTHDAY TO YOU, JIN!***