This is a collection of different questions from several ecommerce assignments to deal with commerce, Ecommerce, and economics. Put into an easily digestible form, it is here to help anyone wanting to know more about finances for anything from a study aid to sounding smart at thanksgiving dinner. And E-Commerce Remixes!

Of course, since we’re all about the music. While researching about everything to do with money, all I could think of as a college student writing these words is, “I Ain’t Got No Money”. Every university student will understand that sentiment. Thus, why after these did you know on finances and economics, we are following it up with remixes of “No Money” by Galantis.

How have the internet and e-commerce have impacted the five forces of industry competitiveness?

The internet has allowed businesses to compete in a way they were not able to before.

Differentiation allows e-commerce businesses to make their products unique to their brand. Ecommerce provides a chance for differentiation to be easier to research not only what the competitors are doing but what their customers would like to see from them.

Cost competition allows e-commerce businesses to make their products cheaper than competing brands. Using the internet to source reasonably priced B2B goods, services, and logistics, as well as increasing profits allows them to lower prices while maintaining a profit.

The scope allows e-commerce businesses to compete in global markets without being limited to their geographical location. Due to online and digital marketplaces, businesses can go to their customers.

Focus niche allows e-commerce businesses to make their products appealing to a narrow market segment or product segment. Although different, this is related to both scop and customer intimacy. The company can be available for customers looking for their niche product without having to leave the comfort of their home.

Customer intimacy is when a brand develops a bond or a relationship with the customer. This is greatly improved by the internet due to the different platforms and mediums that the business can engage with the customer and vice versa.

What is one of the key factors in the future of e-commerce?

E-commerce is the combination of commerce, or buying and selling, and the internet. Since the invention of the internet, commerce has had the opportunity to adapt and utilize the internet in new and exciting ways. This holds true for the future as well. The key factors for the future of e-commerce are for it to continue to provide the factors that make it unique. These include ubiquity, global reach, universal standards, richness, interactivity, information density, personalization, and social technology.

What do servers have to do with e-commerce?

Servers are one of the key factors of internet functionality. There are several different types of servers including database server designed for data information access; ad server designed for delivering specific advertisements; mail server designed to provide e-mail support and messages; and video servers designed for providing video clips; and of course, the traditional web server designed for access to webpages. Web servers provide more than just access but also security, file transfers, search engines, and data monitoring.

When an e-commerce business is picking their servers, it is important to get one that is going to provide the best one for not only their business but their management style. When purchasing or utilizing a server, a business owner needs to keep several factors in mind. As well they must make sure to ask themselves the following questions to ensure the server is ideal for them. What is the main purpose of your presence online? Where is the best place to put your effort for the best impact?

How do social media networks support businesses?

Social media has touched every aspect of our lives from announcing births, and milestones to Facebook, to following news on Twitter, to providing memorial social media accounts for loved ones that passed away.

Businesses can use social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, Medium, Fetlife, Pinterest, Patreon, and many more to showcase themselves as a brand, and a company.

For example, my blog switching styles utilizes Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, Medium, Pinterest, Patreon, Simbi, Google Business, Google Plus, Buy Me A Coffee, Pixabay, and Flickr, to connect with my audience both current and potential. I use all of these to drive traffic to my website, as well as promoting myself as a writer and my magazine as a music staple.

How can e-commerce systems be used to streamline a business?

The internet has changed everything it has come into contact with. Ecommerce is an exact example of that observation. The internet has transformed how we interact as a capitalistic system. Simply using management systems such as LMS, CMS, employee portals, direct deposit payments, have revolutionized the interpersonal part of a business. The business side of the strategic planning has benefited from e-commerce by being able to expand to markets they had no feasible way to. For example, e-commerce such as e-transfers, virtual meetings, and emails have limited the need for in-person communications assisting in scheduling, relationship maintenance, and timeliness. Another example is simply e-transactions allowing for simple and convenient payment for both the retailer and the customer.

What is important for creating an e-commerce site?

Three main aspects are important: analysis, design, and implementation.

• Analysis is taking stock and data of the website to analyze and summarize both what the e-commerce site is doing and what it needs to do. Take my blog, for example, switchingstyles.ca. I utilize google analytics as well as the statistics gathered by WordPress to analyze the frequency of views, where they are from, how many pages they looked at, what link they clicked and so much more.
• Design is about the structure of the site both logistically and aesthetically. This is the bulk of the work as it is the actual creation of the website. Continuing with switchingstytles.ca, this site is designed as a blog site with e-commerce attached to it. Thus, the logistics and aesthetics favour the content of the products.
• Implementation is when it is put into action and made a functionally live site. Once it is launched or published, it takes continual maintenance to ensure consistency, accuracy, ease of access, and up-to-date correct information.

All of this combines to create an e-commerce site that serves both its function and its users the best it can. The best practice is to utilize and optimize all of these elements.

How do mobile pages differ from web pages? Why does it matter?

Mobile web pages and traditional webpages essentially serve the same function; to share information with the viewer. They both contain a combination of videos, images, and text created in a certain way to encourage sales primarily but also social media engagement, user-created content, data analysis for digital marketing, and so much more. Users use their cellphones and computers for similar purposes, thus there needs to be a website accessible to both. However, the way that people interact with websites on either device is different.

However, they differ in the type of device they are created for. A mobile web page is designed to be around 5 to 6 inches. On the other hand, computer screens range from 13 to 43 inches and can increase beyond 84 inches when a television is used for a monitor. That is a huge difference with no overlap. Next because of the type of device, it is used differently. Users are more likely to look for quick information on their phone and longer research on a computer. For both of those reasons, content is altered to fit the specific devices properly.

What are the benefits and concerns of cloud computing for e-commerce?

Cloud computing makes e-commerce simpler, faster, and more flexible. Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services such as servers, mail, networks, software, file transfer, analytics, data and so much more being sent via the internet making everything faster. This increases efficiency, overall productivity, and thus more profits.

However, one of the biggest concerns is data security. This is a big issue that has been in the news and media lately due to the climbing infrastructure of e-commerce.

What security threats could mobile technology pose to businesses?

Mobile commerce sites and apps have become the hit technology in the modern economy because of their increased relevancy and use. Companies should be taking advantage of this by integrating and adopting new advancements to stay relevant and accessible via mobile.

However, advances in technology are innovative but so are the security threats. Any of the apps you utilize for convenience such as banking apps, communication apps, apps that let you access files on other servers, mobile wallets, connected cars and so on can be hacked into, and accessed without permission. This can lead to an invasion of privacy at best and financial fraud and identity theft at worst.

What are the key security technologies for modern communication systems?

Communication systems need a layer of technology as the system itself provides access to an individual and thus they need to be protected to ensure that only approved people can access the individual and their information.

Some of those key technologies for communication system security include the following.

• Authentication procedures – its role is to ensure the identity of the sender to avoid a form of mistaken identity.
• Encryption -this role ensures that the transmission of information is sent safely and properly.
• Network security protocols – this security provides protocols for who or what is allowed within a network.
• Virtual private networks – this security technology is otherwise known as a VPN, establishes a secure connection when using public networks and thus designs your online identity.
• Firewalls – these are additional programs that allow only specific programs, and messages access to a device.
• Proxy servers – these are a kind of gateway similar to firewalls that act as an intermediary between you as the end-user and the websites on the internet
• Intrusion detection and prevention – this form of security is programs or settings in place to detect and prevent intrusion.
• Automated software updates -software operators such as apple, android, windows, ubuntu have an option to automatically update their products to ensure the elimination of bugs and code vulnerabilities.
• Anti-virus software -antivirus software such as McAfee, Avira, antivirus, and many more provide a layer of security to avoid viruses, malware, and trojans from infecting the technology.
• Access controls – only the intended person should have access to controlling settings and information on the device. This puts it very clear who has authority and access.

What is the difference between symmetric key encryptions and public key encryptions?

Encryption, in general, is a way to keep information secure both in terms of the security to store and transmit the information. It can provide most of the safety dimensions including message integrity (providing an unaltered message); nonrepudiation (provides proof as to the sender of the message); authentication (ensures the identity of the sender); confidentiality (assures that the message isn’t read by anyone else than the intended recipient.

Symmetric key encryption is a form of encryption. Both the sender and receiver use the same key for both encrypting and decrypting the message that they trade externally to the information being sent. Public-key encryption or asymmetric encryption is a kind of encryption that uses mathematically related keys. There is a public key and a private key one is open to the public. The latter is kept secret by the owner to determine who has access to the information.

With the current trends of globalization and e-commerce technical advancements, what is the process of analyzing ethical concerns?

Ethics are such a diverse topic, that there is an ethical component to every industry within current society. Technology and communication services are no different. Below is the process for ethical dilemmas analysis.

1. Identify and clearly describe the facts surrounding the dilemma.
2. Define the dilemma and identify the higher-order values that are involved.
3. Identify those that have an interest in the outcome and their motives
4. Identify all of the reasonable options
5. Identify all possible and potential consequences of each option.

With all of this analysis, it provides a holistic approach to the specific dilemma. E-commerce and the internet specifically have raised several ethical dilemmas such as privacy, security, individualism, profit, and copyright.

Citations

Buchwitz, G.A.P.T.K.V.T.L. A. (2016). Marketing: An Introduction, Sixth Canadian Edition. [VitalSource Bookshelf]. Retrieved from https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781323588482/

Below are some E-Commerce Remixes for all you studying students.

“No Money” Remix by T-Mass. Check it out on SoundCloud!

“No Money” Remix by B-Sides Remix. Check it out on SoundCloud!

“No Money” Remix by Dillon Francis. Check it out on Spotify!

“No Money” Remix by B3nte. Check it out on SoundCloud!

“No Money” Remix by Branwell. Check it out on SoundCloud!

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