local e-commerce site: lelong.com

Lelong.com.my was commerced at the end of 1998. It is the founders of the pioneer auction website in Malaysia. It provides an open trading platform where the market determines the value of items that are sold. Thus, it styled and functioned is similar to the international auction site such as eBay.com.

In the home page of Lelong.com.my, there are three language preferences for the users to select. Thus, the users may choose the language that he/she is more comfortable with. I believe this will probably reduce misunderstanding between the seller and the bidder. Beside that, Lelong.com.my has divided goods into different categories. This is easier for the users like me to search for the items as there are already categorized it.

Other than convenient, I am emphasis on the security when I trade. There is a safetrade service in this website that provide the buyer and seller to complete their online transaction more safety. Furthermore, people that are currently not residing in Malaysia are not allowed to sell things over this website. This is because they want to reduce and prevent online fraud. With this service provided, it enhances users confident during the online transaction.

It also provides a forum for the users to discuss and exchange information with other users. However, the most importantly is this website provide fee calculator. Thus, the users only need to key in the figure and the calculator will show them the exact amount that they suppose to pay. It is so convenient and users friendly.

Things to take note to prevent e-auction fraud when a consumer participating in an e-auction

Nowadays, e-auction becomes a normal and popular internet activity for the internet users. However, e-auction fraud such as bid shielding, shilling, failure to ship merchandise and other problems still exist.

Thus, some important issue must take note when a consumer participating in an e-auction in order to minimize or prevent e-auction fraud.

User identifies verification: IC number, mother’s name, driver’s license or such privacy information can use by users to identify the verification when make bid in e-auction or trading in the internet.

Authentication service: It is a service provide by the specific companies use to determine whether an item is genuine or not. However, sometimes different expert authenticators may have different opinion when doing the verification in the same item based on their different experience.

Grading services: It used to determine the physical condition of the items. Different items may have different grading system. Thus, it will be more precise when grading the items.

Escrow Service: It provides users with safe and convenient environment when they conduct business with other users through internet. Escrow service provider act as a third-party. They collect, hold and send a buyer’s money to a seller according to instructions agreed on by both buyer and seller. Once the buyer receives and approves the item from the seller within an agreed time frame, the escrow service will send the payment to the seller.

Feedback forum: Feedback forum is a good platform that allows buyer and sellers to build up their own e-auction reputation. Users can give comment on their online trading experience. It is especially useful when potential buyer make reference to those comments in the feedback forum in order to make online trading decision.

Non-payment Punishment: It is a policy implemented by the e-Bay to punish those who do not pay for their winning bids at the due time. For example, suspension of their accounts. This can be a warning to those bidders who do not honor in the winning bids.

Piracy in Malaysia: Fighting through education and enforcement

Malaysia’s image has once being alleged as a leading producer and exporter of pirated products. According to Fifth Annual Business Software Alliance (BSA) and International Date Corporation (IDC) Global Software Piracy Study, Malaysia maintained its software piracy rate at 59% , it is representing a loss of US311 million. The following chart illustrates average piracy rates in the Asia Pacific region:

Cultural differences are the major factors that affect the piracy problem. In addition, the strength of intellectual property protection and the availability of pirated software also the factors that determine the piracy rate in the particular country.

Furthermore, development of internet and technology has increased the conveniences of privacy. People produce huge numbers of CDs and DVDs in short time and sell them at very low prices. Those illegal download from internet has caused music and video companies suffer thousand million dollars losses per year.

Therefore, Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs work along with Business Software Alliance or other relevant association to counter the piracy problem. They should focus on the sources that cause piracy problem in order to mitigate it.

In addition, they should educate the consumers and computer users through public education such as awareness campaigns. This will enrich the users' knowledge regarding other people copy right. Furthermore, it may inform the businesses and the public at large about the risked associated with using the pirated product and encouraging the use of legitimate product.

Insignificant punishment toward those pirated activities have been the main cause of piracy in Malaysia. Thus, strong government policy with effective enforcement is the key mean to minimize the piracy rate as well. Although it will take longer time to process but it is the most effective method.

Corporate Blogging: A new marketing communication tool for companies

Corporate blog is a blog published by or with the support of an organization to reach their organization’s goal. Companies use it for external and internal communications. External communications is to strengthen relationships with important target groups. Internally, blogs are use as tools for collaboration and knowledge management.

Corporate often updated its blog to announce news about their new products and services. It also uses to explain and clarify policies as well as react on public criticism on certain issues. This has enabled the company to communicate with customer more effectively. Hence, this has increase the transparency and accessibility in the corporate image. For example Bplans Blog is a great extension of Bplans.com.

Beside that, it is a user-friendly publishing interface. The design of the webpage is more creative and innovative compare to the traditional communication channel in marketing the products and services. Thus, it attracts people to visit the blog and promoted the company products and services.

Furthermore, corporate blogging is the most cost effective way in marketing the company products and services. This is because people that surfing internet is often more than the people reading newspaper. The management also need not need to spend money on making changes of the information in the blog. This has reduced the expenses of advertisement for company.

Corporate blogging has broadened the corporate internet marketing program. At the same time, corporate blogs enable some interact with the targeted market on a more personal level by building link credibility to tie back to the corporate site. Thus, it has increased the corporate websites’ value and it become more visible to search engines. Therefore, corporate blogging has become one of the marketing tools in most of the companies.

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

Electronic government (E-government) is one of the seven flagship applications introduced in Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC). In the survey, Malaysia’s ranking is at 25th out of 32 countries in terms of E-government usage growth. Since the implementation of E-government was initiated in 1996, it enables government to exchange information, provide services and transaction with citizens, businesses and other arms of governments more efficiently.

Implementation of e-government includes several government processes and services online such as:-
e-Procurement – purchase and sale of supplies and services through the internet. It provides real time bidding solutions for buyers and sellers that bring an unprecedented level of profitability, control and simplicity to corporate procurement and liquidation processes.

Project Monitoring System – system used to monitor the implementation of government’s development projects from the high-level management down to activity levels. This enables government agencies to have a better management and access information.

Electronic Labour Exchange – provide a one-stop job search and job advertisement platform for Malaysian jobseekers and employers.

E-Syariah – provide a case management structure that integrates the processes related to management of cases for the Syariah Court.

Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) – provide a single interface for government employees to efficiently and effectively manage the human resource processes.

Citizen’s adoption strategies of e-government in Malaysia:-
1) Improve legislation on personal data protection, privacy and security so that consumers are protected. Hence, they feel more confident and safer performing online transactions with government.
2) Narrow the digital divide especially in urban so that the citizens are ready and able to adopt online government services.
3) Provide e-Citizen education, skills and training to every citizen about the benefits of using e-government services.

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e-tailing

Nowadays, e-tailing take part in pure play-type business have the opportunity to gain higher profit margins because the overhead expenses associated with a physical retail space, such as retail space, labour and inventory is significantly alleviated. Pure play allows a retailer to reach customers world wide while they still maintaining in one location for each customer to visit. It is operate for 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

Furthermore, e-tailing contains online clothes, online reservation the restaurant, eyeglasses, tourism, e-groceries and others. This is more convenient to us looking for different online categories to shopping.

For example, Dell is direct sell their computers and laptops online. They do not appoint any retailer to sell their product in shop. This is because they are able to save a lots cost through online services. However, they have now start to presence brick and mortar business. There is a first Dell physical store in Malaysia that located in Mid Valley Megamall’s IT World, Kuala Lumpur.

One of the reason that Dell implement this strategy is to increase the market share in the PC market as they have been taken over by Acer as the 2nd in worldwide notebook market. With this strategy, they are able generate more revenue. It enable the customer to physically feel and touch the product. It is more reality compare to the catalogue provided in e-tailing. Then, they may purchase the physical products through their shop.

Beside that, brick and mortar business is able to reduce the possible problem that incurred in e-tailing such as lost shipment, errors in shipments, overbilled customers, faulty products and credit card fraud. All this are often the causes that cause the customer felt unsecure of their product or the transaction process.

Electronic currency

Electronic currency refers to transactions carried out electronically with a net result of funds transferred from one party to another. It is anonymous and reusable. An amount of money must convert to electronic currency before we can spend it. The electronic currency has serial numbers. Each one is issued by a bank and represents a specified sum of real money.

One of the most attractive features of electronics currency to the consumers is confidentiality. Other people will not obtain the information about the buyer during the electronic currency amount being sent to the seller as the bank will have no record of the customer involved in the electronic currency transaction. Unlike credit card companies, they collect customer’s data and may have the probability to sell it to third parties. Therefore, it provides safety protection of customers’ privacy.

The security of electronic currency is provided by the use of encryption. The use of RSA cryptography makes it almost impossible to break the code of a digital signature. In addition, the enacted digital signature statutes require a certification authority to use a trustworthy system. Thus, this improves the security of the transaction.

However, there are some drawbacks of electronic currency. Fraud committed to electronic currency is one of it. If a consumer misplaces his private key and perpetrator uses it to withdraw funds, the bank would never know and the consumer would be liable for it. Besides, if the security code is broken and the message is intercepted, the hacker will be able to perpetrate fraud on the recipient of the message.

Another potential problem is double spending of digital coins. This is only a potential drawback if the consumer chooses a peer-to-peer transaction. This is because the bank is able to check the serial number of each coin in the transaction against its database of spent coins. The transaction will be denied if the coin has been spent. Thus, the consumer will be protected if he includes the intermediary (bank) in the transaction. Otherwise, the consumers have to bear the risk that coins may be intercepted or sent to wrong recipient.

The application of prepaid-cash card for consumers.

A prepaid-cash card is a pre-paid debit card that enables the card holders to make purchases and the payment is deducted from the card’s available balance. It has become popular and widely used in all parts of the world. The most common prepaid-cash card used by Malaysian is Touch ‘n Go card and mobile prepaid card while Octopus card is famously use in Hong Kong.



Touch ‘n Go card may use in many places such as highway and Light Rail Transit (LRT). It is very convenient to the users especially during festival time. Users can easily pass through the counter with Touch-and-Go card. Thus, they do no need to waste their time to buy ticket. Furthermore, Touch ‘n Go card can be used to buy item in some outlets situated in Klang Valley such as Burger King and A&W. Beside that, there will be a plan to replaces credit card with Touch ‘n Go card at petrol station as the dealer of petrol station have to bear the 1% commission for credit card transactions.


Cell phone prepaid card is also a type of prepaid cash card. The users buy those prepaid cash card and reload into their mobile phone account in order to make call or perform any communication purposes. For example, IDD prepaid calling card that uses to make a call to other country.

Octopus card is the most useful prepaid cash card in Hong Kong. It has offered various services for the user. For exmple, user can use those cards to purchases goods in retail outlets and pay for the public transportation services. They are over 10 million transaction incurred everyday.

Overall, the advantage of the prepaid cash card is cardholder themselves can control their expenditure because the payment will become invalid once it exceed the balance available in the card. Thus, cardholder will not overspend their money.

Credit card debts: causes and prevention

Nowadays, most of the adult will have at least one credit card in their wallet. When a person has a credit card, he is able to spend the money before he earns it. This means he is using future money for current expenses.

One of the reasons that cause credit card debts is the cardholders do not payoff their debt or are late in paying off the minimum payment required. This may because the cardholders are too busy with their work and forget about the payment. Thus, the users should set up a direct debit for the minimum amount and pay off as much of the remaining balance as possible to keep the debts low.

Another general reason for credit card debts is overspending. People tend to spend more than what they earn with the credit card. Thus, a monthly spending plan is essential. Without this plan, they may find themselves spending on the credit card unnecessarily and ended up with a plenty of credit card debts. The cardholders also need to be smart in using credit card in place of cash and make sure they can pay off the cost over time.

A person having too many credit cards may also cause credit card debts. The more credit cards a person has, the more likely they are to use them. Hence, it is advisable to clear any outstanding balances and cancel (in writing) cards that no longer used or just use one or two at a time.

When an individual loses their job or some portion of income, he may have difficulties to payoff his debts. Situation will be worse if he continues to spend the same amount with their reduced income. Thus, he should call up the credit card company and explain the situation to them. The credit card company may agree to freeze his card temporary (and perhaps even the interest rate) and let him paxyoff the debt at an agreed amount each month.

In conclusion, the key to keep away from credit card debts is use the credit card wisely. Plan it before spend!

Mobile Payment systems in Malaysia: Its potentials and consumers’ adoption strategies

Mobile payment system is a payment system that emerges due to the development of mobile-commerce (m-commerce) and it is conducted over a wireless telecommunication network.

Last year, there is a mobile payment event held in Thailand. It is to unlocking the business opportunities with mobile payment services. In Malaysia, cash and check payment still account for a large portion of the number of transactions in the economy. Hence, mobile payment system is still very new to all the consumers. Therefore, it has created huge potentials to begin with this service.

First of all, there are almost 88% (25 million) of Malaysian population are subscribing to mobile phone services. With this large number of mobile phone subscribers in Malaysia, it has immense opportunities to leverage on the mobile phone to accelerate the migration to mobile payment.

In term of speed, simplicity, cost and conveniences for the public, mobile payment system has provide an efficient and cost effective method of delivering the financial services even in the remote areas. For example, users can transfer money to their friends, pay bills, meals or even taxi rides by using mobile payment system.

Many of the companies have invited those established brand such as Touch ’n Go, Maybank, Visa International and Nokia to work together in order to provide various avenues of payments and services to their customer. They also offer a special user interface to allow customers payment details, credit balance and recent transaction on the mobile phone screen at any point in time. Those convenient services have attracted the consumers to adopt this payment services.

In future, there will be more adoption of mobile payment as there is acceleration of consumer preferences and technology evolves. However, there still need to strengthen consumer confidence in the security and reliability of mobile networks as a mean for consumers to access financial services.

Here is the article that related to mobile payment system:-
1.http://www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article.php/3667181
2.Malaysia's first mobile payment system launched : News : Communications - ZDNet Asia

3.http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,39001884,00.htmhttp:/www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,39001884,00.htm