Religion Of Peace

Digital Divide

2009-12-25T18:21:00.000-08:00

Digital Divide

ICT has created a different lifestyle for peoples in their professional, social, personal and everyday life. Technological changes and a rapid expansion of information and knowledge are affecting all economic, social and societal facets of daily work and life.

But this technology is advancing unevenly in countries, cities or villages. This causing some countries, cities and villages to fall behind in technology, education, labor, democracy, or tourism, and others are developing and getting advantages in those sectors. This imbalance and gaps between individuals, households, businesses and geographic areas at different socio-economic levels with regard to their opportunities to access information and communication technologies (ICTs) and their use of the Internet is known as “Digital Divide”. Digital divides are based on:

Access of ICT
Usage of ICT
Usage quality of ICT

At the beginning, digital divide basically referred to connectivity problems. Later, it began to introduce the concern for the development of capacities and skills required to use ICTs (capacity-building and education), and finally, there is also reference to the use of integrated resources in the technology. Thus, the concept of the digital divide basically incorporates the following focuses:

a) Focus on infrastructure:

b) Focus on capacity-building:

c) Focus on resource usage:

Race, culture, economic, martial status, and government are all deciding factors in the Digital Divide. Developing countries have less technology, not only because it is largely unavailable to them, but also because very few of the population can afford the technology or have the resources to use it. The factors that help the divide to grow even bigger are numerous including economic, cultural, age, religion, infrastructure, educational etc.

In this e-portfolio I have divided this section into the following parts:

*** The factors causing the divide

*** Impact

* **Bridging the gap

*** Conclusion

Impact of Digital Divide

Peoples living in technologically developed areas, information technology affords many conveniences, such as eliminating the need for travel to complete errands (bill paying, shopping etc.); providing opportunities for e-commerce (exporting wines, wool etc); monitoring weather patterns; contacting family, friends and community groups via email; providing access to news and information from various viewpoints; and enabling communication with people from all over the world via virtual communities. Those living in less technology infrastructure provided area, don’t have better access in those above conveniences.
Wealthy countries can afford better telecommunications as a result can conduct business better with the rest of the world, thus contributing to the country’s GDP. Areas without access to telephones and the internet have substantially less entrepreneurial activity, so countries with poor access to ICT becomes much more poorer in turn as a result
The digital divide, represented by uneven access to ICT inputs and outputs such as scientists, IT specialist or computers and mobile phones could lead to a widening economic divide between developed and developing countries
The digital divide allows those who have access to the internet more opportunities to be involved in social and civic issues. On the other hand, lack of access to ICT resources due to factors such as cost and infrastructure prohibit the people ability to participate in a social institution
Students without access to the Internet at home and in school do not develop the skills needed to compete for high-skill, information-technology, or IT, which makes them difficult to find a good job.
Technologically declined communities suffer from having unfilled jobs and an under skilled pool of potential employees.
Low income households that are not online cannot benefit from job opportunities, social-service information and lifelong learning opportunities.
Information technology has had a significant impact on the market for labor. the fastest growing occupations will include software engineers, computer support specialists, desktop publishers and database, network and systems administrators In the new economy, workplaces have become increasingly computerized. Technology skills are now a prerequisite for most jobs, a lack of access to technology for those with limited education could render their skills obsolete.
In schools where the technology is outdated, students often spends large amount of time in the preparation stage of the project, detracts the student from their original learning goal. Meanwhile a student in schools where technology is constantly upgraded often spends little time on the technology itself and thus performs better in meeting their original learning goal.
Teachers working in schools equipped with better and more reliable equipment are less often faced with additional workload caused by unreliable machines. Therefore, they can spend more time using the technology to aid their teaching, instead of rectifying problems caused by the lack of technology

Impact of the Digital Divide in education in detail:

Technology advancement has the potential to alleviate the digital divide especially in education sector. Education is crucial so that people are prepared to meet global needs so that well paying jobs are not outsourced. Lack of Education and slows down progress within a country. The most sever consequences of the digital divide are the long term effects it will have on children that do not have access to education. Lacking access and computer skills, a whole generation will be missing out on realizing their full potential in an information and communication technology world

Today, over one billion adults, many of them illiterate, have never had the benefit of an education. There are roughly 135 million children worldwide who do not have access to a primary education; even those who do have such access are often educated in ill-equipped schools by poorly-trained teachers.

Performativity is focused on the students’ ability to complete a technology task without making a connection to the original learning outcome . In schools where the technology is outdated, students often spends large amount of time in the preparation stage of the project, detracts the student from their original learning goal. Meanwhile a student in schools where technology is constantly upgraded often spends little time on the technology itself and thus performs better in meeting their original learning goal.

Teachers working in schools equipped with better and more reliable equipment are less often faced with additional workload caused by unreliable machines. Therefore, they can spend more time using the technology to aid their teaching, instead of rectifying problems caused by the lack of technology

The 'complexity' issue in education using ICT often overlaps with the issue of 'workability' . Difficulty in assigning technology- related projects because they need to consider the varying levels of home computer access. In America for example, the Pew Internet Project conducted in 2004 found that 83% of online teens access the internet primarily from home, compared to 11% who go online most often at school A separate survey conducted earlier in 2003 by U. S. Department of Education found that 52% of student who access the internet from only one location comes from low income families. Students whose household have good access to the internet tend to be more productive in completing projects because they can work on them from home. Whereas student who lack this access have to be contented with traveling to school within the time frame when the computers are available to work on their projects.

Bridging The Gap

International organizations, governments and private institutions are just starting to take action to cut down the digital divide. Some initiatives have been set up, to take on projects with the intent and vision of closing the digital divide. Some of the projects are very effective while others might have less impact. Digital Divide is not same everywhere, it varies in different areas, so the problem is different and as a result solution should be different too. Some may have infrastructure while others may have economic problem. In this section, bridging the gap, I would discuss how causing factors of digital divide are slowly being overcome to benefit the less fortunate and how, where and by whom its being done.

The digital divide is usually measured in terms of people’s access to ICTs. Penetration levels of mobile telephones, fixed telephone lines, internet and personal computers are popular measures that are being used to identify the difference. However, a specific country may excel in one factor but lack behind in others and this doesn’t lead the country to improve on an overall basis. It is also to be mentioned that, improvement in one specific factor can imply that the country has possibilities to develop on the other factors, hence bridging the gap between her and the developed world.

Measures taken locally (In Bangladesh):

Immense increment in usage of mobile telephone (which is one of the major components of ICT development) has been seen in the past few years, which indicates the possibility for Bangladesh to lay the foundation of the bridge to reduce the digital divide.

Proportion of households with computers has increased from 0.8 in 2002 to 1.9 in 2007 and proportion of households with internet has increased from 0.1 in 2002 to 1.3 in 2007. It is also to be mentioned that, International Internet bandwidth per internet user has increased from 211 bit/s to 1,284 bit/sec in these five years.
Recently WiMax technology has been introduced in the country which will enable fast, secure and dedicated internet connection for all and will also break the barrier of not reaching the unreached. So, it can be said that the infrastructural issues to spread connectivity is restructured in the country .
In Bangladesh, initiatives for establishing telecentres have already been taken and a number of institutions have established their network to work on that. Gonokendra: Centre for Community Development, Internet Learning Centre: School Based Telecentre, Youth Community Multimedia Centre (YCMC), GHAT: Rural ICT centre (RIC), Community Information Centre (CIC), ‘Pallitathya Kendra’ are few examples of telecentre initiatives. According to Bangladesh Telecentre Network (BTN), the number of telecentre in Bangladesh as of 12th May 2009 is 2068. These initiatives indicate an increment of the usage of ICT Services in Bangladesh, hence decreasing the digital divide.
Providing microfinance to eliminate entry-cost barrier has been a novel mechanism in bringing cellular connectivity to rural Bangladesh. The Village Phone (VP) concept of Grameen Telecom is such a venture under which women borrowers take loan for the phone equipment and repay it back slowly with the revenue they earn from charging villagers for phone services. Highly successful initiatives, the VPs now provide access to telecommunications facilities to more than 60 million people living in rural areas of Bangladesh.
Emerging Market Handset (EMH) Program. The EMH program, an initiative launched in February 2005 by GSM Association to provide low cost handsets, will be another driver to increasing access in the emerging economies.
Bangladesh government also thinking deeply about this IT sector as a ‘thrust’ sector, a larger portion of budget is allocated in developing this sector rapidly. One of the initiatives the government has taken is to develop an IT village, where many software firms may offer their software tools in one location. This promotes the usage of software and related tools in the corporate sector of the country.

Measures taken Globally

· The Teens Teaching Internet Skills (TTIS) Pilot Project. TTIS is a national, intergenerational partnership sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture 4-H Youth Technology Leadership Team and the Health Care Financing Administration, was established for national effort to engage youth in teaching senior citizens computer and Internet skills to navigate and obtain needed information from the Medicare web site.

· Digital tax to aid poor nations. The Idea behind this is that the more developed countries that are able to spare some money will be charged 1% from their public technology projects and so this 1% of money will go towards getting these undeveloped nations a higher level of technology. This tax is voluntary and so far only Geneva has agreed to it but is hoped that with time other countries will come to follow their example.

· INDIA, West Godavari district (Andhra Pradesh state): Over the space of a few years, every village in this rural district has been connected to the Internet, 47 access and service centers were established as a joint initiative between the local and national governments.

· Asia IT&C began in late 1999. Its purpose is to address not only the ‘digital divide’ between rich and poor nations, but also between knowledge-rich and knowledge-poor members of the same society. It does this by co-financing co-operation between Asia and Europe.

· ‘Digital Divide Data(DDD) is a company that concentrates on teaching the disabled how to use technology. Most of the times resulting in them going to university and getting a higher education.

· TOPAZ project (Telecommunications Open Partnerships of Arizona), Arizona in the US., is aimed at providing broadband access rural communities. Over the next 5 years Arizona expects to spend $100 million supporting local public agencies in purchasing broadband telecoms services, via a statewide carrier service.

Trends of the digital divide worldwide

It has been seen that after the year 2000, an overall strong movement has started among the countries of the world to become an information society. Policy makers, think tanks even general people of the world have, to some extent, realized the importance of information and communication technology and started taking initiatives for enhancing the movement. The bigger, well developed economies as well as many donor agencies have extended their hands with monetary and logistic support to ensure that the developing countries can also participate in the movement of becoming a global information society, as well as reduce poverty, illiteracy and information lack, through it.

Inforation Age

2009-12-25T18:17:00.000-08:00

INFORMATION AGE INTRODUCTION “ Information Age is a term that has been used to refer to the present era. The name alludes to the global economy's shift in focus away from the production of physical goods (as exemplified by the industrial age ) and towards the manipulation of information. ’’ This the definition of Information age According to the Encyclopedia. Information age, this is the age which changed the world. It changed our life, as well our lifestyle, it changed the way we access and transfer information. Now, access and transfer of information is easy to perform and it is always accurate and up-to-date. With the dissemination of information, the hierarchical structure of organization breaks up. There is no need of various layers of management to perform the varied task they were earlier used to do. During the last decade it was professed that one should control management. In the 70’s there was the concept of controlling finance. Today, the dissemination of information various medias has to be managed. With the advancement of information technologies, various problems are also arising. Firstly, the privacy of the information. Secondly, it would individualize the society. Also, in this age the kids will be sitting at the terminals and derive knowledge, which at time could be impracticable…! It is being feared that the industrial revolution increased the capability of men by substituting muscle power with machine. This new information age will substitute the human intelligence with machine. But it is undeniable, through the grace of this age we can talk over the phone and send messages across the seas and listen to the up-to-date news over the world through radio, TV and Internet. The way we access to information sources in this age was hardly dreamed of even 20 years ago; the ability to manipulate and transfer this information at enormous speed has changed the way we run almost every aspect of our lives. This age changed the proverb “ Knowledge is power ’’. Now we say “ Information is power ”. This is because knowledge is the gathering of information. So, it is the information which actually en-rich our knowledge. Therefore, ultimately, information should be the power!!! ONLINE SERVICES The online service or Internet changed our life enormously, there is no doubt about that. we can use the online service at home for personal or at work for professional usage. Whatever we are looking for, we will find it there. Even if we want to have very specific information, we will find it in a short time. "Computers are transforming society. Time is collapsing. Distance is no longer an obstacle. Crossing oceans takes only a mouse click." This proverb is very common in this information age which tells the impact of online services in our life. Online services provide an infrastructure in which subscribers can communicate with one another, either by exchanging e-mail messages or by participating in online conferences (forums). Some of the resources and services online services have provided access include message boards, chat services, electronic mail between members and sometimes other online services, file download services, current news and weather, online encyclopedia, airline reservations, and text-based online games. However, the online services offered on the world wide web have already transformed the way in which people communicate, get, share and store information, spend and save, learn, work and play. One of the most negative aspects of the impact of the online services on our daily life is, in my opinion, that it alters the social behaviour, habits and abilities of people. Apart from that online services completely changed the way many of our live today!!! In this Eportifolio I have discussed only five online secrvices. Online services are: 1) Communication 2) E-education 3) E-commerce 4) E-government 5) Real-time information processing E-COMMERCE DESCRIPTION OF THE SERVICE E-commerce (electronic commerce or EC) is the buying and selling of goods and services on the Internet. What E-Commerce is all about? To better understand just think about it…...Want to buy a CD? A Book? Send a greeting card? A car perhaps? Buy a ticket for concert, an airline ticket to Berlin or reserve a hotel room beside Cox’s Bazaar Sea Beach? Then just go online. And fill up your wishes. It’s that simple! Its all about doing business online. HISTORY OF E-COMMERCE Meaning and Importance of E-commerce has changed a lot from what it has meant 3 decades ago. At it’s beginning, at 1970’s, electronic commerce meant the facilitation of commercial transactions electronically, using technology such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). In 1980, Credit Cards, Automated Teller Machine ( ATM ) and telephone banking comes into action. Online shopping was invented in the UK in 1979. Internet began to gain it’s popularity worldwide in 1994, it took about five years to introduce security protocols and DSL allowing continual connection to the Internet. It was at the end of 2000, many European and American business companies offered their services through the World Wide Web. Since then people began to associate a word "ecommerce" with the ability of purchasing various goods through the Internet using secure protocols and electronic payment services. Source: www.wikipedia.com DIVISION IN E-COMMERCE E-commerce can be divided into: * E-tailing or "virtual storefronts" on Web sites with online catalogs, sometimes gathered into a "virtual mall". * The gathering and use of demographic data through Web contacts. * Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), the business-to-business exchange of data. * E-mail and fax and their use as media for reaching prospects and established customers (for example, with newsletters). * Business-to-business buying and selling. HOW A CONSUMER CAN USE E-COMMERCE SERVICE When a visitor wants to buy something he/she likes, they merely, visit e-commerce company’s website, choose the products he /she wants to buy, then "add" it to their virtual shopping basket. Items in the virtual shopping basket can be added or deleted, and when he/she is all set to checkout...he/she head to the virtual checkout counter, which will ask his/her name, address etc. and method of payment (usually via credit card). Once he/she have entered all this information (which by the way is being transmitted securely) he/she can then just wait for delivery. Its that simple. TARGET AUDIENCE For using this service internet connection is must. Someone can buy goods from anywhere around the world sitting in his rest room or office. So no need of wasting time in buying products from traditional market. Therefore, we can say that the main target of this service is those persons who are: 1) Weak and too old to buy something from marketplace. It is very difficult for a old person to buy something from a market as they could become sick at any time. So, if they know how to use Internet then they could well use this service, they don’t have go to market. Select the item they need through a Ecommerce site, order it, then just wait for the delivery. 2) Business Enterprises E-trade opens new commercial opportunities to the export-oriented enterprise. In particular, it empowers the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME),allowing it to participate in international markets where previously market entry and promotion costs were prohibitive. E-commerce reduced marketing/advertising expenses, compete on equal footing with much bigger companies; easily compete on quality, price, and availability. 3) Businessman. They can do their shopping sitting in his/her office. This would save a lot of their time, which they could implement in their work. 4) Sick and has fever so can’t go out of the home. Anybody has fever, no problem, just connect with the Internet, browse through E-commerce site, then select and order the required items. That’s all! Now, she/he have to Wait for the delivery!!! 5) Cool headed person Few peoples are there who dislike or don’t want to quarrel and bargain for buying a product. This service is flexible for them. Also, they can browse or caompare product from different sites for the best quality and of best price without any bargain. ADVANTAGES Think of E-Commerce and the first few features that strike any mind are – a global marketplace – increased sales – increased profits! Not that someone start claiming better margin of profit online, but because various expenses relating to marketing, promotional material, order processing, customer care, inventory management, information storage, telecommunications cost considerably slash down. Some advantages that can be achieved from e-commerce include: ** Ecommerce allows people to carry out businesses without the barriers of time or distance. One can log on to the Internet at any point of time, be it day or night and purchase or sell anything one desires at a single click of the mouse. ** E-commerce leads to clear rewards in most retail sectors, the Internet allows sellers to reach people around the world, offering their products to a global customer base. ** The direct cost-of-sale for an order taken from a web site is lower than through traditional means (retail, paper based), as there is no human interaction ( no middleman ) during the on-line electronic purchase order process. ** Electronic selling virtually eliminates processing errors, as well as being faster and more convenient for the visitor. ** E-commerce lowers the Cost of Doing Business. It has reduced inventory, employees, purchasing costs, order processing costs associated with faxing, phone calls, and data entry, and even eliminate physical stores. ** Speed. Electronic communications allow messages to traverse the world almost instantaneously. There is no need to wait weeks for a catalogue to arrive by post: that communications delay is not a part of the Internet / e-commerce world. **With right software, store inventory levels, shipping and receiving logs, and other business administration tasks can be automatically stored, categorized and updated in real-time, and accessed on demand. ** In a E-commerce company’s website customers can search capabilities by item, corporate name, division name, location, manufacturer, partner, or price. * Advantages from the buyer’s perspective: # Reduction in buyer’s sorting out time. # Better buyer decisions # Less time is spent in resolving invoice and order discrepancies. # Increased opportunities for buying alternative products. * Advantages from the seller’s perspective: The strategic benefit of making a business ‘ecommerce enabled’, is that it helps reduce the delivery time, labors cost and the cost incurred in the following areas: # Document preparation # Error detection and correction # Reconciliation # Mail preparation # Telephone calling # Data entry # Overtime # Supervision expenses DISADVANTGES Some of the disadvantages of e-commerce to the consumer and the businessman are listed below: - For the Consumer ** If we buy products through the internet, we are not able to examine the products physically and the quality of the product. Images of the products may be available for viewing, But we can’t buy the product by seeing the image on the internet. **Limited and selected sensory information. The Internet is an effective conduit for visual and auditory information: seeing pictures, hearing sounds and reading text. However it does not allow full scope for our senses: we can see pictures of the flowers, but not smell their fragrance; we can see pictures of a hammer, but not feel its weight or balance. Further, when we pick up and inspect something, we choose what we look at and how we look at it. **Privacy, security, payment, identity, contract. Many issues arise - privacy of information, security of that information and payment details, whether or not payment details (e.g. credit card details) will be misused, identity theft, contract, and, whether we have one or not, what laws and legal jurisdiction apply. - For the Business ** There are specific hardware and software that are essential to start up an e-commerce company that may be big and costly. ** The website must be maintained and updated regularly and this may lead to extra labor costs. The website should update the current information of the new product and the cost of the new product instantly. ** Even though the company may initially save money by cutting intermediaries, and not having to invest much on capital assets, other costs may be incurred by start-up costs of the company in terms of hardware and software as well as training of employees, costs to maintain the website, and distribution costs. ** The company needs well-skilled and trained workers to maintain and create the ecommerce facilities of the company. Many companies prefer to outsource their development and programming tasks to decrease labor costs. ** An e-commerce business exposes itself to security risks and may be susceptible to destruction and disclosure of confidential data, data transfer and transaction risks (as in online payments) or virus attacks. EXAMPLE AMAZON.COM, Inc. Amazon.com, Inc. is an American electronic commerce (e-commerce) company, founded in 1994, and launched it online in 1995. They started as an on-line bookstore, but soon diversified to product lines of VHS, DVD, music CDs, MP3 format, computer software, video games, electronics, apparel, furniture, food, toys, etc. Now, they have separate websites in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, China and Japan. It also provides global shipping to certain countries for some of its products. Amazon's initial business plan was unusual: the company did not expect a profit for four to five years; the strategy was effective. Amazon grew steadily in the late 1990s while other Internet companies grew blindingly fast. Amazon's "slow" growth provoked stockholder complaints: that the company was not reaching profitability fast enough. Amazon got thier first profit in the fourth quarter of 2001: U.S. $5 million, just 1% per share, on revenues of more than U.S. $1 billion, but the profit was symbolically important. The company remains profitable: 2003 net income was U.S.$35.3 million, U.S.$588.50 million in 2004, U.S.$359 million in 2005, and U.S.$190 million in 2006 (including a U.S.$662 million charge for R&D in 2006), nevertheless, the firm's cumulative profits remain negative. As of September 2007, the accumulated deficit stood at U.S.$1.58 billion. Revenues increased thanks to product diversification and an international presence: US$3.9 billion in 2002, U.S.$5.3 billion in 2003, U.S.$6.9 billion in 2004, U.S.$8.5 billion in 2005, and U.S.$10.7 billion in 2006. {Source: www.enclyclopedia.com} ALIBABA Alibaba is a Hangzhou-based e-commerce/e-auction company, specializing in global trading. It was founded in 1999 , and operates five e-commerce sub-companies which operate different aspects of trading. The English-language web site alibaba.com specializes in business-to-business trades, especially for international buyers trying to contact Chinese sellers. The Chinese-language web site china.alibaba.com focuses on business-to-business trades within China, while www.taobao.com is a consumer-to-consumer trade site for Chinese customers. The Japanese language website "Japan.alibaba.com" is for Japanese customers. Japan's Softbank was one of the earliest investors in Alibaba. Its founder, Masyoshi Son, invested $18 million in the company in 2000 and also participated in subsequent rounds of financing. On August 11, 2005, Yahoo! announced that it would purchase a 40% stake in the company for US$1bn plus Yahoo!'s Chinese assets (worth about US $700M). Alibaba will take charge of Yahoo! China, and Alibaba's founder Jack Ma will remain. As of January 2007, the Alibaba Group is made up of 5 sub-companies: 1}Alibaba.com: English language global trade website serving small and medium-sized enterprises. 2} Taobao.com: Online auctions web site for customers. 3} Alipay: Online payments web site, processing mainly payments within China. 4} Alisoft: Provider of web services to the Chinese Small and Medium-sized Enterprise marketplace. 5} Alimama: Online advertising exchange, which allows web publishers and advertisers to trade online advertising inventory. In 2008, alibaba.com attracted at least 23 million visitors of which 65 percent hail from China. {Source: www.enclyclopedia.com} eBay Inc. eBay Inc. is an American Internet company that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell goods and services worldwide. In addition to its original U.S. Web site, eBay has established localized Web sites in thirty other countries. eBay Inc. also owns PayPal, Skype, StubHub, and other businesses. The online auction Web site was founded in San Jose, California, on September 3, 1995, by French-born Iranian computer programmer Pierre Omidyar as AuctionWeb, part of a larger personal site that included, among other things, Omidyar's own tongue-in-cheek tribute to the Ebola virus. In 1997, the company received approximately $5 million in funding from the venture capital firm Benchmark Capital. The very first item sold on eBay was a broken laser pointer for $14.83. Astonished, Omidyar contacted the winning bidder to ask if he understood that the laser pointer was broken. In his responding email, the buyer explained: "I'm a collector of broken laser pointers." The frequently-repeated story that eBay was founded to help Omidyar's fiancée trade PEZ Candy dispensers was fabricated by a public relations manager in 1997 to interest the media. This was revealed in Adam Cohen's 2002 book, The Perfect Store,[3] and confirmed by eBay. Chris Agarpao was hired as eBay's first employee and Jeffrey Skoll was hired as the first president of the company in early 1996. In November 1996, eBay entered into its first third-party licensing deal, with a company called Electronic Travel Auction to use SmartMarket Technology to sell plane tickets and other travel products. The company officially changed the name of its service from AuctionWeb to eBay in September 1997. Originally, the site belonged to Echo Bay Technology Group, Omidyar's consulting firm. Omidyar had tried to register the domain name echobay.com (the domain has recently been put up for sale) but found it already taken by the Echo Bay Mines, a gold mining company, so he shortened it to his second choice, eBay.com. eBay went public on September 21, 1998, and both Omidyar and Skoll became instant billionaires. The company purchased PayPal on October 14, 2002. {Source: www.enclyclopedia.com} KOLACO, Inc. Kolaco is an IBM Business Partner specializing in Lotus Notes and Web workflow productivity solutions and services. Kolaco's services extent to include Advanced Systems Administration, Sametime, Blackberry Server Installation, QuickR, Email Archiving, Data Warehousing and WebSphere Portal. Kolaco's products include Trackmeet - a Meeting Minutes and Action Item Tracking System, Xpressite - a website content manager and Xpressite Ecommerce - a website content manager with full ecommerce capabilities. Xpressite includes the most commonly sought after functionality including events and events registration, news, whitepapers, full text searching, dynamic drop down menus and automatic expiration of time sensitive pages. Additional modules or customization services are available for more advanced functionality. Xpressite Bundles are priced for small and mid market companies. WEBSITE: http://www.kolaco.com/ ORACLE CORPORATION Oracle Corporation is the second largest software company in the world. Their products include the Oracle database and development tools; and business applications for sales and service, manufacturing and supply chain, and finance and human resources. Oracle8 delivers the lowest total cost of ownership by making it easy to run database applications on a corporate Internet. A corporate Internet stores data and applications on professionally managed servers, not desktop PCs. This cuts labor and networking costs, while improving system performance and reliability. Oracle employs 37,000 database and business application specialists, dedicated to providing our customers with consulting, education and support services in 140 countries around the world. FITNESS FOR PURPOSE In a research , a question was asked: why the buyers, engaged shopping in the Ecommerce stores, prefer the traditional stores? The main advantage is the essential economy of time-Two-thirds from ecommerce store buyers (61 %) have given such answer.51 % Ecommerce stores users also has told, that it is pleased with delivery of the goods to the house. However, E-Commerce is not about just online stores, its about anything and everything to do with money. If you pay (via cash, check, credit card, etc.) E-Commerce is about to make an introduction into your life soon. In short, by implementing E-Commerce, you save money, are online 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week, no traffic jams, shopping crowds, carrying overloaded heavy shopping bags etc. Just more business, the easy way. So without any doubt we can say that this service fitted for it’s purpose. HOW THE SERVICE CAN BE IMPROVED? In many cases, an e-commerce company will survive not only based on its product, but by having a competent management team, good post-sales services, well-organized business structure, network infrastructure and a secured, well-designed website. A company that wants to succeed will have to perform two things: Technical and organizational aspects and customer-oriented. Below, all the sectors in which this service needs to be improved is listed: * A good management team armed with information technology strategy. A company's IT strategy should be a part of the business re-design process. * Easy and secured way for customers to effect transactions should be provided. * Rogue countries can be excluded from the payment-clearing chains; rogue companies behaving in unacceptable ways can be boycotted and excluded from any affiliation and linking deals * Self-policing seals such as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' (AICPA) Web Trust and SysTrust products, inspections, and certificates can be used for monitoring and supervision. *Technology can be used to monitor and detect money laundering, illegal product flows, and information trafficking. But such monitoring must be carefully conceived and supervised, because it could turn into a "Big Brother" type of behavior. NON-ICT SOLUTION Retail store A customer walk into a store that is stocked with merchandise for immediate sale -- bookstores, grocery stores, hardware stores -- and find what he/she want, then purchase it. Retail special order When a retail store doesn't stock the product you want, or is currently out of stock, customer often have the option of special ordering the product. If a bookstore doesn't care a small press book title that the customer wants, and the title is in print, he/she can usually special order the title from the store; the store locates the product, buys it, then resells it you. Catalogue store A storefront where people can come in and look at catalogues, and order from a company representative. Phone order from a catalogue Few company or shop are providing this service of ordering a product through telephone. E-GOVERNMENT Defination “E-Government”, a generic term that refers to any government functions or processes that are carried out in digital form (such as Wide Area Networks, the Internet, and mobile computing). E-government is the use of information technology to support government operations, engage citizens, and provide government services; which would ensure relations with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government. Traditionally, the interaction between a citizen or business and a government agency took place in a government office. Works were done manually which was mainly paper-based. Also, information was not up-to-date. However, using this service, the use of information technology to free movement of information has overcome the physical bounds of traditional paper and physical based systems”. Nowadays, Local, state and federal governments essentially set up central Web sites from which the public (both private citizens and businesses) can find public information, download government forms and contact government representatives and can get other government services. There are four types of e-government services: • Government-to-Citizen (G2C), • Government-to-Business (G2B), • Government-to-Employee (G2E), and • Government-to-Government (G2G). There are four key dimensions, which reflect the functions of e-government : ***E-services -- the electronic delivery of government information, programs, and Services often (but not exclusively) over the Internet. ***E-democracy -- the use of electronic communications to increase citizen participation in the public decision-making process ***E-commerce -- the electronic exchange of money for goods and services such as citizens paying taxes and utility bills, renewing vehicle registrations, and paying for recreation programs, or government buying supplies and auctioning surplus equipment ***E-management -- the use of information technology to improve the management of government, from streamlining business processes to maintaining electronic records, to improving the flow and integration of information. Source: www.wikipedia.com These technologies can serve a variety of different ends: • better delivery of government services to citizens, • improved interactions with business and industry, • citizen empowerment through access to information, or • more efficient government management. The resulting benefits can be: • less corruption, • increased transparency, • greater convenience, • revenue growth, and/or • cost reductions. Advantages The main advantages of an electronic government are: • Improve the efficiency of the current system. • Save money and time. • Facilitate better communications between governments and businesses. • Permit smaller business to compete for government contracts as well as larger business. • This will have the advantage of creating an open market and stronger economy. • Business and citizens can obtain information at a faster speed and it is possible at any time of the day. • Moving away from a heavily paper based system to an electronic system would reduces the need for man power. • Due to the fact that information and statistics are posted online, the idea of an “opened up” government and made government policy, information (including some socially valuable archival and historical information) and services more available. This would reflect a greater transparency and accountability of the service provided by the government . • Efficient and swift delivery of goods and services to citizens, businesses, government employees and agencies. • Simplification of procedures and streamlining of the approval process for the citizens and businesses, • To government employees and agencies, it would mean the facilitation of cross-agency coordination and collaboration to ensure appropriate and timely decision-making. • Easy access to the most current information available without having to spend time, energy and money to get it. • Allows citizens to interact with computers to achieve objectives at any time and any location, and eliminates the necessity for physical travel to government agents sitting behind desks and windows. • Improved accounting and record keeping can be noted through computerization, and information and forms can be easily accessed, equaling quicker processing time. • On the administrative side, access to help find or retrieve files and linked, information can now be stored in databases versus hardcopies stored in various locations. • Citizens participate in online discussions of political issues with increasing frequency, and young people, who traditionally display minimal interest in government affairs, are drawn to e-voting procedures. Disadvantages The disadvantage of an electronic government are: • It moves the government services into an electronic based system. This system loses the person to person interaction which is valued by a lot of people. • It is easy to make the excuse (e.g. the server has gone down) that problems with the service provided are because of the technology. • The implementation of an e government does have certain constraints. • Literacy of the users and the ability to use the computer, users who do not know how to read and write would need assistance. • There are still concerned over security, fear of spam from providing email addresses, and government retention of transaction or interaction history. • Potentially lead to a lack of privacy for civilians as their government obtains more and more information on them. • A huge amount of money needs to spent on the development and implementation of e-government • An e-government site that provides web access and support often does not offer the “potential to reach many users including those who live in remote areas, are homebound, have low literacy levels, exist on poverty line incomes, suffer from chronic illness, are single parents or older adults. • Information can be added or removed from the public eye (i.e. the Internet) with or without public notice. • Passwords are easy to break, and users often write down or share passwords, or forget them. In addition, different applications require new IDs and passwords. . Target Audience 1] Citizens. E-government disseminated information for the citizen. Using this service, citizen can get their basic services like ordering of birth/death/marriage certificates, filing of income taxes, license renewals. Also, they can get assistance like education, health care, library, hospital information, etc. All this things can be done sitting in home or office by the citizen. 2] The business community They can transact or exchanged various services between government, including dissemination of policies, memos, rules and regulations. They can obtain current business information, download application forms, renew licenses, register businesses, obtain permits, and payment of taxes through this service. The services offered through e-government can assist in business development, specifically the development of small and medium enterprises. Simplifying application procedures would facilitate the approval process for SME requests would encourage business development. Typically, e-procurement Web sites allow qualified and registered users to look for buyers or sellers of goods and services.Depending on the approach, buyers or sellers may specify prices or invite bids. 3] Government employees E-government’s “Government 2 Employees” services encompasses specialized services that cover only government employees, such as the provision of human resource training and development that improve the bureaucracy’s day-to-day functions and dealings with citizens. 4] Government agencies. E-government provide services for government agencies take place at two levels: at the local or domestic level and at the international level. Services are transactions between the central/national and local governments, and between department-level and attached agencies and bureaus. At the same time, services are transactions between governments, and can be used as an instrument of international relations and diplomacy. 5] Government The fifth beneficiary of this service is the government itself. They do have a good interaction with citizens, businesses, government employees, government agencies and other governments more convenient, friendly, transparent, inexpensive and effectively. The system also helps government generate bigger savings, as costs from middlemen are shaved off and purchasing agents’ overhead is reduced. Example E-government in Taiwan [ www.gov.tw ] Taiwan began to implement its e-government strategy back in 1997. In May 2002, the government and their agencies worked together to launch the e-Taiwan Program. Today, the e-government infrastructure in place is reasonably comprehensive, and significant results have already been achieved in the provision of online services. The government is now working to achieve even higher levels of interactivity and integration. Taiwan's e-government site has been designed with the aims to employ ICT to enhance the competitiveness of Taiwanese industry, build a highly efficient government, create a fully e-enabled society and attract the tourists around the world. The key areas on which the government had focused to achieve these goals are as follows: 1. Integrating one-stop service Cutting-edge technologies have been adopted to develop service elements that can be shared by different government agencies, thereby preventing waste of resources due to duplication. 2. Interactive service Their website is very interactive & attractive. It is designed in such a way, that it is easy for the user to find what he/she was searching for. 3. e-Government service network The e-government service network includes e-Administration of domicile and land, e-Tax net, e-Monitoring of motor vehicles, e-Service for companies, e-Medical and healthcare services and e-IPR network. 4. G2B2C document exchange By introducing e-documents, the government aims to establish innovative channels for communication and interaction with enterprises and with the public. The aim is to ensure that documents can be transmitted smoothly between government agencies, enterprises and ordinary citizens at any time and in any location, thereby enhancing the efficiency of official document issuance and delivery. 5. Teleconferencing network The government is promoting the establishment of teleconferencing networks by government agencies and the integration of these individual networks. 6. Opening government e-data to public By building up and integrating the databases required for effective logistics managements including the National Land Information System, the National Archives Information System, the Disaster Prevention and Protection Information System and the Public Construction Information System. By September 2005 government agencies in Taiwan had achieved a 100% penetration rate for both Internet access and LAN establishment. 98% of civil servants had access to the Internet, and 95% were using e-mail in their work. A total of 14,205 data circuits had been installed in government offices, with 9,820 dial-up Internet accounts, 22,297 e-mail accounts, 750 virtual e-mail servers and 480 virtual Internet hosts. A survey carried out in June 2005 showed that 84% of citizens were satisfied with the services provided by government websites in Taiwan. Source: http://english.www.gov.tw E-Government in New Zealand (www.govt.nz) In 1999, around the same time as Taiwan, the national government in New Zealand launched its first “Electronic Government Program”. Having as its vision New Zealand as a world leader in e-government. it anticipated improved services, cost effectiveness and efficiency, reputation and citizen participation. In 2002, the “E-government Entry Portal Point” of New Zealand. (www.govt.nz) was Launched. This provided a citizen-focused „front door. to a wide range of central and local government information and services (NZSSC, 2001). Today, this web portal allows New Zealanders to gain access to government information and services via use of the Internet, telephone, and other emerging technologies. Progress with e-government over the intervening years has seen four major achievements (NZSSC, 2003): 1. The government portal The government web portal enables citizens to easily access links to all agency Websites; 24 hours a day, seven days a week. By June 2004, people could use it to access information on 307 agencies, 1541 services, and 2774 documents . Local government services and information are also available through the portal. 2. Interoperability The New Zealand e-government interoperability framework (NZ e-GIF) sets out the policies, guidelines and technical standards to use for sharing and integrating data and information, and supporting information systems or business processes . The e-GIF produces three major benefits: helping government agencies to work together easily, allowing systems, knowledge, and experience to be shared between agencies and reducing the effort required when dealing with online government by encouraging a consistent approach. 3. Authentication A process of verifying a users identity and establishing the authenticity of the agency, so that government agencies and citizens can be confident of each others identity; it also ensures that consistency, privacy, security requirements and cost effectiveness across government are achieved . 4. Procurement The government online procurement system (Go Procure) was initiated in November 2002, aimed at improving the efficiency of government purchasing through enhanced collaboration between government agencies (NZSSC, 2003). It also opened government projects to bids from many organizations, potentially reducing incidences of fraud and aiding transaction transparency. Source: www.govt.nz E-GOVERNMENT IN USA (www.usa.gov) Whatever a user wants or need from the U.S. government, it's here on USA.gov. Here, he/she will find a rich treasure of online information, services, and resources. Their main vision is to provide government services through Online to it’s Citizen and makes it easy for the public to get U.S. government information and services on the web. Many people and organizations have had their contribution of creating this site. USA.gov is an interagency initiative administered by the U.S. General Services Administration's Office of Citizen Services and Communications. In June 2000, President Clinton instructed that an official U.S. web portal be launched within 90 days. USA.gov went online on September 22, 2000 under the name FirstGov.gov. The GSA and 22 federal agencies funded the initiative in 2001 and 2002. Since 2002, USA.gov has received an annual appropriation from the U.S. Congress. In January 2007, FirstGov.gov officially changed its name to USA.gov. USA.gov links to websites that provide useful, timely, citizen-centered government information and services consistent with our linking policy. This site provides more details on its policies and guidelines with regard to disclaimers of endorsements, web accessibility, free commercial downloads, and privacy and security matters on their Important Notices page. It is designed in such a way that user can make their experience at this website productive, informative, and satisfying. USA.gov provides answers to other frequently asked questions about USA.gov. One of their specialty is, an user can use Help page or view online tutorials to learn how to accomplish government tasks and access government information and services through USA.gov. Source: www.usa.gov E-government In China ( www.gov.cn ) The Government Online Project was formally launched by the Chinese government in 1999, and today about 80 percent of all government agencies--local and national--have web sites. Gov.cn began trial run on October 1, 2005. Its English version, English.gov.cn, which made debut on November 22, 2005, is the place to turn for a wealth of Chinese government resources. Gov.cn presently provides authoritative and up-to-date information on the Chinese government, and its programs, initiatives and services, as well as facts about China. Gov.cn is a gateway to all Chinese government information and services, and an interactive channel between government and the public. It is of great importance to promoting the opening of government affairs, further transforming government functions, performing all governmental duties in accordance with laws, consciously accepting the oversight of the general public, improving the government's style of work and perfecting the overall quality of public servants. Source: http://www.gov.cn/english/ E-government In UK ( www.direct.gov.uk ) Directgov is the website of the UK government for its citizens, providing information and online services for the public all in one place. Directgov aims to provide easy access to government information and services. It does this by working closely with ministerial departments and non-departmental public bodies to collate key information all in one place. User can find specific information and services by searching or can browse by topics User can complete a number of government services online, and also can obtain or download many government forms, can transact online. Source: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/index.htm Improvements needed * A comprehensive and coherent strategy is needed for e-government to treats a state or city as a single enterprise. It emphasizes the principles, standards, and infrastructure that make it possible for all agencies to work in consistent ways. This might include legal and policy infrastructure, telecommunications infrastructure, standards for data and technologies, rules and mechanisms for information use and sharing, and a host of other elements. * A strategy has to account for reaching all the people who need government services regardless of their age, income, language, or access to the Internet. * They need to assure that all agencies and all their private and nonprofit business partners are capable of engaging fully in using or delivering e-government applications. * They need a way to offer services that resolves the issues associated with privacy and data sharing. * Data integration requires new business processes, increases technical complexity, demands reliable security, and presents serious data privacy, quality, and ownership issues. * Citizens want more than a convenient way to renew their auto registrations. They want e-government to help them become better informed, and they want it to make government more accountable by making processes and decisions more open and transparent. Therefore, changes needed in this sectors. * E-government should ensure dynamic use of the Web Fitness For Purpose There are many considerations and potential implications of implementing and designing of e-government, including disintermediation of the government and its citizens, impacts on economic, social, and political factors, vulnerability to cyber attacks, and disturbances to the status quo in these areas. However, e-government, which is the automation or computerization of existing paper-based government procedures; prompts new styles of leadership, new ways of debating and deciding strategies, new ways of transacting business, new ways of listening to citizens and communities, and new ways of organizing and delivering information. Therefore, it can easily be said that this service is serving well and if the required changes are made [modified], then this service would be fully fit for it’s purpose. Non-ICT Solution • Normal Manual government work and their service. • Local governent COMMUNICATION DESCRIPTION OF THE SERVICE Communication is the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, writing, or behavior. Communication through internet is a great blessing. Not only can people just talk to each other but they can also see each other. Communication through internet made the world smaller and the people closer together. Basically, there are 3 types of communication: Written, Verbal, and Non-verbal. Written includes letters, emails, memos, reports and formal documents. Verbal communication includes "chats", presentations and voicemail! Non-verbal communication is using signals to communicate and studying body language. The Internet provides various ways of communication depending on the need and availability of hardware/software. These include e-mail, phone, instant messaging or IM, short message service or SMS, video conferencing and Web conferencing. THE TARGET AUDIENCE Students They can communicate or interact with their classmates, can discuss with them about a particular subject, can acquire from them lesson plans, Exam syllabuses and even class lectures.They can also take help from their teacher’s through online communication. A very important online service – “Online Education” is based on this online communication. Students can browse different institutes Website to make decision in which course and in which institutes they will apply for admission. They can fill and send Admission Application form by the grace of online communication. Busy People (Businessman, Employer) Busy persons are usually cannot give time to their family. But after the introduction of this service, things began to change. Now, they can communicate with their Employers/colleagues through Internet. They can do some of their official work at home. They can also arrange meeting using videoconferencing, no matter how far they are from each other. Those busy people can also market sitting in his/her room/office, do not need to wasting time in super malls and in traffic jam. They can even admit their children through ONLINE!!! Youngsters Log on to the Internet any day of the week, any time of the day, and will find people-thousands of them-pouring their hearts out to perfect strangers. Chatting, mailing to people whom they don’t know much and they are far behind from each other, but the Internet brings them closer together and make them friends. IM , chatting, blog etc. earned popularity among the youngsters. But there is a negative side too, Youngsters are wasting a lot of their valuable time on the internet just by chatting, mailing and making friendship with others. Schools/Colleges/Universities Now they can provide their institutes information through Internet, by which they can communicate with any students or their parents who can browse through those institute’s website for the facilities they are providing. They also provide the facility for the students of getting admitted through online communication. Through their website students can chat with eachother, can get lecture sheet, chat with teachers, discuss about any particular subject. One of the most important feature of this comminication institutes use is parent-teacher relationship, by which parents can be constantly informed about their child’s performance and activities in school via online communication such as e-mail. Here, parents and the teachers are able to ask questions and to provide feedback about students. It is time Efficient and also a parent can know about his child’s performance in Schools/ Colleges/Universities by sitting in Home/Office. Doctors Doctors can treat thier patients from anywhere in the world using this online communication. Patients can e-mail their problems and symptoms to the doctor and a feedback can be given by doctor by e-mailing the patient a proper suggestion or solution to the illness. Patient’s can take advice from the doctors, which can even save life in case of emergency. Recently in many Hospitals and in Doctor Chambers, this service is use to keep communication with other Hospital and doctors, so if Hospital is full a patient can immediately be transferred to another hospital or in case of diificulties In solving a patient’s problem Hospitals/Doctors can take help from other doctors. Today, Doctors from different part of the world often sit in videoconference to solve a particular problem or situation. SOME EXAMPLE OF ONLINE COMMUNICATION Blog Blog is a personal or business online journal or diary shared over the web. Usually it is maintained by an individual, with regular entries or posting of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Publishing of a blog is "blogging". Entries in blog are called posts. Blogs are frequently updated and entries in the blog are arranged in a chronological order. Source: Encyclopedia Many blog provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blog, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The readers can leave comments in an interactive format . Most blog are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artblog), photographs (photoblog), sketches (sketchblog), videos (vblog), music (MP3 blog), audio (podcasting), which are part of a wider network of social media. E-mail E-mail or Electronic Mail, is a method of communication through internet, it is a store-and-forward method of writing, sending, receiving and saving messages. Electronic Mail is where a message is converted to electronic signals and sent from any workstation via a telecom network. E-mail messages are usually encoded in ASCII text. However, also non-text files can be send, such as graphic images and sound files, as attachments sent in binary streams. E-mail was one of the first uses of the Internet and is still the most popular use. E-mail can be distributed to lists of people as well as to individuals. E-mail can now also be used on our mobile phones using GPRS, WAP or SMS. An email system usually allows to: * compose message and then sent them to any other email address. * send the same message at the same time to different e-mail address. * forward a received message to another email address. * see a list of messages in our mailbox, showing the sender’s name, email address, the subject of the message, and the date and time it was sent. * add attachment to mail and save attachment from mails. Source: Book-Edexcel GCE in Applied ICT Advantages # speed. # reliability. # convenience. # weightless, no paper needed. # Does not depend on the simultaneous availability of both parties ( sender and receiver ) because messages can be stored or forwarded and retrieved from any workstation. Disadvantages # set-up cost can be high # still not generally available # risks of data security # computer can be virus effected through email IM- Instant Messaging IM or “instant messaging” is a type of real time communication service. It is somewhat like email, but much more like a chat room. Both parties chatting or communicating with each other are online at the same time, and their form of communication is by typing text and sending small pictures in instantaneous time. IM allows its user to "talk" online with their friends in other rooms, other cities, and even other countries. Some IM products are simple (example: Google Talk). It’s user can simply send text messages only. Other IM systems offer advanced options that let it’s user to do more than send text messages. It is possible to share photos, send and receive computer files, carry out web searches, listen to the Internet radio stations, play online games, share live video (requires webcam), or even place free PC-to-PC calls worldwide if you have the speaker-and-microphone hardware. Source: What is IM and Instant Messaging from about.com How Does IM Work? Once a user signs in to their IM client, the application sends and receives information from its dedicated server to display the availability of IM contacts for both that user and friends on their contact list. Using an individual users’ IP address and port number, clients then connect users directly once an IM is sent. Merits • Multiple people may participate in the discussion. This allows on-line meetings to be held by people who may not be in the same country/office or room. • Some organizations do legitimately use this social tool to communicate, like receptionists talking to their bosses on-screen while simultaneously speaking on the phone. • For teenagers, IM is a way to break boredom in the school computer lab...provided, of course, that the teacher doesn't shut down the IM connections in the room. Demerits • It steals a lots of time • Teenagers gets effected and waste a lots of their valuable time • Many companies do forbid employees from using IM because it can be such a distraction to employees. Thousands of people every day steal time away from work to chat with their friends and co-workers on their screens. Chat Chat is a way of online communication, by sending text messages to people in the same chat-room in real-time. Usually this "Chatting" is the exchange of typed-in messages between two or more people. In some cases, a private chat can also be arranged between two parties who meet initially in a group chat. Chats can be ongoing or scheduled for a particular time and duration. Most chats are focused on a particular topic of interest and some involve guest experts or famous people who "talk" to anyone joining the chat. Some chat rooms such as Yahoo! use both text and voice simultaneously. There are also graphical user interface (GUI) text-based chat rooms which allow users to select an identifying icon and modify the look of their chat environment. Some visual chat rooms also incorporate audio and video communications, so that users may actually see and hear each other. Videoconference Videoconferencing is a conference between two or more participants at different sites by using computer networks to transmit audio and video data. For example, a point-to-point (two-person) video conferencing system works much like a video telephone. Each participant has a video camera, microphone, and speakers mounted on his or her computer. As the two participants speak to one another, their voices are carried over the network and delivered to the other's speakers, and whatever images appear in front of the video camera appear in a window on the other participant's monitor. Multipoint videoconferencing allows three or more participants to sit in a virtual conference room and communicate as if they were sitting right next to each other. ADVANTAGES OF THE SERVICE Computerized electric telecommunications have created a global village in terms of the immediacy within which people across the world can share conversations, televised pictures, and interactive software on VDU’s, maps, graphics, and circuits. The process of making decisions has also increased in speed due to the instant access information’s. Some advantages of online communication is listed below: • Those days are gone! Now we don’t have to wait week or even months to receive mail! With the online communication, an email can be sent and reach its destination instantaneously! • E-mails have made the world a smaller place, allowing people separated by great distances to correspond or communicate. • Instant Messaging, Chat Rooms – Services such as AIM, Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, and Skype allow people to send messages instantaneously, much like a phone conversation, but using written messages. • People can communicate with each other from anywhere in the world. • People can communicate while they are in a journey. • Busy business persons can do official work in their home and at the same time give valuable time to his/her family. • Businessmen can communicate with their clients or their employees sitting in his/her bedroom. • Data is transmitted at electronic speeds, rather than by mail and other relatively slow methods. • Data can be collected, and information disseminated, very quickly. • Operating cost is reduced. Data communication can replace mail and courier services and can often eliminate the need for meetings and conferences. A company with data communication has the choice of processing the data centrally. • People can communicate from his/her home, no necessary of physical appearance. DISADVANTAGE OF THE SERVICE The amount of face to face oral communication, across the office desk or around tables will also decrease because of computer based videos, telephone or computer screen hook ups. Many types of fraud exist, and email is an inexpensive and popular method for distributing fraudulent messages to potential victims. Few disadvantages of communication is listed below: • Introduction of IM, chatting etc. affected the teenagers and they now wastes a lots of their valuable time. • Employees of some company uses the internet facilities provided by the company for their personal use at the office time like chatting with his/her relatives , friends etc . which means company’s are being cheated by their workers. • This service is not widely spread through, so not everyone can use this service. • There is the risk of data security. • Virus can attack and can seriously damage mobile phone, computer or even all the computer that are connected to this effected computer in a network. • Cyber crime. Cyber crime contains all criminal offences which are committed with the aid of communication devices in a network. • Set up cost for using this service is very high. So not everyone can afford to get the benefit of this service. • Problems occurs due to instant delivery (The almost instant delivery of LAN / WAN email messages etc can cause upsets if messages are composed in anger and then irretrievable after being sent). FITNESS FOR PURPOSE • With the internet, an email can be sent and reach its destination instantaneously! So, No need to wait for a mail a week or even month to come. • Present communication system have made the world a smaller place, allowing people separated by great distances to correspond, it brought the people more close together. • There is no possibility of the mail to get lost as this often happens in traditional method. • Today, in the field of digital communication, there is a digital transmission, digital switching and signaling that is taking place. It has made possible the realization of the three basic functions: i.e., the transmission, memory, and processing in a simple form. • This service has given us many useful means to better our social life and welfare. Online or digital communication system has made our life easier and brought us closer together. In that sense it is fit and successful according to this service’s purpose or goal. But still some lackings are there like data security, cyber crime, virus attacks etc. They need to improve or fix those lacks. If they are able to do that then they would be 100% fit for their purpose. HOW THE SERVICE CAN BE IMPROVED Some list are given in what are the sector improvements are needed: • Data should be made much more secured. • This service should be extended to the poor countries, digital divide would be no longer there. • Speed needs to be increased. • Strong law should there to stop cyber crime. • People’s should be aware of spamming and virus attacks. NON-ICT SOLUTION • Sending letter through postal method. • Communicate between them by physical appearance. • Use some person as a agent to send their messages. • Some companies are there who works to send messages, money etc. from one person to another. REAL-TIME INFORMATION PROCESSING DESCRIPTION OF THE SERVICE Information is important and indispensable to the life of human being. Transmission, recording or memory and processing of information are three essential processes of information. Things that were once done manually or by hand have now become computerized operating systems, which simply require a single click of a mouse to get a task completed. With the aid of IT we are not only able to stream line our business processes but we are also able to get constant information in 'real time' that is up to the minute and up to date. Real-time means “ in one go ” Real-time information processing is related to computer systems that update information as the same time as they receive data. In this system the data is always up-to-date as data is updated as soon as it is being received. REAL-TI ME DATA PROCESSING IS USED IN: • Payroll • Reservation ( e.g. hotel booking ) • Stock control • Administration ( e.g. in hospital ) • Retailing point of sale • Ordering and billing system ( e.g. mail order ) • Data logging • Traffic control • Networks • Electronic mail The world is advancing day by day in technology and the people’s are getting much more busier, as a result “ Real-Time Information Processing ” was much needed and now in this 21st century this service is very much useful. TARGET AUDIENCE Use ness of this service for commercial, technical, educational and in other sectors, not only the company/organization are benefited, everyone on those company/organization using this service are benefited. For the following purpose and people this service is useful: Commercial Data Processing • This service can be used for commercial data processing, which will ensure faster service to their customers and data is always up-to date. It is easy to control the business by the managers using this service. Hospital • Hospital can use this service for medical diagnosis. Here sensors are used and the data is frequently updated and it compare the reading with the programmed reading. If there any difference from the programmed reading is detected then the system automatically raise the alarm by sound and/or flashing light. School • School Administration use this service for keeping records of student’s details information. Here, searching and updating information is very easy. • Students payment history is also kept and updated by this service. • School Libraries with huge book collection can use this service to keep records of the books and members of the library. • This service can also be used in canteen and other school department. Traffic system • This service is used for traffic control. This service gives frequent information about the flow of traffic and according to the information the central computer lights up green or red light. • This service is used to control vehicle speed. Roads have sensors to measure speed of the vehicle. If any vehicle cross the speed limit of that road then the police can suspect the car and then fine. Other use • Nowadays Civil Engineers use this service for calculation. • This service can be used in industrial process for prepare and finishing of their product. • This service is used mailing order and also by the people for hotel or airline ticket bookings. EXAMPLE In “Description of the service” I listed the sectors in which this system is used. Here I would give detail example of some of the sector in which real-time Information processing is used: Super market The computer application examined here is customer and management services for a branch of supermarket chain equipped with point-of-sale linked to a central mainframe computer. The services include stock control, cash records and customer till receipt. The system has information stored on three files. “The stock file” contains product reference number, product description, quantity in stock, re-order level and price. “The till file” contains date, start time, till number, cashier number, float, cash sales and check sales for each till. Each cahier change generates a new record. Third file is “Re-order file”, it contains product reference number, supplier name and supplier address. Information is always up-to-date. If information in one file changes then the related information on the other files immediately changes. When a customer buys something, the product is scanned in point-of-sale, the computer matches the product with it’s stored information and then an itemized receipt is produced. As soon as the product is sold, immediate change occurs in Stock File and at the same time sell information is recorded in till file. If the product crosses the re-order level, the stock file send a message to the Re-order file, which then with the product reference number send an order to it’s supplier in “Real Time”. Therefore, because of the use of real time information processing in supermarket, product sale and transaction information are stored in the central computer as soon as the product is sell. And also most importantly the supermarket can automatically re-order a product before it is out of stock. Benefits of using this Real-time information processing: • service is faster to the customers. • Accurate itemized bill to the customers. • Better cash control. • Automatic order is made as soon as a certain product reaches re-order level. Industrial process control Computers can be found in controlling process industries such as chemical plants, paper mills, brick walls, oil refineries, where raw materials are processed into finished goods. During the conversion process the computer monitors and control such variables as pressure, temperature, rate of flow etc. control has to be fast and accurate and in these large scale process systems hundreds of sensors and activators are used, a task which would be humanly impossible to monitor. Computer control offers the following benefits to process manufacturers: • sound alarm and if necessary shut off the process. • Monitor and maintain quality control. • Keep the record of the process – so that machine performance can be assessed. This helps planned maintenance and replacement decisions. • Provide the optimum output at the lowest price. Data logging and alarm system These systems are usually used in the hospitals to monitor ( log ) a person’s health. A patient monitoring system in a hospital constantly measures blood pressure, temperature, brain activity etc. This how the system works: Many sophisticated sensors are used in this system, sensors take several readings in every minute and compared with figures that the doctor has programmed in as normal or acceptable. If any of the sensors input is too high or low, the computer can raise the alarm by sound and/or flashing light to get the nurse’s or doctor’s attention. The computer can store data on backing store for analysis and produce summary information for the doctor. Banks Many banks now offer their customers a 24 hour per day on-line service. Most major branches of the bank provide an online terminal which is accessed form the street. All such terminals of a particular bank are connected directly to a large central computer. Customers are issued with a plastic card which is encoded with a Personal Identification Number ( PIN ). To obtain the services via the terminals the customer must place the card in the special reader, which forms part of the terminal, and enter the number via the keypad. This services offers the customers include: • Cash. • Print out of current balance. • Display of details of last 5 transaction. • Transfer of monies between different accounts held by the same customer. Transport system control Many roads in towns and cities nowadays use computer –controlled traffic light system . Traffic flows are detected by the sensors pad which are placed under the road. The data is then sent to the central computer where it is analyzed and used to build up a picture of the traffic flows. According to the analysis computer signals can then be output to the traffic lights. ADVANTAGES Some of the advantages of real-time information processing include: • Information is always up-to-date. • Information is accurate and reliable. • Using this service verification and validation check can be done. • In case of original data is lost or corrupted in any way, data can be recovered from backups if necessary. • Globalization - we can not only share information quickly and efficiently, but we can also bring down barriers of linguistic and geographic boundaries. The world has developed into a global village due to the help of information technology. • Cost effectiveness – Real-Time Information Processing technology has helped to computerize the business process thus streamlining businesses to make them extremely cost effective money making machines. This in turn increases productivity which ultimately gives rise to profits that means better pay and less strenuous working conditions. • More time - IT has made it possible for businesses to be open 24 x7 all over the globe. This means that a business can be open anytime anywhere, making purchases from different countries easier and more convenient. • Creation of new jobs - Computer programmers, Systems analyzers, Hardware and Software developers and Web designers are just some of the many new employment opportunities. • Companies and business organization can provide faster service to their customer using this real-time information processing. They can also produce accurate itemized bill and the cash control is much more better than the manual information processing. • Several information at different time interval can be recorded on computer which then can be used for analysis information and make reports. • In supermarket, if stock level comes to a certain level called re-order level which is programmed on the system, then the computer can automatically order the product to the supplier of that product. • In medical sector, this system is used to monitor person’s health. The system can raise alarm to get nurse’s attention in case of too high or low sensor inputs. • This system is used to control machines and processes. This provide optimum output at the lowest price. The system can also keep a record of the process. This helps planned maintenance and replacements decisions. DISADVANTAGES Some disadvantages of Real-Time Information Processing include: • There is high possibility of the data lost or corruption, it can’t be found if there is no backup system. • In the system where many computers are connected together, if one terminal/computer is virus effected, then it would spread to the whole system. This virus can damage or corrupt data’s. • The introduction of this service is very expensive. Many small organizations/companies can’t afford to introduce this service. • Maintenance cost is very high. • Programmers have to be well paid and they are trained by the company. • Unemployment - introduction of Real-Time information processing system may have streamlined the business process but it has also crated job redundancies, downsizing and outsourcing. This means that a lot of lower and middle level jobs have been done away with causing more people to become unemployed. • Privacy – this system also bought along privacy issues. From cell phone signal interceptions to email hacking, people are now worried about their once private information becoming public knowledge. • Threat of Hackers- they try to hack important data. They can also change the data they have hacked. FITNESS FOR PURPOSE With the help of Real-Time information processing now we can book a hotel room, airline ticket etc. sitting in room. There is no need to give line for a long queue. So this service made our work easier, saved a lot of our valuable time. In every sector from commercial data processing to educational purposes this system is useful. Enterprises are realizing that access to critical business information at the right time is crucial for maintaining competitive advantage. Without the availability of accurate, consistent and timely information, businesses cannot effectively respond to customer service demands, consistently rollout differentiating products, support inventory optimization efforts, rapidly on-board new systems or adhere to changes in information-centric regulations. To support such dynamic environments, enterprises are striving to evolve real-time enterprises. A real-time information processing system ensures that information is always up to date and of the highest quality. Though there are some lacking ( e.g. in data privacy ) , but still this system is very much successful and fit for it’s purposes. HOW THE SERVICE CAN BE IMPROVED? Below the sectors are listed in which improvement is needed: • Government should provide loan with little interest for those who dream but can’t afford to use this service. • Government should provide security from the hackers. • Those who lost the job due to the enacment of this service would be replaced in another sector. • Good backup system should be there to protect data in case of lost or corruption. • Antivirus should be installed in the computers and it should be updated at regular intervals. NON-ICT SOLUTION • Manual system. There would be no computer work or technology used . Everything would be done by hands. • Batch Processing. Information would be collected and then it would be up-dated by the employers. ONLINE EDUCATION DESCRIPTION OF ONLINE EDUCATION Online education : "A CLASSROOM WITHOUT WALLS, IT'S ENGAGING IN ASSISTED, SELF DIRECTED LEARNING.” Online education, also known as distance learning or e-learning, differs from traditional education because here students are not required to visit an actual classroom and listen to an instructor face-to-face. Online education is truly about student convenience. Students can check in, work on assignments, and turn them in when their schedules permit, not when the college doors are open. Online Education Means Students No Longer Have To: * quit their jobs to attend college, * take time off from work to attend a specific course, *spend hours in rush hour traffic or drive 200 miles to the nearest college or University, It Also Means Students: *learn at their own pace, *gain more one-on-one access to their instructors, and *earn degrees in less time than it would take to juggle traditional courses. How Online Education Works After researching the best accredited institutions, students are required to apply to one of the Institute’s degree programs. Once accepted into an online program, students are asked to sign up for appropriate courses. After the registration process is complete and students are accepted into the program, the real work begins. Students begin their course studies by logging onto the Internet. Once they're in their appropriate classroom, they'll learn by reading assignments, asking questions, and receiving instructor feedback. Finally, students are graded on homework assignments, final projects, and test scores. Email is a form communication in this type of service that allows students and teachers to send messages to each other. In addition, conferencing capabilities of networks let participants conduct multi-person discussions in real-time (called “chats”). All Courses Are Not Created Equally Different programs require different levels of computer and/or Internet knowledge. Therefore, it is vital students take the time to speak with potential instructors, previous college students, and even the computer tech department to get a better understanding of the teaching methods and technology used. TARGET AUDIENCE Students They are able to get any course done over Internet from any institution using this e-education. This service provided new dimensions to reading and learning by displaying them through a variety of mediums such as audio, video, animation and text. Even, students can view books and reading materials digitally on Their Computer screen! This is far more interactive and efficient. Slide presentation of their lessons or reading material make them feel Iterest on this service. Using this service they also can Chat with friends, share lessons, notes, ask questions to teachers and then get feedback. Working Adults They now can continue their education, earn higher degrees, and earn more money by attending courses that primarily take place over the Internet. Therefore, online education is for the adults and for those who can’t built their careers by attending a traditional college or university because of time restraints. Parents of young Children They can admit their children for pre-school education. Here, their children can learn about the basics before they get admit to the school. Using Audio, Video interaction this could be a fun for the child and also they would feel Interest in learning. This is very much efficient, time saving, safe and tension free service for the young childs parents. Corporate Companies They can use this service to train their new employees about their tasks and duties more efficiently. In case if a company change their working style, then using this service they can train their existing employees to get adapted to the work. Guardian of Online Students They can choose the best among many Institutions for their child, admission is easy and cost is low. They can act as a teacher by supervising their child’s work and performance. They can also talk with the teacher or get his/her child’s test results sitting in Home or Office. EXAMPLE OpenCollege e-Learning Content Library Project open college was established by the joint efforts of OpenTeach Software (www.openteach.com) several European university faculty members to create an interactive educational system. It was launched in 1993. They are the leading provider of online learning resources, complete with interactive content and unique visual simulations. Their Java- and Flash- based simulations is very effective and interesting. They cover subjects like : Biology, Chemistry, Algebra, Calculus, Geometry, Astronomy, Physics, Economics. They also provide some other subjects too. Users or students get the opportunity to study science and run expeiments sitting in his/her home. Their e-Learning Content Library includes illustrations to more than 700 different scientific phenomena, and it continues to grow. Our e-Learning Content Library offers: • Their scientific experiment models are fully interactive, and it is designed in such a way that it will help students understand the functioning of natural laws. • Fully intuitive interface design. • Their content is designed according to demand’s of the teacher’s work.Thier simulations is free for the teacher’s to be modified according to their goals, and preferred teaching methods. Teachers can create their own examples, and base assignments on them. • Singular learning components that cover a variety of scientific issues and are applicable in multiple contexts. • OpenTeach's technology permits their clients to access interactive components from remote locations, and to transfer them to other destinations. This capacity is achieved through through the usage of Java and Flash cross-platform operations, and multiple resource applications in singular interactive components. However, overall, Project OpenCollege is a comprehensive online library with a convenient Web-based interface and a full capacity to support online learning. Grand Canyon University This University is Arizona's private prestigious Christian university, founded in 1949. They offer some of the best online education programs in the nation by noteworthy sources including Fortune Small Business, Technology & Learning Magazine, Fox.com, and more. They try to make their student’s online experience as seamless as possible, have a consistent format in each of the classes students take. At the beginning of the course or program, they have tutorial to familiarize client with the online structure.In his/her account, he/she will have access to everything including his/her course syllabus, staff information, as well as discussion boards and a digital drop box, where he/she will "turn in" all of their assignments. For each course he/she are enrolled in, can plan to invest 10-12 hours per week. Interaction is asynchronous, so when sign on, respond to message boards, and see professor notes, all on his/her time and at his/her own convenience. He/she will spend their time performing various tasks such as writing, reading, responding to others in online discussion groups, working on projects, or researching. Grand Canyon University offers online and campus-based bachelors and master's degree programs through the Ken Blanchard College of Business, College of Education, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and College of Liberal Arts. Grad Canyon Uiversity emphasizes individual attention for both traditional undergraduate students as well as the working professional. Today, they have enrollment of more than 18,000. If anyone is driven to pursue a higher standard of success and require flexibility in his/her schedule to get there, Grand Canyon University is the right choice for him/her! University of Cambridge E-learing UCeL was founded in March 2002, have six founding partners, Universities of Cambridge, Nottingham, Manchester, East Anglia, Wolverhampton and Peninsula Medical School (Plymouth/Exeter). They provide online health-professional education with high quality interactive multimedia resources. Sujects they are offering are medicine, nursing, pharmacy, behavioural sciences, sports science and health studies. Their Multimedia resources, though they are extremely expensive to produce, made it very easy for the students to understant each lesson. They provide an understandable reluctance for lecturers to replace their lectures and courses in their entirety with online versions, there is an equally clear need voiced by educators that they would be able to put to good use the components that make up those courses – and the more interactive, high quality and fit-for-purpose these resources are, the better. Pearson College Pearson College provides a comprehensive online program, they are the leading global provider of this online education. They do have integrated education technology, content, academic services and support that power fully online and blended learning programs. Pearson eCollege has been helping colleges, universities and schools to deliver innovative education options since 1996. In 2009, they were selected by Bridgepoint Education, Inc. to be the new online technology and support services provider for Bridgepoint's Ashford University and University of the Rockies campuses, serving more than 45,000 students and 1,800 instructors. Today, Pearson eCollege provides online education technology, content solutions and support services for more than 2 million students enrolled in successful courses and programs at institutions worldwide. www.elearners .com Capella University Capella University is an accredited university, delivers a challenging education to more than 28,000 students. Capella University provides working adults the opportunity to earn online degrees in the fields of business management, health care, higher education, human resources, information technology, mental health, K-12 education, public safety and public administration. International applicants residing outside the United States, Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands are not eligible for acceptance into programs requiring supervised clinical internships or practica within the Schools of Education, Human Services, and Psychology. ADVANTAGES OF ONLINE EDUCATION E-education is definitely a good option to get a online degree to improve student’s career and living styles. Besides, there are so many advantages with which he/she can be benefited with if he/she pursue a distance learning course. Some of the benefits of online education are discussed below: Low Cost: Online studies cost less than any college direct programs. Universities and college charge very less tuition fee for any online course compared to the direct program. A Flexible Time Schedule: Students will be the master of their own schedule. Time is not a problem in an online course. They can attend lectures, complete assignments and take exams at their own time. Effective Learning: Online learning is more effective due to technological involvement. Students will get study materials easily through the internet. Universities and colleges offering online programs are facilitating transcripts, live discussions and training materials which can be retrieved via mail, e-mail or the school's website for reading, downloading and printing. Do not need to live in a hostel: Students do not have to live in college hostel or any other place away from their home. They can stay at their home with their family and pursue the online course Saves time: Online schooling saves time. Students won’t have to spend time driving to school, finding a parking space and racing the clock to get to the classroom. His/her home is his/her classroom. Students are the one in control: Students plan their study time around their work or family time. They create the schedule. If something happens and he/she can’t keep his/her planned schedule due to an emergency or some other reason, he/she can still get all your work done when things get back to normal. This means he/she are the one in control. They set your own hours and their own pace for whatever works best for them. The impact of negative body language or censuring tone: Some learners feel uncomfortable speaking up in a traditional classroom because other learners give negative nonverbal cues, like frowning, rolling their eyes, sighing loudly, crossing their arms, or shaking their head. Online, even if other learners feel negatively about a statement, the learner writing the comment gets to complete the thought before someone else posts a reply. Accessibility: Student can attend online classes from anywhere. Choices: Take courses in different subject matters. Communication: The ability to communicate and interact with students all over the country or even the world. Availability: Documents, transcripts, live discussions and training materials are all archived and recorded so that they can be retrieved via mail, e-mail or the school’s website for reading, downloading, and printing. Instructors are also available at convenient times and respond quickly through email. DISADVANTAGES Alongside the advantages of the Online Distance Education there are also some downsides. The major disadvantages of Online Distance Education include access to technologies, a higher cost of running online courses than people originally envisaged, the inability to receive technical advice and perhaps the most damaging of all, the negative attitude held towards online distance education by lecturers, administrators and even some students. Here are some disadvantages listed: Progress: With an online education, there is probably no one checking your progress on a regular basis. Only guidance can be given to the students, but it’s his/her responsibility for working his/her way through the course. Oral Communications: Due to interaction through email or text chatting, individuals may not have a chance to enhance their oral communication skills. Lack of skills in technology: Many of the lecturers and administration officials connected with online distance education programs are unfamiliar with the technologies themselves High running cost: The cost of simply running appropriate computer systems and an Internet connection is expensive enough let alone when students have to pay for other multimedia material. Employment: Not all work industries acknowledge online degrees. Fraud: Many online degrees are not valid or accredited. Courses: Not all courses are available online. FITNESS FOR PURPOSE According to recent reports, roughly one in six students enrolled in higher education – about 3.5 million people – took at least one online course in 2005. This is double the number who reported doing so in 2002. Five Years of Growth in Online Learning, reported a 10 percent increase in popularity for the cyber classroom. A Survey in United States The Sloan Survey of Online Learning, “Making the Grade: Online Education in the United States, 2006,” shows that 62 percent of chief academic officers say that the learning outcomes in online education are now “as good as or superior to face-to-face instruction,” and nearly 6 in 10 agree that e-learning is “critical to the long-term strategy of their institution.” Both numbers are up from a year ago. Researchers at the Sloan Consortium, which is administered through Babson College and Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, received responses from officials at more than 2,200 colleges and universities across the country. The Sloan report shows that about 80 percent of students taking online courses are at the undergraduate level. About half are taking online courses through community colleges and 13 percent through doctoral and research universities, according to the survey. [ Source:Perspective, Monthly Magazine, May 2009, page 14] E-learning has come full circle An electronic page is miles apart from a textbook. The challenge for e-learning portals is in making their Web pages as, or more effective than textbooks. This is done by making the "virtual course interactive, with chat and other software to make learning a real experience". E-learning has indeed become an essential component of the learning process, rather than an independent and isolated tool. As a result, experts maintain there's been a noticeable trend amongst post-secondary institutions towards including facets of e-learning in their curriculums. E-learning was initially viewed as the be-all and the end-all but now it has come full circle. People have really started to understand the fundamentals as well as the limitations. HOW THE SERVICE CAN BE IMPROVED? Improvement is needed in the following sectors: * Although online distance education is supposed to reach an unprecedented learning audience the number of these students with access to the required technology is relatively low. So, improvement is needed in this sector. * The online programs are great; however, the actual means of accessing the information are missing in a lot of communities. People who live in regional areas rarely own computers that are able to run all the new technologies. The major reason why this is so, is because of the high costs of the computer and the cost of Internet access. This high costing should be cartel down. * Another major setback to the new online distance education system is the current lack of skills by students in using the new technologies. The online student’s has to acquire the kind of necessary knowledge and understanding about new technology. * Many online education syllabus writers aim to have their education programs work in conjunction with new technology and to do this the teachers must pre-empt what technological changes are going to be made before the time of release of the course material. This leaves plenty of space for incorrect assumptions of what will be available. * One of the most common thoughts from many institutions is that, just by using an online system to deliver the course, that it will simply just make the course better. More needs to be done than simply making the course available online to make the course a success. * Teachers should Know the technology they are using! Be very comfortable with it — it will make their life easier and students will rely on them for assistance. * Teachers should know their audience so that they can design in appropriate questions and interactions. Know your participants’ names and use them! Ensure that content is fresh and relevant to their needs. Be aware of what learners might not be aware of. * Institutes should plan the course carefully and make sure that it has enough flexibility. Set clear expectations. Use a syllabus or outline to manage student expectations about institutes response time for individual emails, and define student participation so that students know there is a reward for quality as well as for a minimum number of postings. * Institutes should send out lots of preparation information to make sure attendees are comfortable in their environment. NON-ICT SOLUTION Some of the non-ict solution of e-learning is listed below: * Traditional method. * In rural areas, some educated people teaches children where there is no school. * Private tutor. * Coaching centre. * Language / speaking club.

Life in the inrformation age

2009-12-25T18:13:00.000-08:00

Our living style became and is becoming much more better and easier. We can now order almost anything sitting in home, watch anything and at anytime from our beds, and find out exactly what our friends are doing all day everyday instantaneously. In this time, the world is in our hand. We can do almost anything. Advancement of the technology makes all our work easy and simple. Introduction and continuous advancing of technology in this age changes everything in every sector like- education, communication, banking, shopping, legislation, civil rights, etc. Our life, in this technically advanced information age, is known as the “Life in the Information Age”.

STUDENT

The impact of ICT on the following aspect of life are discussed from the point of view of a typical student:

Education:

Before:

Student’s used to search through books from their Institution’s Huge library, which was time consuming. Read and study lots of books to extract information to prepare their reports or assignments, still he/she had limited resources when it came to preparing reports and assignments. this was a huge pressure for them. They had to collect notes from their teachers and it was very difficult when they miss an important class. In case of getting admission in a new university or Institutes, he had to go there physically and then collects catalogues. After going in various universities and collecting catalogue, he/she then compare the catalogue for him/her future University or institutes. This process takes away lots of time from that student. When institution is closed, he used to go into local library and searched for the relevant books for his study. His work was rather inflexible. Also, those students who has family responsibility ( It could be his father died and he had to lead the family ) can’t go through Universities for Higher studies.

Now:

Now, students have computer in their home with Internet connection. For his reporting or assignment, he/she now collects information from Internet, then he/she edit and prepare it at his home computer. Even, he/she don’t need to go University/school/college physically for his report or assignment submission, he/she simply can E-mail it to his/her Teacher’s Email address. Some students also have Laptop, it is easy to carry anywhere, which means he can browse through internet for collecting information and send it through E-mail no matter where he/she is. He/she doesn’t need to go to universities physically for getting admission information, now he/she simply goes through the universities website and gather information and chooses one from them. Also, he/she can get admit through online. Extracting information of a particular “subject” is now very easy, just type in the “subject” in the search box, a lot of websites lists would appear which contains information about that “subject”. For learning new things he/she just browses the internet and goes to relevant sites to gather knowledge. Now he also has a lot of multimedia to help him learn, this include tutorials, videos, sound files etc. He/she now can chat or have video conference with students and teachers online. Can browse through other educational sites, forums and blogs to widen his views about a topic or learn something new. Internet do have many online virtual library, which means he/she doesn’t need to go to library, can read his desired book sitting in his/her personal room. The respective teachers upload the contents and the key points of the daily lectures to the institution’s site. The style of conducting the classes has also changed through digital presentations aided with videos, sound and animation. Through E-learning, a student can get a degree from his home, doesn’t need to go to University!

Impact:

Preparing reports or assignment was very difficult and time consuming. Now, this can easily be done, from anywhere and at anytime through Internet.
Report or assignment can be submitted instantly at anytime and from anywhere, doesn’t need to go University physically. This saves him/her money and time that would otherwise spend on travel back and forth to University.
The Internet made sure that he did not have to go through a lot of useless information and can find the most correct and precise information on his desired topics.
Internet saves a lot time for gathering information.
Chats, videoconferencing add a new dimension to the students in their earning knowledge.
Multimedia presentation with aided video, sound and animation makes learning a enjoyable thing.
Internet can also be distracting, that means he can end up browsing entertainment sites and other irrelevant sites, when he was supposed to research for an educational topic.

Employment Opportunities:

Before:

First he/she had to prepare his/her resume and qualification papers, search for jobs in newspaper, then physically goes to the office to show his/her resume and qualification papers for the job and finally wait for the interview date from the office through Letter. Or he/she used to roam around from one office to another for the vacancy.

Now:

Now, using Internet, he/she can search through various jobs with full view information of job requirements, by which he/she can compare whether he/she qualified for that job or not. Also, he/she can search any particular job which he/she wants. Now, he can also be searching for on-campus jobs in his institution, which are more convenient and relevant to his study. He/she doesn’t need to go through offices to submit his/her resume and qualification paper, he/she can send it through E-mail. If the office likes his/her qualification then they would send the date through e-mail to his/her E-mail address.

Impact:

He/she can apply for jobs from his home, which saves his transport cost and time.
He/she is more informed about the current job opportunities.
He/she can choose the best suited job for him, which satisfies his maximum demands.
He can get instant replies of his/her queries.
Send his/her resume instantly through e-mail.
He/she gets the interview date through mail from the company.

Shopping And Banking:

Before:

School, college, varsity Bookshop or local bookstore or stationeries was the main place for buying books. Even, when some books are not available there they had to search for the books away from the city or far to get them.. Cash must be given before getting the book, so they had to carry their money with them which is very risky of getting lost, theft or robbed. He used to pay his institution by the checks he received from his parents’. Giving gift to friends or teachers was very difficult because of high delivery charge by the companies. In case urgent money for the student, their parents can’t send it, or it takes much time.

After: Now, he/she search for books in various e-commerce website or online library. To buy, he/she simply have to add the item in the virtual basket, pay money by credit card and click on the order button. He/she would get the book at his hoe in a short time depending of the place of order or order terms and condition. A student can order book from anywhere in the world. And in the Internet, because of the competitive market, price of the item is reasonably low. He now also has the ability to send items or gifts to his family and friends who lives far way. Now his parents can transfer any money he/she needs to his/her account so that he/she can pay the institution and cover various expenses.

Impact:

He/she can buy books simply sitting in his home. So, buying books is more relaxed today.
It saves time and Impact:money.
He/she can buy from anywhere in the world.
Sending gifts to parents or friends who lives far away is very easy.
Can pay institution by credit card.
The online prices of these products are also very reasonable and thus this makes him spent less amount of money.
Buying goods from the internet can sometimes be unreliable and can have hidden costs.

Communication:

Before: Mailing letter or calling to his/her family through the nearest telephone booth was the main source of communications by the students. It was very costly and time consuming. . Sometimes students had to wait in a long line for his turn to call. Communication with friends and teachers in case of emergency were very difficult too. They had to go physically to meet them or make phone call from the nearest booth. Sometimes he/she used to post his reports or assignment to his respective teachers, and letters to his family or friends. This form of communication wasn’t safe and convenience; do had a high rate of letter lost possibility.

After: Now, students have cell phone of their own. Using this they can call to anyone and at anytime. So communication with family, friends, teachers is very easy now. In case of emergency, he/she can call whenever he wants. Using Internet, students can email his queries or reports or assignment to his respective teachers, which turn out to be more fruitful as the teacher can send him detailed feedbacks on his queries including other internet links to help him sort out the problems even better or can comment on his/her report or assignment. Through this cell phone or Internet, a student can communicate with someone whom he never meet face-to-face, can share their feelings and ideas.

Impact:

It is much more cheaper than it was before.
Communication can be done at any time and from anywhere.
Communication is easier and Convenient
It saved a lot of time.
Despite all the advantages, he sometimes finds his monthly cell phone bills to be much higher then expected.
The freedom to communicate with anyone sometimes enables himself to be less efficient at his studies.
Widespread use of cell phones and chat rooms also mean unwanted messages or calls can be easily received.

Entertainment and Leisure:

Before: Reading books, watching television, or playing in the field was their leisure activities. He also used to listen to music using his CD player. Passing time with friends was also an leisure activities.

After: Now, students have personal computer or laptop. Listening Music, watching television and movies via satellite is possible to enjoy using this. Using Internet, can also download latest music and videos . He/she then uploads these to his mp3 player so that he can enjoy them anytime. Now, he/she also plays games and chats with his friends to pass his/her leisure time. Impact:

To entertain himself he doesn’t need to go outside home.
Now his entertainment and leisure activities can also be educational, as he can download educational contents which can be presented in a much colorful form. This may encourage learning as a leisure activity itself.
As laptop is portable, he can use its entertainment facilities from anywhere.
Download music and videos sitting in his/her room.
Easy accessibility of entertainment can make students lazy and can eat away their valuable time.

Engineer

The impact of ICT on the following aspect of life are discussed from the point of view of a typical engineer:

Communication:

Before:

The person used to communicate with his boss or other engineers in the same company concerning various projects using LAN line phone. He/she wasn’t able to communicate with his/her family or friends using office phone because of the company restrictions. His/her clients used to communicate with him/her in his/her land phone in home of office, this communication was fruitful he/she was in his/her home or office. He/she had to keep his/her customer up-to-date about the project by communicating in their land phone, and if land phone wasn’t there then by letters.

Now:

Now, they uses cell phone, can communicate with boss, client, colleagues, family and friends from anywhere and at anytime. As his/her cell phone now has a camera he can also send pictures of the drawings he is working on. He/she can also sent emails from his computer to the clients explaining the full detail of his projects. Can chat with clients discussing about the project. Impact:

Communication has now become faster and more efficient.
Can communicate from anywhere and at anytime.
Can e-mail client with full description of the project.
Multimedia function of cell phone provides opportunity to send his/her drawings of the project.
Client would find Him/her all the time.
Engineer could keep the client always up-to-date about the progress of the project.

Working Style:

Before

He/she used to draw design on papers by hand, it was very difficult as all the client wants accurate design. For change, he/she need to design again. Calculations were done using calculators by the engineer and then had to write on to the designed paper, this had the high possibility of making mistake. All his designs of the project had to store on a file, and the files were stored on filing cabinets. If one is lost, he/had to design it again! He/she had to photocopy the design for the client, sometimes photocopies were unclear. In presenting the design of any companies, he/she had to give a oral presentation only, which sometimes company feels difficult to understand and as a result makes many irrelevant question. After Now the engineer uses computer aided design, here design is easy and accurate. Also the calculation is accurate as it done automatically by the software. Files are stored on computer hard disk, which could be protected, that means no chance of getting lost or used or corrupted by other person. He/she provides his/her client with printed design, which means the design is clear and can be understood easily. If changes are needed, it is very easy to made. While presenting a design of a company’s project, he uses “multimedia presentation” , MS Power Point is used and the presentation shown on a projector screen using a projector connected to his/her laptop. If the listeners require a sample of the plans they are given CDs which contain full details of the plans.

Impact

· Working on AutoCAD is very easy and flexible.

· Doesn’t need to work hard to design a plan.

· Many previously done samples are there, he/she can take help of those.

· Changes in design according to the clients desire can be done easily.

· Computer aided design saves valuable time because the lengthy drawings of plans are no longer needed.

· Storing file is easy, it can be protected, and a lot of file can be stored depending on the hard disk space.

· Virus infection in computer can corrupt the file.

· File can be lost In case of hard disk crash or damage.

· The presentations now are also better than previous presentations, the listeners are given a clear idea about the plan and the engineer finds it easier to speak using the projector as he has prepared the slides accordingly.

Decision Making:

Before:

When he/she face any problem in his/her project, he had to consult with other engineer by meeting him/her physically or by communicating with him/her in land phone at his/her home or office which was very difficult as he/she could be away from home or office. He also used to go through numerous books from the nearest library concerning that topic, and tried to find the solution from them.

Now:

Now, for the solution, he/she can consult with other engineer at any time and from anywhere using cell phone. Can arrange online discussion board, or videoconference for solving the problem. Or can search through various websites or e-books on this subject to find the solution.

Impact:

· He/she can consult at any tome and from anywhere.

· Can through the Internet for finding the solution, doesn’t need to read numerous from the library.

· Contacting with Engineers or colleagues for the problem is easier and convenient.

· Contacting and searching method or way save his/her valuable time and money.

· Also as he/she now talks with people all around the world by discussion board or videoconferencing he/she acquire a wider range of knowledge about his project and this gives him multiple dimensions about a particular topic.

· Internet can be irritating when it comes to searching for information because one has to go through hundreds of pages due to the fuzzy searching procedures on the net.

· For the new user of the net, it is both frustrating and ineffective when specific information is needed quickly, because has go through any websites.

Banking and Shopping

Before:

His/her salary paid by the client (customer) or by the company in cash, which was very risky to carry to his/her home. Sometimes, they were paid by cheque, and he/she had to withdraw it from the bank, it cost time and money. He/she used the bank for keeping store of his/her money, for this he/she had to have a account, and those banks were not easily available in all areas. So, the aviability of withdrawing money from any place wasn’t there. His/her shopping was done from nearest shop or mall by going there physically and he/she had to pay in cash. Though some shop or shopping mall used to provide facility of payment by cheque, but they were limited in number.

Now:

Still most of the client or company pays Him/her by cash or cheque, but due to installment of technology it is very easy and flexible to withdraw money and banks are now available in almost all areas. Now, another form of payment is included, his/her salary is transferred to his bank account electronically and he/she can withdraw the money using credit or debit card. Many banks are also International or have connection with others banks around the world, using this their customer can withdraw money from those banks too. He no longer doesn’t need to go shops for shopping, can shop sitting in his/her home using internet and can pay all his payments via aid of credit card.

Impact:

· Withdrawing money is easy, convenient and flexible.

· Banks are now more readily available and provide 24hours service.

· Money ca be transferred directly from the company or clients account to his/her account.

· Doesn’t need to go out for shopping.

· Shopping from home saves time and money.

· Shopping money can be given via credit cards.

· Shopping through credit or debit card sometimes tempts him to shop for unnecessary, which is a waste of money.

· There are also few fraud e-commerce website, buying from those means wasting money.

Education

Before

It was very difficult or quite impossible for a Engineer to go for further education as well continuing his/her job. Though some institutes used to provide special service to the jobholders but that weren’t flexible and was inconvenient. Also, he/she had to be in the intuition physically for attending the class, sometimes it was difficult when he/she get busy with some project. Also, it wasn’t easy to concentrate on his/her study.

Now

It is possible and easy to go for further education and develop him/her personally by the help of online training courses and educational websites. There Internet is an endless resource, it contains any piece of information he/she may ever want to know. There are also sites that offer online course where he/she get admitted, study according to the information and guideline provided, then sit an exam and he/she will get a qualification. So, a engineer doesn’t need to go institution physically for further study, he/she can study at his/her leisure time in home or in office.

Impact

· Doesn’t need to go in institution physically.

· Can study or log into class at leisure time.

· Saves a lot of his/her time.

· Learning method is easy and attractive.

· Flexible and convenience.

· To get this facility, engineer need any sophisticated equipments and have to have the ability to use computer very well.

Life in the information age

Businessman

Working Style

Before

Order of product was used to be given via letter or mail and used to get order from customers in the same way. Few suppliers and customers used land phone and orders were sometime given using those. His/her office was run in manual system. He had to move through his/her employer’s desk to monitor their task. He/she didn’t have much communication with international businessman. They had to provide training to the new employers, it cost too much money and time and still not very effective.

Now

Giving and receiving order is now very easy and fast and it could be given at anytime during office hour. Most businessman uses special software which monitors the stock and automatically order it to the suppliers when the stock reaches a certain preprogrammed limit. He/she now runs the company or office in computer based system. All the files are stored on computer, works of the employers are monitored by CC Camera and also some programs are there that track whether employees are in the office or out on a call. He/she now has communication with many business bodies outside the country. He/she get business updates whenever he/she wants through Internet. Videoconferencing provides the opportunity to can company meeting even if he/she is out of the office. Trainings are given using technology and they are effective and fruitful and also the course can be finished in very short time.

Impact

Order is fast, easy and reliable.
Gets updates of business information through Internet.
Planning for future target can be made very easily.
Can monitor employees by sitting in his/her office room.
Using videoconferencing, he/she can arrange a company meeting even when he/she is outside the office

Communication

Before

Mailing letter was the main source of communication with Employees, friends, family or other business person. Some uses land phone and was unlikely to get him/her at any time. Same method was used to order for products to the supplier, or getting order from customer. This traditional mail systems may take a day for the recipient to receive it and a day for them to send a reply and fro hi/her to receive it.

Now

He/she now uses cell phone, can be used to communicate with companies, suppliers, customers, friends and family at anytime and from anywhere. Businessman uses online communication (e-mail, IM etc.) services which is quick and allows fast replies and it is guaranteed to get there.

Impact

Traditional Mailing system takes in total of 2 days or more to send and receipt replies. But e-mail take seconds to receive , and few minutes to read it and write a reply, so in total that may have taken a maximum of about 30 minutes, instead of a few days.
Communication is fast and easy.
Communication can be done at anytime from anywhere around the world.
E-mail is more reliable, convenient and cheaper then sending postal mail.
One problem is that, Mail is not read if the recipients doesn’t log on to the Internet.

Decision Making

Before

Sales figure are there on files. He/she had to go through all the files, check sales statistics, check order letters, and then make order to the supplier according to that. If he faced any business problem, he/she can’t instantly contact with other businessman or employees in off period to sort out the problem. In some business problem, which he/she doesn’t faced before, don’t know how to react or what to do, result of which is wrong decision..

Now

Sales information are automatically saved in the software. The software provide statistics and graphs, using which he/she can make decision. Also, software are programmed to order product electronically as soon as the stock comes to a certain limit. List of orders are saved and can supply order according to the information of the customer. In any problem, he can communicate with anyone to sort out the problem. In case of unfamiliar problem, he/she can arrange online discussion board to discuss on the topic, find the solution, and then make decision according to that.

Impact

Sales figure is accurate.
The person can get statistics of sales figure automatically generated by the software.
Software automatically analyses sales and produce details and recommendation, decision can be make according to the recommendation.
Order to the supplier is automatic.
Stock in the warehouse is always balanced.

Banking and shopping

Before

He/she had to walk to their local branch/bank to deposit or take out money. Creating an bank account was difficult and had to be physically present in the bank to create it. To transfer money into another account or check bank balance he/she had to visit the bank physically. Had to shop from nearest market, pay instant cash, so he/she had to carry money with hi.

Now

Now they have a card which can be used in a cash point and certain amount of money can be withdrawn which he/she may need immediately. Depositing money in a bank is very easy and fast as almost all the work has been done using computers. He/she can open an account sitting in home or office. Can sit at home and check bank balance, or at work. Now, they can log onto the banks website using secure ports on the computer for safety and check there balance, ask for help and also transfer money from on account into another. Shopping can be done from home using e-commerce site. With some banks he/she can also transfer money from his/her account into business accounts so he/she can clear invoices. So it is possible to purchase something online and transfer the money electronically without having to use a credit or debit card that come people are very keen on.

Impact

Depositing or withdrawing money is easy , quick and flexible.
Creating account, Transfer money, and checking bank balance can be done sitting in home or office.
With internet shopping it is possible to shop whenever he/she wants, where ever he/she want and also however he/she wants.
He/she can shop from his home or office, so doesn’t need to go market. It saves time and money.
The largest problem of online shopping is fraud.
Most professionals do not have time to be queuing up at banks and sometimes doing their shopping so they do it all through the internet which saves so much time.

Entertainment and Leisure

Before

They are basically very busy, but in leisure he/she passes time he read newspaper or some books. He used to watch TV at home or listen to radio. If he/she wishes to travel far with his/her friends or family then he/she had to go to travel agency physically to set his travel plans.

Now

With the use of the Internet it allows instant access to movies or music so you can get access to entertainment. Newspaper can be read free over Internet, simply have to browse the respective newspaper’s website. Communication of information has allowed more people to hear about different leisure activities. Can chat or arrange conference with other peoples around the world to share his/her views and opinions. Now he/she can buy online concert tickets, CDs, groceries and holidays and other sorts of travel.

Impact

Doesn’t need to bookstall to buy newspaper or books, can find almost all types of newspaper or books over internet, some are also free.
Chat with other peoples around the world to share views and opinion.
Can book Airline tickets or Hotel for traveling.
Watch music or hear songs.
Problem is, he/she can get affected, use Entertainment facilities more than normal and it would take way his/her valuable time.

DOCTOR

The impact of ICT on the following aspect of life are discussed from the point of view of a typical doctor:

Communication

Before Land phone at home or at office was his main source of communication with his/her patients, clinic, friends and families. This land phone was stationary, which means it was not portable. When a patient or clinic or hospital needs His/Her help or advice, simply they had to call him/her at his/her land phone. Problem arises when he/she is out of Home or Office. This sort communication was very inconvenient as the doctor can only be reached if he was in his home, which is very unlikely for a busy person.

Now Now, doctors use cell phone, it is portable and can be carried anywhere, so it stays with him/her all the time. So, he/she is available for his/her patients, clinics, friends and family for all the time as he/she can carry cell phone wherever he/she goes. He/she can communicate with others using E-mail, IM or conferencing. Using this Internet or Online communication, he/she can communicate or be in touch with other doctors around the world, with hospitals or with International societies and also participates in sharing knowledge with them and learns about all the latest developments in his/her fields.

Impact.

Communication is easier and more convenient.
He can carry phone with him/her.
He is more available with his friends, families and others.
Can communicate with international societies and hospitals.
Patient can ask for his/her advice from around the world.
He can be contacted anywhere, at anytime by anyone.
When he/she is not in chamber or office, clinics or hospital or patient can easily communicate with Him/her.
Phone Book option in his/her cell phone gives the facility to store huge amounts of phone number.
Now with constant availability, the doctor can now attend emergencies at late nights and answer calls in any part of the day. With facilities such as e-mail, instant messaging, newsgroups and bulletin boards, the doctor can be part of international societies.
He/she can keep him/her up-to-date about the latest developments news in his/her fields.

Decision Making:

Before He/she cannot give service to the patients with unfamiliar syndromes as he/she doesn’t know about it’s cure. These cases would lead him to refer the patients to other doctors with higher qualification or any specialty.

Now Now using Internet he/she gets latest news updates in his/her field, have communication with international societies and other doctors, using this he/she can discuss about any particular syndrome and it’s cure which he/she faced from on of his/her patient. Or, he/she can note the unfamiliar syndromes of that patient, then he searches the web for all possible treatments to diseases with the noted syndromes. Then after adequate research, the doctor notifies the patient and gives him the proper treatment. Or, to make a reliable and accurate decision , he/she can arrange a videoconferencing with doctors around the world to have discussion on that syndrome and find it’s cure.

Impact

He/she can give the service to his/her patient, though it may take soe time, but doesn’t need deny the patient.
Can discuss about this fact with other doctors around the world and comes to a correct decision.
His treatments are now more accurate and more reliable.
Also the help he takes from other doctors on the internet may sometimes be wrong due to which there is a chance that he may do wrong treatment to the patient.
It is very difficult to arrange a video conferencing with others doctor as everyone is very busy at their own sector.

Banking and Shopping:

Before His/her earning money were kept in Almirah, or in a secret box. They also used to deposit money in banks, which was far away from home. It was very difficult to open an account in a bank, Terms and conditions of banks and rules for depositing money were not flexible. It used to take too much time to deposit or withdraw money. Nearest shop or shopping mall were his/her main places to shop for his necessities. He/she had to go or move far for shopping when he doesn’t find his/her desired item. He had to carry cash with Him and it was very risky.

Now Still money are deposited in banks or Almirah, but rules and process is much more flexible and easy because of the introduction of ICT. Now, banking system doesn’t take much time to deposit or withdraw money as almost is done by the computers. Opening an account has been made easy. Most bank do provide credit or debit card facility. ATM booth for depositing or withdrawing money is now found in almost every street. For shopping, he/she doesn’t need to go outside. To shop, he/she simply have to log onto the internet, browse e-commerce site, select item and order, that’s it! He/she would receive the item in a very short time. He can also pay using credit cards for hi/her shopping.

Impact

Depositing or withdrawing money is now very easy and flexible.
ATM booths are found almost everywhere.
Any cab be brought over Internet.
Credit cards can be used in super malls and while buying things over internet.
If he/she have cards, doesn’t need to carry huge amounts of money with him/her for shopping.
He can also order items online from his chamber to his house sparing having him time from shopping and spend that time in other activities.

Working Style

Before Inquiring the patient, trying to sort out the problem he/she might have, then provides a list of medicine for it’s cure or ask him/her to run several test to confirm about the disease and then make decision of how to treat him/her. Doctors didn’t had the chance to keep records of his/her patients and their syndromes.

Now The system is same: inquiring the patient, sort out the problem, and then gives the prescription. But he/she provides the patient with printed prescription which he writes using software on his/her. This software contains all the names and treatments of various types of diseases. Now, also he/she do have the database of all the diseases he has treated along with the names and other details of the patients who had those diseases. In case patient gives a test, a printed result comes out and this result is automatically transferred in original record of the patient in the main database used by the doctor.

Impact

Can store patient description.
Fewer mistakes when writing prescription as spelling checkers and other aids in the software prevent mistakes.
Saves a lot of time.
Have the database of patient and his/her disease and prescription that was given.
New system increased the doctor’s performance.
Doctor’s work is now more accurate and more efficient.

Leisure and Entertainment

Before The doctor used to pass his/her leisure time reading newspaper, medical journal or reading other book. Information is not the latest, that means he/she doesn’t get much information about the latest development in his/her sector. This form of entertainment was only on a single media that is paper. Also, he/she had to cost money for the newspaper or magazine and he had to spent time to buy those form book shop.

Now In his/her leisure time, reads newspaper magazine from respective sites which also provide live updates, reads e-books and get latest development news from many blogs and sites. He has also subscribed to some medical sites, which e-mail him any updates he is interested in, this saves him his money and the news about the updates are narrowed down so that he to get the most relevant information in the most effective way. He/she also, passes time chatting with his/her friends or other doctors around the world.

Impact

He is always up-to-date.
He is much more relaxed as he/she doesn’t need to go out to buy newspaper, magazine or book.
The accessibility of entertainment and leisure being so easy causes him to be a little inefficient as well as sometimes he may lose the track of time and over enjoy himself.

SHOPKEEPER

The impact of ICT on the following aspect of life are discussed from the point of view of a typical shop keeper:

Communication

Before:

When he/she is out of stock, he used to make call in suppliers land phone and order or had to go physically at suppliers shop to bring the product. Letters and phone call in land phone was his/her main for of communication with his/her friends and family, which proved to be expensive. Now:

Uses Cell phone, E-mail to communicate with his/her suppliers, customers, friends and family. E-mail is very productive form of communication when he/she is abroad as phone call charge is very high. He/she can contact face-to-face with his/her friends and family using video chat or can arrange video conferencing. He/she has laptop with internet connection, which he/she carries with him/her all the time. So, communication can be done at anytime and from anywhere.

Impact:

E-mail is free, only internet connection is needed. So, he/she can now communicate directly with his family members who live far away for free.
Communication with suppliers can be made at any time and from anywhere.
As communication is in time, which means he/she doesn’t rum out of stock.
This constant connectivity helps him maintain his stock of products more efficiently, as orders can be placed instantly, just by visiting the manufactures’ site.
Spamming can annoy him/her.
The internet also has made him more vulnerable to virus attacks.

Banking and Shopping

Before:

His/her daily income was kept locked in a locker, he/she used to bring some of the money from the locker in home and keep safe in Almirah. He/she used to take all the money to the bank for deposition at the end of each month. For shopping, he/she had to carry his/her cheque book or cash. After shopping, he/she wrote a cheque from his cheque book and paid. Only few shops used to provide this service. In case of shopping from other shops, he had to pay cash.

Now: Now he/she can deposit money in banks at the end of the day as there banks are more readily located. It doesn’t take much time to deposit money due to the installments of the technology in the banks. Money can be withdrawn using bank cards from their cash point and those point can be found in almost all places. Now most banks provide this service 24hours. He now uses the computer to notify the bank at the end of the month to pick up his money. Can check bank balance sitting in home or shop.. Now he/she also provides the facilities to accept credit or debit card from his customers, customers find the facility flexible, and as a result the shopkeeper finds more customers. He/she shop online and pays by credit card. He/she uses special software in his/her shop which count the stock of each item and produce a automatic order if it reaches below a certain level.

Impact:

· Using Cards, money can be withdrawn at any time.

· Withdrawing money is fast and easy.

· Money can be deposited everyday. So, it is safe everyday. There is less chances of theft, which was a major problem before because he/she had very weak security

· Doesn’t need to go bank for transferring money from his/her account to another account.

· Can shop online. Because of special tailor-made software order is automatically sent to suppliers whenever needed.

Employment Opportunities

Before:

In any employee needed to help him, he/she had to give advertisement in local newspaper. Interview the candidates, chooses from the candidates and then employed them. Now:

Advertisement can now be given in local websites and newspaper through Internet. Some provides free service, other charges for the advertise. But the most significant thing is, he/she can publish advertisement in local websites and newspaper sitting in his/her Room. He/she has made a generalized form for the applicants, who need to fill and submit it to him/her. Later, he/she goes through those forms to choose his employee.

Impact:

Some websites offers free advertisement, other has charge but the charge is low. So, he/she spends less money for getting employee than before.
He/she doesn’t need to go out in newspaper agency for the advertisement. This work can be done sitting in his/her room.
Also he/she does not have to go through long interviews processes as he/she gets all the information of the person in a short form.
Although as he no longer takes face to face interview he does not get a complete idea on that person's personality which becomes a problem later on.

Working Style

Before:

He/she had to list items with price in a big account book when the item is supplied by the supplier. The book contains item description, buying price, selling price etc. A ledger or sales book is used to list of all the sold items, using which he/she counts the total income of the day and also check each items stock by subtracting sold item with the supplied item. He/she had to make phone call or write letter or visit physically to purchase or order to get the item which is out of stock. He/she used to produce a yearly report by checking all the data in each book (account book, sales book etc.) at the end of the year to get his/her yearly income.

Now: List of all the supplied items are now recorded in computer database, which means no paper waste. This database also contains description, prices etc. of the item. In another database, all his/her sold items are listed. The database software produces daily, monthly or yearly income. All the databases are linked and stocks are automatically calculated and the software e-mail order whenever needed.

Impact:

· Saves paper waste as all the data are stored in computer database

· Storage system is secured.

· Searching a particular item from database is simple and quick, doesn’t need to go through all the records.

· Calculating Total sales or profit is done by computer and the calculation is accurate, while previously it was a tedious process of working night and day adding up the total amount for the daily, monthly or yearly reports.

· Stocks are controlled by the software.

· Virus Infection can damage or corrupt the database.

· If computer hardware crashes, all the records would be lost.

Decision Making

Before:

He/she used to face problem in making up mind whether to buy a particular new item for sale on his shop, because he/she didn’t know full description of the product and its popularity to the customers. He/she had to consult with other local shop keepers and took the decisions on basic instincts.

Now:

Now he/she gets full description of the product, can consult directly with the company via e-mail or phone call, and can gets full chart on the sales of products which would make him/her clear about increasing popularity rate among the customer of this product. Also he can consult shopkeepers from around the whole region to know how the product is doing and then put the item on sale in his shop. There are some survey sites which produce current popularity item or current demand of the market and this helps him to make a decision which new kind of products would probably boosts his sales. Impact:

Before buying, he/she can justify the product.
As he makes the decision after justifying the product, decision proves right in most case, and he/she now has more profit on items than before.
He/she now knows the current market demand of the item.
Some information on survey sites or product forums can be misleading so taking the wrong suggestion sometime helps him take bad decisions.

Conclusion

The use and impact of ICT has changed the way that we live, almost everything we do now has the use of a computer or use one of the information systems. What used to take some one maybe a couple of days by hand can be done now in just a few hours or in minutes. It affected and changed our personal, social and professional lifestyle. It advancing day by day and would advance more to make our life easier. With this technology our possibilities are endless and new doors of opportunity are opening everyday. However, bad sectors are also there, in this section I tried to sort out problems and criticize and appreciate the role of ever changing technologies in our daily lives.

2009-09-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

Look at the History... Not very long before....... In 8th to 14th century............To the west this is called Dark age...... On the other hand to the Muslim it was called "The Golden Age". Brother did u ever tried to know why this middle ages are called differently by them? I don't think so!!! Muslims were very much advanced in science & technology in this middle ages. They ruled the whole world . Because they were good at thier Knowledge, behaviour, attitude which attracted others. Islam influenced them to earn knowledge & be righteous. Muslims at time was very religious and they used to study the HOLY QURAN. This Holy book showed them the right path. This Holy book influenced them to work on science. And as a result they were very much advanced in knowledge, science and technology. They studied and work hard on this subject. On the other hand, europeans were in the dark. They were uncivilized. They used to follow thier forefathers. However, towards the end of 13th or 14th century west began to understand thier lackings. They Started Crusade to the Muslims. World advanced, Muslims declined. negative side of the Technology attracted the Muslims. Western slowly and step by step take away The HOLY QURAN from the Muslims. Muslims forgot their glory. As a result in present Muslims are the most ignored and Islam is the most misunderstood religion. And on the other hand western are controlling all the things including media. Brothers & Sisters We Have To Rise, To save the Mulims, To raise Islam, To show the world the right path, and most of all TO PLEASE AND ACT ON WHAT OUR MIGHTY LORD ASKS US TO DO.

Islam - The Religion Of Peace

2009-01-29T20:05:00.000-08:00

Today, many non-Muslims regard Islam as a religion that promotes violence, terrorism and war. Unfortunately, they rely in their view of Islam on the general media, which is not always accurate in reporting the news. Many media outlets, such as TV, radio, newspapers and magazines, are influenced by their investors or owners who have certain agendas and who want to promote certain values and points of view. Other media outlets are simply after the "big story", in order to make more money and more profits. Others are simply "followers", who only gather news from other sources, re-package it and try to sell it again purely as a business. In all these cases, the news reporting is not accurate, but is driven by ulterior motives or simply by profits. Only very few media organizations are committed to providing accurate and true information, regardless of financial gain. Therefore, people today should be very careful in what they take from the media. Before blindly accepting what the TV, radio or newspaper is reporting, one should think critically about what is being reported. Is this being reported accurately, or is it being exaggerated or even completely fabricated? Who are these people reporting the news, and do they have vested interests to report the story in a certain way, or are they completely objective and fair? Critical thinking is very important in all aspects of life, especially when it comes to accepting the media reports about important and controversial issues. Islam is in fact a religion that promotes peace and understanding among people of all faiths, and it strongly prohibits all forms of violence and aggression against all people regardless of their faith or race.

Islamic Story

2008-12-19T23:52:00.000-08:00

Tragic Death of Two Friends Tell a Friend Here is a true incident of two Muslim friends who died in an accident. The incident took place in 2001 in Toronto, Canada. One of the brothers who died was our neighbour. His name was Samanthar. He was a teenager and had great dreams for the future. We would visit him sometimes to talk about the purpose of life. Due to the pressure from friends, he would always say "Insha-Allah" and hope to start doing things in the near future. Then one day, it all came to an end. Brother Samanthar along with another brother was driving a car at night around 9:00 p.m. At one place, they stopped the car as the traffic light turned red. Far behind them was a police car that was chasing a stolen van. The van came really fast and hit Samanthar's car from the back. Instantly, the two brothers passed away. May Allah forgive them and cover them with His mercy. Everyone, mainly the youth, should take a lesson from this incident that death is unpredictable. No one should delay practising Islam for a later time as that time may never come. Let's make a strong commitment to start today. May Allah make it easy.

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM

2008-12-10T01:54:00.000-08:00

The 'Five Pillars' of Islam are the foundation of Muslim life: # Faith or belief in the Oneness of God and the finality of the prophethood of Muhammad; #Establishment of the daily prayers; #Concern for and almsgiving to the needy; #Self-purification through fasting; and #The pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are able.

Iman or Faith

"There is none worthy of worship except God and Muhammad is the messenger of God." This declaration of faith is called the Shahadah, a simple formula that all the faithful pronounce. The significance of this declaration is the belief that the only purpose of life is to serve and obey God, and this is achieved through the teachings and practices of the Last Prophet, Muhammad.

Salah or Prayer

Salah is the name for the obligatory prayers that are performed five times a day, and are a direct link between the worshipper and God. There is no hierarchical authority in Islam and there are no priests. Prayers are led by a learned person who knows the Qur'an and is generally chosen by the congregation.

Prayers are said at dawn, mid-day, late-afternoon, sunset and nightfall, and thus determine the rhythm of the entire day. These five prescribed prayers contain verses from the Qur'an, and are said in Arabic, the language of the Revelation. Personal supplications, however, can be offered in one's own language and at any time.

Although it is preferable to worship together in a mosque, a Muslim may pray almost anywhere, such as in fields, offices, factories and universities. Oftentimes visitors to the Muslim world are struck by the centrality of prayers in daily life.

A translation of the Adan or Call to Prayer is: God is Great.

God is Great.

I testify that there is none worthy of worship except God.

I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.

Come to prayer!

Come to success!

God is Great!

There is none worthy of worship except God.

Zakah

The financial obligation upon Muslims.

An important principle of Islam is that everything belongs to God, and that wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust. The word zakah means both "purification" and "growth." Our possessions are purified by setting aside a proportion for those in need and for the society in general. Like the pruning of plants, this cutting back balances and encourages new growth.

Each Muslim calculates his or her own zakah individually. This involves the annual payment of a fortieth of one's capital, excluding such items as primary residence, car and professional tools.

An individual may also give as much as he or she pleases as sadaqa-h, and does so preferably in secret. Although this word can be translated as "voluntary charity" it has a wider meaning. The Prophet said, "Even meeting your brother with a cheerful face is an act of charity." The Prophet also said: "Charity is a necessity for every Muslim." He was asked: "What if a person has nothing?" The Prophet replied: "He should work with his own hands for his benefit and then give something out of such earnings in charity." The Companions of the Prophet asked: "What if he is not able to work?" The Prophet said: "He should help the poor and needy." The Companions further asked: "What if he cannot do even that?" The Prophet said: "He should urge others to do good." The Companions said: "What if he lacks that also?" The Prophet said: "He should check himself from doing evil. That is also an act of charity."

Sawm or Fasting

Every year in the month of Ramada-n, all Muslims fast from dawn until sundown--abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations with their spouses.

Those who are sick, elderly, or on a journey, and women who are menstruating, pregnant or nursing, are permitted to break the fast and make up an equal number of days later in the year if they are healthy and able. Children begin to fast (and to observe prayers) from puberty, although many start earlier.

Although fasting is beneficial to health, it is mainly a method of self-purification and self-restraint. By cutting oneself from worldly comforts, even for a short time, a fasting person focuses on his or her purpose in life by constantly being aware of the presence of God. God states in the Qur'an: "O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed to those before you that you may learn self-restraint." (Qur'an 2:183)

Hajj or Pilgrimage

The pilgrimage to Makkah (the hajj) is an obligation only for those who are physically and financially able to do so. Nevertheless, over two million people go to Makkah each year from every corner of the globe providing a unique opportunity for those of different nations to meet one another.

The annual hajj begins in the twelfth month of the Islamic year (which is lunar, not solar, so that hajj and Ramada-n fall sometimes in summer, sometimes in winter). Pilgrims wear special clothes: simple garments that strip away distinctions of class and culture, so that all stand equal before God.

The rites of the hajj, which are of Abrahamic origin, include going around the Ka'bah seven times, and going seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa as did Hagar (Hajir, Abraham's wife) during her search for water. The pilgrims later stand together on the wide plains of 'Arafat (a large expanse of desert outside Makkah) and join in prayer for God's forgiveness, in what is often thought as a preview of the Day of Judgment.

The close of the hajj is marked by a festival, the 'Id al Adha, which is celebrated with prayers and the exchange of gifts in Muslim communities everywhere. This and the 'Id al Fitr, a festive day celebrating the end of Ramada-n, are the two holidays of the Islamic calendar.

ISLAM AND PEACE

2008-12-07T02:32:00.000-08:00

Islam & Peace

Islam aims to build a peaceful society at all cost. It is because higher human objectives cannot be achieved in the absence of peaceful circumstances. The spiritual as well as moral progress of the individual is possible only in peaceful atmosphere. Hence the atmosphere of peace is essential for the building of good society. Academic research too is possible only in peaceful circumstances. The task of the propagation of truth too can be performed only in peaceful atmosphere.

That is why one of the teachings of Islam is ‘reconciliation is the best’ (4:128). In this regard Islam enjoins us to establish peace even at the cost of unilateral sacrifice and patience. An event of the first phase of Islamic history provides us with an example of this unilateralism. This is known as Sulh Hudaibiya (Hudaiybiya Treaty). This was in actual fact a no-war pact that was secured by accepting all the demands of the rival group.

To bring about an atmosphere of peace within the society Islam has given a number of commandments. For instance, the Prophet of Islam observed ‘A believer is one from whom people feel secure as regards their lives and property (At-Tirmizi). Another hadith has this to say: By God, he is not a believer from whose nuisance his neighbor is not safe. (Al-Bukhari)

Islam aims at making all individuals peace-loving to the ultimate extent. That is why we are enjoined to greet one another by saying ‘Assalam-o-Alaikum’ that is, peace be upon you. According to another saying of the Prophet, the best Islam is to greet everyone you come across, whether or not you are acquainted with the person. (Fathul-Bari 1/103).

The frequent reiteration of this phrase ‘peace be upon you’ is in actual fact an external manifestation of the desire for peace within. Islam wishes to inculcate this feeling within every individual that he should become a true lover of peace, to the point that this feeling starts welling up in his heart, finding expression whenever he meets a person.

Islam is a peace-loving religion from beginning to end. And it is but natural that it should be so, as all the best results it aims to achieve, can be achieved only when an atmosphere of peace is maintained at both national and international level.

This path of peace is followed by the entire universe. It is known in science as the law of nature, which is imposed upon it by God. Whereas man has to adopt this path of peace of his own free will. This has been expressed in the Qur’an in these words: "Are they seeking a religion other than God’s, when every soul in heaven and earth has submitted to Him, willingly or by compulsion? To Him they shall all return" (3:83).When peace is the religion of the entire universe, it should, therefore, be the religion of man too, so that, in the words of Jesus Christ, the will of the Lord may be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)

In a similar vein, the Qur’an tells us that: "The sun is not allowed to overtake the moon, nor does the night outpace the day. Each in its own orbit runs." (36:40)

When God created heaven and the earth, He so ordered things that each part might perform its function peacefully without clashing with any other part. For billions of years, therefore, the entire universe has been fulfilling its function in total harmony with His divine plan. Peace is no external commodity to be artificially imposed upon man. Peace is inherent in nature itself. The system of nature set up by God already rests on the basis of peace. If this system is not disrupted, it will continue to stay the course set for it by the Almighty. It is true that the only condition to maintain the human system on the path of peace is to keep it free from the elements of corruption. That is why the Qur’an states:
And do not corrupt the land after it has been set in order. (7:85)

In order to preserve the peace established by nature, from disruption, two important injunctions have been laid down by Islam. One at the individual level, stresses the exercise of patience, and the other, at the social level, forbids taking the offensive.

Negative reaction on the part of the individual is the greatest factor responsible for disrupting peace in daily life. It repeatedly happens that in social life one experiences bitterness on account of others. On such occasions, if one reacts negatively, the matter would escalate to the point of a head-on collision. That is why Islam repeatedly enjoins us to tread the path of patience. The Qur’an says: Surely the patient will be paid their wages in full without measure. (39:10)

The reason for the rewards for patience being so great is that patience is the key factor in maintaining the desired system of God. In the words of the Qur’an the patient man is the helper of God. (61:14)

The other injunction, designed to maintain peace in human society is to forbid the waging of an offensive war. No one in Islam enjoys the right to wage war against another. There are no grounds on which this could be considered justifiable. (2:190)

There is only one kind of war permitted in Islam and that is a defensive war. If a nation by deviating from the principles of nature wages war against another nation, then, a defensive war, with certain conditions, may be waged by the country under attack. To sum up, Islam is a religion of peace. The Arabic root of Islam is ‘silm’ which means peace. The Qur’an states: ‘…and Gods calls to the home of peace’ (10:25). It is thus God’s will that men and women should jointly establish a society of peace in His world. Peace is basic to all religions. Let us all strive then to establish peace in the world, for that is the bedrock on which all human progress rests.