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

E-Government refers to the use of internet technology as a platform for exchanging information, providing services and transacting with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government. e-Government may be applied by the legislature, judiciary, or administration, in order to improve internal efficiency, the delivery of public services, or processes of democratic governance.

Current applications of e-government in Malaysia are e-filling, Renewing Road Tax & Diving License Online, KWSP’s i-Akuan, E-Perolehan. NEW PROJECT MONITORING SYSTEM (NPMS) is an e-government application system designed to monitor and facilitate evaluation of all development programmes and projects via the SarawakNet infrastructure. The State Government will be launching the NPMS in the middle of this year to monitor the implementation of all State Funded projects under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP).This new system is developed to address the weaknesses of the present online monitoring system, the System for Project Implementation Monitoring (SPIM).

This new system is formulated and developed based on a bottom-up approach whereby the users of the system, albeit the implementing agencies themselves, will determine their own monitoring requirement at the project, branch office, Headquarters and Ministry level. The State Government will be launching the NPMS in the middle of this year to monitor the implementation of all State Funded projects under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP).

There are five ways to encourage more citizens to use the e-government application. There are making it mandatory, create incentives to move to the digital channel, advertise, form partnerships with the private sector, and change the culture.

Corporate Blogging: A new marketing communication tool for companies

A corporate webblog is published and used by an organization to reach its organizational goals.Although there are many different types of corporate blogs, most can be categorized as either external or internal.

An internal blog, generally accessed through the corporation's Intranet, is a weblog that any employee can view. Many blogs are also communal, allowing anyone to post to them.

An external blog is a publicly available weblog where company employees, teams, or spokespersons share their views. It is often used to announce new products and services, to explain and clarify policies, or to react on public criticism on certain issues. It also allows a window to the company culture and is often treated more informally than traditional press releases, though a corporate blog often tries to accomplish similar goals as press releases do. In some corporate blogs, all posts go through a review before they're posted.

One of the corporate blog with recently added listing is Coca-Cola Coversations(http://www.coca-colaconversations.com/), authored by Phil Mooney, the historian/archivist for The Coca-Cola Company for the last 30 years.

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

The advantages of the corporate blog:
1) Leaders can communicate directly with customers, suppliers and investors, as well as employees, helping disseminate and explain strategy.
2) Blogs give the writer an opportunity to answer critics in a controlled forum.
3) Compared with conference or printed memos to all staff, blogs are highly cost effective.
4) A well written blog can give a human face to an otherwise anonymous corporation.

The disadvantages of the corporate blog:
1) The best non-corporate blogs are spontaneous and genuine. Poorly written corporate blogs can look fake -- or perhaps worse, they reveal incompetence on he part of the writer.
2) It is difficult for executives to write freely, particularly at listed companies where they are legally required to publish significant information to all investors at the same time.
3)There is a risk that an ill-judged comment could be seized upon by the media or disgruntled investors.

A review on a post on Legal from My E-Commerce blog

After I review Piracy in Malaysia: Fighting through Education and Enforcement! from My E-Commerce blog i found that Malaysia is not the only country that manufactures and sells pirated goods. And I would much rather describe Malaysia for its natural wonders and national culture than for its piracy.

We Malaysians have been pirating anything and everything in Malaysia since before I was born! We have pirated computer games, pirated movies, pirated clothes, pirated electronics, pirated watches, pirated bags, pirated shoes, pirated handphone (aka cellphone) accessories, pirated books, and the list is endless. In fact, pirated goods are so abundant in Malaysia that you would be hard pressed to find original goods!

Pirating goods in Malaysia is no longer just a black-market activity that takes place in back-alleys and secluded stores, it has now mutated into a huge ‘broad-daylight’ market in Malaysia! You can find pirated goods at many Malaysian malls, you can find them at Malaysia’s famous night-markets, you can find them anywhere! You don’t even have to find them, they come looking for you!

So next time if someone asks you what Malaysia is famous for; don’t think about our export businesses, our world famous beaches, or even the grand Petronas Twin Towers. Instead, tell them about the Malaysian Pirateers and how they bring more variety of goods to the Malaysian people...

The intention of my post is to bring up the fact that piracy in Malaysia is so entrenched in the economy and daily life that it would take a great concerted effort by everybody to reduce/remove it.

Piracy is a social and economic issue in Malaysia that should definitely be paid more attention to…by EVERYONE. Please...Love our country, Love MALAYSIA!!!

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

E-auction is a market mechanism by which buyers make bids and seller place offers and it characterized by the competitive and dynamic nature by which the final price is reached. It is conducted by online. There are many types of E-auction fraud such as bid shielding, shilling, give fake photos and misleading description, improper grading techniques, selling reproductions as originals, failure to pay, failure to pay the auction house and etc. There are some prevention for the E-auction fraud. Such as:
~ User Identity Verification: A voluntary program that encourages users to supply eBay with information for online verification such as NRIC.
~ Authentication service: A way of determining whether an item is genuine and described appropriately relies on the expertise of the authenticators.
~ Grading services: A way of determining the physical condition of an item.
~ Feedback Forum: Allows registered buyers and sellers to build up their online trading reputations and comment on their experience with another.
~ Insurance policy: eBay offers insurance underwritten by Lloyd’s of London at no cost to eBay users.
~ Escrow services: Both seller and buyers in a deal are protected with an independent third party. The buyer mails the payment to the escrow service which verifies the payment alerts the seller when everything is checked.
~ Non payment punishment: A policy against those who do not honor their winning bids.
~ Appraisal services Expert assessment of authenticity and condition and reviewing what comparable items have sold in the marketplace.