Justifications of Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce

In this world of competitive business environment where every thing is getting supersonic speed, the old business trends are not finding them to provide the most suitable business solutions. Business world is becoming global market and the business rules, business processes and techniques are also required to be updated. The new threats and challenges are emerged as the outcome of globalization though the opportunities are also enhanced. The one of the major challenges of the business world is handling of huge data volumes to find relevant data and then to extract relevant and meaningful information to design planning and strategy to get the maximum benefit in any business domain. Although it seems to be Electronic commerce (e-Commerce) is a general concept which covers any form of business transaction or information exchange executed using information and communication technologies (ICT's).E-Commerce includes electronic trading of goods, services and electronic material e-Commerce systems include commercial transactions on the Internet but their scope is much wider than this e.g Electronic Market, Electronic Data Exchange (EDI), Internet Commerce. It is the commercialization and popularization of the Internet that has put e-Commerce towards the top of the public and political agenda but e-Commerce using electronic markets and EDI have been an established part of the business scene for at least a decade prior to the 'Internet era'. This article is provides an account of electronic commerce with respect to the link with various stake holders.

Purpose: The aim of the article is to analyse the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in Polish enterprises from the TSL sector. Design/Methodology/Approach: The first stage of research, based on the method of analysis and criticism of the literature, will be prepared in the area of the subject taken, including relations between the main concepts. This stage is auxiliary and constitutes a starting point for further research. The essential data source about the article’s description were reports published by the Statistical Office. The method of literature analysis in terms of TSL sector as well as report analysis and own observations will be used. Findings: The results of conducted analysis show that today’s information and communication technologies (ICT) have revolutionized the way of working, transformed the economy and irreversible affected human activity in the information society. Practical Implications: Research results may be used by TSL sector enterprises and as teaching material at higher education facilities. The article brings a number of valuable information that can be the base material and reference to further research, programs and studies. It may be useful for practitioners and analytics of transport industry to broaden applications of ICT solutions. Originality/value: The results of the analysis and theoretical considerations in this article complement the current research in the field of information and communication technologies, and may become a valuable resource of knowledge and a set of specimens that can be useful in developing dissertations in the field of management.

Information and communication technologies (ICT) are one of the important determinants for the rapid growth of E-Commerce transactions all over the world. The upshot of ICT and the initiative by Malaysian government flourish online businesses in the country. The aim of this paper is to show the potential growth of ICT and the development of E-Commerce in Malaysia. The impact of internet usage, internet disclosure, internet experience and the improvement of ICT have positive implications for the information technology (IT) infrastructure and for the E-Commerce development in the country. Finding shows that the behavior of internet users for purchasing online is changing through the growth of ICT and IT infrastructure. The increasing rate of internet users, online spending and adopting of new technologies are the key drivers for the development of E-Commerce in Malaysia. Government initiatives for the development of IT infrastructure and E-Commerce have shown a positive feedback from the businesses all over the country. This study may enable the decision makers of the developing countries to adopt the initiatives and steps of the Malaysian government as a role model for the development of E-Commerce and knowledge base economy. This paper also provides the background of the ICT dependency, its influence on purchase intentions and the development of E-Commerce in Malaysia.

Digital development for a progressive networked society

This study examined Spanish young people’s gender-stereotyped beliefs and attitudes about people working in the field of information and communications technology (ICT). For this purpose, their positive, negative, and neutral perceptions of the associated characteristics of these workers were also analyzed. Likewise, the use of masculine, feminine, or neutral expressions to describe these professionals was explored. The existence of gender differences in these aspects was also investigated. 900 students from Catalonia (51 % girls) enrolled in the last course of junior secondary education (mean of age=15 years old; S.D. = 1.73) participated in a survey with close and open-ended questions. Content analysis of responses to an open-ended question indicated that the boys and girls held several stereotypical beliefs about ICT professionals (a highly male-dominated field), but they also reported counter-stereotypical beliefs about them. As expected, these stereotypical beliefs described a masculine portrayal of ICT workers. Contrary to expectations, most of the students’ portrayals of people working in ICT were either positive or neutral, not negative. Likewise and opposite to predictions, young males did not show more positive attitudes towards ICT professionals than girls. In fact, both girls and boys evaluated more positively than negatively the different descriptive aspects associated with ICT professionals. In support of expectations, most boys and girls referred to masculine role models working in ICT. No gender differences were observed in the type of characteristics associated with ICT professionals. However, young females were more likely to offer feminine references about professions where ICT is the tool rather than the object of their work. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings within the context of Spain are discussed.

Background. Life expectancy is an important health status indicator based on average number of years a person at a given age may be expected to live given current mortality rates. Given this significance, it would be necessary to probe into the factors affecting the life expectancy. Ensuring that information and communication technology (ICT) services are properly used could contribute to development and achievement, as it represents an important issue for the countries moving toward knowledge-based and information-based societies. Therefore, this study explored the impact of the information and communication technology on life expectancy. Methods. This study covers annual data from 2008 to 2018 for a group of countries in the Middle East. Data were retrieved from the Annual Reports such as World Bank and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) data sets. The effects of ICT on life expectancy are estimated with the Panel model. We also used the Hausman test to investigate fixed versus random effects. The data were analyzed by Stata 14 software. Results. The core findings of this study confirm the significant impact of ICT on life expectancy in the Middle East. The calculated Coefficient of the regression was 0.551 indicating how much life expectancy changes when ICT variable increases by one unit. Moreover, the rho (intraclass correlation) was found to be 0.975 showing that 97.5% of the variance is due to differences across panels. Conclusion. Considering the effect of ICT on life expectancy, policymakers of the Middle Eastern countries should integrate the use of ICT with the existing programs and systems. Technology is not an end in itself but merely the means to reinforce the existing system and to meet the locally determined goals. It can be used as a tool to attain broader health and development goals. Background Life expectancy is an important health status indicator based on average number of years a person at a given age may be expected to live given current mortality rates. Given this significance, it would be necessary to probe into the factors affecting the life expectancy. Ensuring that information and communication technology (ICT) services are properly used could contribute to development and achievement, as it represents an important issue for the countries moving toward knowledge-based and information-based societies. As ICT affects everyday lives, it also impacts the macroeconomic growth, which in turn further affects everyday lives by allowing improvements in infrastructures and a higher standard of living. ICTs inherently entail the economic development of countries, regions and cities, while also improving social inclusion, well-being and therefore quality of life. Therefore, this study explored the impact of the information and communication technology on life expectancy. Methods This study covers annual data from 2008 to 2018 for a group of countries of in the Middle East. Data were retrieved from the Annual Reports such as World Bank dataset and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) data set. The effects of information and communication technology on life expectancy were estimated through the Panel model. First, stationary tests were performed with the Fisher’s generalized unit root test. In the Fisher test for panel data, the null hypothesis of a unit root was rejected at the 5% level of significance. The cross-section correlation test was performed with the Freeze test. The null hypothesis of no correlation was rejected at the 5% level of significance. We also used the Hausman test to investigate fixed versus random effects. The null hypothesis of no fixed effects was accepted so the random effects model was used. The Hausman test detects endogenous regressors in a regression model. Endogenous variables have values that are determined by other variables in the system. The data were analyzed by Stata 14 software. Results The core findings of this study confirm the significant impact of information and communication technology on life expectancy in the Middle East. The Coefficient of the regression was 0.551 indicating how much life expectancy changes when information technology variable increases by one unit. The coefficient of ICT shows that 1% increase in ICT variable causes 0.551 % incline in life expectancy and this result is significant at 5% level of significance. Regarding control variables, we found that all have expected statistically significant effects on life expectancy. The intra-cluster correlation coefficient (rho) is a measure of the relatedness, or similarity, of clustered data. Values of rho range from 0 to 1 in human studies, and as the rho increases, more individuals within the clusters resemble one another. The rho (intraclass correlation) was found to be 0.975 showing that 97.5% of the variance is due to differences across panels. This research recommends that human development programs need to focus on polices which foster digital inclusion. Conclusion Considering the effect of information and communication technology on life expectancy, policymakers of the Middle Eastern countries should integrate the use of information and communication technology with the existing programs and systems. The digital citizen is happier and values living in regions with technological capacity, investing in research & development, and committed to achieving sustainable growth. ICT use leads to improved assessments of the efficiency and management of the public administration by more technological users, underlining the importance of an understanding between users and public services in the virtual sphere. Technology is not an end in itself but merely an instrument to reinforce the existing system and to meet the locally determined goals. It can be used as a tool to attain broader health and development goals. The findings from this study provide key insights that explain how life expectancy may be enhanced through ICTs. Practical Implications of Research According to the influence of information and communication technology (ICT) on life expectancy, policymakers should provide ICT infrastructures and adopt strategies integrating ICT policies with human life criteria such as education, health and work to improve life expectancy. Ethical Consideration The paper reflects the author’s own research and analysis in a truthful and complete manner. Conflict of Interests This study was an independent research and the author declares no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Acknowledgement I would like to thank Dr Marzieh Ronaghi for her guidance and assistance throughout this research.

Intervention programs aimed at promoting study and work opportunities in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) field to schoolgirls have been encouraged to combat a decline in the interest among girls to study ICT at school. The goal of our study is to investigate the influence of such interventions on schoolgirls’ intentions to choose a career in the ICT field by analysing comprehensive survey data (n = 3577), collected during four interventions in Australia, using the Partial Least Squares method. Our study is also aimed at identifying other factors influencing ICT career intentions. We found that the attitude towards interventions has an indirect influence on ICT career intentions by affecting interest in ICT. Our results also challenge several existing theoretical studies by showing that factors that had previously been suggested as influencers were found to have little or no impact in this study, these being same-sex education and computer usage.

Information and communication technology (ICT) has changed and continues to change almost every aspect of our daily lives. Our personal lives, social interactions, educational systems, business atmosphere, and corporate culture-everything has changed in one way or another due to advances in the field of ICT. The construction industry is no exception. ICT provides an unprecedented opportunity as well as enormous challenges to the construction industry.

This study uses data from two waves of the Encuesta Longitudinal de Empresas (ELE) to examine the relationship between information and communication technologies (ICT) use and product innovation in Chilean firms. Our findings sustain the hypothesis that ICT act as enablers of innovation. However, the impacts of ICT on product innovation depend on the type of application considered. In particular, we find positive and significant association between production-integrating ICT, i.e. administrative and industry-specific software, and product innovation, while this is not the case for market-oriented ICT such as e-commerce or client relationship manager software. Finally, the results show that not every ICT combination is beneficial for innovation: firms that show a basic use of ICT are not associated with a better likelihood of introducing innovation, while firms with an advanced use of ICT are those with the more likelihood of innovating.

Reviewed by: Information and Communication Technology in Nigeria: Prospects and Challenges for Development Kwame D. Dakwa Akpan-Obong, Patience Idaresit. 2009. Information and Communication Technology in Nigeria: Prospects and Challenges for Development. New York: Peter Lang Publishing. 203 pp. Since the early 1980s, information and communication technology (ICT) has permitted people to participate in a world in which school, work, and other activities have been increasingly enhanced by access to varied and developing technologies. ICT tools have helped people find, explore, analyze, exchange, and present information—most importantly, without discrimination. When efficiently used, ICT can provide quick access to ideas and experiences from a wide range of people, communities, and cultures. It is this aspect of modern society that Patience Akpan-Obong's book presents in a useful report on her native country, Nigeria—a book in which she carefully presents Nigeria's efforts to use ICT to drive socioeconomic growth. Readers might wonder how ICT has been integrated into Nigerian life and how it could be used to alleviate poverty. Akpan-Obong covers Aso Rock (the Nigerian White House) and shows how ICT has permeated the seat of government. She mentions how a fringe sector of the Nigerian community has used ICT in criminal activities—what has globally been referred to as "419." To help readers understand the problems in ICT in Nigeria, she analyzes the evolution of Nigerian economic development by addressing the [End Page 95] economic plans of previous colonial governing entities and successive governments since the achievement of independence. Though the book was published in 2009, she does not mention how "Vision 2010," a plan proposed by the Abacha regime in 1996, has been realized; its impact on ICT is not heavily discussed. We are made aware that the colonial government improved communication to "facilitate the administration of the colony," and governments of independent Nigeria improved ICT "to be in line with the modernization zeitgeist." However, a whole chapter is devoted to Nigeria's National Policy on Telecommunications and other matters that have dogged Nigerian telecommunication. It brings to the fore issues pertinent to the question of how ICT is being used in national development. This is broken down into the number of telephones, fax machines, computers, printers, photocopiers, and internet usage (dial up or VSAT). This pattern of usage helps readers grasp how the government and private sectors have applied ICT. With 66 percent of Nigerians reported to be living in poverty, coupled with a literacy rate of 69.1 percent as of 2003, it would have been interesting for Akpan-Obong to have addressed how ICT has been used in Asia, particularly in India, to create job opportunities through outsourcing. Several books addressing the global phenomenon of outsourcing only mention in passing the capabilities of African countries. Thomas Friedman's The World Is Flat (2005) does not mention the potential that ICT can have in elevating poverty in Africa. In addition, ICT is present in interesting ways; for example, a small number of Nigerians and other Africans use it for fraudulent purposes. It is hoped that a future edition of the book will emphasize more strongly critical business opportunities in the ICT industry and the educational options for rural education via ICT. In fact, as Bonk (2009) has argued, "It is the opening up of education that ultimately makes a fatter or more robust economic world possible. In the twenty-first century, education trumps economy as key card to participation in the world" (2008:26). Though some chapters of Akpan-Obong's book point out how approaches in ICT do affect the Nigerian economy and serve larger political and educational purposes, there is a wish for more. Of course, there is a limit to what a book can do, especially this book, a foundational publication for anyone interested in the history of ICT in Nigeria. [End Page 96] Kwame D. Dakwa Indiana University, Bloomington Copyright © 2010 Indiana University Press

The integration of technology tools into classrooms is a growing trend worldwide. Research studies indicate that technological tools are crucial in creating an environment in which students play an active role in the learning process. The Saudi Arabia government has heavily invested in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) field, but is yet to fully benefit from the investment. There are a myriad of enablers and hindrances affecting the successful implementation of ICT in Saudi schools. Successful implementation of ICT can be realised through the promotion of constructivist learning environment. This study utilised mixed methodology approach in collecting data from teachers to evaluate the factors affecting effective ICT implementation in Saudi secondary schools. The factors affecting the practical use of educational technology include lack of management and technical support, time limitations, lack of ICT and pedagogical training, negative attitudes and beliefs towards educational technology, lack of clear policies and strategies on ICT adoption in learning institutions and resistance to change and inadequate technological resources. No single factor is capable of guaranteeing the successful ICT implementation in schools; therefore, a multifaceted approach is needed.

Abstract. The study focused on investigating and analysing the perception of Facebook’s role, as one of the components in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), namely, social media, on the quality of emotional interaction, particularly among individuals in their third age. The research sample comprised 260 participants of various ages, divided into two age groups – under 50 and over 50 years old. Participants’ opinions were obtained through empirical research, employing quantitative methods and surveys as the research technique. The research findings indicate that age influences participants’ attitudes to digital communication as a means and medium of emotional communication in various contexts. Participants in the third age exhibit stronger reservations towards Facebook as a tool for emotional communication and are more cautious about the use of modern communication methods offered by new social media techniques. They are also less inclined to abandon traditional interpersonal interactions. The results reveal general distrust in the information circulating on Facebook and underscore the advantage of maintaining each interpersonal communication, encompassing all elements of emotional relationships beyond the realm of the Internet, or the information mediation services offered by ICT, primarily social media. Keywords: Information and Communication Technologies, Facebook, third age, emotional communication, alienation.

The article describes the features of innovative approaches in teaching a foreign language, which involves student autonomy, the transition of a teacher to the role of coordinator, a problem-oriented approach and informatization of the process. Information and communication technologies (ICT) as a part of modern innovative tools are used to search for additional educational materials, expand knowledge, meet the individual needs of students and form skills in working with Internet, which is combined with traditional teaching methods. Currently, against the background of increased propaganda during the Russian-Ukrainian war, the main threats to young people in the field of information and communication technologies have been identified: cyberbullying, phishing, data leakage, technological dependence, the dangers of social networks and video chats, imperfect software, propaganda and radicalization. The use of modern methods and technologies in teaching foreign languages regarding the capabilities of the modern Internet allows not only to increase the level of language competence, but also to form the skills necessary to protect against manipulation, fake news and cyber threats, which is the relevance of the study. The purpose of the research is to study modern means of teaching foreign languages as tools for increasing the information resilience of students in Ukraine. In the process of research, a complex of interrelated scientific methods was used, which ensured the systematicity, logic and reliability of the analysis results. Analysis was used to reveal the concept of innovative methods and information-communication technologies in learning a foreign language: this method allowed to systematize scientific approaches, define key terms and formulate the theoretical basis of the study. Analysis of scientific literature was used to identify the features of introducing innovative methods of using ICT into the educational process, in particular regarding teaching foreign languages. The comparative method allowed to assess the advantages and disadvantages of different educational approaches in the digital environment, comparing both the impact of traditional and innovative forms and means of learning on the formation of students' information resilience skills. Research into the impact of different teaching methods on the formation of students' information resilience when learning foreign languages proves the effectiveness of interactive platforms, game methods (simulations and role-playing games), online courses on digital security, as well as learning through social networks and forums. Hence, a set of exercises has been created to protect students from the threats of ICT when learning English. The exercises cover the formation of skills in protecting personal data and recognizing threats in the online environment, the development of critical thinking and checking information, the safe use of social networks, maintaining mental health, etc. through the activation of various types of speech activity in the process of learning a foreign language.

Progress in the field of information and communication technology is a source of advantage that improves quality of business services; increases productivity levels and brings competitive advantage to enterprises and organisations related to agricultural production. However, the use of information and communication technology (ICT) is connected with information security risks that threaten business continuity and information assets. The ICT in small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and agricultural enterprises is the source of several advantages as well as the risks resulting from information security violation and security incidents. This paper aims at the current situation of information security in SME and agricultural enterprises. Furthermore, the paper provides results of a survey focusing on identification and evaluation of the effects of internal and external factors affecting existence of risks in information security in Slovak SME and agricultural enterprises. Until now, there had not been a similar survey carried out.

The purpose of this article is to analyze the introduction and use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the special disciplines of higher education, to teach teachers how to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning through information and communication technologies (ICT). This article discusses the issues of improving the knowledge and skills of students through the use of modern information and communication technologies in the preparation of designers, increasing students' interest in the educational process and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice in the future. The focus is on the need to develop appropriate strategies for a new educational role and, in addition, to enhance the role of learners in integrating information and communication technologies (ICT) into the educational process. The role and perspective of the teachers was very important, highlighting them as key players in the process. The data show that there is a belief that the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the educational process will help increase the effectiveness of education and facilitate the organization of the educational process. In particular, it shows that the contribution of information and communication technologies (ICT) to the improvement of the educational process in educational institutions, where information and communication technologies (ICT) is an innovative factor, is high. Achieving this high level means that the educational institution must not only modernize technological means, but also change the models of teaching.