WEEK 10 QUESTIONS

Trust is not associative (non-symmetric)

Trust relationships are not automatically two-way. Just because Party A trusts Party B it does not automatically follow that Party B trusts Party A.

Trust is not transitive

Just because trust has been established between Party A and Party B, it does not automatically follow that Party A will trust everyone that Party B trusts or Party B will trust everyone that Party A trusts.

Trust is always between exactly two parties

Trust is always established between two parties. This may be between two individuals, an individual and an organisation, two organisations, an organisation and a partnership between two other organisations and so on. Just because there is trust between two parties does not mean that there is trust between everyone within those parties. Party A may trust the partnership between Party B and C but will not automatically trust Party B or Party C individually.

Trust will involve either direct trust or recommender trust

Direct trust is where one party trusts the other party directly and recommender trust is where one party trusts another party based on the recommendation of a trusted third party.

http://wiki.uni.lu/secan-lab/Direct+and+Recommendation+Trust.html

http://books.google.com/books?id=96BbTjHBpOQC&pg=RA1-PA728&lpg=RA1-PA728&dq=trust+is+not+transitive&source=bl&ots=4dmbevDcBp&sig=AOL0unoORnISC-UavDyEdBONuIM&hl=en&ei=n_IdSoaeJtWUkAWh28G3DQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8#PRA1-PA724,M1

Question 2a

Have a look at the following websites. What are some of the elements that have been incorporated to increase your trust in the sites? If there are some aspects which decrease your level of trust describe them as well.

http://www.eBay.com.au
Some elements incorporated in this website to increase trust include a help centre to explain how to buy and sell on eBay and how to protect yourself. A discussion board where you can chat with other eBay members, an answer centre for member to member questions, a site map to allow for easy navigation of the site, the ability to use Paypal to settle transactions, a security centre that discusses all aspects of security on eBay and a feedback forum.
We have gone into alot of detail about EBay and trust, security and community feel before in previous weeks questions, so I will not paste specific examples as you would have seen them before.

http://www.anz.com.au/
The ANZ website incorporates a number of elements to increase trust including a logon to internet banking, where individual registered number and password is used to log on. No user information can be obtained without being able to correctly enter these in.

The security and privacy statement includes:
 

About this Security and Privacy Statement

Security of information

Information collected

Collection of IP addresses

Advertising and tracking

Cookies

How we handle Email

Use and Disclosure of Information

Acceptance and Changes to Security and Privacy Statement

You can click on  any of these to see full information about the settings. They are clearly written out and definition of words such as 'cookies' and explanation of what they are is also included to ensure everyone can understand the statement.

I would like to highlight the collection of IP addresses. This I have pasted below. Have a read, and my opinion is that any one reading this would feel sense of trust using this site, simply based on this security statement.

Collection of IP addresses
It is necessary for ANZ to collect your IP address for your interaction with various parts of the ANZ website. Your IP address is the identifier for your computer when you are using the internet.

For instance, ANZ collects and stores your IP address when you log into ANZ Internet Banking. As part of our security for ANZ Internet Banking, ANZ uses this information when we attempt to detect and prevent fraudulent transactions in Internet Banking. We store your IP address for security and audit purposes. Your IP address will not be used by us or released to any third party except in the case of security, inappropriate behaviour or fraud issues, such as unauthorised access to your or our computer systems or fraudulent transactions.

Contact details are important! They cant create trust as ANZ have very detailed list for various types of enquiries. Mainly for when customers have issues such as "Report a hoax" or "stolen credit card". Having this list and having seperate contacts like this shows customer how serious ANZ takes their enquiries. Also means they do not have to listen to 25 options on a main phone line. They can direct themselves to the correct department. See the list below, I find it to be quite impressive. Availability of time is there and also an alternative online option is available.




ANZ probably relies as much on its reputation as one of Australia's four major banks to create trust as it does on anything on its website. Also customers generally looking for best interest rate and home loan option rather than trust. I think everyone has trust in banks, expcept that minor mishap that Bendigo Bank had with releasing customer information over the web........ but I think that was more of an internal staff issue than their website.

Type of enquiry	Contact numbers	Online enquiry & more information
General enquiries	13 13 14Intl: +61 3 9683 9999 24 hours a day, 7 days a week	Online enquiry
Report a hoax or suspicious email	13 33 50Intl: +61 3 9683 8833 24 hours a day, 7 days a week	Report a suspicious email  Forward a suspicious email
Internet Banking & Phone Banking registration	13 13 14Intl: +61 3 9683 9999 24 hours a day, 7 days a week	Internet Banking Phone Banking Online enquiry
Internet Banking & Phone Banking enquiries (re-set password, pay anyone, technical problems)	13 33 50  Intl: +61 3 9683 8833 24 hours a day, 7 days a week	Internet Banking Phone Banking Software settings
Transaction dispute or enquiries	13 13 14Intl: +61 3 9683 9999 24 hours a day, 7 days a week	Online query & more information
Lost or stolen credit cards	1800 033 844Intl: +61 3 9683 7043	Report lost or stolen card
ANZ Merchant Services	1800 039 025 24 hours a day, 7 days a week	Online enquiry More information
Compliments, suggestions and complaints	1800 805 154Weekdays 8am - 7pm (AEST)	Complaints and compliments Lodge online
ANZ switch board	+61 3 9273 5555
Media relations	+61 3 9273 5555 Paul Edwards Stephen Ries	Media room Email Media relations ANZ Media relations Level 9, 833 Collins st Melbourne 3008
Shareholder services (for Shareholder enquiries only)	+61 3 8654 7682	Shareholder services Email Shareholder services
Enquires in relation to subpoenas, garnishee orders and statutory notices	1300 279 754	Service of all legal documents
Customer identification review process	1800 606 269 Intl: +613 8699 6947 Weekdays 9am - 8pm (AEST)	ANZ Reply Paid 87345 Richmond VIC 3121 Australia

http://www.thinkgeek.com/
I found this site had o navigate around, but perhaps you need to be a geek as the name suggests, to understand some of the navigation. As you will be able to see below, the security is not as 'full on' as ANZ site may be.

Privacy

What is your Privacy Policy?
We take your privacy very seriously. We will never rent or sell your information to any third parties, we only use the information we collect from you to convey your order information, or to send you catalogs and e-mails at your request.
Please read our Official Privacy Policy for more information.

Security

Is ordering on your site secure?
Absolutely! We take security very seriously, and we do whatever we can to protect our customers' sensitive data. Credit card information for web orders is protected in the following ways:

• 128-bit encryption to and from the servers and web browser.
• Credit card numbers are not stored in our database. We keep on file only the last 5 digits in cases where we need to verify the card that was used.
• Once the information is transmitted to our servers for processing, we use even stronger encryption in the back end to transmit the request to our payment processor to verify the credit card and place an authorization for the order total.
• If the authorization, address verification and risk assessment all clear, the order is accepted and a one-time unique ID is associated with the order for purposes of billing the previous authorization. This ID cannot be used to place further authorizations or bill more than the original auth. It contains no identifiable link to the credit card number.
• Once that ID has been used to bill the order (which happens only once the order begins shipping), it is no longer valid and cannot be used to authorize or bill again.

Altough the information is direct and targeted towards the websites target market. Unlike ANZ where it needs to cater for all people, of all intelligence levels.

Regular online shoppers would probably be confident with these security measures, but new or few time shoppers may be hesitant in the way it is presented with monkies and formatting.

http://www.paypal.com.au/
The Paypal site is all about creating trust. Immediatly after entering the website you can see a 'security' section

Security

PayPal has partnered with Crime Stoppers to help you stay safe online. Learn how to identify fake and phishing emails and find out how PayPal helps prevent fraud and protects eligible purchases.

Staying safe online

Protection against unauthorised payments

Buyer Protection

 

And another great feature that really gets that trust over the line is the Crime stoppers picture associated with this security section. I dont think any one could say this site is not trust worthy. The approach paypal takes is showing how secure and trustworthy they are, but also teaching users how to be safe on their other transactions on the web.

If a website uses paypal as a payment option, users or businesses will not hestiate to purchase items.

I dont believe there are any negative features of this site.

Question 2b

Find a web site yourself that you think looks untrustworthy.

A website that I think looks untrustworthy is http://www.buyandsellaustralia.com.au/ This is a website that brings buyers and sellers of items together much the same as eBay. The reason I find it untrustworthy is that unlike eBay, it does not incorporate any safety measures. There is no feedback mechanism, just a few seller testimonials (which seem a bit suspect) and no buyer testimonials at all. There is also no means of contacting the owners of the site if anything goes wrong. The "Contact Us" tab simply brings up a form to be filled in for the owners to contact you. Whilst the website and the people using it may very well be legitimate, I would be very reluctant to purchase anything listed on it unless I could afford to lose the money involved.

WEEK 7 QUESTIONS

1) Check this link to my ‘intelligent’ cybertwin which I also mentioned in the Powerpoint. You may like to create your own cybertwin as well. The more you 'train' your twin, the better the responses will be. While it is just a fun exercise, Think of the opportunities. Imagine if we had a cybertwin that could answer your questions about the course. Or perhaps a shopping assistant?

Here is my conversation with Ian cybertwin…………..

You: Hi Ian, what are you up to?

Ian: Hello, just catching up on work are you?

You: Yea just doing some study, what about you?

Ian: Really Annette, you must articulate if you are going to become dastardly in any effective kind of way!

Ian: Have you thought about studying eBusiness?

You: I am, thats what made me come chat to you

Ian: What job do you se yourself doing in 10 years?

You: Director of my own company, yourself?

Ian: Did I tell you about my favorite dog? He can hold my attention longer than you.

You: haha! very funny

Ian: Oh, I want to call you 'mushbrain' now.

Ian: What are your hobbies?

You: Very sarcastic cyber twin you are!

Ian: How would you know?

You: Cos im reading your responses

Ian: I don't mind books as long as they are increasing my knowledge of playing dirty.

You: awkward.....cya


This is definatly fun to play with, and I wouldnt mind having a go at creating one myself. The concept is great, and if used on business website would need to be reguarly updated. A log of customer questions, formatting and jey words would need to be logged and recorded. New questions would need to be added to database and updated as new products or services are made available by business.

2) Write a one paragraph describing the Turing test and another paragraph describing an argument against the Turing Test, known as the about the Chinese room.

The Turing Test is a hypothetical test for determining whether or not a machine intelligence can converse like a human. The test is named after WWII-era computer genius Alan Turing, who made it up. The Turing Test is an anthropocentric test - that is, it doesn't test for intelligence in general, but merely the capacity to converse like a human being. The early, now refuted, implication was that the test measured objective intelligence. However, there could potentially be an Artificial Intelligence that merely doesn't speak human languages or understand human conversation. The Turing Test has three participants -- two subjects and a judge. One of the subjects is a person and the other is a computer. Both subjects are hidden from the view of the judge. They communicate with the judge via text-only channels. The role of the judge is to determine which text channel corresponds to the human and which corresponds to the computer. If the judge cannot determine this, then the computer passes the test.

The Chinese Room argument, devised by John Searle, is an argument against the possibility of true artificial intelligence. The argument centers on a thought experiment in which someone who knows only English sits alone in a room following English instructions for manipulating strings of Chinese characters, such that to those outside the room it appears as if someone in the room understands Chinese. The argument is intended to show that while suitably programmed computers may appear to converse in natural language, they are not capable of understanding language, even in principle. Searle argues that the thought experiment underscores the fact that computers merely use syntactic rules to manipulate symbol strings, but have no understanding of meaning or semantics. Searle's argument is a direct challenge to proponents of Artificial Intelligence, and the argument also has broad implications for functionalist and computational theories of meaning and of mind. As a result, there have been many critical replies to the argument.

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/chinese-room/
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-turing-test.htm

3) Can virtual agents succeed in delivering high-quality customer service over the Web? Think of examples which support or disprove the question or just offer an opinion based on your personal experience. Write your answer on your blog page or express an opinion on this voice discussion board (it's simple to join). If you choose this option please link (live in an hour or so) to it from your blog page.

I think it can eventually deliver high quality customer service, especially when there are already online virtual agents on sites. They more act as a virtual FAQ then anything, looking for key words in your request or question and if they are not able to assist you then you will be directed to a hotline or email address.
I would never rule out any future development on the web, where we are today proves that technology can change drastically. There is a lot more work to be done in this area, but with businesses needing to continually cut costs, virtual agents will be the norm for businesses moving forward. Some people may question this, and like mobile phones, people may be hesitant in wanting to use them and would rather do things the old fashioned way and speak to a person. As always technology advancement always wins! Just like slowly phasing the home telephone out, customer call centers may be a service of the past.
Check out this website http://blog.intelliresponse.com/tag/virtual-agent/
This site advertises virtual agents and their positive attritubutes to enhancing any website. You can even try a demo out of a virtual agent.
You can you our demo here: http://www.intelliresponse.com/web-self-service-software/product-showcase.aspx

After trying it myself, I think just like Ian the cyber twin there is still work to be done, Not all questions can be answered, within reason and on topic of course. And the answers are generic, they looking for key words in your questions and suiting them to pre written responses. In the future, I believe we can become more advanced and really learn to personalise those responses. Just like when you call Vodaphone and you get a recoded voice over, you feel like you are talking to a robot, and fustration sets in. You do not want that with virtual agent. When you see the agent you connecting visually, but the responses can make or break the service being provided.

Then again, it will be all about what is best for the business and company at the end of the day. Just as Coles has re implemented its personalise service. Now having to walk customers to the items they cannot find on the shelf, instead of pointing them to an isle number. This 'old fashioned' approach can never fail when it comes to making a good customer service impression.

WEEK 8 QUESTIONS

QUESTION 1
eBay is one of the only major Internet "pure plays" to consistently make a profit from its inception. What is eBay's business model? Why has it been so successful?
EBay is an Auction Broker -- conducts auctions for sellers (individuals or merchants). Broker charges the seller a listing fee and commission scaled with the value of the transaction. Auctions vary widely in terms of the offering and bidding rules.
EBay opened the doors to online shopping worldwide. Its success was enhanced by enabling anyone to sell and buy products online. The easy step by step guide to creating your own online store, has seen people worldwide, such as stay at home mothers, develop their own business from home.
Also enabled small business owners to expand their business online and worldwide.
In conjunction with PayPal, EBay was also able to change the perception of buying online to be unsafe. Those buyers who were still unsure were still able to use money transfer and cash on pick up. Ensuring all types of customers felt confident when using EBay.
http://digitalenterprise.org/models/models.html#Brokerage


QUESTION 2: Other major web sites, like Amazon.com and Yahoo!, have entered the auction marketplace with far less success than eBay. How has eBay been able to maintain its dominant position?
Expanding their site into different countries, introducing currency conversion and international postage calculators accessible. People and businesses can “import” their own items from overseas, buy luxury products at discounted prices as the Australian dollar improves.
With EBay they are able to sell products as well, which differs EBay from Amazon and Yahoo.
When you think of Amazon you think of an online store, and when you think of Yahoo you think of searching the web and emails.
Just as Google has done with “Google it”, EBay has been able to create a name for themselves where before buying products in store consumers will check EBay for a competitive price. “Have you looked on EBay?” or “Sell it on EBay”

QUESTION 3
What method does eBay use to reduce the potential for fraud among traders on its site? What kinds of fraud, if any, are eBay users most susceptible?

eBay's policies are rules and guidelines that create a safe and fair trading environment for all eBay members. To promote a safe trading environment, eBay enforces these rules and policies.

Your User Agreement – The most important eBay policy. All members are responsible for reviewing and understanding eBay’s policies and all applicable laws and regulations contained in this legal contract.
Trust and Safety Tutorials – A list of tutorials to help you understand eBay’s rules and policies.
eBay’s Rules and Policies are organized in the following categories:
Rules about Feedback – Rules and guidelines about eBay's system for member reputations.

Rules for Everyone – General policies applying to all eBay members, eBay employees and eBay. This section includes rules that protect your privacy and your identity. Learn more about issues like the use of profanity, unsolicited email (spam), and how to participate on eBay’s Discussion Boards and Community content areas (blogs, Reviews & Guides).

Rules for Buyers – This section includes rules involving bidding responsibly and always paying for purchases. Learn more about eBay’s Unpaid Item Policy.

Rules for Sellers – Important listing policies and other rules that apply to selling, such as Seller Non-performance and Shill Bidding.

·         Prohibited and Restricted Items – Can you sell hippopotamus ivory on eBay? What about selling lottery tickets? Find out in our comprehensive list of banned and restricted items.

·         Rules for Listings – Why is a listing title like “MP3 Player, Not Ipod” considered keyword spamming and not allowed? Can I link to my eBay Store in my auction listing?

·         Rules about Intellectual Property – How can a listing that offers an authentic Rolex box be considered encouraging infringement? What is VeRO and why was my item ended because of it? Find out how eBay helps protect intellectual property rights owners against infringement.

eBay’s policies are intended to:

·         Support government laws and regulations

·         Minimize risks to both buyers and sellers

·         Provide equal opportunity to all buyers and sellers

·         Protect intellectual property rights

·         Provide an enjoyable buying experience

·         Support the values of the eBay Community

Learning about eBay's policies will help you avoid breaking rules (including the law) and aid you in trading with reliable, trustworthy buyers and sellers.

Violations of policy may result in a range of actions including:

·         Listing cancellation

·         Limits on account privileges

·         Account suspension

·         Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings

·         Loss of PowerSeller status

Note: You may contact eBay to report violations by using the “Report” or “Contact Us” links found on most policy pages.

If you have received an email about your account being suspended, see Suspended Account.

Support if you have transaction problems

If you encounter a problem when buying or selling on eBay, we offer guidelines, tools, and protection services that can help.

We make it easy to contact members to resolve problems. If direct communication doesn’t work, you can use eBay’s Resolution Centre to work out a solution with your buyer or seller and report the problem to eBay.

Managing problems as a buyer

·         In many cases, communicating with your seller can resolve your concern. Learn how to contact your seller.

·         If you paid for an item, but didn’t receive it, or if you paid for and received an item, but it was significantly different from the item description, start by discussing the problem with the seller. If this doesn’t work, you can work it out in our Resolution Centre.

·         If you have a problem with a purchase and you use PayPal, you'll open a case in PayPal's Resolution Centre and your purchase may be covered through PayPal Buyer Protection.

Managing problems as a seller

·         If a buyer doesn’t pay for an item or you need to cancel a transaction, after trying to resolve it directly with the seller, you can work it out in the Resolution Centre.  

·         You can report cases of unwelcome bidding or buying.

·         You can block bidders based on their user IDs or select buyer requirements for your listings based on criteria including country of registration, their buying history on eBay, and whether they have a PayPal account. Learn more about managing bidders and buyers.

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/account/safety.html
http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/policies/overview.html

QUESTION 4eBay makes every effort to conceptualize its users as a community (as opposed to, say "customers" or "clients"). What is the purpose of this conceptual twist and does eBay gain something by doing it?

eBay is a community that encourages open and honest communication among all its members.

Our community is guided by five fundamental values:

• We believe people are basically good.
• We believe everyone has something to contribute.
• We believe that an honest, open environment can bring out the best in people.
• We recognise and respect everyone as a unique individual.
• We encourage you to treat others the way you want to be treated.

eBay is firmly committed to these principles. And we believe that community members should also honour them—whether buying, selling, or chatting with eBay friends.

As you can read above, eBay uses the community image to create a family environment where users respect each other when buying and selling. Each user needs to have respect for the other, and should sell and buy in way that they would like others to treat them.
Packaging goods in safe manner, describing goods honestly, making payment on time, leaving positive feedback etc. This will also ensure repeat visitors to eBay. If visitors feel comfortable using the site and their experiences are positive, they will continue to return to the site.
http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/confidence/community-values.html




QUESTION 5

The set up costs are low, security settings and accounts are all laid out for you by ebay policies and procedures, customer base is worldwide, able to auction and set buy it now prices on your products. You can see below the features also available to sellers setting up their store;

eBay has long been a marketplace for used goods and collectibles. Today, it is increasingly a place where major businesses come to auction their wares. Why would a brand name vendor set-up shop on eBay?

Selling with eBay Stores

With an eBay Store, you'll get everything you need to create a central shopping destination where buyers can learn about you and all the products you sell. You'll receive powerful tools for designing your Store, plus marketing and reporting features, and dedicated toll-free customer support. Learn how to get started with eBay Stores.

Basics

·         Getting started with eBay Stores
With an eBay Store, you can display all your products in one convenient location.

·         Fees for eBay Stores
Find out what it costs to sell with eBay Stores.

Designing your Store

·         Selecting your Store's categories
Organize your Store so buyers can easily find your items

·         Promoting and advertising items
Advertise your items or provide links to other parts of your Store or your newsletter.

·         Using HTML to personalise your store
Draw attention to special items or product details.

·         Customising your Store's appearance in listings
Brand your Store with your own custom design

Marketing your Store

·         Promoting your eBay Store
Get tips on attracting buyers to your Store.

·         Putting Store items on sale
Sales are a great way to draw attention to your listings.

·         Using email marketing
Create compelling emails that promote your Store to potential buyers.

·         Measuring the success of email marketing

·         Creating promotional flyers
Create free promotional flyers to print and distribute.

·         Using traffic reports to understand your business
Which areas of your Store are receiving the most visits? How are buyers finding your listings and moving through your Store?

·         Exporting your listings to search engines
Provide your partners with an XML file that contains current information on your listings.

Managing your Store

·         Placing your Store on holiday
Going on vacation? Find out what to do with your Store while you're away.

·         Closing your eBay Store
We hope you'll contact us first to address any issues.

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/sell/stores.html

QUESTION 6
I have a few businesses, and I have used eBay for about 12 years on and off. Currently I have about 600 books listed on eBay (seller name ozrural). I stopped selling on eBay for a few years but they changed the rules this July and it is viable again (for me). What do you think changed?
The change in listing fees were changed. As a seller on eBay or any location, profit needs to be made for business to be viable to continue. The higher the eBay fee for listing items, the less likely people will post items for sale.
As you did, you re-tracked your selling and I assume so would have a lot of other loyal sellers. EBay responded back by lowering the fee again.

Additional (optional) task: If not already a member, join ebay and explore the functions of the site (optional). Consider making a purchase, or perhaps try your hand at selling. Auctions are impacting on all aspects of business so it is useful to understand how they work.

I have been a loyal user of eBay for a long time. Both buying and selling. I have never set up my own store, but do sell items from home on a yearly basis. Just recently, I have sold an old Holden Torana for my partner. He purchased the car for $600 quite a few years ago, with the intention on restoring it. “Surprise, Surprise” the car has only collected cob webs and dust since the purchase. So on eBay it went.
I started the bidding at $600 to get our money back, and set a buy it now price for $1000
To my surprise, the next morning a customer had bought it for buy it now price!! I could not believe it!
Experiences like this one I have only had this week, keeps me and I’m sure many others, returning to eBay.

This also shows how businesses can be impacted by online auctions. Car yards must surely be losing a lot of business now we are able to sell and advertise our own cars online. Private sale for car is a lot cheaper too. You get to pocket the profits you make yourself rather than giving it dealership and paying interest for a car loan as well.

This goes for a lot of other markets, houses, boats, motorbikes, computers, phones, etc.