M07:
Impacts of Information
on the Economy and
Society
Introduction to Information Literacy
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Outline

Impacts on the economy
 The

importance of information in the new economy
E-commerce, e-government and other e-applications
 Electronic
Transactions Ordinance
 Related technologies and applications

Impacts on the society
 Virtual
community, social relationships, computer
addiction, computer ergonomics, green computing
Introduction to Information Literacy
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Factors Contributing to the
Important Role of Information

Increasing complexity of business
activities due to:
International
Economy
Worldwide Competition
Shrinking Time Frames
Social Constraints

Hence, the role of information becomes
more and more important.
Introduction to Information Literacy
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Facilitating Technological Capabilities
Improved computer capabilities
 Improved data and telecommunication
capabilities
 Users’ computer knowledge
 Availability of computers

Introduction to Information Literacy
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Major Developments

Based on the nature of transactions,
electronic commerce can be briefly
classified into:
 Business
to consumer (B2C)
 Business to business (B2B)
 Consumer to consumer (C2C)
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B2C E-Commerce
The transactions include retail transactions
with individual shoppers.
 Examples:

 www.amazon.com,
www.dell.com.hk,
www.parknshop.com.
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B2B E-Commerce



All of the participants in this type of EC are businesses
or other organizations.
These transactions include inquires on products,
customer, supplier, production, and transportation, as
well as billing, invoicing and payment, and are conducted
between and among organizations.
Examples are www.Bigboxx.com.hk,
www.StaplesLink.com,and www.b2business.net.
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C2C E-Commerce



In this category, consumers sell directly to other
consumers.
Examples include individuals selling residential
property, cars, and so on in classified ads (e.g.,
www.classifieds2000.com).
In addition, the auction sites allow individuals to
place items up for auction (e.g. www.ebay.com,
yahoo!shopping)
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e-Government

It is the use of IT in general, and ecommerce in particular, to provide
 citizens
and organizations with more
convenient access to government information
and services;
 delivery of public services to citizens,
business partners and suppliers, and those
working in the public sector.
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Examples of e-Government






www.ESDLife.com (Hong Kong)
www.e-Government.govt.nz (New Zealand)
www.Whitehouse.gov (USA)
www.eGov.gov.sg (Singapore)
www.localegov.gov.uk (UK)
www.gov.tw (Taiwan)
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Some Popular e-Applications
Online banking, e.g. www.hsbc.com.hk
 Online shopping, e.g. www.parknshop.com
 Online brokerage e.g. www.shkfg.com
 Online auction e.g. www.ebay.com
 Music sharing, e.g. www.boxup.com

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Electronic Transactions
Ordinance (ETO) in Hong Kong

It is an ordinance
 to
facilitate the use of electronic transactions for
commercial and other purposes,
 to provide for matters arising from and related to such
use,
 to enable the Postmaster General of Hong Kong Post
to provide the services of a certification authority and
to provide for connected purposes.
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Related Technology Applications
Electronic payment methods
 Short Message Service (SMS)
 Wireless technology
 Example of New Telecom Services

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Electronic Payment Methods

Credit card for relatively more expensive
items
 e.g.
The e-shopping Master card issued by
the Hang Seng Bank.
PPS
 Debit cards, e.g. EPS
 Stored-valued cards, e.g. Octopus

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SMS
Short Message Services (SMS) is a facility
for sending short text messages on GSM
cell phones.
 SMS can also be used to authorize
payments in a “Two-factor Authentication”
system
 Personal Banking

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Wireless Communications
Second Generation (2G)
 General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)
(2.5G)
 Third Generation (3G)
 Wireless LAN,
 Bluetooth

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Example of New Telecom
Services
PCCW’s new generation of fixed-line
services including personal assistant, auto
receptionist, and fixed-line SMS
 Others, such as home electronics control

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Virtual Community and Social
Relationships

Virtual community
 Newsgroups
 Discussion
forums
 Chatting, such as ICQ, MSN, Yahoo
Messenger
 Online games

Social relationships
 Finding
your match
 Making friends
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Computer Addiction


A habit so strong that one cannot give it up in
online games, online chat, online bulletin board,
online surfing, and online pornography etc.
It occurs when these activities consumes one’s
entire social life, and is also a growing health
problem.
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Computer Ergonomics
It is to incorporate comfort, efficiency, and
safety into the design of computer and
associated equipments in the workplace,
to avoid injuries, disorders of the muscles,
nerves, tendons, ligaments, and joints.
 Could you name a few examples of these
devices?

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Green Computing

It involves reducing the electricity and
environmental waste while using a
computer, which includes:
 Electricity
and paper
 Disposal of obsolete computers and devices
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