Week 10 - Trust

Questions
1) What is this meant by the following statements?

Trust is not associative (non-symmetric)

One party may trust the other, however this does not mean that the other party will automatically trust them back.

Trust is not transitive

If one party trusts another it does not mean that other parties will also trust the.

Trust is always between exactly 2 parties

Their must be mutual trust between two parties for a transaction to take place.

Trust will involve either direct trust or recommender trust

Trust may be gained over time or a third parties recommendation may persued trust.

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 also some aspects which decrease your level of trust describe them as well.

http://www.eBay.com.au

• Feedback about users and sellers
• PayPal payment
• Well known
• Professional design

http://www.anz.com.au

• Professional design
• Easy access to ABM and Terms & Conditions
• Branded

http://www.thinkgeek.com

• Professional design

http://www.paypal.com.au

• Well known
• Professional Design

2b) Find a web site yourself that you think looks untrustworthy.

http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/3384869-christmas-sale-buy-my-books-online

I had never viewed this website before, but it appears to simply be an author selling her own books, I beleived it to look untrustworthy becasue:

• Unprofessional Appearance
• Self endorsed
• Unheard of

Week 9 - Channel Conflict

Channel Conflict can be defined as a situation in which there are difficulties beacause a company does not sell through the usual distribution channels, for example by selling direct to customers on the internet:

We need to be able to sell direct without causing channel conflict and upsetting our existing channels.

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/business-english/channel-conflict

Week 8 - Online Auctions

This weeks topic is online auctions. I am sure you have all heard of eBay, and many of you may have bought or sold goods by online auction. The nature of (online) auctions has changed from selling mainly collectable goods, to selling everyday items. There are now thousands of businesses that get the majority of their income from auction listings.

Refer to Managing the Digital Enterprise find additional information yourself then answer the following questions -

Q1: 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's business model is a broker. eBay has been so successful as it is a global enterprise that has branched into many different markets. It offers auction and 'buy it now' options, and eBay is now available through an easy to use app on smart phones.

Q2: 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?

eBay was one of the first on line brokers to turn a profit from the very start. Its fantastic reputation over the years has resulted in a continuing and ever increasing industry image.

Q3: 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 has a rating system which allows users to rate and comment on their service while dealing with sellers on eBay, this allows buyers to choose more wisely who the buy from. Sellers also have the ability to rate and comment on buyers, this helps sellers know whether their communication with the buyer is reliable or not.

Q4: eBay makes every effort to conceptualise 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?

By conceptualising its users as a community eBay helps to make buyers feel more comfortable. Buyers gain the sense that they are on an equal ground to the sellers and as a result they are more likely to purchase goods and leave positive feedback.

Q5: 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?

A brand name vendor may set-up shop on eBay as it is just another source of profit. People also tend to search brand names on eBay with the assumption that the products offered on eBay will be at the best market price.

Week 7 - Automata

Many businesses have the opportunity to introduce some elements of digital automation. As the podcast on the Digital Enterprise points out, customer service is easy to conceptualise and to introduce at a simple level. A businesses Q&A page is a type of basic automata. 

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?

The dream of scientists and business leaders alike is a machine that can think. Sounds like science fiction but it is closer than you may think. Alan Turing first wrote about the possibilities in the 1940's.

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 video (linked in the Powerpoint) 'Creativity: The Mind, Machines, and Mathematics: Public Debate' is a debate which asks the question 'will machines one day achieve consciousness'. Following on from this debate consider the following question -

The Turing test is a test designed by Alan Turing in the 1940's to assess a computers ability to think like a human. To gauge these results a human judge speaks to both a person and a computer program through typing on a computer. If the human judge is unable to accurately judge which is the computer and which is the test then the computer is said to have passed.

I believe that the test is affective, however I believe that the idea of a machine to be able to think consciously is flawed, as I machine can not recognise the context of a conversation or accurately judge sarcasm, anger or happiness and all people speak differently, so I would be easy to trick the machine.

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 you 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 do not believe that virtual agents can succeed in delivering high-quality customer service over the Web, as every human is different and requires customer service for an infinite about of reason. A virtual agent may not be able to interpret this variety of reasons that service may be required for.