E-commerce

Abbreviations
B2B  Business to Business
B2C  Business to Customer
CBK  Commercial Bank of Kuwait
DSA  Digital Signature Algorithm
GPRS  General Packet Radio Service
GSM  Global System for Mobile Communication
ICT  Information Communication and Technologies
IP  Internet Protocol
LAN  Local Area Network
MDG  Millennium Development Goals
OECD - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
OLAP  Online Analytical Processing
RSA  Rivest, Shamir and Adlemen (algorithm based on their initials)
SIM  Subscriber Identity Module
TAM  Technology Acceptance Model
UN  United Nations
WAP  Wireless Application Protocol

Developments in the Information Technology have brought about a revolution not only in the related fields like computers, electronics etc., but it has also helped almost all sectors in the business world and different segments of the society. While on the one hand convergence of technologies has led to audio and video streaming through the telecommunication network, encryption and digitization has led to the phenomenon like e-commerce or m-commerce. The mobile commerce allows an individual to carry out banking transactions, bill payment, shopping etc. while on the move. Similarly, it helps the banks, billing companies, and the business enterprises to reach out to the customer anywhere without literally any concern for the distance or time. International bodies like UNDP have also realized the potential of IT and mobile in carrying out developmental activities. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of United Nations integrates IT as an integral component in fulfilling the targets till 2015. The UNs Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), has ensured that the national strategies of different governments in the region, related to e-commerce or m-commerce, makes fullest use of ICT in poverty alleviation strategies (ECA, 2005). Poverty reduction is the very first goal set up by the United Nations. M-commerce happens to be the IT assisted branch of commercial activity in which even a small company producing quality goods and services can reach to a wide customer base with the help of some astute marketing and an m-commerce server. Taking ahead the lead from electronic form of commerce, m-commerce builds on the advantages and offers more personalized services to a wider spectrum of consumers (GS1, 2008).

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), constructed after the end of the Second World War, explicitly listed that certain rights be enjoyed by each citizen of the world. Human rights are the cornerstone of any civilized community in general. Today we are living in an era of technological influence in almost all walks of life like banking, communication, education, business, health services, and manufacturing. The positive impact of technology in general and information technology in particular is more than apparent. Therefore as we move into the 21st century, basic minimum access of technology is being regarded as human right as well. Such thinking has helped in proliferation of features like mobile commerce amongst the global community in general.

Background of the Study
Mobile commerce is often been described as a natural extension of classical PC-based ecommerce into the wireless and mobile arenas. A recent report in the Economist (2010) points out how click has triumphed over the brick, over the past decade. The report analyses the case of China, which used to be a closed economy even after a large number of countries had committed themselves to globalization and liberalization. But, when the China started taking decisive steps towards opening up of the economy, the use of internet too picked up in a big way and large number of internet users started shopping online. The convergence of technologies has now made it possible to use our computer as a phone, the phone for surfing the net, video and audio streaming on our computers and internet etc. Mobile phone, has now become a very integral part of our lives, so much so that we feel handicapped if we have to go somewhere without this handy gadget. It is because the small instrument is full of features. A report from GS1 (2008) indicates that over the years the mobile phone functionality has increased manifold. And because of the new feature additions in quick succession, the mobile phones get replaced every 6-18 months. While explaining the results of a study carried out on the mobile phone usage in UK, Robinson (2009) states that as compared to a total of 56.9 billion text messages in 2007, a total of 78.9 billion messages were sent in the 2008. It is further explained that this trend has lot to do with mobile web, a very important route to market.

With growing use of SMS, MMS, online banking, payment, gaming, email, chat, information, GPS etc. the mobile phone has acquired many dimensions. Pointing out the phenomenal increase in the electronic form of transactions, Kharif (2009) cited the forecasts done by researchers early in the decade, which projected that by the year 2006 more than one-quarter of U.S. cell-phone users would use the device to buy content and physical goods. But it is quite interesting to see that these projections were proved wrong in a study done subsequently when it was found that just about 7 of the US consumers did financial transactions or bought goods with the help of a mobile phone.  Kharif (2009) further contrasts the situation with projections done by researchers in subsequent years. In January 2009, ABI Research projected that North American sales of physical goods ordered via cell phone would reach 544 million in 2009, up from 346 million in 2008. Midway the agency realized that the projections are wide off the mark and ABI started considering update of this forecast to 800 million Mark Beccue, senior analyst at ABI said, I thought hockey-stick growth was going to come in 2010, but it looks like its already a hockey stick (Kharif, 2009). Such developments intensify the curiosity levels amongst analysts and general IT users to delve deeper into the subject, so that one can figure out the nuances of mobile commerce and how it is going to impact our lives in the coming years.

With the objective of satisfying the growing needs of its customers mobile companies have started resorting to innovative methods to encourage mobile commerce in the form of mobile advertising, bill payments, banking transactions, mobile gaming, reservation updatets, online ticketing, shopping etc. This trend is also supported by most of the international bodies and the trend can be said to be in the evolutionary stages, as a number of changes involving, ease of use, security of transactions, legal framework etc. are taking place in this area. With most of the economies working out the modalities in order to have a supportive infrastructure and dependable legal backup, the topic appears to be an appropriate one to carry out a comprehensive study. An effort would also be made in this study to take a look at some of the historical milestones, which have helped in the evolution of mobile commerce.

Aims and Objectives of the Study
Latest mobile applications not only help consumers to go online, but consumers can also access a variety of services while being on the move. Mobile commerce or m-commerce literally means executing a business activity using modern means of communication and the compatible services provided by the mobile companies and service providers. Telecommunication and IT go hand in hand, with latest advancements finding their way into the marketplace and subsequently in the daily life of consumers. Societys lifestyle, functioning of the government, industrial activities, finance and business are all being affected by the advancements in telecommunication. This study is therefore being carried out with an aim of taking a realistic look at the prevailing mobile commerce scenario in general and the extent to which consumers have been benefitting with such advancements. In general the study is being undertaken to focus on the following objectives
Take a look at the historical journey of money and how it became crucial for the survival of the human beings.

Analyze the developments in the fields of technology in general and IT in particular, which have helped in making life easier for the mankind
Trace the history of e-commerce and m-commerce.

Analyze the process of globalization and how it has impacted the economies around the world.
Determine the extent of penetration the telecom revolution has been able to achieve in global context as well as in the case of some leading economies.

To identify behavioral patterns of some of the respondents including some consumers and analysts, on how they respond to the introduction of mobile commerce and how the companys and users carry out the process of evaluation before entering into the fray.

Determine the factors assisting the surge in economic indicators and how different stakeholders have benefited from this scenario
Critically study various behavioral and technological aspects of mobile commerce, and its limitations, particularly in terms of security related issues.

While carrying out the study, it is expected that the study will enrich the knowledge base of student in addition to providing valuable thread for undertaking future researches in times to come.

Scope and Context of the Study
Broadly, the scope of this study will include
Analysis of the prevailing economic structure around the world
Analysis of the advancements in technology, which have made it possible to do the shopping without going to the market place. It would not be out of scope to study some of the technological aspects forming the backbone of internet, online transactions and the security infrastructure.

Some of the major sectors like banking, retailing, travel, insurance, equity trading, communication etc. have made it possible for the people to carry out the shopping and other transactions, without actually venturing out to the bank, company or the retail shop. It will be worthwhile to analyze some such examples, involving actual use of such facilities.

Cases of online frauds, identity thefts, spam, hacking etc. have posed big challenges for the online community. Analyzing some such cases and the preparations from the proponents of mobile commerce will also form part and parcel of this study.

Research Methodology
Methodology determines the gravity and direction of any research activity. Primary and secondary sources of data are of crucial importance for any study to reflect contemporary issues and relevance. The research study can be carried out by sifting through the available literature, the newspaper reports, the historical data, company reports, interviews and questionnaires etc. Nature of this city involves broader analysis of technology, retailing, banking etc. which makes it compulsory to carry out a comprehensive literature review followed by the opinion and interviews of some experts in the respective fields. The study is aimed at examining, researching, assessing and reporting about the impact of a transition towards the increasing influence of networking and related applications like mobile commerce. Therefore an effort would be made to study the path taken by internet, e-commerce and related technologies and how a number of hurdles like hacking and virus attacks made the journey through this path quite challenging one. Using reliable secondary sources of data like journals, research papers, newspaper reports, survey results etc would yield the required information in this regard. In fact secondary sources have often proved to be credible enough for the purpose of research activities. Moreover, the concerns of costs related to conducting primary research, carrying out qualitative analysis and availability of appropriate opportunities also proves to be a dissuading factor for undertaking the primary research and tilting the balance in favor of secondary research. Nonetheless, primary research has its own importance towards the credibility of the study. Therefore the appropriate research methodology for this study would be the use of a blend of secondary and primary research methods. Efforts will be made to make use of TAM based model, which is also known as attitudinal model analyzing three dimensions like ease of use (EOU), efficiency and fun. This model will help us in finding out the perceived ease of use (PEOU) and the perceived usefulness of the m-commerce interface units (Okazaki et al, 2007). The model indicates that external variables tend to influence the perception of the customers, which changes the purchase behavior and actual of the services by the customer.

Critical analysis of the data is holds key importance in order to derive conclusions from the facts and figures. Availability of software packages like SPSS and MS-Excel help in coding, retrieval and analysis of qualitative data gathered for the study. To carry out such a study in general we resort to the following steps for collecting data
Carrying out a comprehensive literature review with the help of journals and books on international business management, IT and m-commerce.

News reports in news papers and magazines about the latest prevailing trends in different aspects of marketing, technology and strategic management etc.

Seeking opinions views of experts in the related fields. If we are not in a position to take interviews directly from the experts, then we can extract their views from some of the recent edition of news magazines etc.
Working out to conduct some survey about the views of consumers making use of m-commerce applications. The subjects or sample populations for both the survey and key informant interviews are those who have stake in the development of mobile commerce in general. Key stakeholders in mobile commerce include the customers, the content providers, the mobile portals, mobile network providers, the government as well as the academe that shape the behavior of the internet savvy generation. Since the sample population belongs to mutually exclusive subgroups or strata, stratified random sampling technique will be employed to get the sample size.

The general population of this study will comprise of business establishments that employed mobile commerce in their transactions, clients who have been using this kind of technology for couple of years, consumers who own m-commerce compatible gadgets and portals.
The data once collected will be analyzed with the help of software tools.

Limitations and Constraints
A dissertation of this nature requires enough time and resources, in order to reach out to the depth of the subject, determining the sample size and collecting the data. As this study is being undertaken with an academic interest, it will certainly not be possible to mobilize the kind of resources, which a professional research agency might have at its command. Similarly, being bound by a deadline, the time required too cannot be termed as enough to seek inputs from every possible stakeholder. Similarly, there are some other constraints within which the study will be carried out. Some of the key limitations and constraints under which the study will be required to be undertaken include

Limitation of time and resources, which in turn would not allow undertaking in-depth analysis.
While seeking interviews and opinions from experts, government officials, and managers of some companies, it might prove to be an arduous task to pursue them for their valuable inputs. This difficulty will arise owing to some commercial considerations or their inaccessibility.

At times, the target segment, i.e. the general people making use of mobile commerce opportunities might display hostile attitude, particularly when they are not properly briefed about the objectives of the study. The respondents might display unhelpful attitude in view of the news reports indicating frauds in online purchases etc.

Analysis and interpretations also might prove to be time-consuming in itself, because some of the information though requested might not be forthcoming on account of the sensitive nature of the information. Cut throat competition in the telecommunication world is one reason which often comes in the way of seeking information from telecom, mobile, and retail companies.

Technology is changing very fast with newer standards coming up sooner than expected. The telecommunication scene is regarded as one of the fastest growing sectors. Rapid advancements in IT and the convergence technologies have provided the all important trigger for this industry to gain newer heights. It might prove very difficult for the researcher to keep track of all such developments with clinical precision.
As the researcher has to interact personally to the respondents which may also result in somewhat biased opinion at times.

Literature Review

Communication and the Media Landscape Tools for Trade
Communication as derived from the Latin word Communis means commonness of experience. Traditionally communication has been used for sharing and transferring thoughts, messages, and ideas. As we enter move further into the 21st century, commercial activities and financial transactions are fast becoming the integral components of the communication process. During good old days when there was no telephone, people used to run long distances to hand over the messages. Horse riders were also pressed in service to deliver the messages. The 19th century proved quite eventful as we came to know about telephone services, which made things comparatively easier for the human beings.

Communication as such, is a dynamic process of exchanging thoughts, ideas, information, feelings, messages, attitude or knowledge amongst two or more persons through a predefined set of symbols, icons and signs called language. Radio, television, print, Internet, Advertising, Public Relations form part of the communication process. Marketing management teams have been making good use of communication by way of reaching out the existing as well as prospective customers, so that they can send across the appropriate message at the appropriate time and thus able to influence their buying behavior. Mailers through postal mail and subsequently emails and SMSes have helped the marketing managers in keeping track of their customers and communicating with them in an effective manner. With the advancements in technology, the medium of message not only underwent a .. transformation, but the innovative use of message and the medium also started making its mark in the commerce sector. Marshall McLuhan said in his famous aphorism that, the medium is the message. The medium therefore became all the more important as we entered into the 21st century. In fact the medium has undergone many variations while communicating the messages to the intended users. Clarke III (2008) states that, mobile devices have been the most popular consumer products with all time fastest speed of adoption amongst the tech savvy users. This particular craze for mobile telephony gradually led to development of a focus towards using its services for commercial purposes.

Citing the works carried out different sets of researchers in the past, Wei (2009) tried to compare and contrast two types of definitions of m-commerce. One set of researchers defined m-commerce as, any type of transaction involving economic value with the help of mobile devices and a wireless network and using the mutual communication of the telecommunication network and e-commerce infrastructure. This set of researchers also distinguished m-commerce from e-commerce by stating that m-commerce basically uses wireless networks, wireless operating systems and mobile devices for conducting financial transactions. Over the years, however, the predominance of wireless networks all around us, has led to fading away of this difference as well. During those early days in 19th century, telegraph messages were sent across with the active involvement of the employees of the telegraph company, who would type and decode the message for the customer. By 20th century, customers were able to send and receive the messages on their own, but they had to make use of the equipment and infrastructure from the telecom company. As we enter into the 21st century, technology has made it possible for the customer to own the latest portable devices themselves and make use of them as and when required. P2P networks used for Skype or interlocking facility in a Wi-Fi network are some of the examples signifying these advancements (ITU, 2006). This is an indication towards the increasing level of user-friendliness and convergence of technologies. In the convergence era, it therefore becomes extremely difficult to distinguish between a communication channel and a commercial channel. The thin dividing line is therefore fast depleting in the m-commerce era. The general communication channel is now being used by the marketing communication team of corporate houses to send across the messages.

Information, the key ingredient for preparing a message for communication, is required to be collected with the help of available tools at the command of the researcher or the agency. With the all pervasive use of mobile, even an international agency like the UN has reported that during the implementation of health campaigns, the health officials turn to mobile health tools which enable data to be quickly and accurately collected even in remote parts of the region (UN, 2009). In fact the mobile phone companies have started undertaking such tasks in the form of corporate responsibility, which helps the company in earning goodwill amongst the existing and prospective customers. Vodafone Foundation, in association with Rockefeller Foundation, and United Nations Foundation formed mHealth Alliance in 2009, during the GSM World Mobile Conference for facilitating global innovation and ensuring taking care of mobile health related issues (UN, 2009). Therefore, it wont be an exaggeration if we could say that the concept of globalization and liberalization prevalent around us today, finds its echoes in the writings of Marshall McLuhan as well. In fact, when the phrases global village and the medium is the message were coined in early 1960s by Marshall McLuhan, very few people might have ever thought about the information age that we are currently experiencing today.

Money A Historical Perspective
Use of money dates back to the beginning of human civilization, when there used to be coins of gold, silver or other precious metals for exchanges. However, the form and value of money saw many a changes all through these years and if techniques like e-commerce or m-commerce are an indication, the human civilization appears to be in yet another evolutionary process. British Museum records also indicate that its been well over 5000 years when money was being used to make provisions for different types of necessities. With the record of about a million objects, the British Museum is stated to have one of the largest collections of monetary units in the world. It is said that coins and banknotes represent economic signs of value and symbolic signs of cultural identity of a geopolitical situation (Forns, 2008). Citing studies carried out by earlier researchers, Dwyer and Lothian (2003) state that, silver drachma was amongst the first monetary units coined in ancient Athens, during the fifth century BC, for use in transactions across national and international boundaries. It is therefore amply clear that the importance of money has been recognized long back by the human beings existing around the globe.

In fact the barter trade used to be in mainstay of trade and commerce during the days even before the onset of coins. During the Stone Age, there were not many resources available to people. Small, rigidly structured communities making a living by hunting the wild animals, and fishing used to be the mainstay during those days. As there was nothing to store for the people, there was no need for exchange as well. Gradually, when the communities started undertaking agriculture to produce grains, they were in need of storage and exchange systems. The system of barter started with the exchange of commodities for flints and other hard stones being used in weapons or tools. Minerals used for utensils and jewellery also became a precious possession which was even exchanged in far off places. Long route travels undertaken by group of people became an attractive method for trading the commodities. With the metal age, metallic substances and salt became other important commodities for trade. Copper, tin, and bronze were amongst the earliest metals being used for the barter trade. Quite often the barter rate was fixed by the rulers or the influential landlords. Giesecke  Devrient (2009) cite an interesting example of such an exchange rate when the decree from rulers stipulated that, a tub of butter will be exchanged for 120 dried fish, whilst 4 dried fish were equivalent to a pair of leather shoes.

It is believed that the term bucks originated because of the use of animal hides by the early US colonists in exchange of other goods and services. Different types of coins in ancient times were often valued for their beauty and the preciousness of the metal. Coins of shells, feathers, leather, precious metals etc. are some of the types of coins known to be in use during those early days. Cowrie shells were first used in China around the thirteenth century BC. Historical records indicate that gradually, the use spread to other parts of the world. Movement of Cowries has also been traced into parts of Africa along the Arab trade routes, where these shells were also used for decoration. Forns (2008) states that the, The institution of money is an organizing tool for the circulation of goods and services and for binding society together. Role of money therefore becomes very crucial towards maintaining order in the society and working out exchange arrangements for the economy. Value of the monetary unit also helps in communicating the appropriate message about the health of the economy of any country, region or an economic grouping like the EU. In order to fulfill these expectations and economic functions, currency must contain decipherable texts, patterns or images. This also helps in placing national symbols, representing values, time stamps etc.

The historic silk route or the Silk Road is one of the finest examples of the quest that the people even in those days used to display in order to carry out trade and business. The silk industry is today spread in many countries around the world, but historical evidence suggests that earlier, the international silk trade was mainly conducted in the trade zones comprising of the Far Eastern circle included China, India and the adjoining countries, forming a large area, having diplomatic and economic relations even before the foundation of the Chinese empire around 221 B.C (Ertl, 2006). The historic Silk Road is not just a single highway or road, but it is a network of interconnected routes. Some of these routes became famous as Silk Route, because silk was an important commodity being traded along the routes which had a connection with China and the Chinese silk. The trade along the Silk Road comprising of barter trade of goods and commodities en-route the Silk Road, was being used by emperors as a means of being in good terms with the fellow kingdoms.  During the 2nd Century BC, the traders used to have an influence on the respective governments and these traders used to be crucial links amongst different empires as well

First round of flat coins were of course the invention of Greeks, which in fact defined the physical shape of money for many centuries to come. Knighton (2008) states that, starting with the first coins around 2600 years ago, though money is relatively a late invention in human history, it makes the world go around. The value associated with particular currency or coin is also related to the level of difficulty in obtaining the currency. For example, feathers and skins could be obtained by going after the animals in jungles, and hunting them. This used to be a task full of difficulties, hence the requisite value associated with the coins made up of skins and feathers. With the advancements in human beings knowledge base and starting of industrial activities the monetary units underwent many changes. The coins being issued also started having an imprint of technology and advancement. The gold aureus and the silver denarius from the Roman emperor Augustus were found to be hugely popular during the initial period of their introduction as monetary currency (Dwyer and Lothian, 2003). When during the times of Nero, the economic conditions started deteriorating there were signs of currency debasement and inflation and the acceptability of Roman coinage outside the kingdom declined. Thereafter, Emperor Constantine came out with the solidus, a new currency made up of gold. It is stated that t he gold coin contained 4.5 grams of pure gold. This currency was used for larger transactions over a large area of the world. However the key competitor for Solidus was the Dinar from the Arabic world. being accepted worldwide the Solidus was termed as nomisma by the Greeks and the bezant by Western Europeans.

The Maria Theresa coin minted in Austria during 1765 to 1780 is known as one of the best coins ever produced during the coin era. Soon this coin became very popular in the Arab world. In fact, it was also believed that this coin had magical powers and worn by people as talisman. Its popularity grew to such an extent that it proved to be tough competitor for cowry. This coin was soon being used as a precious currency in different parts of the world, irrespective of the form of the government, somewhat like the present day dollar.

When China invented paper in 105 AD, the coins also got a new form. People realized that the erstwhile used cash coins become heavy particularly when large numbers of such coins are to be transported or exchanged therefore a need was felt to change the form of coins with a lighter material. The emperor of China started issuing value tokens of paper around 650 AD (Giesecke  Devrient, 2009). It is also stated that during his tour around the world in 1275, Marco Polo said, I tell you that people are glad to take these tokens, because wherever they go in the empire of the great Khan, they can use them to buy and sell as if they were pure gold.  Tracing the journey of money over the last couple of thousand years, Taylor (2004) states that, More than just an economic instrument, currency has come to embody sovereignty and national identity. Money and commerce has indeed traveled a long distance over the last couple of thousand years, with notable changes like coins replacing barter trade, paper currency replacing the metallic coins, checks replacing the paper currency, plastic money i.e. the credit and debit cards replacing checks, and the electronic form of currency replacing the plastic card era. As of now, the electronic commerce era is in evolutionary stage.

Convergence of Technologies
The rapid pace, at which media landscape is being transformed, is the result of convergence or fusion of telecommunication, computing, microelectronics and broadcasting  termed as Information Technology. It is the increasing application of IT, as a determining factor, in social and economic issues that are heralding the country rapidly towards Information Society. The boom in satellite and cable TV, proliferation of TV channels, introduction of mobile services, IP based services and internet communication are all pointers towards the arrival of Information Society. Cconvergence could perhaps be said to have an impact on three key areas
Content  Offering an opportunity for content producers to create use mixed-media formats (e.g. TVinteractiveweb) and new ways to distribute existing content
Networks  Web Service enabled upgrades that widen the capabilities and capacity of historically separate and single-purpose distribution infrastructure and
Devices  The creation of equipment that offers functionality typically delivered on stand-alone devices.

OECD (2008), in one of its reports indicated that the convergence of video, voice and data on next generation networks not only results in integration of a range of services, but it can also lead to more competitive environment for each of these services. This finding is an indication towards the manner in which the technology era is leaving its imprints on a range of procedures and services around us. Starting with the method of sending across messages using a horse rider or a foot soldier, today we are in a position to gain a whole range of information from the virtual world using internet. If we look around for the latest in IT industry, the online community is one of the most active communities worldwide, making fullest use of the easily available cost-effect community platforms available through the internet. Electronic commerce is one of the key advantages of the internet era.

Internet and web services are playing a leading role in this transformation. Web services in fact provide a firm foundation to the couple of networking and internet applications and allow a number of applications from different sources to communicate with each other. Now the use of internet covers real-time computer conferencing, audio broadcasting, video broadcasting, real time telephony and of course real-time business. E-business or e-commerce is of course one of the most effective business applications of the web applications. Electronic form of commerce is in fact generating lot of curiosity from different types of stakeholders. While on the one hand electronic form of banking applications has been found to be of immense help for the customer as well as the banks, there are also reports indicating that electronic transactions are full of risks. There was a time when manufacturing and services were considered to be having different roles and business models in the trade and commerce sector. While the manufacturing sector was considered the mainstay, the services sector was known to play a supporting role. But as we move ahead in the 21st century, the difference is fast narrowing down. M-commerce, one such service has become of crucial importance for a number of production units across the world. Forgia and Revetria (2008) state that nowadays there are common drivers of profitability like customer satisfaction common goals in operations like minimizing the capital investment, being responsive and flexible and common enabling factors like digital computing, communications, better integration, business process re-design etc. Technology is proving to be an important factor in reducing the gap. For example, online banking has a number of distinctive advantages not only to the customer, but to the bank as well. Some of the advantages are
Ability to carry out banking transactions, making payments, paying bills 24 hrs a day, all through the week. The bank is virtually open for the customer every time.

The banking transactions can be carried out from anywhere around the world. Now the customer need not worry about pending bills even while venturing out for holidays or tours
Online banking is fast, effective and efficient.

Periodic payments can be scheduled in advance by providing certain deadlines on the computerized system.
Balances can be checked anytime and in case of any discrepancy, the bank can be alerted through telephone or mobile
Chequebooks and statements can be ordered online
Account information can also be downloaded on the computer, which can further be analyzed using the tools available on the computer like MS-Excel. This will help us in regulating some of our usages
Online banking also results in saving lots of resources for the bank as well. With lesser number of people visiting the branches, the bank can concentrate more on strengthening its core areas. Bank doesnt require having large number of people on its rolls specially dedicated for customer care.

World War-II inflicted heavy damages on many countries in Europe and Japan. This in turn affected their industrial activities and manufacturing abilities. Cook (2002) cites the neoclassical growth theory developed by Solow and Swan in 1956 after the world war, to state that productivity growth rates are stable dynamic processes. This theory stipulated that the long term productivity growth path of each country goes in parallel with the exogenous technology growth. If the subsequent development is an evidence, then the industrial and IT revolution appears to be on the predicted lines.

Mobile commerce in its simplest form can be described as having the commerce routes in always on condition. While for the manufacturing sector, the business in electronic form can help in strengthening the supplies and procurement or the distribution chain. For a retail store it can mean offering the goods online, so that the customer can order the products online without actually venturing out to the nearest market. E-procurement is one of the best examples when the m-commerce regime can help a company in effectively handling its inventories and EOQs. Selling or purchasing of goods, offering and using the services through the online route, transacting financials commitments, marketing communication campaigns with attractive offers etc. are some of the key advantages of mobile commerce era. Online retailing by supermarkets, net-banking, IT enabled services, business process outsourcing, online ticket purchase etc. are some of the examples of electronic form of commerce. It involves electronic purchasing and supply chain management, processing orders electronically, handling customer service, and cooperating with business partners. Technology convergence has made it possible to club a number of applications on a single platform. While carrying out a study on the future of payment in the convergence era, Eastwood (2008) concluded that the payment industry in Europe is bound to undergo dramatic changes, which is bringing many prominent players in the industry under tremendous pressure. It is stated that the industry is therefore under pressure mainly to address the payment related strategies, so that they can reposition themselves for future. While on the one hand banks are developing multi-functional interfaces for better customer banker interaction, the contactless payments is proving to be a big boon for the retail and services sector.

Internet The Force behind Mobile Commerce
Internetworking of computers around the globe has provided newer dimensions to terms like collaborative efforts. Collaborative computing is the name of one such effort which helps in pooling of efforts by a particular company or group of individuals. Incidentally such efforts are possible today, because of the presence of Internet. The distance learning system also termed as distributed learning system as it involves decentralization of resources at a number of places, is another very relevant usage of internet for long term queries. Broadly, besides using the material like material like CD ROMs, books, etc., the distance learning can be categorized into
Learning through Internet, without actual real-time interaction between the tutor and the student.

Learning through live internet broadcasts, TV broadcasts, radio broadcasts etc.

It is worthwhile here to mention that in the beginning when internet was considered separate from broadcasting, they were categorized as two separate media channels. But, with the onset of convergence regime, it all leads to internet only. In order to find out an alternative to hand written signatures, the proponents of e-commerce came up with digital signatures, which in turn help in facilitating mobile commerce transactions. He et al (2007) state that, the overall horizon of online commercial activities is widening with the advent of digital signatures. Identity management tools are required by mobile operators, device manufacturers and software developers, which help in providing security to the transactions like m-banking, m-payments etc. Sagem Wireless has recently announced its partnership with UPEK for coming out with fingerprint identity capabilities to a range of devices that the company will be launching during the year. The company is also slated to launch Andriod based mobile devices in the year 2010. The fingerprint identity solution is expected to bring in benefits like
The interface will be simplified, which means customers will not be required to remember and retype the login and authentication details like username, password, account numbers etc. The touch screen will pick up vibes from the fingers of the customer and accordingly authenticate the transaction.

It will be difficult for data thieves to break into the protection system of the m-commerce interface. It will make the process of purchase from online stores quicker and secure.

Faster and more secure mobile payments, mobile banking and other new mobile applications

Signed, sealed, and delivered. An ancient phrase May be, because now we are in the age of Signed and delivered. Recorded references to a document being signed and sealed for authentication go back to 1362, when the pacts and alliances were signed between Pedro I of Castille and Edward III of England (Proctor, 1940). This practice will no doubt continue for the times to come, but certainly in parallel with the practice of e-signing the document before consigning it to the assigned address. Undertaking commercial activities online, involving monetary transactions through internet, require that we must be able to able to provide due protection to the transaction. Encryption and decryption techniques therefore help in securing the transaction from frauds. This way internet becomes an easy route to carry out the transactions. Signing the electronic document with e-signatures helps in providing he document the same authenticity as is accorded to the paper documents. E-signatures are different from the practice of securing a document with password. Such signatures can also take the form of authenticated codes through fingerprints, retinal patterns, hand geometry, voice recognition, facial recognition, typing pattern recognition, and signature dynamics (e.g. the pressure of pen on a surface, speed of writing etc.). These human characteristics are then compared with those recorded on the document. Such signatures prove of immense help while securing the identity of an individual over long distances on the internet. This in turn helps in setting up a firm foundation for working out the mobile commerce arrangements.

While commenting on the topic of co-creation of value, C.K. Prahalad, a renowned marketing guru states that in the new marketing regime customers are also seen as co-producers. The basis of this belief is that services are at the core of marketing (Day et. el, 2004). Mobile commerce is essentially the use of different types of ICT tools that allow mobile exchange of information with the help of a number of gadgets like. The backbone i.e. the infrastructure being provided for this exchange is provided by the networking of computers across the globe i.e. the internet. During the last two decades in general, the trend towards e-society became so much prevalent that some of the traditional means of communication, marketing, and services started feeling the pinch. In fact, those who were used to the traditional ways also felt slighted at times. As compared to other technologies, growth and spread of internet and e-commerce regime has been substantially fast. Often this also led to conflicting situations in the society. Citing the anecdote of one such writers, Satapathy (2000) mentioned that Lucy Kellaway, one of the writers with The Financial Express, titled her article as Enough Ive had e-nough, on February 7, 2000. The article further went on to add the frustration of a traditional marketing lover, who feels slighted with the fast emerging m-commerce regime. Lucy Kellaway added that, She had had it with the internet, with e-commerce and with e-everything. She cited the examples of the FT taking pride in calling itself the newspaper of the new e-conomy, and the Wall Street Journal coming out with the newspaper for e-business. She went on to add that, Anything remotely interesting (about the internet) either had been said three million times already, or else had not been said at all, as no one knew yet how it was going to turn out and the rest was waffle and hype. She suggested that news papers and magazines should come out with disclaimers like, 95 per cent e-free as normally is the practice in cases of a number of other products like labeling of milk as 97 percent fat-free, etc
.
M-Commerce Latest Initiatives
Mobile commerce facilitates features like ubiquity, personalization, dissemination and flexibility (Sun, 2005). Marketing people are always on the lookout for an opportunity to reach out to the customer. Therefore they saw an opportunity in the increasing levels of mobility as well. Marketing offers were made available to the consumer through the mobile devices. Following and prospecting the consumer while the consumer is on the move, is the result of aggressive marketing. Facilities like WAP, GSM, GPRS etc. have further made it easier to transact on the move. Personalization of the message and the service is now the buzzword in the m-commerce parlance. For example, banks now prefer to prepare, customized solutions for the need of their customers. Devices like web-enabled cellular phones, palm pilots, PDAs, and the iPad, the latest from Apple Inc. have become darlings of consumer from businessman to students alike. As a business, mobile commerce is also a complex process involving a chain of operations. This chain requires active involvement of the customers, merchants, banks, mobile network operators, and the regulatory bodies.  Barnett (2000), described the basic links for mobile business value chain, as follows
Transport  For maintaining and operating the infrastructure and equipment to guarantee data communication between mobile users and application providers.

Basic Enabling Services  To provide services such as server hosting, data back-up and system integration.
Transaction Support  To provide the mechanism for assisting transactions, for security, and for billing users.
Presentation Services  To convert the content of Internet-based applications to a wireless standard suitable for the screens of mobile devices.

Personalization Support  To gather users personal information, for enabling personalized applications for individual users.

Content Aggregators  For providing search information on mobile to facilitate users to find their way in special categories on the net.

User Applications  To carry out mobile commerce transactions for mobile consumers

To highlight the importance of trust in carrying out electronic transactions, Cardholm explained the BATE model (Kao, 2009). This model describes a framework for trust in e-business. As per the BATE model, there are four dimensions to carrying out online transactions, namely business trust, administrative trust, technical trust, and experience-based trust. It was argued that a customer opting for online transactions generally assigns more weight to business trust and experience-based trust than on administrative trust and technical trust. This model gives an indication towards the importance of making the online transaction secure enough solicit fullest support from the customer. Li et al (2007) have suggested a collaborative filtering based framework consisting of three components namely
Collecting the relevant content, context and user information
Representation of multidimensional information by OLAP
Collaborating filtering for coming out with inferences

The flow chart of information flow for a typical m-commerce application can be depicted as shown in fig-2.

As the figure depicts, making the m-commerce application suitable for the consumer requires lot of ground work and analysis of the data. Weighing the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities of the company and its competitors provides another key input for customizing the mobile commerce platform. The internet and broadband services are indeed making inroads into many billion homes around the world. This gives rise to expectations of the IT industry that it might be able to cater to these consumers with many more value added services as well. Integration of content, voice, and text communication has given way to many more opportunities. The global information network set up on account of convergence of technologies is a reality now (Das et al, 2003). Making use of existing IP infrastructure for carrying over the content, encrypted transaction codes, audio and video, provides a very low cost alternative to the mobile commerce and telephony network.

Clarke (2008) asserts that while on the move the customers must be provided with detailed information about the products and services, as would have been provided by the company for general commercial purposes. It is emphasized that wireless users require packets of hyper-personalized information, and not the scaled-down versions of generic information. This indicates towards the need to replace the general internet business models with specific models integrating the unique characteristics of wireless m-commerce. Clarke (2008) further states that the value proposition for mobile e-commerce is expected to be different it offers a superior offering of value-for-time. Key value proposition attributes distinguishing m-commerce from e-commerce include (Clarke, 2008)

Ubiquity Consumers can perform commercial transactions from virtually any location on a real time basis. The mobile commerce users have access to virtual stores simultaneously, irrespective of the location of the user. Such real time presence helps during time critical applications. This type of omnipresence can be leveraged for a number of applications like auctions, betting, stock market updates, availability of train air tickets for the frequent travelers. The company will be able to send across the personalized content to the user, depending upon the information gathered about the mobile user.

Convenience The manner in which mobile commerce takes place helps in saving time, effort, resources etc. The convenience in carrying out m-commerce applications thus eliminates a number of labors of life. Such a facility also provides an opportunity for expanding the customer base, beyond the physical barriers. The convenience helps consumers in sending and receiving e-mail, voice mail forwarding, conference calling, faxing, document sharing, instant messaging and of course carrying out commercial transactions.
Localization Though, the model of m-commerce works with a notion that the location of the customer is of least importance, but the experience of mobile commerce can become all the more encouraging if the service provider is in a position to point out the location of the customer and accordingly localize the offerings to the customer.

Personalization Personal preferences of a customer depending upon the buying behavior over a period of time or as desired by the customer helps in gaining loyal customers. A mobile device is generally used by a sole individual, which would help the company in devising a focused target approach. It is stated that as the wireless devices are very much personal, the messages and offers too should be value added accordingly.

Balasubramanian et al (2002) also analysed the value proposition for mobile networks, and divided it into eight categories

Category I Information is placed in this category. Availability of timely and relevant information has been accorded a high priority. Advancement of technology has made it possible to have location sensitive, time critical, and recipient controlled devices available for assisting the mobile commerce network. Information like the local weather report for a person on tour, information about traffic jam in an area, check clearance from bank account, check deposit in bank account, the balance position in bank account, status of loan application, stock market update etc. are some of the important elements of this category.

Category II This type of m-commerce applications are generally initiated by the product or service provider, for example information about a discount sale in retail store, revision in telephone tariffs, new directives from government etc. PayPal also allows its customers access of their accounts using mobile phones anytime, anywhere.

Category III Quite often the customer desires to be updated about the latest developments on some particular aspects of service. The trail of such updates is passed on to the customer at regular intervals.

Category IV Applications in this category are similar in nature to the services offered in category I. The fleet management services offered in this category are not time critical in nature and the customer can go through the services at leisure. Monthly bank statements, telephone bill, information about the procedure for filing tax returns etc. can be clubbed in this category.

Category V Acquisition of time critical information connected with remote transaction or event can be placed in this category. Information about the last date of filing tax return, payment for hotel stay in a foreign land etc. can be clubbed in this category. The services for this category require to be requisitioned by the user.

Category VI This category is similar to that in category V, but in this case the service provider company takes lead and passes on the relevant info to the consumer.

Category VII When the consumer desires some information for updating the database of information being maintained at its end, heshe approaches the service provider with specific request and at times, such requests are charged by the service provider.

Category VIII  These applications typically relate to modification and configuration of software for remotely located mobile units.

Safety and Security of Online Transactions
In June 2006, the HSBC bank in UAE was hit by a phishing attack, when hackers were able to penetrate into the bank accounts in Dubai. The fraudsters made use of a pinhole camera and a skimmer (a device which extracts ATM, Credit, and Debit card info), to extract the PIN numbers from an ATM machine and thus able to take out money from the accounts of gullible customers (Milne, 2006). In the year 2008, the customers of National Bank of Kuwait were targeted by phishing scam and attempts were made to steal the account details of its customers. An email started asking the customers of NBK to re-register their details as it was claimed that the bank has lost the details of about two million customers. But the scam website was tracked within couple of hours only and taken down subsequently, without resulting into any losses for the customers (Sutton, 2008). In fact these days, such emails have become quite frequent in our mailboxes, and banks too have become wiser and keep advising its customers not to disclose the classified details to anyone. The dilemma in which internet services have found themselves in can be aptly summed up by a report in the Economist (2007). The report, while predicting the shape technology will take in coming years, stated that

The internet is not about to grind to a halt, but as more and more users clamber aboard to download music, video clips and games while communicating incessantly by e-mail, chat and instant messaging, the information superhighway sometimes crawls with bumper-to-bumper traffic.

In fact this is just one aspect which makes the path of mobile commerce challenging and full of risks. While the barriers to m-commerce are certainly coming down, there are still quite a few situations requiring the attention of experts. Citing a survey undertaken amongst UK consumers in the recent past, Holland (2008) state that, despite so much advancements, majority of the consumers still love to scout around for most affordable deals instead of doing the purchase on their mobiles. It was found that while 18 percent of the respondents preferred the traditional brick and mortar business, only 11 percent opted for mobile commerce. Though the difference is not much, but if a developed society like UK comes out with such figures, then the fate of mobile commerce can very well be ascertained in the developing world. Carried out amongst more than 2000 consumers the survey indicated that checking prices and locating stores are the two of the most common activities done by the mobile phone users in UK and US. The study also pointed out that young mobile users are more likely to appreciate the promotional messages on their mobiles than the elders. This trend too has its origin in the skepticism of elders about the security and safety of internet transactions.

Securing the network from unauthorized users and hackers is of prime importance for making the mobile commerce experience worth the efforts. Security as such involves
Protecting private information
Saving the network from different types of attacks like password theft, virus attacks, eavesdropping.
Putting in place methods to diffuse major attacks like logic bomb virus attacks,
Protecting the sensitive information from being transported to external sources
Not letting undue denial of services to authorized customers
Taking measures to avoid instances involving deliberate damage of the equipment
Saving the transmitted data from getting corrupted
 Putting in place firewalls like circuit-level gateways and application gateways.
Making use of some of the popular private key encryption techniques like RSA (invented by Rivest, Shamir and Adlemen) and DSA (Digital Signature Algorithm).
Making distinctive arrangements for B2C and B2B customers, depending upon the nature of usage and apprehension levels
Strengthening the supply as well as distribution networks of the virtual platform. In general, while making an online presence, the Internet takes care of the distribution part. Supply chain, another key element of any business also needs to be taken into account while preparing a viable e-business option.

Companies with Successful m-commerce Platform Some Examples
There are a host of companies around us making use of some of the features of mobile commerce. Some such companies are
Kuwait Airways
Starting with a network serving the Abadan, Beirut, Damascus and Jerusalem sectors in 1954, Kuwait Airways is today known as one of the most dependable airlines around the world. With a fleet of around 20 well maintained aircrafts, the company is serving a large part of the world. It is worthwhile here to mention that the company had lost its entire fleet of aircrafts and it headquarters building during the Iraqi invasion in 1991. The company started almost from scratch once again and is today in a position to take on some of the reputed names in the industry as far as the customer comfort and timeliness of its services is concerned. Going along the times and taking fullest advantages of the available technological advancements, Kuwait Airways has also started offering the following online services to its customers
The traveler can book hisher ticket from anywhere around the world with the help of internet booking. It goes without saying that if the customer prefers to book the ticket from an internet compatible mobile instrument it can be done quite easily.

The customer can get his flight details on the mobile, without actually worrying too much when on the move. With the help of this detail, the customer can later get the ticket printed from anywhere.
In case of any change in schedules or times, the airlines can inform its customers over the mobile phone.
The company can also send across any promotional message about newer schemes being launched or newer destinations being added to the network.

Online checking-in facility is also available to the customers. In fact airlines companies often prefer to have the travel info validated using web check-in facilities, as it results in reduction in costs of serving the customers.

On 7th January 2010, Kuwait Airways launched a new Internet Booking Engine (IBE) to a much better online experience for its customers.

In February 2010, the airlines also started providing weather updates for its online customers, so that they can adjust their travel plans accordingly. While talking about the importance of relationship management Saren and Tzokas (1997) state that it is a dynamic process and its objective should be to create relationship climate thus setting the stage for developing the relations with individual customers. Kuwait Airways appears to be moving in the same direction.

The Airline has also been using the online platform for procuring its supplies and reaching out to suppliers and service providers. While on the one hand this provides transparency in handling the supplies, it also provides an opportunity to the most eligible supplier to bid for the job. The Airline is also in a position to leverage the competitive prices and thus pass on the cost advantage to its travelers.

This is therefore quite clear the Kuwaiti Airline is using the online platform for B2C as well as B2B operations.

Kuwaiti Airlines vision statement says Kuwait Airways aims at setting the standard for customer orientation and become an admired airline to fly, to invest in, and to work for. This statement quite aptly sums up the key focus areas for the company namely, the customers, investors and workers. Taking fullest advantage of the facilities like online business, the company is able to reach out not only the tech-savvy youth of the day, but even an average computer literate person in the society.

Commercial Bank of Kuwait SAK
Commercial Bank of Kuwait (CBK) is banking institution offering its customers personal and commercial banking services like checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, time certificates of deposits, and personal accounts (Datamonitor, 2009). Company offers loans for real estate services like construction  residential, mini-perm, and home mortgages. In addition the bank also offers credit cards, phone banking, online banking, and investment and fund management services. Prime market for the bank is Kuwait with its headquarter in Kuwait city.

It is quite interesting to note that while offering online and mobile commerce services to its customers, the bank has also been feeling the heat on account of phishing scams and online id thefts. It is for this reason that the bank has uploaded an important warning to its online customers to take utmost precaution while making use of online banking services. Key services areas of the bank include Business banking services, Credit cards, Fund management services, Investment services, Loan services, Online banking services, Personal banking services, and Phone banking services.

A bank can acquire competitive advantage on its rivals by making sincere efforts towards improving operational efficiencies, brand building, value creation, putting in place innovative ideas, and undertaking marketing efforts in right earnest. CBK has so far been able to effectively convert its internal resources into services for corporate clients, but the turf is bound to become tougher as the global economy trying to cope up with the recessionary trends. The mission statement of CBK states, For the sake of greater customer convenience, Commercial Bank of Kuwait endeavors to develop and enhance its product offerings to become the premier provider of banking services to its large customer base along with maximizing shareholders funds. With 54 branches within Kuwait the bank has been consistent with its efforts to widen its customer base and offer banking solutions to its customers through the website, telephone landline, mobile, internet and ATMs. Serving the nation for the last 50 years, the bank has made marked efforts to remain contemporary and provide customized solutions for its customers for their individual as well as commercial needs. By making provision for e-commerce and m-commerce facilities the bank has also done a world of goods for its own expansion, which has helped the investors and workers alike.

2.7.3. PayPal
PayPal has been a pioneer as far as facilitating online payments is concerned. Serving its customers for over a decade now, the company has established its footprints in many countries around the world. With customized website and payment interface for different regions and countries, the company has been able to enroll a large number of customers from around the world. The services of PayPal allow anybody to make payments to hisher friends, relatives, business associates, retail stores, billing companies etc. using credit cards or internet banking accounts without sharing any classified financial information with anyone. The company claims to have more than 153 million accounts around the world in 190 markets and using the services in 24 major currencies. In fact the company has customized its websites in many local languages as well, which helps the company in reaching out to wider customer base in local markets. The mobile platform of PayPal allows its customers to access their server based accounts by mobile phones from anywhere. Using PayPal mobile
The customer can send or receive money from mobile phone
Make payment of bills
Purchase tickets for travel
Make donations to charity

By allowing such facilities, PayPal has been able to convince a number of leading brands to customize their offers especially for mobile users. Leading brands can also try to grab the attention of their existing and future customers by sending across advertisements on the mobile phones, while allowing the customers to follow the links provided in the message. Such an arrangement results in m-commerce activity on the part of the beneficiary company as well as PayPal.
Chapter-3 Discussion and Presentation
An effort will be made in this chapter to discuss and analyze the data and inputs that we have been able to collect for this study from different sources.

Collecting Primary Data
To start with, a literature review was undertaken for the study, which helped in understanding the subject in detail. Some of the latest initiatives in this regard have helped us in estimating the future potential of this technology as well. Besides the secondary sources of information, an effort was also made to collect some primary data by making use of questionnaire method. A questionnaire was devised containing 10 questions (Appendix-1) relevant to the m-commerce, its features, and concerns of the people. A list of target audience was prepared with the help of friends, colleagues and some industry professionals

A set of the questionnaire was subsequently sent through email or in person to those selected for the study. In order to garner maximum participation in the survey, the covering letter explained the purpose of study in detail to all the participants. It was made clear at the very outset that the purpose of this study is to find out relevant data for academic purposes. This was also emphasized in the covering letter that the privacy of the survey participants will be fully protected and there wont be any commercial exploitation of the information.

In this study an effort was made to have a balanced approach of both inductive and deductive methods. Once the data is collected, analysis of the findings was done using the easily available tools like MS-Excel. While analyzing the responses from 50 respondents it was found out that
The first question requested the customers to come out with their details like name, age and gender. These details were sought to find out if there is any pattern in the responses on account of age or gender. Effort was made to see that the maximum number of respondents are from the age group of 30-50, as this very age group holds key to the market under globalization regime.

Q-2 This question tried to figure out the differences that the general people feel around them on account of technology advancements. The respondents were requested to check all those alternatives which they feel have an imprint of technological advancement. From the responses it was indeed quite clear that quite a few things have indeed changed around us, and we realize it well that most of such changes are the result of technological advancements. Majority of the respondents expressed the opinion that better networking and equipment with better features are a result of the advancements in communication technology.

While majority of the respondents did agree to the viewpoint that better networking, easier and faster way of communication and availability of better equipment and devices have been the cornerstone of advancements in communication technologies, not many seem to take the call on cost effective shopping and guarantees of internet stores. Itd however be encouraging for the proponents of m-commerce that just about 50 percent of the respondents agreed to the viewpoint that the advancements in IT field has certainly led to easier business transactions and convenient shopping.

Q-3 Responses to the query remained mixed with, the respondents stating in unison that internet is a good source for daily news updates. The youth segment appeared more convinced that the loads of referencing material on the internet help in studies and carrying out research activities. Watching films and video appears to be another favorite pastime on the internet, with 45 respondents agreeing to the viewpoint. It is worth emphasizing here quite often internet users are taken for a ride by unscrupulous elements with attractive offers for watching the videos. And many of the times, these videos contain viruses and spyware, which results in harming the computer system of the user. Often it becomes very difficult for the internet user to make distinction between a virus free video and malicious video. Steganography is one such process out of science, which helps the sender in camouflaging the dirty messages within a pretty picture. Whenever such things take place on the internet, it ends up impairing the cause of m-commerce proponents. This was reflected in the responses when the shopping and bargain hunting found favors with only 23 people, while 20 respondents found it good enough for carrying out banking operations.

Interestingly there were four responses coming in the other category. Some of the young respondents expressed the opinion that watching films and videos online is one of the highlight of internet which has made the life simpler for the mankind. Well, this certainly is an advantage, particularly considering the fact that downloading videos from authorized websites also forms part of the m-commerce arrangement. With a number of social networking sites making their presence felt in the cyber world, quite often people also download videos on their mobile instruments. The videos can either be purchased by paying the requisite amount or at times, these videos also contain commercial messages, which help the user in watching the video free of cost. This is certainly an important extension of m-commerce phenomenon.

Therefore, responses to this question can certainly be termed as encouraging for the cause of m-commerce.

Q-4 This question tried to figure out the perception of respondents about e-commerce and m-commerce. Though m-commerce is certainly an extension of e-commerce, yet it needs to be emphasized that m-commerce is now proving to be a catalyst with distinct identity to go for customized products and processes. Apples iphone and iPad are the reflective examples of how the product and process development is taking place keeping in mind the mobility and commerce. Therefore, it is of crucial importance that as we move further into the IT era, we need to be clear about the basic fundamentals of the two processes. E-commerce has certainly provided the basic infrastructure for the mobile commerce, it will be interesting to see how the RD labs start integrating the exclusive m-commerce requirements into upcoming gadgets and processes.

While 21 respondents were of the opinion that m-commerce is not much different from e-commerce, there were 29 others who seem to appreciate the upward mobility of m-commerce regime. In fact, the mobility aspect is the key differentiator which makes the products and services attractive for the people on the move. The young generation seems to have better appetite for the latest additions into the communication world and making fullest use of the convergence techniques.

Q-5 In this case respondents were requested to go for only three most suitable options out of the seven alternatives. Respondents were requested to weigh all the alternatives beforehand and then opt for the top three online operations which they consider forming the part of m-commerce. This was done to see the priorities that the respondents would accord to different applications of m-commerce. It has been assumed that the respondents would prioritize the options depending upon their usage of such applications or their levels of familiarity with these applications.

It is indeed quite interesting to see that majority of the respondents do not consider online actions like checking bank account details on the mobile or downloading music videos etc. as a part of m-commerce. Majority of the respondents were of the opinion that bidding for auctions or soliciting live equity quotes from the stock market come in the category of m-commerce. But theres a brighter side to all this as well, with people becoming used to certain functions with the help of their mobile instruments and yet they dont consider it as something special for their requirements. This goes on to indicate that a large number of people are getting used to certain functions of m-commerce, which is bound to assist the cause of m-commerce in the long run. banking activities being one of the key ingredients of m-commerce era, if people become used to such activities on their mobile, without actually realizing that they have entered a new era is bound to make m-commerce into mass-commerce, which is where the economies of scale would come into full bloom and the cyber world will witness another round of intense competition.

Q-6 Asking the respondents about the frequency of their use of m-commerce facilities on their mobile gadgets is actually inextricably linked with the response to the previous question. If people using the mobile for seeking regular bank account detail do not consider it as an m-commerce application, then the response will accordingly vary. But, it is worthwhile here to mention that it wont be out of place to consider a logical corollary to the mobile banking will be online shopping and other such facilities. Someone who has been using the mobile phone or laptop for accessing hisher bank details is bound to graduate sooner than later into a habitual user of the mobile instrument, provided of course, heshe continue to feel secure and comfortable in using the services. Therefore the telecom companies and the mobile operators will have to make sure that the security infrastructure is firmly in place and the customer is also made aware about the importance of being vigilant and cautious during online activities. Making the customers aware about any newer developments is also a responsibility of the telecom company and the service provider.

While 3 respondents clearly stated that they have never used the online facilities for transactions, 36 respondents i.e. 72 percent of them actually carry out the online transactions ranging from 1-5 times a week, which is certainly an encouraging share for the industry. There is lot more scope for popularizing the commercial activities on the mobile devices, as is evident from the responses of 9 respondents who have been using the commercial aspect of online activities about 6-12 times a week. Not many however have been using it more than a dozen times. It goes without saying that when an internet user accesses hisher account online without actually realizing that he is indulging in m-commerce activity, then it is bound to have an effect on this response. For the sake of argument, therefore it would be safe to assume that much higher percentage of net-users must be using the facilities available. As is indicated by the response, the opportunity for companies and service providers can be found in the high percentage of net users carrying out the online transactions 1-5 times. Now the companies and service providers can try to attract such customers to be more active in the cyber zone, which would be helpful for the customer as well as the companies involved. This can also be done by the companies by offering the existing customers some mobile coupons or loyalty cards. Though in this particular study most of the respondents have been categorized as individuals, but there might be some whod like to be entrepreneurs or venture capitalists. In that case the service provider company would require offering some B2B services as well to the existing users.

Q-7 The difference that a normal customer can make between m-commerce and the traditional brick and mortar business holds the key for its popularization amongst masses on a wider scale. If the customer prefers to highlight the positive aspects of m-commerce, it goes well for the advocates of m-commerce, but if the customer still feels comfortable with the good old systems, it calls for some retrospection for the IT regime. In general the difference between these two forms of commerce is quite glaring, but the consumers perception holds the key for better acceptability. These days IT experts prefer to use the technology acceptance model (TAM) to study the acceptance levels of newly introduced technologies. The model was proposed in 1986 to address the question why a particular technology is accepted or rejected by users (Elwood et. al, 2006). The impact of external variables on internal beliefs, attitudes, emotions, perceptions and intentions is traced under TAM.

In response to this query also the respondents were requested to check all those responses which they perceive to be appropriate. Despite having first-hand knowledge and experience about m-commerce, it is quite interesting to learn that 26 respondents expressed the opinion that traditional way of banking still instills a sense of security while apprehensions about security of the online transaction seem to put the customers off to some extent. Another 20 responses seem to prefer the guidance of friendly customer care executive over the comfort of home banking or convenient banking.

The silver lining of course is the 18 responses, expressing the opinion that online banking saves lot of time and effort. Well, it is worth stressing here that in money matters, customers generally prefer to value the security aspect more than the convenience. Therefore, efforts are required on the part of banks, shopping establishments, government and regulators to instill the kind of confidence required amongst the people. When 21 respondents agree to the fact that m-commerce applications have worldwide reach, this saves lot of effort on the part of the IT initiators in educating the masses about this aspect. About 12 respondents i.e. 24 percent of them also agree to the fact that while mobile and internet are easily available it has become somewhat difficult to locate the branch of a bank nearby. Opening an operating a branch in physical form requires many more resources on the part of the bank, then offering the services online.

Q-8 Though we are now in an era where broadband and wireless services have made their mark in providing faster and effective internet services, there are still some issues which need to be resolved in order to make way for uniformity in providing efficient services. While some of the regions might be having uninterrupted and high quality services, there might be some where the company compromises on speed and quality. In the market driven society, such things generally happen if the companies providing the internet services dont find it profitable to operate in certain areas. In that case, such areas are relegated to second or third priority. Similar is the case with mobile phone providing companies, the number of cell towers within an area determine the reach and congestion free communication, and telecom companies would concentrate more on the areas which they find more profitable. In this case also respondents were requested to point out as many issues as they perceive to be coming in the way of their becoming pro m-commerce.

Majority of the respondents expressed seemed to expresses their helplessness by stating that many of the websites available on the internet do not have mobile compatible pages, which at times gives it a weird look, and it becomes very difficult for the customer to make use of the facilities available on the website. Sending and receiving SMSes can of course be done quite convenient with the mobile phones, but logging into the bank account, or making payments through PayPal etc. becomes difficult, if the interface is unclear.

Another major problem area pointed out by the respondents is the strength of signal on their mobile or wireless gadgets. Despite having made so much advancement, science still remains subservient to natural and geographical circumstances surrounding us. Signal availability therefore depends upon a number of factors like the location of the transmitting and repeating tower, number of high rise building areas in the vicinity, hilly terrain, greenery within the region, interferences from other types of signals etc. In this case also 22 respondents indicated that they dont feeling like using fullest use of the mobile commerce facilities because the strength of mobile becomes relatively weaker, which in turn affects the speed of online connectivity.

Many banks and financial transaction websites ask their customers to change their password for carrying out the transactions at regular intervals. This is done ostensibly to safeguard the interest of the customer. But if the frequency of change results in the customer forgetting hisher own login details, then it creates problems in accessing those websites. Twelve out of the fifty respondents expressed the opinion that the frequent changes in login password becomes a problem as they tend to forget it, which then results in multiple number of attempts. If the number of attempts exceed a certain number the login id and password are block by the bank financial institution for certain days, which results in defeating the very purpose of m-commerce. A study conducted by a consumer group in UK came out with the finding that half of us fail to protect ourselves from banking frauds (Reuters, 2008). The study pointed out that 53 percent of the bank customers user their mothers maiden name as a password, which makes it easy for the phishing fraudsters to execute their dirty designs. This is one such motive which leads banks in asking their customers to go for frequent changes in the password.

Six respondents also cited other reasons for the difficulties. They cited the following reasons coming in the way of their becoming fully dependent on the virtual world
The font size on the mobile screen is very small, which is difficult to read at times
At times heavy traffic congestion on the net results in page cannot be displayed, which results in going through the entire process all over again.
The service provider company has told that my mobile phone is not compatible with the latest internet technology

Q-9 In this case respondents were asked to point out some of the factors responsible for preventing the people from using m-commerce applications. Respondents were given the liberty to chose as many factors as they feel should be taken care of towards making m-commerce popular. An overwhelming majority (42) is of the view that the security concerns in the virtual market-space are still haunting the customers from becoming used to e-commerce or m-commerce. With news items appearing in mainstream media from time to time, announcing the feat of fraudsters doesnt do too well for the cause. Reports like those published in Kuwait Times (Reuters, 2008), point out that 50 percent of the people making online purchase often fail to ascertain whether the website is secure for the online transaction. This raises another important question as to how will it be possible for every hapless internet surfer to verify the genuineness of the website.

Mustafa (2009) reports that, Dubai seems to have become a good hunting ground for phishing fraudsters in the recent past. With scammers constantly changing their modus operandi, people repeatedly fall prey to them. It is reported that Dubai residents, particularly the migrant workers, are being targeted by the fraudsters in the name of providing cheap rentals. Recently the Abu Dhabi Police has also warned its citizens against online frauds (WAM, 2010). People were warned about email messages from fraudsters posing as bank representatives and asking them to update the sensitive information like login id, password, PIN numbers, account numbers etc. Such mails contained warnings to the customers that their bank accounts might be closed, if they do not update these details soon. Some people doing so, ended up disclosing all such sensitive data to the fraudsters, which later made use of this info to siphon off the money from their bank accounts.

Non-availability of enough alternatives on the online shop floor is another key reason cited by the respondents for its not being attractive. In fact many people prefer to do window shopping and take an idea of the offers, product quality, feature etc. Only after they zero-in on some particular product or brand that they tend to go for the actual purchase. Generally the online shopping websites do not have many alternatives available, which limits the choice of people, thus resulting in lesser popularity of such websites.

 Fifteen people also said that they are not much familiar with all the features of their mobile phone, which somehow comes in the way of their online purchase habits. This is indeed a fact that the speed with which technological advancements are taking place, the handy gadgets find their updates sooner than the user is able to comprehend. The latest devices like laptop, palmtop, mobile phones etc. come packed with so many features that it becomes very difficult for the user to keep track of them. The basic infrastructure of m-commerce too is constantly getting revised. It is very difficult for an average consumer to keep track of the latest additions to the technological advancements. Expectations of common people also become high. Two of the respondents were of the opinion that despite so much progress, the m-commerce infrastructure leaves much to be desired.

Five of the respondents also pointed out that some other issues like the frequent unsolicited messages being sent by marketing agencies, shopping malls, etc. often tend to have a bad impact on the mood of the mobile user. It not only clogs the inbox of their mobile instrument, but it also disturbs them during their meetings, family functions etc. When Gartner conducted a survey amongst 2000 consumers in UK and US, it was found that only 16 percent of the consumers in UK and 20 percent in US tend to appreciate receiving the promotional material on their mobiles (Holland, 2008). Another refrain expressed by the respondents is that the experience of some of their friends in online shopping has not been very good, which is the reason for their not opting for m-commerce.

Q-10 Marketing communication efforts play an important role in attracting customers towards their products and services. Innovative ideas in such efforts often lead to better success rate. This question tried to find out the awareness level of general customers about such efforts. Majority of the customers seem to have got the messages through email or mobiles. 41 of them feel that email and SMSes on mobile phones is preferred way of companies for sending across the messages. Strategic tie up amongst the product manufacturers and service provider companies is cited another important means of attracting the customers. In this way, the brand identity of both the companies plays an important role. Existing customer base and marketing channels of both companies can be pressed into service simultaneously by the partner companies to the advantage of the joint venture. A significant number also stated that the companies sent their executives for making us understand about the advantages of being online. The respondents also stated that executives of the companies also made them understand about some of the precautions that one should take for minimizing the risk during online purchases. Well, such steps call for much effort on the part of the company or bank, but they are certainly quite effective as they instill a sense of confidence amongst the prospective customers.

Assuring better security and privacy features to the customers emerged as another important step attracting customers towards going online for all their shopping and banking requirements. Some of the customers also cited different reasons like the bank manager requesting the customers about opening online account when they went to the bank for some transaction. The Technology Acceptance Model attempts towards influencing the behavior of the prospective customer, therefore in this case the questions are derived to seek inputs from the customers, so that this input can later be worked upon.

Q-11 The general ambience in the market place hints towards a promising future for phenomenon like m-commerce. But, the success would come only when the actual players in the field i.e. the customers existing as well as prospective would be optimistic about this. Respondents were requested to check as many alternatives as they feel appropriate. In response to the query the overwhelming majority expect that m-commerce would go all the way along with the technological advancements.

Such optimism is the silver lining for the proponents of m-commerce. No doubt a route map will have to be prepared for taking on the challenges posed by the phishing and hacking lobby. While 45 respondents pointed out that hassle free business would mean more satisfied customers, 22 said it would mean better return for the industry. Less number of responses appeared sure about better returns for the industry because so far, the trend has not picked on the expected lines, and the kind of investment done in creating the infrastructure and other paraphernalia is not getting matching investments in the form of consumers. This is resulting in delays in achieving breakeven, which is the reason for some sort of pessimism in respect of the returns.

Some of the respondents also expressed the opinion that in future there might be some regulations making it compulsory for the customers to enroll themselves in electronic form, in order to retain certain advantages. For example the electoral rolls are now being retained in electronic form grievance redressal mechanism in many government departments has already gone online. Therefore the day may not be far when governments around the world start providing certain benefits to those citizens who take advantage of online opportunities, instead of adopting methods resulting in consumption of paper, petrol, etc. In such situations it will become sort of an obligation for all of us to explore the online route. Well, it all remains to be seen to what extent the security mechanism of online transactions gets strengthened in the coming months and years.

Q-12 This was a general query to seek suggestions from the respondents towards making m-commerce a valuable proposition for the commerce and business applications. Everybody agreed that all parts of the country region should have easy accessibility of internet, so that it does not remain an urban or metropolitan affair, and the internet can be accessed with ease even in remote locations of the country. Another issue where everyone agrees is the security aspect of online transactions. If the industry is not able to instill sense of confidence amongst people favoring electronic transactions then it will be difficult to attract more people towards m-commerce applications. Encryption decryption techniques have been in existence for quite a while. A number of agencies like VeriSign have been doing pioneering work in the field of online security transactions. But, if some anti-social elements are still able to break into the systems of NASA, banks and other such installations, then the ordinary consumer will always remain vulnerable to attacks from unauthorized elements. Recent reports in Khaleej Times (2010) indicate that
IE 7 and 8 browsers have together tallied more than 350 million blocks of malicious software and links to 125 million phishing websites devised to trick people into disclosing valuable information such as passwords.

Well, such reports are quite alarming because they point out towards the existence of so many phishing links. But the silver lining is, the anti-spam and anti-virus software in use today have been able to detect them and take adequate preventive steps. But, even technocrats agree that the people behind malicious software have been working round the clock to upstage the security setup.

Wider reach of the mobile telephony and reduction in the charges for online transactions are other key areas where respondents placed their focus. Tariffs for accessing internet and mobile telephony were other desirable factors which were considered necessary for the wider reach of m-commerce initiatives. Making the technology affordable and governments nudge in the right direction were also considered important by the respondents in this direction.