The document discusses e-commerce as a modern way to conduct business transactions electronically, emphasizing its efficiency and the various classifications including business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C), and others. It also covers related topics such as electronic learning, e-governance, and robotics, highlighting the technologies that enhance these areas and their implications for businesses and society. Furthermore, it addresses the potential risks and costs associated with the adoption of new technologies in e-commerce.

1. By: Er Hari Prasad Ghimire Page 1
Chapter 9: Contemporary Technology
E-commerce: E-commerce is a new way of conducting, managing an executing business
transactions using modern information technology. E-commerce is a ‘commerce based on
bytes’. E-commerce, defined simply, is the commercial transaction of services in an electronic
format. In general terms, e-commercial is a business methodology that addresses the needs of
organizations, traders and consumers to reduce costs while improving the quality of goods and
services and increasing the speed of service delivery. It may also be referred to as the paperless
exchange of business information using Electronic Data Interchange, Electronic Fund Transfer
etc. E-commerce is not only about simple transactions of data but also general commercial acts
such as publicity, advertisements, negotiations contracts and fund settlements. It refers to all
forms of transactions relating to commercial activities including both organizations and
individuals that are based upon the processing and transmission of digitized data, including text
sound and visual images. E-commerce is thus a business practice and involves use of computers,
computer system or computer networks.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Declaration on E-commerce defines e-
commerce as, “the production, distribution, marketing, sales of delivery of goods and services by
electronic means”. The six main instruments of e-commerce that have been recognized by WTO
are telephone, fax, TV, electronic payment andmoney transfer systems, EDI (electronic data
interchange) and the internet.
EDI is the electronic transfer of standardized business transaction between a sender and receiver
computer, over some kind of private network or Value Added Network (VAN). EDI was
developed to integrate information across larger parts of an organization's value chain from
design to maintenance so that manufacturers could share information with designers,
maintenance and other partners and stakeholders.
E-commerce has provided us a medium to facilitate commercial transactions in an efficient
manner. Companies have moved up in the value chain by adopting the e-commerce practices. It
should not be forgotten that every adoption of a new technology and new process would mean
new ‘costs’ and ‘risks’. That is, adoption may or may not be successful. If the adoption is
successful, then it becomes and established business practice in no time. If the If the adoption is
unsuccessful then it is likely that the process of adoption may take some time, as the ‘learning’
phase is still not over. The first phase of e-commerce threw up a new business nomenclature
using various permutations and combinations of ‘Business’ and ‘Consumers’, like ‘Business-to-
Business’(B2B),‘Business-to-Consumer’ (B2C), ‘Consumer-to-Business’ (C2B) and ‘Consumer-
to-Consumer’ (C2C).
Classification of E-commerce:

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Following are the Classification of E-commerce by transaction partners.
i) Business-to-business (B2B): Business-to-business (B2B) is the exchange of products,
services or information between business entities. Web based B-to-B includes:
 Direct selling and support to business: In which customers can by and also get technical
support from the business.
 E-procurement (also known as industry portals): Where a purchasing agent can shop for
supplies from vendors, request proposals, and in some cases, bid to make a purchase at a
desired price.
 Information sites: It provides information about a particular industry for its companies
and their employees. These include specialized search sites and trade and industry
standards organization sites.
ii) Business-to-consumer (B2C): The exchange of products, information or services between
business and consumers in a retailing relationship. Some of the first examples of B-to-C e-
commerce were amazon.com and dell.com in the USA and lastminutes.com in the UK. In this
case, the 'c' represents either consumer or customer.
iii) Business-to-Government (B2G): The exchange of information, services and products
between business organizations and government agencies on-line. This may include.
 E-procurement services: In which business learn about purchasing needs of agencies and
provide services.
 A virtual workplace: In which business and government agency could coordinate the
work on a contracted project by collaborating on-line to coordinate on-line meetings,
review plans and manage progress.
 Rental of on-line application and databases: These are especially for use by government
agencies.
iv) Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C): In this category consumers interact directly with other
consumers. They exchange information such as.
 Expert knowledge: Where one person asks a question about anything and gets an e-mail
reply from the community of other individuals, as in the case of the New York Times-
affiliated abuzz.com website.
 ·Opinions: About companies and products, for example epinions.com
v) Government-to-Business (G2B): The exchange of information, services and products
between government agencies and business organizations. Government sites now enable the
exchange between government and business of:
 Information, guidance and advice for business on international trading, sources of
funding and support, facilities.

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 A database of laws, regulations and government policy for industry sectors.
 On-line application and submission of official forms.
 On-line payment facilities.
This improves accuracy, increases speed and reduces costs, so businesses are given financial
incentives to use electronic-form submission and payment facilities.
vi) Government-to-Consumer (G2C): Government sites offering information, forms and
facilities to conduct transactions of individuals, including paying bills and submitting official
forms on-line such as tax returns.
vii) Government-to-Government (G2G): Government-to-government transactions within
countries linking local governments together and also international governments.
Electronic Business (E-Business): E-business (electronic business), derived from such terms as
"e-mail" and "e-commerce," is the conduct of business on the Internet, not only buying and
selling but also servicing customers and collaborating with business partners. One of the first to
use the term was IBM, when, in October, 1997, it launched a thematic campaign built around the
term. Today, major corporations are rethinking their businesses in terms of the Internet and its
new culture and capabilities. Companies are using the Web to buy parts and supplies from other
companies, to collaborate on sales promotions, and to do joint research. Exploiting the
convenience, availability, and world-wide reach of the Internet, many companies, such as
Amazon.com, the book sellers, have already discovered how to use the Internet successfully.
Increasingly, much direct selling (or e-tailing) is taking place on the Internet of computer-related
equipment and software. One of the first to report sales in the millions of dollars directly from
the Web was Dell Computer. Travel bookings directly or indirectly as a result of Web research
are becoming significant. Custom-orderable golf clubs and similar specialties are considered
good prospects for the immediate future.
Electronic Learning (E-Learning): E-learning refers to the use of electronic media and
information and communication technologies (ICT) in education. E-learning is broadly inclusive
of all forms of educational technology in learning and teaching. E-learning is inclusive of, and is
broadly synonymous with multimedia learning, technology-enhanced learning (TEL), computer-
based instruction (CBI), computer-based training (CBT), computer-assisted instruction or
computer-aided instruction (CAI), internet-based training (IBT), web-based training (WBT),
online education, virtual education, virtual learning environments (VLE) (which are also called
learning platforms), m-learning, and digital educational collaboration. These alternative names
emphasize a particular aspect, component or delivery method.
E-learning includes numerous types of media that deliver text, audio, images, animation, and
streaming video, and includes technology applications and processes such as audio or video tape,
satellite TV, CD-ROM, and computer-based learning, as well as local intranet/extranet and web-
based learning. Information and communication systems, whether free-standing or based on
either local networks or the Internet in networked learning, underlies many e-learning processes.

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E-learning can occur in or out of the classroom. It can be self-paced, asynchronous learning or
may be instructor-led, synchronous learning. E-learning is suited to distance learning and flexible
learning, but it can also be used in conjunction with face-to-face teaching, in which case the term
blended learning is commonly used.
It is commonly thought that new technologies make a big difference in education. Many
proponents of e-learning believe that everyone must be equipped with basic knowledge of
technology, as well as use it as a vehicle for reaching educational goals.
Electronic Governances (E-Governments): “E-Government” refers to the use by government
agencies of information technologies (such as Wide Area Networks, the Internet, and mobile
computing) that have the ability to transform relations with citizens, businesses, and other arms
of government. These technologies can serve a variety of different ends: better delivery of
government services to citizens, improved interactions with business and industry, citizen
empowerment through access to information, or more efficient government management. The
resulting benefits can be less corruption, increased transparency, greater convenience, revenue
growth, and/or cost reductions.
Traditionally, the interaction between a citizen or business and a government agency took place
in a government office. With emerging information and communication technologies it is
possible to locate service centers closer to the clients. Such centers may consist of an unattended
kiosk in the government agency, a service kiosk located close to the client, or the use of a
personal computer in the home or office.
Analogous to e-commerce, which allows businesses to transact with each other more efficiently
(B2B) and brings customers closer to businesses (B2C), e-government aims to make the
interaction between government and citizens (G2C), government and business enterprises (G2B),
and inter-agency relationships (G2G) more friendly, convenient, transparent, and inexpensive.
Electronic Medicine (E-Medicine):
E-Medicine is a separate medical website that provides regular clinical challenges comprising a
short case history accompanied by a visual signal in the form of a radiograph, ECG or photo the
answer to each provided-Medicine is an online medical knowledge base that was founded by two
doctors Scott Plantz and Richard lavely in 1996.
E-Medicine is very effective in rural sides if there is facility of internet specially in context of
Nepal and often we come across news on the across news on the start of e-medicine initiated by
some enthusiasts.
Virtual reality (VR): Virtual reality is a computer-simulated environment that can simulate
physical presence in places in the real world or imagined worlds. Most current virtual reality
environments are primarily visual experiences, displayed either on a computer screen or through
special stereoscopic displays, but some simulations include additional sensory information, such
as sound through speakers or headphones. Some advanced, haptic systems now include tactile
information, generally known as force feedback, in medical and gaming applications.

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Furthermore, virtual reality covers remote communication environments which provide virtual
presence of users with the concepts of telepresence and telexistence or a virtual artifact (VA)
either through the use of standard input devices such as a keyboard and mouse, or through
multimodal devices such as a wired glove, the Polhemus, and omnidirectional treadmills. The
simulated environment can be similar to the real world in order to create a lifelike experience—
for example, in simulations for pilot or combat training—or it can differ significantly from
reality, such as in VR games. In practice, it is currently very difficult to create a high-fidelity
virtual reality experience, due largely to technical limitations on processing power, image
resolution, and communication bandwidth; however, the technology's proponents hope that such
limitations will be overcome as processor, imaging, and data communication technologies
become more powerful and cost-effective over time.
Virtual reality is often used to describe a wide variety of applications commonly associated with
immersive, highly visual, 3D environments. The development of CAD software, graphics
hardware acceleration, head-mounted displays, database gloves, and miniaturization have helped
popularize the notion. In the book The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality by Michael R. Heim, seven
different concepts of virtual reality are identified: simulation, interaction, artificiality, immersion,
telepresence, full-body immersion, and network communication. People often identify VR with
head mounted displays and data suits.
Robotics: The field of computer science and engineering concerned with creating robots,
devices that can move and react to sensory input. Robotics is one branch of artificial intelligence.
Robots are now widely used in factories to perform high-precision jobs such as welding and
riveting. They are also used in special situations that would be dangerous for humans -- for
example, in cleaning toxic wastes or defusing bombs.
Although great advances have been made in the field of robotics during the last decade, robots
are still not very useful in everyday life, as they are too clumsy to perform ordinary household
chores.
Robot was coined by Czech playwright Karl Capek in his play R.U.R (Rossum's Universal
Robots), which opened in Prague in 1921. Robota is the Czech word for forced labor.
The term robotics was introduced by writer Isaac Asimov. In his science fiction book I, Robot,
published in 1950, he presented three laws of robotics:
1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to
harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would
conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the
First or Second Law.