Chapter 6
– Study Guide
Innovative
EC Systems: From E-Government and E-Learning to Consumer-to-Consumer Commerce
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this
chapter, you will be able to:
1. Describe various
e-government initiatives.
2. Describe e-learning,
virtual universities, and e-training.
3. Describe online
publishing and e-books.
4. Discuss wikis and
blogging.
5. Describe knowledge
management and dissemination as an e-business.
6. Describe C2C
activities.
7. Describe peer-to-peer
networks and applications.
As you read the textbook and go through this lesson, think
about the following s:
·
What is e-government? How can
its various functions be categorized? What are its advantages and
disadvantages?
·
What are e-learning and e-training?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
·
What is knowledge management (KW)?
·
What is consumer-to-consumer (C2C)
e-commerce? What are some of its applications?
·
What is collaborative commerce
(c-commerce)?
Section 6.1 Review
1.
Define e-government.
E-government is the use
of IT and e-commerce to provide access to government information and delivery
of public services to citizens and business partners.
2.
What are the four major categories of e-government services?
The four categories are:
government-to-citizens, government-to-business, government-to-government and
government-to-employees.
3.
Describe G2C.
The
government-to-citizens model includes all interactions between a government and
its citizens. This model is meant to
increase efficiencies and create greater transparency to citizens.
4.
Describe how EBT works.
The EBT system allows the
government to electronically transfer benefits to citizen's smart cards instead
of sending checks or other vouchers.
5.
Describe the two main areas of G2B activities.
The two main areas of
government to-business activities include electronic procurement where the government
purchases goods from the private sector, and electronic auctions where the
government electronically auctions surplus goods to businesses.
6.
Describe internal efficiency e-government activities.
These activities are
meant to increase operation efficiencies though the use of IT systems and
processes.
Section 6.2 Review
1.
List and briefly describe the six stages of e-government development.
The six stages of
e-government development are: information publishing/dissemination, official
two-way transactions, multipurpose portals, portal personalization, clustering
of common services, and full integration and enterprise transformation.
2.
Describe some e-government implementation issues.
Some of the issues
involved with the implementation of e-government include the speed of
transformation, the implementation of G2B implementation and security issues.
3.
Provide an example of a non-Internet e-government service.
The example provided in
the text is FEMA using a telephone system to automate filling out relief forms
for earthquake victims.
Section 6.3 Review
1.
Define e-learning and describe its benefits.
E-learning is the online
delivery of information for purposes of education, training and knowledge
management. It can provide learning at a
lower cost with greater flexibility.
2.
List some of the major drawbacks of e-learning.
Drawbacks and challenges
to e-learning are listed on page 380.
3.
Describe virtual universities.
Virtual universities are
universities where students can take online classes from any location.
4.
Define e-training and describe its drivers and how it is done.
E-training is the use of
e-learning technologies to train employees and others. It benefits from the advantages of e-learning
over traditional training and learning methods.
5.
List some e-learning tools, and describe WebCT and Blackboard.
Student answers will
vary. There are a variety of
applications that enable communication, KM, testing and authentication that are
used. WebCT and Blackboard are learning management systems (LMS) that integrate
many of these applications together.
6.
Describe learning centers in industry.
A learning center is a
focal point for corporate training within the firm.
Section 6.4 Review
1.
Define online publishing and list some advantages it offers over traditional
media.
Online publishing is the
electronic delivery of newspapers, magazines, books, news, music, videos and
other digitizable information over the Internet. Online publishing is generally more flexible
than print publishing because it is easier to modify content as well as create personalization.
2.
List the major methods of online publishing.
The major methods of
online publishing include: the online-archive approach, the new-medium
approach, the publishing-intermediation approach and the dynamic approach.
3.
What issues are involved in content creation and distribution?
Some of the issues
involved in content creation and distribution include the difficulty in
presenting multimedia, issues surrounding intellectual property payments and
rights and a lack of advertising support for content.
4. Describe e-books and list their advantages
and limitations.
An e-book is a book in
digital form that can be read on a computer screen. Some advantages of this
technology include portability, convenience, frequent updates, current
information and ease of searching. Limitations can include readability,
copyright and formatting issues.
5. List five e-books issues.
Student responses will
vary and will be drawn from page 389.
6. Describe print-on-demand. Print on demand is
the printing of e-books and other materials as they are ordered, with no
inventories.
Section 6.5 Review
1.
Define blogs and
bloggers.
A blog is a
weblog, a published personal or corporate website. A blogger is the author or editor of the
blog.
2.
Discuss the
critical features that distinguish a blog from a regular Web page.
A blog is
differentiated by its personal nature, unique content and frequency of updates.
3. Describe the potential advantages and risks
of blogs.
Blogs are able to focus
on niche areas and react quickly. The
major risk is in this quick reaction, where posts may not be as well-though-out
or vetted as desired.
4. Define wikis.
A wiki is a communal blog
that can be updated at any time by members of the community.
5. Discuss the commercial uses of blogs.
Corporate uses of blogs
mirror the some of the characteristics of personal blogs and can be used for
informational or PR purposes. They can
be update regularly and may put human face on a firm.
Section 6.6 Review
1.
Define Knowledge Management.
KM is the process of
capturing or creating knowledge, storing it, updating it constantly,
interpreting it and using it whenever necessary.
2.
Discuss the relationship between KM and EC.
EC can be better
performed based on what can be learned from effective KM.
3.
Describe knowledge portals.
A knowledge portal is a single
point of access software system intended to provide timely access to
information and to support communities of knowledge workers.
4.
Describe online advisory services.
These are services that
use stored information to help provide individuals with the information and
advice they request.
5.
Describe expert location systems and their benefits
These systems allow
individuals to identify and locate individuals who have expertise in a
particular needed area.
6.
Describe software support to information discovery in organizations.
Software systems can be
deployed to assist in the location and mining of data, as well as for pattern
recognition.
Section 6.7 Review
1.
List the major C2C applications.
The major applications
include classified ads, personal services and exchanges.
2.
Describe how C2C works in classified online ads.
Individual consumers are
able to list items for sales while other individual consumers are able to make
the purchases.
3.
Describe C2C personal services, exchanges, and other support services.
Personal services
advertise a service from one individual to another while exchanges offer to
barter items. Support services help increase trust between customers making
transactions.
Section 6.8 Review
1.
Define P2P networks and list their major characteristics.
Peer-to-peer networks
have an architecture in which workstations have similar capabilities, the network
peers share data and processing with each other directly rather than through a
central server. These networks are
characterized by user interfaces that load outside the Web browser and user
computers that can act as both clients and servers. The overall system is easy to use and well
integrated; and includes tools to support users wishing to create content or
add functionality; and provides connections with other users. The system does something new or exciting and
the system supports cross-networking protocols.
2.
List the major P2P models.
The major models include
collaboration, content distribution, business process automation and
distributed searches.
3.
Describe P2P applications in C2C.
The most common
application is a file-sharing utility.
This application allows peers to share files using the Internet as the
transmission medium.
4.
Describe P2P applications in B2B.
Peer-to-peer applications
could be used in business-to-business e-commerce to share information with
business partners as well as facilitate communications and the exchange of
digital goods.
EC Application Case 6.1: Contract Management in Australia
1.
How is contract management in WA facilitated by e-commerce tools?
These electronic commerce
tools facilitate contract management by providing an open repository of
existing information and examples to assist government buyers in the
development of contracts and for private industry in creating and responding to
bids by government agencies.
2.
What other e-commerce activities does the government perform?
The government also
provides for an online exchange for the purchasing of materials as well as
online training.
3.
Describe the WA online training program.
The program includes
online training utilizing the Internet and Web technologies in addition to
videoconferencing for training and collaboration.
EC Application Case 6.2:
G2E in the U.S. Navy
1.
Why is the navy using multiple media channels?
The navy is using
multiple media channels to ensure that they reach as much of their intended
audience as possible.
2. Compare the G2E
services provided by the navy with the B2E services discussed in Section 6.2.
The services provided by
the navy are very similar to services provided by businesses.
EC Application Case
6.3: E-Learning at Cisco Systems
1.
Use examples from the Cisco case to discuss the differences between e-learning
and e-training.
Cisco provides a number
of more general e-learning opportunities, but also has specific, product-driven
e-trainings.
2.
What measures has Cisco adopted to encourage its employees to use e-learning?
The Company makes
e-learning required while providing easy access to courses and incentives in a
non-threatening environment.
3.
Comment on the effectiveness of the e-learning programs of Cisco.
Student perceptions will
vary, but the disclosed finial savings are significant.
EC Application Case
6.4: Online Global Learning Center at W.R. Grace
1.
List the factors that drive e-learning at W.R. Grace.
There is a need for fast
and easy training that is self-paced.
2.
How is e-learning integrated with other learning methods?
E-learning is one of
several different learning methods supplied by the company.
3.
List the e-learning offerings of W.R. Grace’s learning center.
The company provides a
variety of training options.
4.
Describe the critical success factors of e-learning offered by W.R. Grace.
These include buy-in from
senior managers, phased implementation, encouraging involvement, variety,
visibility and relevancy.
EC Application Case
6.5: Stonyfield Farm Adopts Blogs for Public Relations
1.
How does Stonyfield Farms manage its business blogs?
The company has
professional authors post regularly to four blogs aimed a specific target
markets.
2.
How do the blogs help Stonyfield Farms build its corporate reputation?
The blogs provide good
information sharing and help engender a feeling of openness about the company
and its operations.
EC Application Case
6.6: Online Knowledge Sharing at Xerox
1.
What knowledge is shared via Eureka, and how?
Information on product
repair is available through the Internet.
2.
What EC technologies are described in this case? Classify the EC transactions.
The technologies used are
information storage and retrieval, information updating and collaboration.
3.
What were the drivers of the program?
The program was created
to increase efficiency and customer satisfaction.
4.
What advantages may be provided by the wireless system?
This would allow easier
and quicker communication with the system.
EC Application Case
6.7: How the U.S. Department of Commerce Uses an Expert Location System
1.
What
are the benefits of the expertise location system to the DOC? To U.S. Companies??
The system allows the DOC
to quickly and accurately find answers/information for US firms.
2.
What in your opinion are the limitations of this system? Can they be overcome?
How?
The program was created
to increase efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Discussion
1.
Compare wikis to blogs.
Blogs are edited by
individuals or small groups, whereas wikis are open to be edited by all members
of a community.
2.
Describe
the social phenomenon of blogging and evaluate its commercial possibilities.
Blogging allows
individuals to quickly and easily publish information to a personal Web
site. Student answers will vary on its
impact and commercialization.
3.
How
can online publishing support paper-based publications?
Student examples will
vary. One example is online Web sites providing up-to-date supplements and
corrections to paper-based books.
4.
Discuss
the advantages and disadvantages of e-books.
Some advantages of this
technology include portability, convenience, frequent updates, current
information and ease of searching. Some disadvantages of this technology
include the costs of the hardware needed to view e-books, difficulty in
transporting types of this hardware (PCs) and difficulty reading computer
screens.
5.
Will
paper-based books and magazines be eliminated in the long run? Why or why not?
Student responses will
vary.
6.
Check an online version of a newspaper or magazine you are familiar with and
discuss the differences between the print and online versions.
Student responses will
vary.
7.
Discuss the advantages of e-learning for an undergraduate student.
E-learning provides a
number of advantages to students. Some of these advantages would include:
greater convenience in class scheduling, elimination of location as a factor in
school choice, variety of instructional technologies used and greater
personalization of the student’s educational experience.
8.
Discuss the advantages of e-learning in the corporate training environment.
There are many potential
advantages to e-learning in a corporate training environment including reduced
travel costs, increased volume of training — leading to greater employee
knowledge, elimination of time and distance barriers, as well as cost savings.
9.
Discuss the relationship between KM and a portal.
Knowledge management
systems strive to capture, retain, categorize, retrieve, and display
information to users. Portals also attempt to display a variety of
knowledge-based products to individuals. Portals are designed for the general
public and will generally include only knowledge from public sources. Knowledge management systems are generally
used internally by a company to provide access to a combination of both public
and private information to aid decision making.
10.
In what ways does KM support e-commerce?
Knowledge management can
be used as a means to provide customers with additional information on products
before or after a purchase is made. This
additional information can help customers in their purchasing decisions and can
help them support products that they have purchased after the sale.
11.
Why do you think people trade online virtual properties?
Student answers will
vary.
12.
Discuss the advantages of expert locations systems over corporate knowledge
bases that contain experts’ knowledge.
What are the disadvantages? Can they be combined? How?
Student answers will
vary. ELS provide access to a much more robust information source when needed
information is dependent on several factors.
It does take longer than a knowledge base, and has the potential of
incorrect information.
13.
Some say that B2G is simply B2B. Explain.
Business-to-business
involves the relationships and commerce between different firms. Because many of the same activities are
similar to those performed by the government, it is possible to consider the
government as another business.
14.
Compare and contrast B2E with G2E.
Many of the services that
are provided by businesses to their employees are very similar to the services
that governments provide their employees.
The only difference is the role the government plays in a society
overall. Because government employees are also citizens, the numbers and types
of services provided by their employer (i.e. the government) may be different
than those services provided by a business (i.e. a private entity).
15.
Which e-government EC activities are intrabusiness activities? Explain why they
are intrabusiness.
The two e-government
activities that could be classified as intrabusiness are
government-to-government and government-to-employee. These activities could be
considered intrabusiness because the government is dealing with internal
constituencies and not with the general citizenry or businesses. These activities are very similar to those
that might be performed by a private sector business.
16.
Identify the benefits of G2C to citizens and to governments.
Some of the many possible
benefits to citizens include easier access to information, lower transaction
costs, greater flexibility and greater efficiencies. The benefits to governments can include
greater public access, better participation in government activities by
citizens and lower transaction costs.
17.
How can e-government enhance homeland security?
Student answers will
vary.
18.
Compare desktop searches to expert location systems.
Desktop searches focus on
document/information finding whereas expert location systems focus on
identifying expertise in the form of individuals.
Chapter Test
1.
Caterpillar Inc.
created CAT U to meet its training and learning needs.
A.
True
B.
False
2.
The
government-to-employees category consists of EC activities between units of
government, including those within one government body.
A.
True
B.
False
3.
The topic of
e-learning is gaining much attention, especially because world-class
universities such as MIT, Harvard, and Stanford in the United States and Oxford
in the United Kingdom are implementing it.
A.
True
B.
False
4.
One of the
facilitators of e-learning is ________ technologies, such as blogs and wikis.
A.
Web 2.0
B.
Macromedia
C.
Blackboard
D.
WebCT
5.
E-learning drivers
driving the transition from traditional education to online learning include
each of the following except:
A.
Internets,
intranets.
B.
competition
and cost pressures.
C.
faculty with specialized expertise.
D.
technological
changes.
6.
Knowledge
management uses knowledge:
A.
to
promote e-learning.
B.
to improve the functioning of an
organization.
C.
to
encourage the exchange of information between businesses.
D.
for
the sake of individual learning.
7.
Expertise location
systems are designed to:
A.
link
people to information about people.
B.
provide
support for teams and communities of practice.
C.
assist
in career development.
D.
do all of the above.
8.
Which of the
following is the central point of control for an e-market?
A.
e-mall
B.
collaborative
market
C.
auction
site
D.
collaboration hub
9.
Updating knowledge
as time progresses describes:
A.
knowledge
classification.
B.
knowledge
creation.
C.
knowledge
utilization.
D.
knowledge evolution.
10. E-books are delivered in each of the following ways
except:
A.
via
Web access.
B.
via RFID.
C.
via
dedicated reader.
D.
via
Web download.
11. The wireless implementation of e-government mostly to
citizens but also to businesses best describes:
A.
mobile government.
B.
Government
2.0.
C.
Web
2.0.
D.
government
commerce.
12. Which of the following is the e-government category
that includes interactions between governments and businesses?
A.
government-to-enterprise.
B.
government-to-business.
C.
government-to-government.
D.
government-to-corporation.
13. Most universities use e-learning:
A.
exclusively
in reaching students who could not otherwise attend classes.
B.
only
when forced by administrators to use it as a way to recruit distant students or
reduce costs.
C.
as
a total replacement for traditional classrooms.
D.
as a supplementary channel to
traditional classrooms.
14. A focal point for all corporate training and learning
activities, including online ones best describes:
A.
learning center.
B.
e-university.
C.
online
service center.
D.
computer-based
learning.
15. According to an Australian Government 2.0 task force
report, by embracing Government 2.0 governments can:
A.
cultivate
and harness the enthusiasm of citizens, letting them more fully contribute to
their well-being and that of their community.
B.
unlock
the immense economic and social value of information and other content held by
governments to serve as a precompetitive platform for innovation.
C.
make
democracy more participatory and informed.
D.
do all of the above.
16. Governments use Web 2.0 tools mainly for:
A.
collecting
local, state, and federal taxes.
B.
procurement,
voting, and e-learning.
C.
collaboration, dissemination of
information, e-learning, online forums, and citizen engagement.
D.
distributing
unemployment and welfare benefits.
17. Each of the following is an example of e-government
except a:
A.
eBay-seller selling surplus army
supplies.
B.
contractor
submitting an application for a building permit using a city hall Web site.
C.
unemployed
worker consulting a Web site operated by the state employment department to
learn about job openings in his city.
D.
citizen
taking an online drivers' education course.
18. Potential drawbacks of e-learning include each of the
following except:
A.
instructors
must be retrained.
B.
knowledge retention is lower than in
traditional classrooms.
C.
assessment
issues remain to be resolved.
D.
the
intellectual property of content developers must be protected.
19. The online delivery of information for purposes of
education, training, or knowledge management best describes:
A.
edutainment.
B.
e-learning.
C.
mobile
learning.
D.
location-based
learning.
20. Expanding access to information for people with
disabilities is a performance objective of which category of e-government?
A.
G2C
B.
G2B
C.
G2G
D.
IEE
21. Which of the following provides learning to an
employee while the work is being done?
A.
decision
support system
B.
learning on-demand
C.
FAQ
system
D.
information
portal
22. The process of capturing or creating knowledge,
storing it, updating it constantly, disseminating it, and using it whenever
necessary best describes:
A.
data
management.
B.
knowledge management.
C.
decision
making.
D.
information
management.
23. The way government makes use of Web 2.0 technologies
to interact with citizens and provide government services best describes:
A.
Government 2.0.
B.
Social
Networking 2.0.
C.
Internet
2.0.
D.
Democracy
2.0.
24. Which of the following is the e-government category
that includes activities and services between government units and their
employees?
A.
government-to-unit
B.
government-to-business
C.
government-to-division
D.
government-to-employees
25. Potential advantages of e-learning include each of the
following except:
A.
college professors are anxious to
develop new online courses.
B.
knowledge
retention is higher.
C.
learning
time is reduced.
D.
it
costs less to deliver education online than in a traditional classroom.
26. An online university from which students take classes
from home or other offsite locations, usually via the Internet best describes:
A.
Web
2.0 university.
B.
click
and mortar university.
C.
distant
university.
D.
virtual university.
27. An example of G2C is a:
A.
employee
at the Chamber of Commerce obtaining local demographic data from a U.S. census
site.
B.
driver paying for the renewal of his
auto tag online.
C.
road
contractor using the Internet to submit a closed bid on a paving contract.
D.
regional
hospital conducting an online reverse auction for cleaning supplies.
28. A system that locates, extracts, and provides specific
answers to user questions expressed in natural language best describes:
A.
automated question-answer.
B.
decision
support system.
C.
knowledge
location system.
D.
FAQ.
29. Which of the following is the e-government category
that includes all the interactions between a government and its citizens?
A.
government-to-business.
B.
government-to-public.
C.
government-to-citizens.
D.
government-to-individuals.
30. Benefits of e-learning include:
A.
innovative
teaching.
B.
flexibility
and self-paced.
C.
updated
and consistent material.
D.
all of the above.
31. Formal education that takes place off campus, usually,
but not always, through online resources best defines:
A.
virtual
university.
B.
mobile
learning.
C.
distance learning.
D.
self-paced
learning.
32. The three major elements of Caterpillar Inc.'s
learning infrastructure include:
A.
governance.
B.
a
learning technology infrastructure.
C.
an
alignment strategy.
D.
all of the above.
33. The primary advantage that e-books offer publishers is:
A.
the
ability to reach many readers.
B.
lower production, marketing, and
distribution costs.
C.
the
ease of customizing textbooks and trade books.
D.
the
ease of updating books in real-time.
34. Learning, training, and knowledge sharing in social
networks and by using social software tools for learning best describes:
A.
social learning.
B.
virtual
learning.
C.
self-paced
learning.
D.
computer-based
learning.
35. Which of the following is the e-government category
that includes activities within government units and those between governments?
A.
government-to-unit
B.
government-to-practice
C.
government-to-government
D.
government-to-business
36. The major tasks of knowledge management include each
of the following except:
A.
creating
knowledge.
B.
capturing
knowledge.
C.
supplementing knowledge.
D.
managing
knowledge.
37. Software applications for the administration,
documentation, tracking, and reporting of training programs, classroom and
online events, e-learning programs and training content best describes:
A.
visual
performance systems.
B.
dashboards.
C.
learning management systems.
D.
automated-question
answer systems.
