Consumer Perceptions about E-Commerce- The Influence of Public Internet Trust

Access to the internet from public places has further strengthened the internet as an anywhere-everywhere concept. Globally more businesses offer free public Wi-Fi for their customers. This research looks at customer attitude towards the use of free public Wi-Fi for e-commerce transactions, specifically, how does trust of the free public internet influence customer perception of the security of the e-commerce retailer websites. We conduct a brief study of participants in both the US and India on their perceptions of conducting e-commerce transactions using free public Wi-Fi. Our results show that the trust of the free public internet is a significant predictor of perceived security of the e-commerce website. Encrypted connections notwithstanding, businesses may need to stress the message that their website is safe to transact over public Wi-Fi

Wireless communication, identification and sensing technologies enabling integrated logistics: a study in the harbor environment

In the last decade, integrated logistics has become an important challenge in the development of wireless communication, identification and sensing technology, due to the growing complexity of logistics processes and the increasing demand for adapting systems to new requirements. The advancement of wireless technology provides a wide range of options for the maritime container terminals. Electronic devices employed in container terminals reduce the manual effort, facilitating timely information flow and enhancing control and quality of service and decision made. In this paper, we examine the technology that can be used to support integration in harbor's logistics. In the literature, most systems have been developed to address specific needs of particular harbors, but a systematic study is missing. The purpose is to provide an overview to the reader about which technology of integrated logistics can be implemented and what remains to be addressed in the future

A roadmap for smart city services to address challenges faced by small businesses in South Africa

Abstract: Small businesses are an important part of the South African economy, yet they have high rates of failure. Several contributing factors have previously been identified through literature, including regulatory compliance, skills shortages and lack of government support. Globally, there has been an increased interest in smart cities and the variety of services they offer. These technologies were investigated to establish what role, if any, they could play in alleviating the challenges that small businesses face. Aim: Identify the relative impact of each of these challenges on the small-business and the relative value of each of the smart city services in order to determine which services would have the largest impact in addressing the challenges. Method: This research used these factors and identified which challenges had the largest time and financial impact on small businesses and investigated ways in which a variety of smart city services could be leveraged to address these challenges. Using a multi-criteria decision analysis technique, 44 small-business owners participated in the research. Weighted results for the impact of each of the challenges and the value of each of the services were obtained

New Frontiers in Newsgathering: A Case Study of Foreign Correspondents Using Chat Apps to Cover Political Unrest

Coverage of any breaking news event today often includes footage captured by eyewitnesses and uploaded to the social web. This has changed how journalists and news organizations not only report and produce news, but also how they engage with sources and audiences. In addition to social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, chat apps such as WhatsApp and WeChat are a rapidly growing source of information about newsworthy events and an essential link between participants and reporters covering those events. To look at how journalists at major news organizations use chat apps for newsgathering during political unrest, the authors focus on a case study of foreign correspondents based in Hong Kong and China during and since the 2014 Umbrella Movement Hong Kong protests. Political unrest in Hong Kong and China often centers around civic rights and government corruption. The Umbrella Movement involved large-scale, sit-in street protests, rejecting proposed changes to Hong Kong’s electoral laws and demanding voting rights for all Hong Kong citizens. Through a combination of observation and interviews with foreign correspondents, this report explores technology’s implications for reporting political unrest: how and why the protestors and official sources used chat apps, and the ways foreign reporters used chat apps (which are typically closed platforms) for newsgathering, internal coordination, and information sharing

Blockchain-driven IoT for food traceability with an integrated consensus mechanism

Food traceability has been one of the emerging blockchain applications in recent years, for improving the areas of anti-counterfeiting and quality assurance. Existing food traceability systems do not guarantee a high level of system reliability, scalability, and information accuracy. Moreover, the traceability process is time-consuming and complicated in modern supply chain networks. To alleviate these concerns, blockchain technology is promising to create a new ontology for supply chain traceability. However, most consensus mechanisms and data flow in blockchain are developed for cryptocurrency, not for supply chain traceability; hence, simply applying blockchain technology to food traceability is impractical. In this paper, a blockchain-IoT-based food traceability system (BIFTS) is proposed to integrate the novel deployment of blockchain, IoT technology, and fuzzy logic into a total traceability shelf life management system for managing perishable food. To address the needs for food traceability, lightweight and vaporized characteristics are deployed in the blockchain, while an integrated consensus mechanism that considers shipment transit time, stakeholder assessment, and shipment volume is developed. The data flow of blockchain is then aligned to the deployment of IoT technologies according to the level of traceable resource units. Subsequently, the decision support can be established in the food supply chain by using reliable and accurate data for shelf life adjustment, and by using fuzzy logic for quality decay evaluation

Impact of Airbnb on customers' behaviour in the UK hotel industry

Airbnb is one of the sectors of the sharing economy that is disrupting the hotel industries. In order to find approaches for hotels to mitigate the threat from Airbnb, this research will focus on the major elements influencing customers to choose Airbnb and the issues for the future of the hotel industry. Previous studies have looked at how Airbnb influences customer behaviour, and the impact of Airbnb on the hotel industry, but so far no study has been conducted focusing on the impact of Airbnb on the UK hotel industry. Therefore the purpose of this research is to evaluate the impact of Airbnb on customers’ behaviour within the UK hotel industry in order to determine how the hotel sectors can mitigate the threats posed by Airbnb. This paper highlights managerial and industrial implications

Mitigating External Threats in Wireless Local Area Networks

As computer networks become more critical to enterprises, it is inevitable that efficient security policies are designed, case in point: wireless networks, in order to effectively ensure the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of the data traversing these networks. The primary objective of this paper is to appropriately simulate an enterprise network, and evaluate the threats, and possible mitigation approaches applicable. An analysis of an enterprise WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) was carried out, to identify relevant vulnerabilities, and possible countermeasures against these threats. The primary threats analysed were those possible by an external adversary. Upon identification of said threats, a security model was developed, so as to improve enterprise network security, and ensure the levels are optimum. In addition, a number of the principles involved are applicable to non-wireless networks.   Keywords: WLAN, Wireless, Security, WPA 2, IEEE 802.11.