The Lifting of The Ban on Cameras

Question: Discuss whether the lifting of the ban on cameras in court makes the justice system more transparent to the public? Answer: There are several countries where the proceedings of the courts are televised. The question of whether the proceedings of the court are to be filmed is the primary issue of this assignment. There has been a lot of debate and discussion regarding the fact that whether the proceedings of the Court in the United Kingdom particularly in Wales and England are subject to be filmed. In accordance to several people, as the judiciary system and its theories make the application to all people and the society, the proceedings of the court needs to film for the purpose of reaching the decision of the court to the people and society. The filming of the proceedings of the court would serve as promotion of the understanding and enhanced openness. It is for this reason that the proceedings of the Supreme Court were decided to televise as an exception (Barry 2006). On the other hand, few people of the public make the viewing of the proceedings as a result that such proceedings have been made viewable to them who wants to see such proceedings. In the territory of Wales and England, the law suggests that it not permitted to take the photographs or to make the sketches in the courtroom. It is also the fact that the artists of the court have to make the memorization of the scenes of the court to make the drawings of them later. The bringing of the cameras to the court for the filming of the case that is taking place is considered as a prima facie against the law. However, the position of the court in the legal sense on filming the proceedings of the court has changed since the inception of the Crime and Courts Act of 2013 (Calderwood 2016). In the month of October in 2013, Section 32 of the Crime and the Courts Act of 2013 came into force. It was at this time when the televisions were first allowed in the Court of Appeal in Wales and England. The same was allowed by Lord Chancellors order with the agreement of Lord Chief Justice. The said action was performed as an experiment. For that reason, the filming extent was limited to reduce the impact. The lawyers and the judges were filmed, and the person who was making the appeal was neglected from the filming. The ban that existed in the courts of Wales and England for the filming of the proceedings is overturned for the purpose of improving his transparency and the understanding of the public of the courts (Clifford 2013). The issue of lifting the said ban was due for the purpose of consultation for a long time with those judges who are senior. In the recent years, the process of consultation had been subject to movement, and there has been much support that was provided regarding the change. The decision of removal or lifting of the ban was announced by the Clarke. While making the announcement, he remarked that the judiciary system and the government are under determination to make the improvement of the transparency and the understanding of the public of the theories of the courts by making the allowance of the broadcasting of the procedures of the court (Evans Pryce 2014). The judiciary system has the belief that there is the role of television in increasing the confidence of the public in the system of judiciary. Clarke mentioned the broadcasting of the proceedings of the court initially started from the Court of Appeal and that the filming of the proceedings of the court would be expanded to the Crown Court in the later years. It was also mentioned by Clarke that the changes that are to be brought as discussed by him are to be done in the close consultation along with the system of judiciary. The decision was taken that the filming of only the judges will be done and not the witnesses, victims, and the offenders (Feldman 1993). This is because there is no requirement for the filming of the offenders. The act of televising the proceedings of the court has been banned by the acts of parliament and hence the broadcasting of the proceedings of the court requires the new legislation that would make it legal to allow the cameras in the court. The shift to the factor of televising the proceedings of the court has subject to hamper by the fact of the trial of OJ Simpson in the United States that degenerated to the fact of entertainment of the prime time. The companies related to television are indulged with the act of pressing for making the greater access to make the highlight of the cases of the courts. The earlier Labor government made a consultation regarding the shift to the broadcasting of the procedures of courts, but that got discarded eventually (Jones Schlenther White 2012). The present government of the United Kingdom has made the revival of the plans that believed that the judicial pronouncement must become much more reckoning to the public. The officials had the belief that the transparency would enhance the understanding of the public of the processes of the court, and that idea gained the momentum in the recent years (Lewis 2007). Clarke remarked that the recent information about the performance of the courts would be subject to publication in the future to allow all the people to have a look at the procedures that is undertaken by the local courts in their daily working. The supporters of the motion of the broadcasting the proceedings of the Court are of the view that the broadcasting of the courts would help in making the court-by-court statistics about the time that is taken for the same to process a case beginning from the offence and ending at conviction. This would allow the people to make the comparison of the performance of the local courts. The broadcasting of the proceedings of the courts would also help in making the detailed analysis on the number of trials that were ineffective and the reason for their ineffectiveness (Moran 2014). The filming of the proceedings of the court would also help in making the detailed analysis of the number of people who have been subject to conviction or release from the prisons in every area and the number of times the offenders re-offended thereon. At the time when the Supreme Court in Westminster was opened, it contained cameras in it. The Supreme Court in Westminster stands the sole court where the footage of the court proceedings is available routinely to the broadcasters on their request. Such footage is also subject to live telecast upon request (Moran 2014). Therefore, from the discussion it can be said that the use of the cameras in the court would help in bringing of transparency of the judicial system and helping the common public in making the understanding the proceedings of the court. The term judicial diversity refers to that extent to which the women, the ethnic minority groups, and the black are represented in the judicial system. At the time of the determination of the judicial diversity, other factors are to be taken into consideration. Those factors are education, legal background, age, religion, and disability. The factors of religion and sexuality are rarely considered in the determination of the judicial diversity. In the process of judicial diversity, it is immensely important to make the distinction among the judges who are serving the several levels of the judiciary. The latest researches have made the establishment of the existence of the two effects that is the Caring Role Effect and the Prestige effect (Cahill-O'Callaghan 2015). The Prestige effect in the process of judicial diversity is applicable in the cases where the women and the minorities have achieved the appointment to judiciary and such factor occurs at the lower levels of the judicial system. In the territory of Wales and England, the statistics that are official denotes that there are only 19% of the judges, who are women. It is also revealed from that statistics that there only 4% judges who belong to the ethnic groups of the minority. The said statistics served as a clear evidence of the under-representation of the women and the ethnic groups of the minority in the legal profession. However, such statistics fails to represent the accurate structure of the level of judicial diversity merely by depending upon the level of judiciary. The factor of setting the targets to make the appointment of a number of judges from the women population and the members of the minority group is liable to be considered as the factor of judicial diversity. The choosing of the judges from the women population and minority groups is important for rendering the system of the judiciary of Wales and England more diverse in the next years to come. Alarming factors only one among the twenty judges is non-white or black and less than one among four judges are women or female. The said disparity is doing the act of undermining the confidence of the public in the judicial system that includes the courts and the Constitution Committee of the House of Lords. Hence, it can be said that there needs to be a tie-breaker" preference that is to be brought to make the redress of the imbalance by making the appointment of two equal candidates (Cahill-O'Callaghan 2015). The government must also resort to sticking to the targets and the quotas in making the appointment of the people from the ethnic groups and the minority groups. The Select Committee of the judges should also make the call of the judges in order to have the working practices that are more flexible. There has to be career breaks and part-time appointment of the judges to the bench. The Chairperson of the Select Committee named Baroness Jay possess the belief that the change is required to make the combat of the perception that "the judge inhabiting a courtroom in England and Wales is stereotypically a white male from a narrow social background" (Blackham 2013). There has been a progress of the amount of involvement of women and other members of the ethnic group in the judicial process of Wales and England. In the year of 1998, the amount of judges who were women amounted to 10.3%. 1.6% judges belonged to the Asian, black and the ethnic minority background. In the year of 2011, the figure amounted to 22.3%. There were 5.1% of the judges, who were from the ethnic groups of minority (Lynch 2015). From the fact that is stated above it can be said that the slow changing rate of the appointment of woman judges and the minority people would cause not only the problem to the career seekers but also to the society as well. The factor of the slow rate of appointment is a big problem to the society (Reddick 2010). The Select Committee through its chairperson made the denotation that an enhanced judicial diversity would not result in the undermining of the judges but would enhance the trust of the public and their confidence on the system of judiciary. The breakdown of the gender and ethnic composition at every judicial level shows that there is the requirement of appointing more women and people from the ethnic groups. It is seen that out of the 37 Lord Justices of the appeal, there are only four who are women and thirty-three of them are men. In the Supreme Court, there is only one women justice and the eleven men justices. There is also the recommendation that the provisions of the tie-break that is mentioned in Section 159 of the Equality Act of 2010 has to be used in the procedure of appointment. In such appointment, process there has to be two equal candidates who are qualified and after that among them the one who is from the minority background has to be chosen. However, this procedure of appointment is not followed in the process of judiciary. In accordance to the Select Committee, the merit must be the sole criterion for making the selection of the judges (Acquaviva Castiglione 2009). However, the Committee also makes the affirmation that the along with the merit, there is also the focus that is given on the intellectual rigor. The Select committee also made the recommendation of a formal system of appraisal in the judiciary. The Committee mentioned that the panels of appointments must make the inclusion of the lay persons who is capable of bringing a perspective that is different to the assessment of the abilities of the candidates. This has to be done for preventing any self-replicating caste in the legal system. There are neither quotas nor targets that are required to be present in accordance to the Committee. However, the Committee is of the belief that the quotas and the targets are to be kept under the review. The Committee also made the point that in case there has not been the significant rise in the appointment of the women and the people from the minority background then they would follow the policy of targets that is non-mandatory. There is also the recommendation that the retirement age of the judges of the Court of Appeal must be raised to 75 years (Acquaviva Castiglione 2009). The reason for this recommendation is making the prevention of the talent. Any judge of the experience of seventy years is considered to be an asset to the judicial system. Hence, if the retirement age is increased from seventy to seventy-five years then there would be the maintenance of talent for a longer period of time. In case the judges serving any additional period of five years would ensure that the judiciary system is enhanced. Hence, it can be said that the judges are appointed on merit but there are steps that are to be taken for the promotion of diversity (Hoster 2012). In this assignment, the primary learning outcome is the amount of diversity that exists in the judicial system of Wales and England. In this assignment the researcher has made the effort to find out the ways and the techniques of improving the appointment system of the judiciary in order to increase the amount of women and the people from the minority and the judicial structure. For making the assignment, the researcher has taken the help of the study materials and the newspaper Guardian. Several internet sources are used in making this paper. In the assignment, there are several facts stated that demarcates the appointment of less number of women and people from the backward classes of the society as judges in the judicial system. several facts are stated that determines in the assignment the requirement of the process of the Selection Committee to follow in the appointment process. in this assignment there is also the detailed discussion of the requirement of the filming of the filming of the proceedings of the court in the territory of Wales and England. Reference List Barry, L. 2006, "Secretary of State for the Home Department v David Hicks [2006] EWCA Civ 400 (England and Wales Court of Appeal)",Australian International Law Journal,vol. 13, pp. 247-253. Calderwood, P. 2013;2016;,Freemasonry and the Press in the Twentieth Century : A National Newspaper Study of England and Wales,Ashgate, Farnham. Clifford, C. 2013,Gomeroi Native Title claim flushes out 140 respondents; A Native Title claim across much of north-western New South Wales has flushed out more than 140 individuals and companies who have asked to be party to the proceedings, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Sydney. Evans, N., Mr Pryce, H., Professor 2014;2013;,Writing a Small Nation's Past : Wales in Comparative Perspective, 1850-1950,Ashgate, Farnham. Feldman, D. 1993,Civil liberties and human rights in England and Wales,Clarendon Press, New York;Oxford [England];. Jones, D.C., Schlenther, B.S. White, E.M. 2012,The Elect Methodists: Calvinistic Methodism in England and Wales, 1735-1811,1st edn, Nbn International, London. Lewis, G. 2007, "The Government of Wales Act 2006",Judicial Review,vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 139. Moran, L.J. 2014, "Massà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ mediated open justice: court and judicial reports in the Press in England and Wales",Legal Studies,vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 143-166. Moran, L.J. 2014, "Massà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ mediated open justice: court and judicial reports in the Press in England and Wales",Legal Studies,vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 143-166. Cahill-O'Callaghan, R.J. 2015, "Reframing the judicial diversity debate: personal values and tacit diversity: Reframing the judicial diversity debate",Legal Studies,vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 1-29. Cahillà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ O'Callaghan, R.J. 2015, "Reframing the judicial diversity debate: personal values and tacit diversity",Legal Studies,vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 1-29. Blackham, A. 2013, "Court appointment processes and judicial diversity",Public Law Review,vol. 24, no. 4, pp. 233. Lynch, A. 2015, "Review essay: Courts and teamwork: What it means for judicial diversity",University of New South Wales Law Journal, The,vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 1421-1437. Reddick, M. 2010, "New judicial diversity research from AJS",Judicature,vol. 93, no. 5, pp. 209. Acquaviva, G.L. Castiglione, J.D. 2009, "Judicial diversity on state supreme courts",Seton Hall Law Review,vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 1203. Acquaviva, G.L. Castiglione, J.D. 2009, "Judicial diversity on state supreme courts",Seton Hall Law Review,vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 1203. Hurwitz, M.S. Lanier, D.N. 2012, "Judicial diversity in federal courts: a historical and empirical exploration",Judicature,vol. 96, no. 2, pp. 76. Arguedas, Z. Ward, D. 2010, "League of Women Voters project focuses on judicial diversity",Judicature,vol. 93, no. 5, pp. 207. Hoster, P.E. 2012, "Understanding the value of judicial diversity through the Native American lens",American Indian Law Review,vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 457.

Heres What I Know About Essay Topics for the Outsiders

Here's What I Know About Essay Topics for the Outsiders The Fundamentals of Essay Topics for the Outsiders Revealed The action within this brief novel is, as in most young adult fiction, easy and straightforward and covers only a couple of days. The similarities were an outstanding region of the movie. However, there's just one winner and the obvious choice is Darry Curtis. These are merely a few of examples from the story. The more you tell us about your requirements, the better essay help we'll be in a position to provide. Remembering the need of aspirants, we've compiled the hottest PTE Essay Topics With Answers that can help you prepare for PTE Exam. Since you may see, the topics are split between multiple categories so it would be simpler that you select one. Despite the fact that you pay for homework, we provide those options at no cost. The first thing you have to do before you get started writing is to pick an ideal topic to write about. Needless to say, this doesn't make it a rather simple job and there are a few rules and tips you should know about before starting to compose a comparative essay. There were also small details which were precisely the exact same. This is necessary whenever you're attempting to locate an appropriate topic to write about since there are so many to select from. In most instances, the topics you select should be closely related. Lucky for you, there are many topics you could concentrate on when writing and it's all your responsibility to ascertain the precise topic that you wish to build on. As Ponyboy discovers, the sunset can be observed equally well from either side of town. The setting impacts the character by an outstanding deal since if it weren't for the poorness of the area, Ponyboy would a very different individual. If you're, then you've come to the correct location! Here is the area in which you have to attempt to get your readers to listen and hook them together with your story. Outsiders essay also requires some kind of background information on the person's country and financial status. Violence defines them, it's the sole thing they are aware they have in common. It can portray many different messages through different pieces of literature. Regarding the plot, it plays a great part in the message of the novel which is to be stated later. Our talented writers can deal with just about any sort of writing assignment, in addition to Math and Physics troubles and a lot more. Mercutio convinces Romeo to visit the ball. There's, naturally, a limit on the variety of pages even our very best writers can produce with a pressing deadline, but generally, we figure out how to satisfy all the clients seeking urgent assistance. It's possible to always reach out to your writer to supply more specifics or request information concerning the order's progress. After discovering our website, you will no longer will need to bother friends and family with these kinds of requests. Once you establish the comparison items you needs to do some suitable research in order to have sufficient info on both to be in a pos ition to do an appropriate comparison. The very first thing you ought to do is identify the kind of compare and contrast essay that you're handling. Just be sure that it is something which you require, not just something which you desire in the brief term. The quote means, for every very good guy, there's a lousy guy. For example an individual may pick a topic like, life in the shoes of a werewolf. From the biggest adjustments you may need to compose the outsiders. The Greasers often take blame for those crimes of the Socs, purely because it's assumed they are the culprits by the folks. There are not any minorities within this story. The One Thing to Do for Essay Topics for the Outsiders There are a lot of forms of essays, it is not difficult to eliminate an eye on all your writing assignments. Citations and extracts from several sources have to be formatted properly. This is because unlike most sorts of essays, it's hardly feasible to find writer's block when you're handling these. It's possible for you to write literature review in which you reveal your sources and the way they helped in your discussion. So now you understand how to select the best compare and contrast topics and the various segments you have to address when writing. The essay questions are broken up into common PTE Essay writing. You're able to restate your thesis statement and point out a number of the arguments used over the full essay that backs it up. You must research the selected topic and discover facts to contradict your primary thesis. Enjoy proficient essay questions the speedy and icon to cope with.

Research Paper Topics

Research Paper TopicsResearch paper topics are an important part of a student's education and should include everything from a basic introduction of the topic to brainstorming. This article is designed to introduce some essential list of research paper topics that every student should consider, but be sure to use as little of them as possible.Group design. This is usually a completely dry topic, but there are some interesting angles to take. Instead of examining one group at a time in one day, they could be presented all at once in a group design (an arrangement of twelve group studies).Some resources are valuable and others are not. It helps to keep this in mind when choosing them. For example, if an author has written three papers, she could simply focus on studying the ones that have the most relevance to the audience. For the other papers, she might want to study ones that are more in depth or informative.Students should also be prepared to learn how to effectively use the class reports. In other words, students who excel at organization can find the easiest way to discuss issues in order to reach their own conclusions.At this point, it may be time to let their imaginations run wild. Students may wish to learn how to design their own exploratory method of the data they obtain from each survey or laboratory study.Not only is it a wonderful way to learn how to become an excellent class report writer, it also shows that students are capable of grasping, interpreting and presenting information in various ways. Some writers have used a variety of approaches, creating great reports that are used in class, but also have been published in magazines and journals.It's important to keep research paper topics simple for students to learn. Keep the pace slow, keep it personal, but be sure to keep in mind that these topics are crucial to your success.

Writing a College Essay About Your Favourite Subject

Writing a College Essay About Your Favourite SubjectReading on about how to write a college essay about your favourite subject is a lot like reading an instruction manual. You have read the directions, and you understand them. That is why you want to follow them, and you are getting impatient waiting for the task to be finished. Luckily, writing a college essay is not that hard, and if you are a student with a little patience, there are a few tips that can help you write an essay in a short time.First of all, you should know that one of the best ways to learn how to write a college essay about your favourite subject is to take some college classes on the subject you want to write about. There are various ways you can go about this. The best way is to find someone who teaches English as a Second Language, and ask him or her if you can visit their class. Even if they don't let you sit down in their class, it might give you a good idea of how it works.A second thing you should do to lea rn how to write a college essay about your favourite subject is to find out what type of writing you want to do. There are many different types of essays, you can write, such as a Research Essay, Evaluation Essay, Literary Essay, and Narrative Essay. There are a lot of places where you can find books, online sources, magazines, and courses that teach you how to write these different types of essays.In addition to looking at these types of books and resources, you can also look at your college's writing course or the library to see what types of essays they offer. These courses are usually free, and you can take them in order to learn how to write different types of essays.In addition to the books and resources, you can also look into different types of courses that you can take to learn how to write different types of essays. One of the things that you need to do is to talk to your professors to see if they offer a special class on writing essays. Usually, these classes include teac hing you how to write a college essay about your favourite subject.If you are interested in teaching yourself how to write college essays, the best place to start is by finding the resources that you need and then learning how to use those resources to answer the right questions. You can ask questions on forums, or on your school's staff and you will surely get the right answers.Another thing that you can do to learn how to write a college essay about your favourite subject is to research your subject and learn about all the different types of essays you can write. Also, get a mentor. A good mentor can help you a lot in learning how to write a college essay about your favourite subject.

How to Write Ctel Essay Questions For Your CV

How to Write Ctel Essay Questions For Your CVSample Ctel essay questions can be the best way to help you get started writing. If you've already written a few good essays but are not sure how to make them stand out, start using sample Ctel question. Writing Ctel essays helps you improve your writing skills and provides you with practice for when you have time to write.When looking for sample Ctel essay questions, keep in mind that writing is what will separate you from other writers. This does not mean you need to be an expert but you need to learn from a basic level. With practice, you will know what to look for in the right type of questions to ask your reader.You don't need to use all of the sample Ctel essay questions to make a good first impression. Don't give too much information or spoilers in the question and answers section. These short answers help the readers make up their minds and decide if they want to read your work.The essay samples of Ctel give you some ideas to get y ou started. When you are starting out, just remember to put your personality into the essay. Put yourself in the writer's position and write as you would if you were reading your own work.As you start writing, you will get tips on how to improve your writing. Try writing about things you've already learned, books you've read or movies you've watched. Read through other writers' works, to see how they have approached their writings. After seeing a few good examples, incorporate some of the good practices into your writing style.It's important to consider sample Ctel essay questions when you're trying to write a good, original essay. The sample questions to help you see your writing clearly, rather than just reading a topic for long. It also shows you how the actual writer handled an essay topic.Having a portfolio of Ctel essay questions and sample papers is useful for both students and teachers. When used in the classroom, it can help students who are not comfortable with speaking in front of an audience and help them get more confident in writing and speaking. It will also serve as an aid for teachers who want to find ways to improve their writing skills.

Overstock.com E-Business Essay Example

Overstock.com E-Business Essay The e-commerce system chosen is the Overstock. com. Overstock. com is an online retailer offering a broad variety of high-quality, branded name goods at discount prices, including bedding, home decor, appliances, watches, jewellery, electronics, sporting goods, clothing and shoes. At the beginning, Overstock. com sold surplus and returned merchandise on an online E-commerce marketplace and liquidating the inventories of the failed dot-com companies at below-wholesale prices (Drummond, 2006). Recently, it has expanded to sell new merchandise and also offering manufacturers, distributors and other retailers an alternative sales channel for liquidating their inventory. In addition to its direct retail sales, Overstock. com has also offered online auctions on its website. The company’s major competitors are eBay and Amazon. com (Mann, 2005). b. The e-Marketplace. Overstock. com is considered as a private e-marketplace that is owned by a single company. In a sell-side e-marketplace, such as Overstock. om will sell either standard or customised products to individuals (B2C) or to business (B2B), this type of selling is considered to be one-to-many (Turban, King, Lee, Liang amp; Turban, 2010). Overstock. com uses the Internet to create a more efficient market for liquidation, closeout and other discount merchandise by providing consumers and businesses with quick and convenient access to high-quality, brand-name merchandise at discount prices. Besides that, Overstock. om operates the part of their website as an online auctions business, a marketplace for the buying and selling of goods and services-as well as online sites for listing cars and real estate for sale (Mann, 2005). Overstock. com is an example of virtual e-tailers that sell directly to consumers over the Internet without maintaining a physical sales channel. Virtual e-tailers have the advantage of low overhead costs and streamlined process (Turban et al. , 2010). General e-tailers, such as Overstock. om, selling a vast range of goods and services online, capitalize on the internet to offer such variety to a diverse group of customers geographically without the need to maintain a large physical storefront network (Mincedmedia, 2008). 2. Research into the e-business components. a. Organization. i. Possible internal organization functions involved the system. The internal organization of the Overstock. com is formed by few different departments. The sales and marketing department will find and retain customers by building effective customers relationships to increase the sales of the firm. We will write a custom essay sample on Overstock.com E-Business specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Overstock.com E-Business specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Overstock.com E-Business specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Marketers of the Overstock. com uses several types of online advertising methods such as banner ads, e-mail advertising and video ads (Turban et al. , 2010). The engineering department will be in charge of the firm’s e-commerce system, online security, payment systems, IT compliance, application software, website design and maintenances and also data management. The firm’s IT engineer will be responsible to use technology expertise such as the defence and e-commerce security strategy, e-commerce payment systems, application of software and the knowledge in the web 2. to facilitate the online business of Overstock. com (Kelly, 2005). The accounting and finance department will be responsible in partnering with other county departments to leverage resources that are essential toward achieving related objectives and also ensuring that quality financial services and information is provided. In addition, the operations department does the day to day operation of the business. The operations department of the Overstock. com consist of the merchandise operational coordinator, co-op manager and system administrative. They handle all the clerical functions having to do with clearance, settlement, and execution of trades (Mincedmedia, 2008). This department keeps customer records and handles the day-to-day monitoring of margin positions. ii. Possible firms, suppliers and business partners. Part of Overstock. coms merchandise is purchased by or manufactured specifically for Overstock. com. Merchandise is obtained either by buying excess inventory, referred to as the companys direct business, or by selling the merchandise of other retailers, catalogue companies, and manufacturers on a commission basis (Mann, 2005). Among their products are handmade goods produced for Overstock by workers in developing nations. The shopping business of the Overstock. com includes both a direct business and a fulfilment partner business. Products from the fulfilment partner segment are from various industry verticals, such as florist supplies, restaurant supplies, and office supplies (Wang, Liu Koong amp; Bai, 2009). Overstock. com form partnerships with companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Kenneth Cole, Simon amp; Schuster, Samsonite, and Cuisinart. These fulfillment partners, constituting the former commission side of Overstock. coms business, drove the companys revenue growth high and following its IPO. iii. Possible business process associated with the system. The shopping business of the Overstock. com includes both a direct business and a fulfilment partner business (Overstock. com). The fulfilment partner business is one of the business process associated with the system, Overstock. com sell merchandise of other retailers, cataloguers or manufacturers ) through their Website. Overstock. om currently has fulfilment partner relationships with approximately 1,250 third parties on their website (Ferguson amp; Hlavinkha, 2007). Overstock. com also provides an online auction service on the Website. The Auctions business allows sellers to list items for sale, buyers to bid on items of interest, and users to browse through listed items online. The revenue for the merchandise returned to the Company that we sell at auction is recor ded on a gross basis. Revenue from the auctions business will be included in the fulfilment partner segment. Besides that, an online site for listing cars for sale was provided as a part of the Website. The cars listing service allows dealers to list vehicles for sale and allows buyers to review vehicle descriptions, and allows purchasers to contact sellers for further information and negotiations on the purchase of an advertised vehicle. Revenue from the cars listing business is recorded net and is included in the fulfilment partner segment. In addition, an online site for listing real estate for sale was provided as a part of the Website. The real estate listing service allows customers to search for active listings across the country. Listing categories include foreclosures, live and on-line auctions, for sale by owner listings and also broker or agent listings. Revenue from the real estate listing business is recorded net and is included in the fulfilment partner segment (PR Newswire, 2010). b. Possible technologies. i. Hardware, Software and Network telecommunications technology. Overstock. com needed equipment that would perform consistently and handle the traffic peaks that occur in the fourth quarter of the year without service degradation therefore, they chosen Foundry’s BigIron MG8 high-performance 10-Gigabit switches to power the backbones at its headquarters. Foundry is a leading provider of high-performance enterprise and service provider switching, routing and Web traffic management solutions and also an application service provider for Overstock. com, Inc. Foundry has helped them achieve the level of performance with a solution that will accommodate future growth and the payoff can be enormous in terms of customer experience and cost savings (Foundry Network, n. d. ). Overstock. com is using the OptiMine Software, a provider of intelligence software for advertising optimization. Their flagship product, OptiMine Paid Search Bid Management Application, forecasts the performance of each paid search ad placement each day and automatically sets optimal bids. Overstock. com also uses many other software such as Breach Security’s web defend and VPNs for website security purpose. Besides that, software like EDIs are used for online data interchange via emails and chat rooms; EFTs are used for the purpose of e-payment systems (â€Å"Breach†, 2009). Overstock. om uses the internet and extranet, private network that uses Internet protocols and network connectivity (VeriSign, 2008). Overstock. com uses these network and telecommunications technology to operate the online shopping, online auctions and online listing cars and real estates. It has been described as a state of mind in which the Internet is perceived as a way to do business with a selected set of other companies, the fulfillment partner companies to sell their products online (â€Å"Success St ory†, 2009). ii. Payment systems and security technologies. The payment system used by Overstock. com is majorly based on online credit card payment. In the United States, credit card holders of the American Express, Discover Card, MasterCard and Visa card are able to purchase goods online directly from Overstock. com website. ‘Bill Me Later’ is a payment method offered on the websites of many well-known merchants, including Overstock. com. The site offers credit through CIT Bank, allows purchases to be made online without using a credit card. Besides that, the payment systems of Overstock. om also have many special features, such as secure ordering/Payment system, on-line ordering shopping cart system, on-line order tracking system, customers info is confidential, gift services available and also live customer representative (Steiner, 2006). Lately, Overstock. com has integrated Auction Checkouts payment service into its auction platform. Third-party sellers on Overstock. com Auctions can now accept credit card payments for auct ion sales without having a credit-card merchant account (McDonald amp; Dunbar, 1998). One of the most important issues for a desirable e-payment system is the system should be based on well-established security principles (Turban et al. , 2010). Overstock. com uses the methods of address verification, manual review and fraud screens and automated decision models in preventing financial frauds in the payment system. For securing the networks of Overstock. com, the company uses firewalls, VPNs and IDSs and also teaming with some leading provider of application security assessment to optimize their Web security systems (Overstock. com, 2010). For example, Overstock. om chose Breach Security’s WebDefend web application firewall (WAF) to provide immediate compliance with the latest Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS) (VeriSign, 2008). The system ensures that all web-facing application be protected against known attacks via web application firewall vulnerability scans or code review. c. Value of the e-business system. i. Tangible benefits. The ef fect of e-business in Overstock. com has brought several tangible benefits to the firm itself. The sales of Overstock. com have increased due to the some of the factors. Revenue has increased by having new customers from new markets, from existing customers due to the repeat-selling and also cross-selling (Turban et al. , 2010). By using the e-business technology, costs can be reduced as the efficiency of search and transaction costs have been improved. Marketing cost also can be reduced as we reduce time for customer service, reduce printing and distribution costs of marketing communications. Besides that, Overstock. com’s supply chain cost also can be reduced by reducing the levels of inventory and having a shorter cycle time in ordering. In addition, administrative cost also can be reduced from more efficient routine business processes such as recruitment, invoice payment and holiday authorization (Schwartz, 2002). E-commerce system allows Overstock. com to carry out businesses without the barriers of time or distance and therefore people can save time and cost. Customers can log on to the Internet at any point of time, be it day or night and purchase or sell anything one desires at a single click of the mouse. The relationship between the customers and Overstock. om also can be improved because the website also includes a support home page where the customer support, customer care contacts and also some frequently asked questions. Overstock. com also provides personalization services whereby the firm will notify customers by e-mail when there are new products, according to the specific user’s preferences (Deeter-Schmelz, amp; Kennedy, 2004). ii. Intangible benefits. The use of e-business system by the Oversto ck. com also brings a lot of intangible benefits to the organizations, individual customers and society. One of the benefits is the enhancement of products, with the e-business system Overstock. om get to expand its business by selling their own product and also selling some ‘fulfilment partnership’ products, and further on manages an online auction site and provides car and real estate listings. Besides that, the e-business system brings more rapid, more responsive marketing communications including public relations to the firm (Turban et al. , 2010). A faster product development lifecycle will also enabling faster response to market needs (Ferguson amp; Hlavinkha, 2007). A better customer service will be served as well because of the customer service home page on the Overstock. com web page. Customers can solve their problems quickly by searching the web page. The firm can also easily collect feedback from customers on products. This can assist the firm in meeting customer’s expectations (Drummond, 2006). The strategic position of the company can be improved as the Overstock. com includes value propositions such as complementarities and novelty. Overstock. com provides complementarities such as the bundling of products and services, for example, the website offers a wide variety of products and after purchasing these products, shipping services from will be also included by the company. The novelty of what Overstock. om introducing is about using innovative ways for structuring, connecting partners and fostering new market. For example, Overstock. com helps some firms to liquidate their inventories and also sell their products on the website under the â€Å"fulfilment partner† category. Besides that, Overstock. com also provides online auction, listing car and real estate for sale which encourages the fostering of new market. Overstock. com also can make out new partners and supporting existing partners more efficiently and effectively with a better management of marketing information, customer information and business partners’ information (Schwartz, 2002). ii. Alignment with company vision, mission and objectives. By using the e-business system, Overstock. com has significantly cut down the cost associated with marketing, customer care, processing and information storage. It also reduces the time period involved with business process re-engineering and customization of products to meet the demand of particular customers, increasing productivity and customer care services. Electronic commerce reduces the burden of transportation to conduct businesses and thereby raises the amount of funds available for profitable investment. It also enables efficient customer care services. Alternatively, it collects and manages information related to customer behaviour, which in turn helps develop and adopt an efficient marketing and promotional strategy (Deeter-Schmelz, amp; Kennedy, 2004). In fact all these benefits will help out Overstock. com to achieve their vision, missions and objectives. Overstock. com’s vision is to provide online shoppers with the best price and a superior customer experience with the values of honest, helpful, efficient, accountable, and trustworthy, and committed to profitability and service. The value and benefits of e-business systems in Overstock. om can help to reach its vision as the cost reduction of firms and the improved customer service and relationship will allow customers to buy products with a cheaper price and enjoy a superior customer experience (Wang, Liu Koong amp; Bai, 2009). Overstock. com’s main mission is to save consumers’ money (Overstock. com). With the e-business system in the Overstock. com, con sumers can compare and shop online for the lowest prices and also get information easily with details and demos. The standard of living of the consumers also can be improved as consumer can afford to buy cheaper goods and services. The e-business system also helps Overstock. com to achieve its mission. The objective of the Overstock. com is to become the dominant internet-based closeout solution for holders of brand-name merchandise, allowing them to dispose of that merchandise discreetly and with high recovery values, and to ultimately become a one-stop Internet-based discount shopping destination. 3. Possible e-business issues a. Security and privacy issues The lack of trust in Internet commerce applications may result in cautious business operators and clients to abstain from using the Internet for now and revert back to traditional ways of doing business. This eradication of trust being fuelled by continued stories of hacker attacks on e-commerce sites and intrusion of consumer data privacy (Marchany amp; Tront, 2002). There are two major threats faced by Overstock. com: Denial of Service (DOS) and financial fraud. DOS is still an attack in which many major e-commerce sites suffer whereby hackers rely on software and zombie PCs to launch the attacks. DOS attacks can be difficult to stop; a series of steps could be costly to combat these attacks. Overstock. com consumers use credit cards for online purchases where security and fraud are the major issues in making e-payments. Due to this issue, wide variety of tools such as address verification and other authentication services are employed to reduce the problems while considering the ease of use and the fit within the overall business context. However, it is impossible to totally overcome security and fraud issues as the victimized industries, users, and organizations are still vulnerable due to the failure of taking necessary precautions to avoid becoming a victim (Turban et al. , 2010). Consumer privacy is becoming the most common security issue following theft and fraud as top concerns in e-commerce. For example, selling consumer data without the customer knowledge or permission is the major internal threat to consumer privacy. This type of issue will be a resistance for people to participate in certain types of e-commerce transactions if the assurance of privacy is low or non-existent. If the majority of businesses are not considered to be secure, the confidentiality and integrity of the customer information will be in doubt (â€Å"Breach†, 2009). Hence, e-commerce security needs to be addressed not only at the business site with its servers/network ut also on the client side, which includes direct connected home computers. Despite of all the security and privacy issues flooding the society, security architecture of e-commerce sites has to be tailored to ensure consumer data privacy and company resources are not used to attack other Internet sites. There are guidelines for securing systems and networks to educate the consumer on these e-commerce security issues. Consumers playing their part in solving these issues are the most critical element of the e-commerce security architecture (Turban et al. , 2010). Besides that, training and orientation programs are critical to increase the general public awareness of security on the Internet. IT and financial control groups within the e-commerce site should form an alliance to overcome the general resistance to implementing security practices at the business level while industry self-regulation of consumer privacy should make recommendations to congress in order to introduce legislation on privacy issues. b. Marketing issues. One of the marketing issues faced by Overstock. com is competition. Two major competitors of Overstock. com are eBay and Amazon. om (Overstock. com, 2010). These two competitors are well known e-marketplace for the internet surfers (Mann, 2005). Overstock. com has an oligopoly market structure in which a small number of firms supply most of the market. There are only a few firms dominating the market such as big firms with large share of market sales. Firms in an oligopoly market structure are interdependent whereby they watch each other closely because of the competitive strategy. Oligopoly firms such as the Overstock. com normally use non-price competition accrue greater revenue and market share. It has a high barrier to enter the market and large existing firms enjoy economies of scale. However, new entrants tend to face higher production and set up costs. Overstock. com has to spend enormous amount of money on advertising to win and retain their customers and brand loyalty. Consumer behaviour is also one of the marketing issues faced by Overstock. com. It is difficult to create customer loyalty as it is very fast and easy for consumers to switch loyalty online. Hence, enhancing loyalty through methods such as e-loyalty programs is a must. Besides that, building trust is very difficult since people do not know or see each other. Amazon. com is using one-to-one marketing which can increase the degree of loyalty. This one-to-one marketing strategy is not exercised by Overstock. com which leaves them in the losing end if compared to its competitors (Mincedmedia, 2008). In order for Overstock. com to survive in this competitive market, their possible market strategy and segmentation is to set up their e-business system as their storefront and gain new market target and new market opportunities on online selling sites of car and real estate listing (Overstock. com, 2010). Overstock.com E-Business Essay Example Overstock.com E-Business Essay The e-commerce system chosen is the Overstock. com. Overstock. com is an online retailer offering a broad variety of high-quality, branded name goods at discount prices, including bedding, home decor, appliances, watches, jewellery, electronics, sporting goods, clothing and shoes. At the beginning, Overstock. com sold surplus and returned merchandise on an online E-commerce marketplace and liquidating the inventories of the failed dot-com companies at below-wholesale prices (Drummond, 2006). Recently, it has expanded to sell new merchandise and also offering manufacturers, distributors and other retailers an alternative sales channel for liquidating their inventory. In addition to its direct retail sales, Overstock. com has also offered online auctions on its website. The company’s major competitors are eBay and Amazon. com (Mann, 2005). b. The e-Marketplace. Overstock. com is considered as a private e-marketplace that is owned by a single company. In a sell-side e-marketplace, such as Overstock. om will sell either standard or customised products to individuals (B2C) or to business (B2B), this type of selling is considered to be one-to-many (Turban, King, Lee, Liang amp; Turban, 2010). Overstock. com uses the Internet to create a more efficient market for liquidation, closeout and other discount merchandise by providing consumers and businesses with quick and convenient access to high-quality, brand-name merchandise at discount prices. Besides that, Overstock. om operates the part of their website as an online auctions business, a marketplace for the buying and selling of goods and services-as well as online sites for listing cars and real estate for sale (Mann, 2005). Overstock. com is an example of virtual e-tailers that sell directly to consumers over the Internet without maintaining a physical sales channel. Virtual e-tailers have the advantage of low overhead costs and streamlined process (Turban et al. , 2010). General e-tailers, such as Overstock. om, selling a vast range of goods and services online, capitalize on the internet to offer such variety to a diverse group of customers geographically without the need to maintain a large physical storefront network (Mincedmedia, 2008). 2. Research into the e-business components. a. Organization. i. Possible internal organization functions involved the system. The internal organization of the Overstock. com is formed by few different departments. The sales and marketing department will find and retain customers by building effective customers relationships to increase the sales of the firm. We will write a custom essay sample on Overstock.com E-Business specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Overstock.com E-Business specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Overstock.com E-Business specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Marketers of the Overstock. com uses several types of online advertising methods such as banner ads, e-mail advertising and video ads (Turban et al. , 2010). The engineering department will be in charge of the firm’s e-commerce system, online security, payment systems, IT compliance, application software, website design and maintenances and also data management. The firm’s IT engineer will be responsible to use technology expertise such as the defence and e-commerce security strategy, e-commerce payment systems, application of software and the knowledge in the web 2. to facilitate the online business of Overstock. com (Kelly, 2005). The accounting and finance department will be responsible in partnering with other county departments to leverage resources that are essential toward achieving related objectives and also ensuring that quality financial services and information is provided. In addition, the operations department does the day to day operation of the business. The operations department of the Overstock. com consist of the merchandise operational coordinator, co-op manager and system administrative. They handle all the clerical functions having to do with clearance, settlement, and execution of trades (Mincedmedia, 2008). This department keeps customer records and handles the day-to-day monitoring of margin positions. ii. Possible firms, suppliers and business partners. Part of Overstock. coms merchandise is purchased by or manufactured specifically for Overstock. com. Merchandise is obtained either by buying excess inventory, referred to as the companys direct business, or by selling the merchandise of other retailers, catalogue companies, and manufacturers on a commission basis (Mann, 2005). Among their products are handmade goods produced for Overstock by workers in developing nations. The shopping business of the Overstock. com includes both a direct business and a fulfilment partner business. Products from the fulfilment partner segment are from various industry verticals, such as florist supplies, restaurant supplies, and office supplies (Wang, Liu Koong amp; Bai, 2009). Overstock. com form partnerships with companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Kenneth Cole, Simon amp; Schuster, Samsonite, and Cuisinart. These fulfillment partners, constituting the former commission side of Overstock. coms business, drove the companys revenue growth high and following its IPO. iii. Possible business process associated with the system. The shopping business of the Overstock. com includes both a direct business and a fulfilment partner business (Overstock. com). The fulfilment partner business is one of the business process associated with the system, Overstock. com sell merchandise of other retailers, cataloguers or manufacturers ) through their Website. Overstock. om currently has fulfilment partner relationships with approximately 1,250 third parties on their website (Ferguson amp; Hlavinkha, 2007). Overstock. com also provides an online auction service on the Website. The Auctions business allows sellers to list items for sale, buyers to bid on items of interest, and users to browse through listed items online. The revenue for the merchandise returned to the Company that we sell at auction is recor ded on a gross basis. Revenue from the auctions business will be included in the fulfilment partner segment. Besides that, an online site for listing cars for sale was provided as a part of the Website. The cars listing service allows dealers to list vehicles for sale and allows buyers to review vehicle descriptions, and allows purchasers to contact sellers for further information and negotiations on the purchase of an advertised vehicle. Revenue from the cars listing business is recorded net and is included in the fulfilment partner segment. In addition, an online site for listing real estate for sale was provided as a part of the Website. The real estate listing service allows customers to search for active listings across the country. Listing categories include foreclosures, live and on-line auctions, for sale by owner listings and also broker or agent listings. Revenue from the real estate listing business is recorded net and is included in the fulfilment partner segment (PR Newswire, 2010). b. Possible technologies. i. Hardware, Software and Network telecommunications technology. Overstock. com needed equipment that would perform consistently and handle the traffic peaks that occur in the fourth quarter of the year without service degradation therefore, they chosen Foundry’s BigIron MG8 high-performance 10-Gigabit switches to power the backbones at its headquarters. Foundry is a leading provider of high-performance enterprise and service provider switching, routing and Web traffic management solutions and also an application service provider for Overstock. com, Inc. Foundry has helped them achieve the level of performance with a solution that will accommodate future growth and the payoff can be enormous in terms of customer experience and cost savings (Foundry Network, n. d. ). Overstock. com is using the OptiMine Software, a provider of intelligence software for advertising optimization. Their flagship product, OptiMine Paid Search Bid Management Application, forecasts the performance of each paid search ad placement each day and automatically sets optimal bids. Overstock. com also uses many other software such as Breach Security’s web defend and VPNs for website security purpose. Besides that, software like EDIs are used for online data interchange via emails and chat rooms; EFTs are used for the purpose of e-payment systems (â€Å"Breach†, 2009). Overstock. om uses the internet and extranet, private network that uses Internet protocols and network connectivity (VeriSign, 2008). Overstock. com uses these network and telecommunications technology to operate the online shopping, online auctions and online listing cars and real estates. It has been described as a state of mind in which the Internet is perceived as a way to do business with a selected set of other companies, the fulfillment partner companies to sell their products online (â€Å"Success St ory†, 2009). ii. Payment systems and security technologies. The payment system used by Overstock. com is majorly based on online credit card payment. In the United States, credit card holders of the American Express, Discover Card, MasterCard and Visa card are able to purchase goods online directly from Overstock. com website. ‘Bill Me Later’ is a payment method offered on the websites of many well-known merchants, including Overstock. com. The site offers credit through CIT Bank, allows purchases to be made online without using a credit card. Besides that, the payment systems of Overstock. om also have many special features, such as secure ordering/Payment system, on-line ordering shopping cart system, on-line order tracking system, customers info is confidential, gift services available and also live customer representative (Steiner, 2006). Lately, Overstock. com has integrated Auction Checkouts payment service into its auction platform. Third-party sellers on Overstock. com Auctions can now accept credit card payments for auct ion sales without having a credit-card merchant account (McDonald amp; Dunbar, 1998). One of the most important issues for a desirable e-payment system is the system should be based on well-established security principles (Turban et al. , 2010). Overstock. com uses the methods of address verification, manual review and fraud screens and automated decision models in preventing financial frauds in the payment system. For securing the networks of Overstock. com, the company uses firewalls, VPNs and IDSs and also teaming with some leading provider of application security assessment to optimize their Web security systems (Overstock. com, 2010). For example, Overstock. om chose Breach Security’s WebDefend web application firewall (WAF) to provide immediate compliance with the latest Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS) (VeriSign, 2008). The system ensures that all web-facing application be protected against known attacks via web application firewall vulnerability scans or code review. c. Value of the e-business system. i. Tangible benefits. The ef fect of e-business in Overstock. com has brought several tangible benefits to the firm itself. The sales of Overstock. com have increased due to the some of the factors. Revenue has increased by having new customers from new markets, from existing customers due to the repeat-selling and also cross-selling (Turban et al. , 2010). By using the e-business technology, costs can be reduced as the efficiency of search and transaction costs have been improved. Marketing cost also can be reduced as we reduce time for customer service, reduce printing and distribution costs of marketing communications. Besides that, Overstock. com’s supply chain cost also can be reduced by reducing the levels of inventory and having a shorter cycle time in ordering. In addition, administrative cost also can be reduced from more efficient routine business processes such as recruitment, invoice payment and holiday authorization (Schwartz, 2002). E-commerce system allows Overstock. com to carry out businesses without the barriers of time or distance and therefore people can save time and cost. Customers can log on to the Internet at any point of time, be it day or night and purchase or sell anything one desires at a single click of the mouse. The relationship between the customers and Overstock. om also can be improved because the website also includes a support home page where the customer support, customer care contacts and also some frequently asked questions. Overstock. com also provides personalization services whereby the firm will notify customers by e-mail when there are new products, according to the specific user’s preferences (Deeter-Schmelz, amp; Kennedy, 2004). ii. Intangible benefits. The use of e-business system by the Oversto ck. com also brings a lot of intangible benefits to the organizations, individual customers and society. One of the benefits is the enhancement of products, with the e-business system Overstock. om get to expand its business by selling their own product and also selling some ‘fulfilment partnership’ products, and further on manages an online auction site and provides car and real estate listings. Besides that, the e-business system brings more rapid, more responsive marketing communications including public relations to the firm (Turban et al. , 2010). A faster product development lifecycle will also enabling faster response to market needs (Ferguson amp; Hlavinkha, 2007). A better customer service will be served as well because of the customer service home page on the Overstock. com web page. Customers can solve their problems quickly by searching the web page. The firm can also easily collect feedback from customers on products. This can assist the firm in meeting customer’s expectations (Drummond, 2006). The strategic position of the company can be improved as the Overstock. com includes value propositions such as complementarities and novelty. Overstock. com provides complementarities such as the bundling of products and services, for example, the website offers a wide variety of products and after purchasing these products, shipping services from will be also included by the company. The novelty of what Overstock. om introducing is about using innovative ways for structuring, connecting partners and fostering new market. For example, Overstock. com helps some firms to liquidate their inventories and also sell their products on the website under the â€Å"fulfilment partner† category. Besides that, Overstock. com also provides online auction, listing car and real estate for sale which encourages the fostering of new market. Overstock. com also can make out new partners and supporting existing partners more efficiently and effectively with a better management of marketing information, customer information and business partners’ information (Schwartz, 2002). ii. Alignment with company vision, mission and objectives. By using the e-business system, Overstock. com has significantly cut down the cost associated with marketing, customer care, processing and information storage. It also reduces the time period involved with business process re-engineering and customization of products to meet the demand of particular customers, increasing productivity and customer care services. Electronic commerce reduces the burden of transportation to conduct businesses and thereby raises the amount of funds available for profitable investment. It also enables efficient customer care services. Alternatively, it collects and manages information related to customer behaviour, which in turn helps develop and adopt an efficient marketing and promotional strategy (Deeter-Schmelz, amp; Kennedy, 2004). In fact all these benefits will help out Overstock. com to achieve their vision, missions and objectives. Overstock. com’s vision is to provide online shoppers with the best price and a superior customer experience with the values of honest, helpful, efficient, accountable, and trustworthy, and committed to profitability and service. The value and benefits of e-business systems in Overstock. om can help to reach its vision as the cost reduction of firms and the improved customer service and relationship will allow customers to buy products with a cheaper price and enjoy a superior customer experience (Wang, Liu Koong amp; Bai, 2009). Overstock. com’s main mission is to save consumers’ money (Overstock. com). With the e-business system in the Overstock. com, con sumers can compare and shop online for the lowest prices and also get information easily with details and demos. The standard of living of the consumers also can be improved as consumer can afford to buy cheaper goods and services. The e-business system also helps Overstock. com to achieve its mission. The objective of the Overstock. com is to become the dominant internet-based closeout solution for holders of brand-name merchandise, allowing them to dispose of that merchandise discreetly and with high recovery values, and to ultimately become a one-stop Internet-based discount shopping destination. 3. Possible e-business issues a. Security and privacy issues The lack of trust in Internet commerce applications may result in cautious business operators and clients to abstain from using the Internet for now and revert back to traditional ways of doing business. This eradication of trust being fuelled by continued stories of hacker attacks on e-commerce sites and intrusion of consumer data privacy (Marchany amp; Tront, 2002). There are two major threats faced by Overstock. com: Denial of Service (DOS) and financial fraud. DOS is still an attack in which many major e-commerce sites suffer whereby hackers rely on software and zombie PCs to launch the attacks. DOS attacks can be difficult to stop; a series of steps could be costly to combat these attacks. Overstock. com consumers use credit cards for online purchases where security and fraud are the major issues in making e-payments. Due to this issue, wide variety of tools such as address verification and other authentication services are employed to reduce the problems while considering the ease of use and the fit within the overall business context. However, it is impossible to totally overcome security and fraud issues as the victimized industries, users, and organizations are still vulnerable due to the failure of taking necessary precautions to avoid becoming a victim (Turban et al. , 2010). Consumer privacy is becoming the most common security issue following theft and fraud as top concerns in e-commerce. For example, selling consumer data without the customer knowledge or permission is the major internal threat to consumer privacy. This type of issue will be a resistance for people to participate in certain types of e-commerce transactions if the assurance of privacy is low or non-existent. If the majority of businesses are not considered to be secure, the confidentiality and integrity of the customer information will be in doubt (â€Å"Breach†, 2009). Hence, e-commerce security needs to be addressed not only at the business site with its servers/network ut also on the client side, which includes direct connected home computers. Despite of all the security and privacy issues flooding the society, security architecture of e-commerce sites has to be tailored to ensure consumer data privacy and company resources are not used to attack other Internet sites. There are guidelines for securing systems and networks to educate the consumer on these e-commerce security issues. Consumers playing their part in solving these issues are the most critical element of the e-commerce security architecture (Turban et al. , 2010). Besides that, training and orientation programs are critical to increase the general public awareness of security on the Internet. IT and financial control groups within the e-commerce site should form an alliance to overcome the general resistance to implementing security practices at the business level while industry self-regulation of consumer privacy should make recommendations to congress in order to introduce legislation on privacy issues. b. Marketing issues. One of the marketing issues faced by Overstock. com is competition. Two major competitors of Overstock. com are eBay and Amazon. om (Overstock. com, 2010). These two competitors are well known e-marketplace for the internet surfers (Mann, 2005). Overstock. com has an oligopoly market structure in which a small number of firms supply most of the market. There are only a few firms dominating the market such as big firms with large share of market sales. Firms in an oligopoly market structure are interdependent whereby they watch each other closely because of the competitive strategy. Oligopoly firms such as the Overstock. com normally use non-price competition accrue greater revenue and market share. It has a high barrier to enter the market and large existing firms enjoy economies of scale. However, new entrants tend to face higher production and set up costs. Overstock. com has to spend enormous amount of money on advertising to win and retain their customers and brand loyalty. Consumer behaviour is also one of the marketing issues faced by Overstock. com. It is difficult to create customer loyalty as it is very fast and easy for consumers to switch loyalty online. Hence, enhancing loyalty through methods such as e-loyalty programs is a must. Besides that, building trust is very difficult since people do not know or see each other. Amazon. com is using one-to-one marketing which can increase the degree of loyalty. This one-to-one marketing strategy is not exercised by Overstock. com which leaves them in the losing end if compared to its competitors (Mincedmedia, 2008). In order for Overstock. com to survive in this competitive market, their possible market strategy and segmentation is to set up their e-business system as their storefront and gain new market target and new market opportunities on online selling sites of car and real estate listing (Overstock. com, 2010).

What’s in store for nurses in 2018

What’s in store for nurses in 2018 The start of 2018 also means a new year for nurses! If you’re a nurse, you may be wondering what’s in store for you in the coming year- both individually and for the field of nursing in general. Although nursing is a very broad field- nurses are employed in a wide variety of settings (including doctors’ offices, hospitals, schools, outpatient clinics, nursing care facilities, military bases, and home healthcare services), and their responsibilities can vary widely (based on their education, experience level, and licensure)- there are some general workplace and industry trends that we can look at to determine what kind of year nurses can expect in 2018.Industry forecastAccording to the Occupational Outlook Handbook  developed by the United States Department of Labor, the broad job outlook for nurses looking ahead is a good one- employment for nurses is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations over the next decade. A variety of factors are inv olved in this projected growth, including a growing senior citizen demographic (who will increasingly rely on healthcare services in their older years), an increased public emphasis on preventive care, and a growing rate of chronic conditions (including obesity and diabetes) that will lead to a wide array of healthcare needs. That said, if you’re a nurse- or thinking of becoming a nurse- and are wondering if it’s an industry with an abundance of opportunities or is experiencing over-saturation, rest assured you should not have trouble finding employment if you possess the requisite training, education, experience, and skill set.If you’re wondering which industries will have the highest levels of employment for nurses over the coming years, you can count on medical and surgical hospitals, doctors’ offices, home healthcare service agencies, nursing care facilities, outpatient care centers, and psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals and centers being at t he top of the list. An increasing number of nurses are being employed outside of hospitals, a trend that is expected to continue in 2018. Home-based healthcare is a growing business, and expect to see greater job opportunities for nurses who are willing to travel regularly.Are you curious about the regions and states that will likely have the highest levels of employment opportunities? Expect the highest concentration and need for nurses in the easternmost and westernmost portions of the country, with varying levels of employment in the central states of America. States that you can count on for typically having the highest levels of employment for nurses include California, Texas, New York, Florida, and Pennsylvania. Are you hunting for a bigger paycheck this year? Top paying states, on average, include California, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Oregon, and Alaska.Industry trendsIf you’re curious about the big industry trends that are likely to affect the field of nursing in 2018, T ravelNurse Source  and Licensed Practical Nurse  recently published articles that included their top predictions for the coming year. Expect the following key predictions to have an impact on the field of nursing.Nursing shortageAs hinted at earlier, there is expected to be a shortage of nurses across all disciplines in 2018. The need for experienced and qualified nurses will only continue to grow as the population in general gets older and the levels of chronic illness grows. Furthermore, the average age of nurses is currently over 50, so the number of professionals retiring- and the need for new nurses- will continue to grow over the year and into the future.What does this shortage mean for you as a nurse? Plenty! If you’re a qualified professional this puts you in the â€Å"driver’s seat†- allowing you greater leverage and options for choosing a position and having a prospective employer meet your demands for employment.Rise in technologyWe’re all aware of how recent advances in modern technology have changed nearly every aspect of society, and this includes the field of nursing. Technology will play an increasing role in how nurses perform their daily responsibilities, so expect new tools, simulators, high-tech devices, and other pieces of healthcare technology to be used on the job. Even basic record keeping has gone digital and mobile- today, healthcare professionals can access patient records at the point of contact, instead of having to go back and forth to a dedicated nursing station.Telemedicine has been a big industry buzzword in recent years, and expect it to continue and grow in 2018. Advances in technology have made remote healthcare (often taking advantage of video technology) accessible and affordable, and   it is an increasingly growing field in nursing. Those who get comfortable and experienced in telemedicine will be able to leverage the additional employment opportunities and flexibility it can provide.What does this mean if you’re a nurse or are thinking of becoming one? The bottom line is that the need for tech-savvy nurses will be a big trend in 2018 and beyond, and those industry professionals who possess the skills and mindset to learn how to master new equipment and technology will be especially valuable in the industry.More male nursesThe last several years has seen a sharp increase in the number of men entering the nursing profession, and 2018 will be no exception- expect to see increasing numbers of male nurses across all disciplines. If you’re a male and are thinking of pursuing a career as a nurse, there’s no better time than the present to do so.The future of healthcare landscapePotential changes to state and national healthcare laws, and what will happen to healthcare in general if the Affordable Healthcare Act gets repealed (and what system would potentially replace it) could have a big potential impact on the field of nursing in 2018. We are current ly in â€Å"wait and see† mode regarding this issue, and only time will tell how this fully plays out and how it will effect healthcare professionals in 2018 and beyond.There you have it- some of the key predictions and trends for nursing for 2018. If you’re a nurse or are thinking of becoming one, use the information provided here to set yourself up for career success in 2018 and beyond.