E - Commerce

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TASK - 1:

Submit a work proposal within 24 hours which must include:

Understanding of deliverable's – a detail description of deliverable's.

General overview of proposed plan - initial understanding of solution to all tasks.

Resources identified.


TASK - 2:

a. Kindly read the research paper Schöder, D., Ding, F. and Campos, J. (2016) "The Impact of E-Commerce Development on Urban Logistics Sustainability". Open Journal of Social Sciences 04 (03), 1-6.

- Debate on how Muscat can be made sustainable ecommerce society. (5 points)

b. Kindly read the research paper Matthews, H., Hendrickson, C. and Soh, D. (2001) "Environmental and Economic Effects of E-Commerce: A Case Study of Book Publishing and Retail Logistics". Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board 1763, 6-12.

- Critically evaluate on cost advantage and environmental benefits of E-Commerce. (5 points)


TASK - 3:

Carefully read the provided research papers and answer the following questions:

- Factors Involved in Customer Avoiding E-Banking in Pakistan.

- Adoption and Use of Internet Banking in the Sultanate of Oman: An Exploratory Study.

a. Discuss 5 factors that are involved in customers avoiding E-Banking in Oman. You can choose any local bank to discuss for argument.

b. Propose 5 recommendations to eliminating the barriers in adapting to e-banking. Recommendations should comprise of Social, Legal and Ethical barriers and their solution.


** 600 words only for each question.

** Total word Count = 2500 words Only.

** At least 15 different References like: books, journal articles, newspaper articles, electronic books, electronic journals etc.

** In-text Citation and References for all parts using Harvard Style.

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JIBC [Home] [Current Edition] [Compendium] [Forum] [Web Archive] [Email Archive] [Guestbook] [Subscribe] [Advertising Rates] Adoption and Use of Internet Banking in the Sultanate of Oman: An Exploratory Study By Imtiyaz Al-Sabbagh, IT Director, Oman Email: mtsmas62@yahoo.com By Alemayehu Molla, IDPM, The University of Manchester, M13 9QH Email: alemayehu.molla@man.ac.uk Abstract The aim of this paper is to explore the drivers and inhibitors of customers's Internet banking adoption in the Sultanate of Oman. Data from 225 respondents were used to address the aim. Our preliminary findings indicate that, in Oman, only two banks offer Internet banking services to customers. The main drivers of adoption appear to be compatibility, usefulness and ease of use. The extent of use is affected by lack of government support, poor quality of connection and page loading speed. Trust and face-to-face personal banking preference have been found as major inhibitors of IB adoption. Some preliminary implications for practitioners are highlighted. Introduction The Internet is transforming the banking and financial industry in terms of the nature of core products and services and the way these are packaged, proposed, delivered and consumed (Sathye, 1999). Subsequently, consumers' adoption of Internet banking (IB) has received significant research and practitioners attention (Al-Ashban and Burney, 2001; Guru et al, 2000; Polatoglu and Ekin, 2001). In this paper, we explore the factors that affect Omani consumers' adoption and use of IB. The National Bank of Oman (NBO) pioneered the Sultanate's first Internet banking service in February 2002. Bank Muscat (BM) followed suit by launching online service in June 2002. As of September 2003, these two banks are the only banks providing IB services in Oman. However, other banks such as Oman International Bank, Oman Arab Bank, and Central Bank of Oman maintain an informational Website with basic interactive capability (Guru et al, 2003). Theoretical Background JIBC Adoption of innovation has a well-established research tradition. Rogers (1983) suggested five important characteristics of an innovation that influence its adoption. These are relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, observability and trailability. Subsequent studies have expanded this list and it is now possible to find as many as 15 items describing the characteristics of an innovation affecting its adoption. Davis (1989), on the other hand, used the theory of reasoned Action (TRA) and developed the technology acceptance model (TAM). TAM and TAM based studies posit that two sets of beliefs, i.e., perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) determine individual's acceptance of a technology. While PEOU refers to the degree to which an individual believes that using a particular system would be free of physical and mental effort, PU is related to users' perception of the degree to which using a system will be beneficial. In another related work, Ajzen (1985) developed the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) which was later decomposed by Taylor and Todd (1995) and posits that intention to adopt and use a technology is affected by attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control. The theories mentioned above informed most of the studies that looked into the drivers and inhibitors of consumers' IB adoption and usage (Polatoglu and Ekin, 2001; Mattila, 2002; Tan and Teo, 2000). Some of these studies have also introduced perceived risk, trust, security and privacy concerns and IB cost structure as additional variables affecting consumers' adoption of IB. We have used the findings and research instruments from previous studies as basis in conducting our research. Research Method Data were collected through a survey administered in Oman during September- November 2003. Based on the literature review, we developed a questionnaire containing 25 major questions and several items. Some of the questions use dichotomous scale whereas others use Likert type scale assessing the degree of agreement or disagreement. The questionnaire was initially prepared in English and later translated into Arabic by a professional translator. To ensure readability, we pilot tested the questionnaire with 16 users. Our intention was to get as many responses as possible from customers with bank accounts but with or without IB experience; hence we followed convenience sampling to distribute the questionnaire. 500 bank customers were approached in three places, i.e., shopping malls, voting polls and bank branches. A total of 225 usable responses were collected. Demographic Profile The respondents' demographic profile (Table 1) shows mainly young, educated group, employed either in the private and public sector. 78% of them have used the Internet. Therefore, the rest of the analysis will proceed with 175 dataset. Table 1: Respondents demographic profile Frequency Gender Male        Female Age 20- 35 Occupation Percentage 135 60% 90 40% 147 65% 36-50 50 22% >50 28 14% 101 45% Public sector JIBC Education Monthly Income (in Omani Rial, 1OR=$2.5) Internet User Private sector 79 35% Others 45 20% Completed primary education 25 11% Completed secondary education 42 19% Diploma holder 51 23% First degree holder 73 32% Post graduate degree holder 34 15% 1200 21 9% 175 78% 50 22% Yes No Internet Banking Adoption Of the175 Internet users dataset, 85 (49%) are banking with the two banks- National Bank of Oman and Bank of Muscat- offering consumer IB services. However, only 25 respondents actively use Internet Banking. Table 2 shows the length of IB use and the most frequently used IB services of the 25 IB users. Table 2: Internet Banking Use Frequency Duration of IB use Frequently used IB services Percentage < 6months        9 36% 6months ¨C 1 year    12 48% > 1 year       4 16% Statement enquiry    22 88% Utility payments    19 76% Loan application    12 48% Paying school fee    10 40% Debt or credit card application Inquires and complaints    10 40%      8 32%      6 24%      5 30% Fund transfer Bill payments JIBC Check book order      3 12%      2 8%      2 8% Daily      1 4% Bi-Weekly      3 12% Weekly      6 24% Fortnightly      9 36% Monthly      3 12% Once in a while      3 12% Home     12 48% Work place       9 36% Public Internet access points       4 16% Card lost informing Check stop order Frequency of IB use IB Access Drivers of Internet Banking Adoption We asked respondents who have adopted IB (n= 25) to express their degree of agreement or disagreement about the factors that motivated their decision on a five-point, 14 items, likert type scale. In addition, to identify the factors affecting intention of IB adoption, respondents banking with banks that are not offering IB but that have expressed interest to adopt IB, if their bank starts offering it (n=21) were asked about the same 14 items. The results are summarized in Table 3. Table 3: Drivers of Internet Banking Adoption Adopters (n=25) Intention to adopt (n=21) Weighted Mean score Weighted Mean score IB is compatible to my banking needs 3.92 3.84 IB is easy to use 3.68 2.95 IB is a cheaper way to conduct banking 3.64 2.84 IB is self service 3.56 3.26 IB makes conducting banking transactions easier 3.52 3.63 IB is a convenient way to manage my finances 3.36 3.58 My family members are using IB 3.28 2.89 JIBC IB is compatible to my life style 3.24 3.79 My colleagues are using IB 3.24 2.84 My friends are using IB 3.04 3.05 IB offers greater control over my finance 3.04 2.53 Using IB is a sign of modernity 2.64 2.68 My bank offers additional benefits for IB users 2.32 2.79 My bank encourages me to use IB 2.00 2.26 Scale: 5=Strongly agree; 4= Agree; 3= Neutral; 2= Disagree; 1= Strongly disagree Table 3 indicates compatibility, relative advantage and ease of use as the most important factors affecting IB adoption (intention to adopt). On the other hand, external influence in the form of peer pressure and supply push don't appear to play a major role in adoption decisions. However, respondents who have adopted IB have indicated that clear government support and policy would motivate them to use more IB services than the one they currently use. In terms of actual benefit and constraints, while time saving (100%) and better service (40%) have been rated as the most experienced IB benefits, frequent interruption of connection (50%) and longer page-loading times (25%) are rated as the primary constraints affecting IB usage. Inhibitors of Internet Banking Adoption Inhibitors of IB adoption were identified from the respondents of the two banks offering IB services but that haven't adopted IB (n= 60) and those that haven't expressed interest to adopt IB even if their banks start offering one (n= 69). Table 4 summarizes the results. Table 4: Inhibitors of Internet Banking Adoption Non Adopters (n=60) Intention not to adopt (n=69) Weighted Mean score Weighted Mean score I am concerned about the security of IB services 4.7 4.6 I don't trust IB services 4.5 4.8 I am concerned about the privacy of IB services 4.0 4.7 My bank doesn't offer incentive to use its IB service 3.8 -- I don't know how to use IB 3.8 3.8 My bank is conveniently located 3.5 3.1 JIBC I prefer personal and face to face banking 3.4 4.7 My bank doesn't offer training to use its IB service 3.7 -- IB is not relevant for me 3.1 3.7 My bank doesn't offer IB 2.7 3.4 Scale: 5=Extremely Important; 4= Very Important; 3= important; 2= Less important; 1=Not important Discussion The findings of the study indicate that IB in Oman is in its early stages of development. In addition, Omani customers appear to make their IB adoption decision based on its compatibility, usefulness and ease of use. This result is consistent to the findings of previous studies. Hence, the combination of diffusion of innovation theory (Rogers, 1995) and technology acceptance model (Davis, 1989) seems to be applicable in the context of Oman. The implication for practitioners is that they need to sensitise and educate customers about the what, how and why of IB. The extent of IB usage in Oman appears to be influenced, among other things, by the quality of connection and access. For banks offering IB (and those that consider it in the future) this implies that their Websites should be reasonably simple and less graphics-intensive. Another issue affecting level of usage is the perception of government support. In Oman, the value of information and communications technology in national development is well recognised. This is reflected in the sixth development plan, which among other things, set up Oman's information technology task force. Hence, the government need to be very vocal about its plans and intentions. Perceived security and trust have emerged as the top issues inhibiting IB adoption. Banks along with the government need to address the perception of risk and build the confidence of customers in Internet use in general and IB in particular. Preference of face-to-face persona banking is another inhibitor of IB adoption. This could be due to either lack of awareness or the contextually rich nature of Omani's culture. Hence, banks should make their IB sites as customer friendly as possible and develop relevant marketing strategy to win the trust of customers. Conclusion Internet Banking is still a relatively recent phenomenon, especially in Arab countries (Guru et al, 2003). A number of banks in Oman are considering going on-line. However, the wider diffusion of IB and its business value depends on customers' IB acceptance. In this study, we have illustrated some of the factors that drive and inhibit IB adoption and that affect its usage The relatively short history of Internet Banking in Oman and the limited sample size of the study don't allow generalization of the results. Hence, our findings could only be considered as preliminary and should be explored further with a more rigours study. References Ajzen, I. (1985) From intentions to actions: A theory of planned behavior. IN Action Control: From Cognition to Behavior. J, Kuhl and J. Beckmann (eds). New York: Springer Verlag. 11-39. Al-Ashban, A. A., & Burney, M. A. (2001) Customer adoption of tele-banking technology: the case of JIBC Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 19( 5), pp. 191-201. Black, N.J., Lockett, A., Winklhofer, H., & Ennew, C. (2001) The adoption of Internet financial services: a qualitative study. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 29 (8), pp.3908. Davis, F. D. (1989) Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and end user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13, pp.318-339. Guru, B. K., Shanmugam, B., Alam, N., and Perera, C. J. (2003) An Evaluation Of Internet Banking Sites In Islamic Countries. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, November 2003, 8 (2). Guru, B.K., Vaithilingam, S., Ismail, N. & Prasad, R. (2000) Electronic Banking in Malaysia: A Note on Evolution of Services and Consumer Reactions. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, June 2000, 5 (1). Mattila, M. (2003) Factors affecting the adoption of mobile banking services. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, June 2003, 8 (1) Polatoglu, V. N., & Ekin, S. (2001) An Empirical Investigation of the Turkish consumers' acceptance of Internet Banking services. The International Journal of Bank Marketing, 19. pp 156-165. Rogers, E. M. (1983) Diffusions of Innovations, 3 rd ed. New York: The Free Press. Sathye, M. (1999) Adoption of Internet banking by Australian consumers: an empirical investigation. The International Journal of Bank Marketing, 17( 7), pp.324-334 Tan, M., & Teo, Thompson, S. H. (2000) Factors influencing the adoption of Internet Banking. Journal of Association for Information Systems, July, 2000, 1(5), pp. 1-41. Taylor , S. & Todd, P. A. (1995) Understanding information technology usage: A test of competing models. Information Systems Research, 6(2), pp. 144-176. ■ Transportation Research Record 1763 Paper No. 01-2802 6 Environmental and Economic Effects of E-Commerce A Case Study of Book Publishing and Retail Logistics H. Scott Matthews, Chris T. Hendrickson, and Denise L. Soh The advent of the Internet and e-commerce has brought a new way of marketing and selling many products, including books. The systemwide effects of this retailing shift on costs and the environment are still unclear. Although reductions in inventories and returns provide significant environmental savings, some major concerns of the new e-commerce business models are the energy and packaging materials used by the logistics networks for product fulfillment and delivery. This study analyzes the different logistics networks and assesses the environmental and cost effects of different delivery systems. The definition of analysis system boundaries determines the overall assessment of economic and environmental effects of e-commerce for book retailing. With a return (remainder) rate of 35 percent for best-selling books, e-commerce logistics costs less and has fewer environmental effects, especially if private automobile travel for shopping is included. Excluding the need to return books, costs and environmental effects are comparable for the two delivery methods. Shopping via the Internet [i.e., business-to-consumer (B2C) retailing] is increasing rapidly. In the fourth quarter of 2000, retail e-commerce sales were up 70 percent, yet represented only 1 percent of total retail sales (1). It is tempting to assume that selling products via the Internet benefits the environment. For example, emissions from vehicles driven to shopping malls can be avoided, retail space can be decreased, and inventories and waste can be reduced. However, a product ordered online may be shipped partially by airfreight across the United States and require local truck delivery. Also, the product is likely to be packaged individually, and the packaging may not be reused. The adverse environmental effects of such transportation can be significant, and the net effect of different logistics systems is not obvious (2). The book publishing industry is an excellent industry to study when assessing the environmental effects of e-commerce. Books are regularly purchased online as well as in retail stores. The high number of remainders (books that remain unsold) also makes the publishing industry an interesting case study. After sales have peaked, these remainders are either discarded, recycled, or sold to discount bookstores. Selling books by e-commerce allows for lower inventories (because there is only one inventory point) and a smaller number of remainders, thus benefiting the environment by avoiding book warehousing and paper production. The environmental implications of e-commerce have not received much attention to date, at least relative to the economic and social implications of this new commercial paradigm. E-commerce warrants H. S. Matthews, Graduate School of Industrial Administration, and C. T. Hendrickson, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. D. L. Soh, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305. attention because of its widespread effects and its susceptibility to corporate and public policy. Further, there are potential implications from business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce systems as well. For example, the movement toward virtual warehousing has large potential in environmental benefits as companies outsource such processes to companies with more efficient economies of scale (3). COMPARISON FRAMEWORK Two generic models of logistics networks are considered in this case study. First, traditional retailing involves selling a book through a brick-and-mortar retailer (e.g., a mall bookstore). A book is shipped from the publisher through various distributors and warehouses and finally to a retail outlet. The customer purchases the book at the retail store and brings it home. Second, the e-commerce model involves shipping a book from a publisher to a single warehouse by truck and then air freighting to a regional airport or hub, from where it is transported by delivery truck to the customer’s home. The monetary costs incurred in each model are evaluated first. The calculations are based on the comparative costs in selling $1 million worth (at production) of books, or approximately 286,000 books at an assumed production cost of $3.50 apiece. Each book is assumed to be 23 × 6 × 16 cm in size (9 × 2.25 × 6.25 in.) and weigh 1.1 kg (2.4 lb). Remainders are especially significant for best-sellers because of the extra volume of books printed, and the calculations focus on the costs associated with best-sellers. The environmental effects of each of the logistics models are estimated. TRADITIONAL RETAILING METHOD The traditional method of retail, by which books are sold through retail stores, can be modeled as a series of transport links among organizations and facilities, as shown in Figure 1. The books are transported from the printer to a national warehouse and then shipped again to a regional warehouse. From the regional warehouse, the books are transported to a retail store, and a customer purchases a book and takes it home. Also, there is a return link for unsold copies, because some 35 percent of best-sellers are not sold (4). An assumption of the model for this method is that all transportation is by truck in the traditional distribution network. The distance between all destinations (e.g., warehouses and stores) is assumed to be separated into 805-km (500-mi) segments. Thus, the model can be easily adjusted for different distances. The average consumer lives 16 km (10 mi) away from a bookstore (5). However, as consumers tend to buy more than one item at a bookstore (or as part of a Matthews et al. Paper No. 01-2802 FIGURE 1 Traditional book publishing logistics chain. larger shopping trip), only a round-trip distance of 8 km (5 mi) was allocated for the round-trip distance to the bookstore. Another assumption is that a 35 percent remainder rate for books in traditional retail inherently results in the production of 35 percent more books than sold (or a total of 386,000 books). All of these books are transported in boxes of 10 to bookstores through the network (Figure 1). Assuming that each box is 51 × 41 × 41 cm (20 × 16 × 16 in.) and weighs 910 g (2 lb), the cost of each box is $1.33 (6). Thus, the total cost of the packaging used in traditional retail is approximately $51,000. The environmental effects of automobile trips to bookstores to purchase books must also be considered. Taking the fuel economy of a passenger car to be 9.6 km/ L (22.5 mpg), and the fuel economy of a light truck to be 6.5 km/ L (15.3 mpg) (7), the energy required per mile for a passenger car is 3.6 MJ/km (5.8 MJ/mi) and for a light truck is 5.3 MJ/km (8.6 MJ/mi). A weighted average of the environmental effects of passenger cars and light trucks can be taken into account, given that light trucks constitute approximately 35 percent of the passenger fleet (8). The environmental effects of an average trip made to a bookstore are shown in Table 1. Returns of unsold books from retailers in the traditional model are an important issue. Shipping of returns involves an additional truck leg, which again can be assumed as 805 km (500 mi). Returns from customers after purchase are ignored; they are assumed to involve similar personal trips for both traditional and e-commerce retailing. E-COMMERCE RETAILING LOGISTICS Another assumption is that the e-commerce method of selling a book (a book is marketed and sold online) has fewer links but involves airfreight from an e-commerce warehouse to a regional logistics center (Figure 2). The warehouse is collocated near, or at, an air hub of a major logistics carrier (e.g., United Parcel Service, Federal Express), so transfer from the warehouse to the carrier is not included. Although not all orders are shipped by air, this assumption is intended to represent a worst-case scenario for analysis. TABLE 1 7 The books are shipped from the printer to the company’s major distribution warehouse via truck, with 805 km (500 mi) assumed for this link. The books are then air freighted to a regional center (again assuming a distance of 805 km), from which they are delivered by local courier truck to the customer’s residence. The packaging used in e-commerce usually is corrugated cardboard box. Assuming a box size of 30 × 23 × 11 cm (12 × 9 × 4.5 in.), a weight of 317 g (0.7 lb), and a cost of $0.41 (6), and individual packaging of books, the cost to pack the total shipment of $1 million worth of books is $117,000. No remainders or returns are assumed in this model. However, the cost of the bulk packaging of 286,000 books needs to be included, $38,000. Thus, the total cost is $155,000. COMPARATIVE COSTS OF TRADITIONAL AND E-COMMERCE LOGISTICS The different categories of costs are compared for the two generic logistics systems in the sale of $1 million of books. Approximate costs are calculated, without including small categories of costs or items such as external congestion costs. Selling $1 million of books in the traditional model with remainders requires that 386,000 books be produced and shipped, given the 35 percent remainder rate. The total weight of shipments in the traditional model is 454 Mg (501 short tons), including 420 Mg (463 short tons) of books and 34.5 Mg (38 short tons) of bulk packaging. A base production of $1 million of best-seller books in the e-commerce (no remainders) model requires the shipment of only 286,000 books. The e-commerce model ships a total of 336.5 Mg (371 short tons) in bulk (including 343 short tons of books and 29 short tons of packaging) and a total of 402 Mg (443 tons) individually. A comparison of these costs is shown in Table 2. Estimates are presented for two traditional models—with and without remainders. The 35 percent remainder rate is used to scale up costs. The results indicate that the fraction of returns is critical in assessing relative overall costs. With a zero return rate, the traditional system has a slightly higher overall cost than e-commerce, but can provide immediate service to customers. Generally, however, a certain percentage of the books published will remain unsold, either being Environmental Effects of a Round-Trip to a Bookstore in a Passenger Vehicle (7, 8 ) 8 Paper No. 01-2802 FIGURE 2 Transportation Research Record 1763 E-commerce book retailing logistics. returned to the publisher for recycling or sold to discount stores. Assuming 35 percent as the average return rate for best-sellers, the estimated e-commerce retailing costs are far lower than for the traditional system. General booksellers have a lower overall average return rate of 11.2 percent, whereas specialty booksellers have an average return rate of 6.4 percent (9). Several items not included in these retail and logistics costs affect the benefits and marketing effectiveness of the two retailing modes. First, the estimates do not include any costs associated with stockouts in the traditional system; the e-commerce model places books not immediately available on back order for eventual delivery. Second, benefits are associated with immediately purchasing and examining books. Third, online booksellers may have a wider selection than conventional bookstores. The personal (not corporate) costs associated with automobile travel are also an important factor in the relative costs of the two delivery systems. The cost estimates do not include any time cost associated with driving, assuming that shopping trips may be pleasurable. A final important factor affecting relative costs is the relative efficiencies of the overhead operations of the two systems. Table 3 compares the difference between conventional and online retail operations (10). COMPARATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS Turning to environmental implications, the e-commerce logistics systems rely more on airfreight service than truck or rail modes. Figure 3 compares energy and fuel use for shipments via air, truck, or rail in the United States. Direct and total inputs (including the entire supply chain) are shown for the three modes (10). Airfreight requires much more energy and fuel, resulting in high air pollution emissions. The model assumes that trucking is used in the traditional system rather than rail; rail is included only for completeness. Table 4 shows some supply chain environmental effects from $1 million of trucking, airfreight, and book publishing (11). Combining the data from Tables 1, 2, and 4, Tables 5 and 6 show the use of energy, emission of conventional air pollutants, hazardous waste generated, and greenhouse gas emissions for trucking, air freight, packaging, fuel production, and book production for the retail models TABLE 2 Comparative Estimated Costs of Logistics and Returns for Traditional Versus E-Commerce Book Retailing Matthews et al. Paper No. 01-2802 9 TABLE 3 Comparison of Costs for Models of Traditional Versus Online Bookstore Overhead Operations (10 ) described earlier. Conventional air pollutants include sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, volatile organic compounds, lead particulate emissions, and particulate matter (
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E-COMMERCE
By (Student)

Instructor
Course
Date

E-Commerce

2
TASK - 1:

This project consists of three tasks each with requiring a different approach, but with the
focus on e-commerce principles and its impact on logistics sustainability, cost benefits, consumer
acceptance of e-commerce in various countries. Specifically, the first task (expressed herein)
presents the proposal work proposal that outlines all the other tasks. The proposal entails a
detailed description of all the required deliverables, an overview of the proposed plan, and the
required resources. The second task involves reading the research conducted by Schoder, Ding,
and Campos (2016) titled "The Impact of E-Commerce Development on Urban Logistics
Sustainability" to present a discussion on how Muscat can achieve sustainability in the ecommerce community. The second reading required in Task 2 is borrowed from the work of
Matthews, Hendrickson, and Soh (2001) titled) "Environmental and Economic Effects of ECommerce: A Case Study of Book Publishing and Retail Logistics." This reading will assist the
critical analysis of environmental benefits and cost advantage aspects of electronic commerce.
The third task entails perusing the provided/listed two research papers (Factors Involved in
Customer Avoiding E-Banking in Pakistan and Adoption and Use of Internet Banking in the
Sultanate of Oman: An Exploratory Study) and presenting a debate of five elements involved in
consumers shunning e-banking in Oman. The other question presented in the task involves
proposing some recommendations to eradicate the barriers in adopting electronic banking.
Among the suggested recommendations are ethical, legal, and social hindrances as well as their
respective solutions.

E-Commerce

3

TASK - 2:
a. Attention directed at the sustainability of urban logistics has increased over the past few
years because of an incessantly rising freight scales in electronic commerce. For example,
online shopping is a new retail channel that can align with the global patterns of
urbanization to lead to a growth in commercial traffic. However, the detrimental effects
of traffic congestion concern pollution of regions with populations (Schoder, Ding, &
Campos 2016, p. 1). As the capital of Oman, Muscat can learn from several companies
and populated cities that have already begun sustainable initiatives to lessen their
environmental footprint both regarding sustainable distribution and sustainable
production of online consumer products (Al-Somali, Gholami, & Clegg 2015, p. 206).
The explanation for the evident development in online purchases is time-saving issues,
convenience, larger selection, and better prices. However, because of likelihood or
packaging online products individually and the difficulties in returning the purchased
items, a further increase in e-commerce will lead to increasing freight volumes and more
deliveries in Muscat as well as other major cities and town in the United Araba Emirates.
Different from other business models (for example, offline design), e-commerce
features elevated rates of interactivity, round-the-clock presence, and hence an increased
significance of logistics processes (Al-Somali, Gholami, & Clegg 2015, p. 3). To manage
the increasing trends of product flow in the online sector, Muscat should design effective
logistical frameworks to avoid insufficiency in controlling new challenges. Muscat will
also face issues related to urban logistics because of the rising adoption and testing of
electronic vehicles by major industrial nations. The recent technological advances in

E-Commerce

4

electrifying cars and trains are sparked by political decisions to cut on GHG-emissions
(Schoder et al. 2016, p. 3). However, the need for increased freight means that big cities
such as Muscat will not achieve the objectiv...

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