BSIT-62 (E-COMMERCE) ~ gniithelp

CHAPTER-1 (Web Commerce)

1.Define commerce.
Answer-
Commerce is normally associated with the buying and selling of items.

2.Before the advent of networks, how was data being transferred between computers?
Answer-
With secondary memories like floppies

3.Name two stages of commerce that cannot be automated.
Answer-
Production of goods and delivery of goods.

4.What is the role of encryption in data transfer
Answer-
To ensure security of data.

5.Name two areas which are reasons of worry in e-commerce.
Answer-
Security and legal acceptance

6. List the categories of operations comes under e-commerce.
Answer-
The following categories of operations comes under e-commerce.

• Transactions between a supplier/a shopkeeper and a buyer or between two companies over a public network like the service provider network (like ISP). With suitable encryption of data and security for transaction, entire operation of selling/buying and settlement of accounts can be automated.
• Transactions with the trading partners or between the officers of the company located at different locations.
• Information gathering needed for market research.
• Information processing for decision making at different levels of management.
• Information manipulation for operations and supply chain management.
• Maintenance of records needed for legal purposes, including taxation, legal suits etc.
•  Transactions for information distributions to different retailers, customers etc. including Advertising, sales and marketing.

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CHAPTER-2  (Fundamentals of consumer oriented e-commerce)
1. List any three basic needs of consumer oriented e-commerce.
Answer-
Standard processes for buying and selling; well accepted hardware and software and secure
commercial and transport practices.

2. List any three basic banking activities.
Answer-
Three basic banking activities

1. Account checking,
2. ATM, payment of bills,
3. fund transfer etc.

3. What does ATM stand for.
Answer-
ATM stand for Automated Teller machine

4. Why does an ATM does not involve a computer at customer’s level?
Answer-
An ATM does not involve a computer at customer’s level Because any average customer is more comfortable with simply inserting an ATM card.

5. What is the samples type of home shopping?
Answer-
The channels describe the product, orders are placed over phone, delivery is made at home
and payment in the standard mode.

6. What is movie on demand?
Answer-
The viewer selects the movie to view an the TV against payment.

7. Name any two concepts of TV based home entertainment?Answer-
Movie an demand and on line games.

8. What is the need for seamless connections?Answer-
So that persons with different types of hardware and software can interact easily.

9. What is the need for market place interacts?
Answer-
To facilitate comparisons, negotiations, bargaining etc.

10. What is the need for settling disputes?
Answer-
To ensure that disgruntled customers / traders can have a standard recourse for settlement.

11. List and explain the desirable characteristics of e-marketing.
Answer-
Characteristics of e-marketing are-

1. A minimal size of the place- Obviously for any such place to thrive there is a critical size, below which it is not profitable to operate. This minimal number of buyers and sellers characterises the profitability of the place.
2. A scope for interactions- Interactions include trial runs of the products, classifications of doubts on the part of the customers, details of after sales services, ability to compare different products and of course scope for negotiationsand bargaining. Negotiations can be in terms of cost, value additions, terms and conditions, delivery dates etc.
3. Scope for designing new products- The customer need not buy only what is available. He can ask for modifications, upgradations etc.The supplier must be able to accept these and produce made to order items.
4. A seamless connection to the marketplace- It is obvious that each customer will be operating with a different type of computer, software, connectivity etc. There should be available standards sot that any of these costumers will be able to attach himself to any of the markets without changing his hardware/software/interfaces etc.
5. Recourse for disgruntled users- It is naïve to believe that transaction of such a place end up in complete satisfaction to all parties concerned. Especially because of the facelessness of the customer and the supplier, there should be a standard recourse to settle such disputes.

12. Explain basic tenets of e-commerce.

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CHAPTER-3(Electronic Commerce and the World Wide Web)

1. Define EDI.
Answer-
Electronic Data Interchange.

2. Define EFT.
Answer-
Electronic Data Interchange.

3. Name a few operations performed by e-commerce.
Answer-
Payment, fund transfer, order entry, invoicing etc.

4. Define a framework.
Answer-
Framework is intended to define and create tools that integrate information.

5. List the six layers of e-commerce architecture.
Answer-
The six layers of e-commerce architecture-

1. Applications
2. Brokerage services
3. Interface
4. Secure messaging
5. Middle ware and
6. Network infrastructure

.
6. Name the three classes of e-commerce applications based on transactions.
Answer-
Consumer to business, Business to business, intra organization.

7. Define a information Brokerage.
Answer-
An intermediary who provides integration between customers and information providers

8. Define a software agent.
Answer-
Agent is an encapsulation of users’ instructions.

9. Define middle ware.
Answer-
It is a mediator between diverse application programs that talk to each other.

10. Name the three stages of e-commerce architecture on web.
Answer-
The three stages of e-commerce architecture on web are
    1. Client browser
    2. WWW server functions and
    3. Third party services.

11. With the help of an example give the meaning of secure messaging.
Answer-

12. With the help of a diagram explain e-commerce architecture.Answer-

13. Give the architecture framework for e-commerce.
Answer-

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CHAPTER-4 (Consumer-Oriented Electronic Commerce)
1. Name the three broad phases of consumer’s perspective.
Answer-
Pre-purchase determination, purchase consummation, post purchase interaction.

2. What are the categories of consumers?
Answer-
Impulsive buyers, patient buyers and analytical buyers.

3. What are the four types of purchases?
Answer-
The four types of purchases are-
Specifically planned, Generally planned, reminder purchases and unplanned purchases.

4. Why are information brokerages needed?
Answer-
To help in comparison shopping, reduce search costs and integration.

5. What issues are included in post purchase interaction?
Answer-
Inventory issues, database access issues and customer service issues.

6. Name the phases from the merchants point of view?
Answer-
Presales interaction, product service, production and delivery and post sales interaction.

7. What is order selection?
Answer-
Prioritize orders based on same factors.

8. Why is a critical mass necessary for market?
Answer-
Otherwise the cost per unit goes up.

9. What is the need for standardization?
Answer-
To move seamlessly across various hardware and software.

10. On what factors can negotiations take place?
Answer-
Over money, terms and conditions, delivery dates and evaluation criteria.

11. List the desirable characteristics of e-commerce market place?
Answer-
The following criteria are essential for consumer-oriented electronic commerce:

• Critical mass of buyers and sellers. The trick is getting a critical mass of corporations andconsumers to use electronic  mechanisms. In other words, the electronic marketplace should be the first place customers go to find the products and services they need.
• Opportunity for independent evaluations and for customer dialogue and discussion. In the marketplace, not only do users buy and sell products or services, they also compare notes on who has the best products and whose prices are outrageous. The ability to openly evaluate the wares offered is a fundamental principle of a viable marketplace
• Negotiation and bargaining. No market place is complete if it does not support negotiation. Buyers and sellers need to be able to haggle over conditions of mutual satisfaction, including money, terms and conditions, delivery dates, and evaluation criteria.
• New products and services. In a viable marketplace, consumers can make requests for products and services not currently offered and have a reasonable expectations that someone will turn up with a proposed offering to meet that request.
• Seamless interface. The biggest barrier to electronic trade is having all the pieces work together so that information can flow seamlessly from one source to another. This requires standardization. On the corporate side, companies need compatible EDI software and network services in order to send electronic purchase orders, invoices, and payments back and forth.
• Recourse for disgruntled buyers. A viable marketplace must have a recognized mechanism for resolving disputes among buyers and sellers. Markets typically include a provision for resolving disagreements by returning the product or through arbitrage in other cases.

12. Explain mercantile model from consumer’s perspective?
Answer-
The business process model from a consumer’s perspective consist of seven activities that can be grouped into three phases: pre-purchase phase, purchase consummation, and post-purchase interaction.

1. The pre-purchase preparation phase includes search and discovery for a set of products in the larger information space capable of meeting customer requirements and products selection from the smaller set of products based on attribute comparison.
2. The purchase consummation phase includes mercantile protocols that specify the flow of information and documents associated with purchasing and negotiation with purchasing and negotiation with merchants for suitable terms, such as price, availability, and delivery dates; and electronic payment mechanisms that integrate payment into the purchasing process.
3. The postpurchase interaction phase includes customer service and support to address customer complaints, product returns, and product defects.

Let’s consider each of the consumer purchasing phases in detail.

13. Explain mercantile model from merchant’s perspective?
Answer-

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CHAPTER-5 (Electronic Payment Systems)
1. What are the three types of electronic tokens?
Answer-
Cash, debit and credit (also called real time, prepaid and post paid).

2. What are the four properties that e-cash should have?Answer-
Monetary value, inter operability, retrievability and security.

3. How does digital signature works?Answer-
By providing two keys, one with the public and the other privately with the buyer.  The
signature is coded with both.

4. What are the two desirable properties in any e-transaction?Answer-
Anonymity and security.

5. What is double spending?Answer-
Double spending Spending the same cash in more than one place.

6. What is the difficulty in storing e-cash?
Answer-
It does not provide interest. Also exchange fluctuations affect it.

7. What are the normal constraints put on e-cash?Answer-
A validity limit, the more amount that can be stored, more no. of exchanges and no. of exchanges within a time period.

8. What is an electronic purse.
Answer-
It is card with a pre-determined amount of money loaded.

9. What are the three ways in which payment through credit cards can be made over the net?
Answer-
Using plain cards, encrypted cards and cards with third party verification.

10. Name any four issues addressed in a e-payment system.
Answer-
Privacy, security, database integration, brokers etc.

11. Explain the various issues to be addressed while designing e-payment system.
Answer-

12. Explain the categories of credit card payment system on on-line networks.
Answer-
We can break credit card payment on on-line networks into three basic categories:

1. Payments using plain credit card details. The easiest method of payment is the exchange ofunencrypted credit cards over a public network such as telephone lines or the Internet. Thelow level of security inherent in the design of the Internet makes this method problematic. Authentication is also a significant problem, and the vendor is usually responsible to ensure that the person using the credit card is its owner. Without encryption there is not way to do this.
2. Payments using encrypted credit card details. It would make sense to encrypt your credit card details before sending them out, but even then there are certain factors to consider. One would be the cost of a credit card transaction itself. Such cost would prohibit low-value payments (micro-payments) by adding costs to the transactions.
3. Payment using third party verification. One solution to security and verification problems is the introduction of a third party; a company that collects and approves payments from one client to another. After a certain period of time, one credit card transaction for the total accumulated amount is completed.

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CHAPTER-6 (Inter-organizational Commerce and EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)
1. Define EDI.
Answer-
Inter-process communication of business information in standard electronic form.

2. List the four layers of EDI architecture.
Answer-
Semantic layer, standard layer, transport layer and physical layer.

3. List any two tangible benefits of EDI.Answer-
Reduced paper based systems, improved customer service.

4. Who is liable if an EDI network fails to deliver the message?Answer-
Not decided as yet.

5. Can the digital signature fully replace handwritten signature?Answer- No

6. What is EFT?Answer-
Electronic Fund transfer.

7. What is the need for open EDI?Answer-
To allow e-commerce between two organizations for a short duration.

8. With the help of a diagram explain the flow of in formation in EDI.Answer-

9. List the tangible benefits of EDI.
Answer-
Saving also accrue from the following improvements:

• Reduced paper-based systems: EDI can impact the effort and expense a company devotes to maintaining records, paper- related supplies, filing cabinets, or other storage systems and to the personnel required to maintain all of these systems. EDI can also reduce postage bills because of the amounts of paper that no longer need be sent..
• Improved problem resolution and customer service: EDI can minimize the time companies spend to identify and resolve interbusiness problems. EDI can improve customer service by enabling the quick transfer of business documents and a marked decrease in errors.
• Expanded customer/supplier base: Many large manufacturers and retailers with the necessary clout are ordering their suppliers to institute an EDI program. However, these are isolated islands of productivity because they are unable to build bridges to other companies. With the advent of electronic commerce, the bridge is now available.

10. Explain the layered architecture of EDI.
Answer-

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CHAPTER-7 (EDI Implementation, Value-Added Networks)
1. List any four components of EDI implementation.
Answer-
EDI standard, translation software, trading partners, value added networks etc.

2. What is the common structure of EDI messages?
Answer-
Each message is made up of transaction sets which are divided into data segments, which in
turn are made up of data elements.

3. What are the four layers of EDI implementation?
Answer-
Business application layer, format conversion layer, translator layer and envelop for document
messaging.

4. List any three disadvantages of custom translators.
Answer-
They are restrictive, difficult to up date and are unsupported.

5. What are main types of EDI access methods?
Answer-
Direct dialing, limited Third party VAN and full service Third party VAN.

6. What are the costs of EDI implementation.
Answer-
Fixed costs, Maintenance fees, VAN charges.

7. List the factors that affect the fixed costs.
Answer-
Volume of documents, cost of EDI translation software and implementation time.

8. What are the disadvantages of VANs for EDI.
Answer-
Slowness, high costs.

9. List the main costs of VAN.
Answer-
Account startup costs, usage costs and interconnect costs.

10. List four advantages of Internets.
Answer-
Flat pricing, cheap access, common standards and secure.

11. How much will an EDI implementation cost?
Answer-
Prices for EDI products vary from no cost ( for very simple  one-function products) to several thousands of dollars for full-function applications.
The final cost depends on several factors:

1. The expected volume of electronic documents: Generally speaking, PC products cost less but handle only a few documents and trading partners. Mid-range EDI packages can be a little more expensive but can handle a larger volume of multiple document types or multiple trading partners.
2. Economics of the EDI translation software: Some products initially look like a bargain, but as needs grow, hidden costs suddenly appear. These costs can range from new transaction sets for doing different forms to expensive upgrades.
3. Implementation time: Some applications are easier to learn and use than others. The more time spent in training, the more time it takes to get into production mode. If the implementation time frame is tight, it is wise to look for a translator that doesn’t require training before implementation.Maintenance fees and VAN charges can vary considerably and as such can affect the cost of EDI systems:
4. Maintenance fees: Most companies charge an annual maintenance fee, usually a percentage of the translator’s list price. This fee should include software updates, standards updates, technical support, and customer service.
5. VAN charges: VANs bill for data transmission, similar to long-distance phone calls. Come base their billing per document & others charge based on the number of kilo-characters in each document. Some also bill for connect time.

12. What is VAN? with the help of a diagram explain the functions of third party VAN.
Answer-
A VAN is a communications network that typically exchanges EDI messages among trading partners. It also provides other services, including holding messages in “electronic mailboxes,” interfacing with other VANs and supporting many telecommunications modes and transfer protocols.

13. What is EDI? List the factors that make the inteRnet useful for EDI
Answer-

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CHAPTER-8 (Intra organizational Electronic Commerce)

1. What is work flow management?
Answer-
It is the concept of task coordination for better results.

2. What are the two main issues that are focused by customization?Answer-
Time to market and flexible operations.

3. What is supply chain management?Answer-
It is the chain of suppliers and customers for a particular business.

4. What is the main disadvantage of vertical organization?Answer-
It allows gaps to exist between employees of different departments.

5. What is the main difference between horizontal and vertical organizations?Answer-
Horizontal organization is two tiered as against multiple tiered organization.

6. Define virtual organization?
Answer-
It is a network closely coupled upstream with suppliers and downstream with customers.

7. What are the two approaches of virtual organization?
Answer-
Downward and lateral.

8. What are the two main categories of SCM?
Answer-
Push based and pull based.

9. What are the primary elements of SCM
Answer-
Logistics, integrated marketing and agile manufacturing

10. What is meaning of push based and pull based supply chains.
Answer-

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CHAPTER-9 (The Need for Computer Security)
1. What are the two basic types of physical data security?
Answer-
Data integrity and Data availability.

2. Name the two type of threats to data.
Answer-
Active threats and passive threats.

3. What is masquerade?
Answer-
The attacker pretends to e some one else.

4. What is IP spoofing?
Answer-
It is a tool that intruders use to take over an open terminal and login connections after they
get root access.

5. What is Telnet?
Answer-
Telnet enables users to log in to remote computers.

6. What is the basic principle of kerberos?
Answer- It provides authentication to messages in an open network.

7. What is the unit over which kerberon acts?
Answer- Tickets

8. What are the three ownership groupings in unix files?
Answer-
Owner, user, others.

9. What are the three levels of file access permissions in unix?
Answer-
Read, write and execution.

10. What are the three main categories of fire walls?
Answer-
Packet filters, application level gateways and proxy servers.

11. Give the remarks on hacking technionces.
Answer-

12. What is the meaning of Active and passive theats.Answer-

13. List the guidelines to be followed for security policy?Answer-

14. List the issues to he addressed while displaying a security policy.Answer-

15. Differntiate between viruses and worrms.Answer-

16. Explain the most prominent secure transmission protocol for web communications.
Answer-

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CHAPTER-10 (Approaches to Safe Electronic Commerce)

1. List the four basic goals of electronic Security?
Answer-
Privacy, Integrity, authentication and availability.

2. What is non-repudiation?
Answer-
A person cannot deny after having sent / received a message.

3. What is key Management?
Answer-
To create, distribute, revoke and manage keys.

4. What is encryption of data?
Answer-
Encoding of data with a suitable key.

5. What is the encryption algorithm on which SSL depends?
Answer-
The RSA algorithm.

6. What are basic elements in a SEPP process?
Answer-
Card holder, merchant, acquirer and certificate management systems.

7. What does SET stand for?
Answer-
Secure Electronic Transaction.

8. What is meant by integrity of data?9. List the key functions of SET specification.
Answer-
The contents should not get changed.

10. Lisy the major business requirements addressed by SEPP.Answer-

11. Explain S-HTTP and SSL protocols.
Answer-

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CHAPTER-11(Secure Electronic Transaction)