EC framework:

EC applications are supported by infrastructure and by the five policymaking support
areas. These pilars are:
o People: Seller, buyers, intermediaries, information systems specialists, other
employees, and any other participants compries an important support area.
o Public policy: Legal and other policy and regulating issues, such as privacy
protection and taxation, which are determined by governments.
o Marketing and Advertisement: Like any other business, EC usually rerquires the
support of marketing and advertising. This is especially important in B2C online
transactions in which the buyers and sellers usually do not know each other.
o Support Services: Many services are needed to support EC. These range from content
creation to payments to order delivery.
o Business Partnership: The interactions between a company and its suppliers,
customers, and other partner in a supply chain.

Is e-commerce the same as e-business?

E-commerce and e-business are distinct concepts. In e-commerce, information and
communications technology (ICT) is used in inter-business or inter-organizational
transactions (transactions between and among firms/organizations) and in business-toconsumer
transactions (transactions between firms/organizations and individuals).
In e-business, on the other hand, ICT is used to enhance one’s business. It includes any
process that a business organization (either a for-profit, governmental or non-profit
entity) conducts over a computer-mediated network.

Electronic commerce:

Electronic commerce:
E-commerce is the use of electronic communications and digital information processing
technology in business transactions to create, transform, and redefine relationships for
value creation between or among organizations, and between organizations and
individuals.
E-business:
E-business involves business processes spanning the entire value chain: electronic
purchasing and supply chain management, processing orders electronically, handling
customer service, and cooperating with business partners.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING E-GOVERNMENT AND M-GOVERNMENT:

Some recommendations for an overall eGovernment strategy are given below:
o Stress awareness about ICT among government officials: Training programs should
stress awareness of the potential of ICT in government rather than concentrate on
typing skills and other rudimentary applications.
o Consider public-private partnership-based eGovernment models: The Government
often does not have adequate technical, managerial or financial resources. Such
partnerships may contribute in the governmental services.
o Organize marketing campaigns for available eGovernment services: The
Government should undertake marketing campaigns to make the public more aware
of the existence and usefulness of these websites.
o Build ICT infrastructure throughout the government: There should be plans for
computers to be connected internally in offices through local area networks, and in
turn to be inter-connected with other relevant offices through a wide area network
(WAN).
o Improve ICT access by citizens: It is important for the Government to ensure that the
cost of ICT (Internet and Telephone) is reduced to make it affordable for a wider
section of the population. Other more prevalent media such as TV, radio, telephone,
and newspapers can draw on information from relevant websites to serve the needs of
those who do not have personal access to the Internet.
o Emphasize Bangla interface for citizen services: Most citizen services should have
Bangla interface (Bangla content on the web or in other digital format is a major
impediment) as a matter of policy since a vast majority of the population is still not
comfortable with English.
o Allow revenue budget for recruitment of ICT human resource in government offices: It is
important to recruit ICT human resources through the revenue budget to ensure the
sustainability of eGovernment projects, many of which are launched under the
development budget through financial assistance from donor agencies.
o Create online payment gateway: Gateways should be established to allow citizens to
fully benefit from online services and to enable the Government to generate revenues
from online payments and related functions.
o Introduce cyber laws: Some of the issues to be included in the legal framework are
laws to protect intellectual property; laws for acceptance of documents in electronic
format (such as downloaded documents); cyber-terrorism laws that protect against
unauthorized hacking; and laws to enable electronic authentication.

ISSUES WITH M-GOVERNMENT:

o Small screen
o Wireless and mobile networks and related infrastructure, as well as software, must be
developed
o To increase citizen participation and provide citizen-oriented services, governments
need to offer easy access to mGovernment information in alternative forms
o Capabilities of hardware, operating systems and browsers
o Mobile phone numbers and mobile devices are relatively easily hacked and wireless
networks are vulnerable because they use public airwaves to send signals
o Many countries have not yet adopted legislation for data and information practices
that spell out the rights of citizens and the responsibilities of the data holders
(government).

FOCUS AREA FOR M-GOVERNMENT:

Some m-Government services are discussed below:
M-communication
Communication among G2C, G2B, G2G through SMS/ SMS e-mail/ MMS/e-mail alerts
technologies are used. Using WAP, GPRS and higher technology for PDAs, hand-helds .
M-payment
Fees for official information or any kind of service fees people can pay through his
mobile phone or PDA. In Finland, SMS tickets can be used for Helsinki’s public
transport system. These tickets can be ordered by sending a text message and the user is
billed through his or her regular mobile phone bill.
M-voting
Now mobile voting is very much popular in many TV program. It may be simple SMS
or SMS using Mobile devices.
M-transportation
Mobile devices can easily transmit changes in transportation conditions and logistics. The
graphic functions of mobile devices can produce computer-generated maps, flight routes,
stop locations for delivery, distribution and maintenance.
M-Government and Health Care System
Health online or electronic health is a current priority for many governments, e.g. EU
(eEurope action plan). Provision of health-related information for citizens through the
internet should be a basic step only, not the desired status.
M-education System
As for the students in higher education, mobile services may provide an opportunity to
send and receive announcements on emergencies, class schedule updates, campus events,
traffic and weather conditions, office hours, campus resources available, and exam
results.
Law Enforcement
M-police, an extended feature of E-police, is most effective enforcing unit. They are now
using very latest wireless device and technologies to detect the crime and to arrest
criminals. The cases clearly support the idea that law enforcement applications of m-
Government lead to cost effective and efficient operations against crime and safety
promotions.

WHY M-GOVERNMENT IS SUITABLE FOE BANGLADESH?

In developing countries mobile government applications may become a key method for
reaching citizens and promoting exchange of communications especially when used in
remote areas. In such countries as like Bangladesh with insufficient conventional telecom
infrastructures and greater acceptance of mobile phones, ability of reaching rural areas
may be considered as an important feature of m-Government. The whole Bangladesh is
under mobile network coverage.

WILL M-GOVERNMENT REPLACE THE E -GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES?

Despite its significance m-Government cannot be seen as replacing e-Government and in
many cases it will be complementary to e-Government efforts. The conventional e-
Government efforts provide services through wired network with interactive and
relatively intelligent web applications where m-Government efforts provide services
through wireless network with interactive and relatively intelligent web applications.

M-GOVERNMENT:

Mobile government, sometimes referred to as mGovernment, is the extension of
eGovernment to mobile platforms, as well as the strategic use of government services and
applications which are only possible using cellular/mobile telephones, laptop computers,
personal digital assistants (PDAs) and wireless internet infrastructure.
mGovernment can help make public information and government services available
"anytime, anywhere" and that the ubiquity of these devices mandates their employment in
government functions.

CHALLENGES FOR E-GOVERNANCE(Part-4):

Funding: Funding is the foremost issue in e-Governance initiatives. The projects that are
part of the e-governance initiatives need to be funded either through the Government
sector or through the private sector.

Privacy: Whenever a citizen gets into any transaction with a Government agency, he
shells out lot of personal information, which can be misused by the private sector.
Authentication: The identity of citizens requesting services needs to be verified before
they access or use the services.

Interoperability: A major design issue for integrated service delivery sites is how to
capture data in a Web-based form and transfer it to an agency’s systems for processing
and sharing that information in a common format.
Usability of citizen: The ability of citizens to access these services is another major issue.
Since the penetration of PCs and Internet is very low in the country.
Technology Issues: A number of organizations, both in the Centre and the States, have
taken commendable initiatives to develop hardware and software platforms to address the
challenges offered by e-Governance.
Use of local languages: The access of information must be permitted in the language
most comfortable to the public user, generally the local language.