M-COMMERCE - PUBLIC SERVICE

M-commerce - Public service

M-commerce - Public service

Introduction

Mobile commerce or M-Commerce is the capability of customers to discover and purchase physical and digital goods as well as services directly through their mobile phones. Mobile Commerce has become popular and is estimated to increase at a rate of 65% yearly. At this rate, it will reach about 119 billion US Dollars worth of sales of goods and services by the year 2015. (Sacher & Loudon, 2002)

Application of Mobile Commerce on the Public Service

Application of Mobile Commerce in the public services sectors (including education, business and banking) has grown enormously in the past decade. As information technology progresses along with the need of communication, so has the Mobile Commerce. Public services are being offered readily with innovations and enhancement being brought about in Mobile Commerce applications. These applications not only improve the experience of the education and learning but also enhance and facilitate the normal public and business personnel.

Mobile Commerce in Learning and Education

Mobile commerce has penetrated into the education sector to bring about extensive benefits and comfort for the students. It is being readily adopted worldwide to facilitate students and enhance the overall process of learning. The various aspects of Mobile Commerce in the field of education and learning is mentioned below. (Varshney & Vetter, 2002)

Classroom

Students not only use handheld computers and smartphones, but also utlitze PDAs and handheld voting clickers for various purposes. Group collaborations and group discussions all take place using PocketPCs. The interaction of student and instructors is no more through the use of blackboard or whiteboards, but through technologically shrunk devices that enhance the learning experiences dramatically. (Sarker & Wells, 2003)

Outdoor Learning

Learning is a continuous process and it is not only within the premises of a college is where a person learns. Learning in museums or galleries is enhanced with the use of handheld devices. Taking snaps, making clips and other aspects of Mobiles cannot be denied. Learning on field trips and other outdoor places is also contributed by the use of Mobiles. (Mort & Drennan, 2007)

Mobile Learning Technologies

Various technological advancements support the mobile learning experience by enhancing the way learning process is carried out. These include the following:

E-book

Handheld multimedia and audio guides for use in galleries and museums

Modern gaming consoles, handheld game console including Sony PSP or Nintendo DS

Personal audio player for listening to recorded lectures

Personal Digital Assistant outdoor and in the classroom

Tablet PCs

UMPCs, camera phones, mobile phones and SmartPhones

Apart from that, various technical delivery support for mobile learning facilitate the use of mobile learning in education. 3GO for the compression and delivery of audiovisuals, GPRS mobile for data transfer and Wi-Fi to access instructor resources all are associated with mobile learning. (Chaffey, 2009)

M-Commerce in Office and at Work

Someone who accesses training on mobile devices in a job training session may uses “just in time” to gain an update or solve a problem. Business personnel, especially sales representatives, can also value mobile commerce, who do not wish to waste time in attending ...