Page 211 - Introduction to Electronic Commerce and Social Commerce

194 6 Mobile Commerce and the Internet of Things

Service industries using mobile applications include the usability and technological changes of mobile devices.
healthcare, hospitality, public safety, crime prevention, and Finally, privacy concerns, such as legal, ethical, and health
homeland security. issues, that can arise from the use of m- commerce, espe-
6. Ubiquitous computing. The Internet of Things (IoT) is cially in the workplace, need to be considered.
upon us, and so are cutting-edge and futuristic systems
that involve many embedded and invisible processors.
These systems appear in several formats, notably those KEY TERMS
that are context aware, and they enable intelligent and
useful applications. They are interrelated with sensory Context-aware computing
systems and provide for smart applications such as smart Enterprise mobility
electric grids, smart homes, smart buildings, smart cars, Intelligent personal assistants
and much more. Interactive voice response (IVR) system
7. The Internet of Things. It is an application of ubiquitous Internet of Things (IoT)
computing that may change the way we live and work. Mobile app
Basically, it is a system composed of sensors that collects Mobile banking (m-banking)
information from devices attached to things in the cloud Mobile commerce (m-commerce; m-business)
(e.g., cars, people, computers). The collected information is Mobile enterprises
processed and results are communicated to people or to Mobile entertainment
computers. In advanced systems, the processed information Mobile portal
is translated automatically to actions. Implementation ranges Mobile worker
from smart homes and appliances to smart cars, autonomous Multimedia messaging service (MMS)
B2C and B2B, and much more. Being in its infancy, the Pervasive computing
technology has technical, legal, and organizational issues. Radio frequency identification (RFID)
8. Google Glass, smartwatches, and fitness trackers. Short message service (SMS)
Wearables are getting more important as they relate to the Smartphone
Internet of Things and to improved productivity in the Smart grid
enterprise. Wearables improve business processes and Smartwatch
communication. They free people’s hands, so business Ubiquitous computing (ubicom)
processes can be improved. They can be controlled by Voice portal
voice and even by the brain. Most benefits are derived Wireless mobile computing (mobile computing)
when the wearables are connected to the Internet. A wear-
able device that gets lots of publicity is Google Glass (and
similar smart glasses). On one hand these can increase DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
productivity, but on the other hand many fear the potential
of invasion of privacy. Wearables and other mobile 1. Discuss how m-commerce can expand the reach of EC.
devices are important components in smart cities. 2. Which of the m-commerce limitations listed in this chap-
Designers of smart cities aim to improve both govern- ter do you think will have the biggest near-term negative
ment services to citizens and the dwellers quality of life. impact on the growth of m-commence? Which ones will
9. Security and other implementation issues. Even though be minimized within 5 years? Which ones will not?
the potential benefits of m-commerce applications may be 3. Discuss the advantages and limitations of self-driven
substantial, their implementation faces a number of chal- cars.
lenges, including technical interruptions and gaps in net- 4. Discuss the factors that are critical to the overall growth
work coverage; performance problems created by slow of mobile banking.
mobile networks and applications; managing and securing 5. Why are many of the more popular mobile gambling sites
mobile devices; and managing mobile network band- located in small island countries?
width. The mobile computing environment offers special 6. Discuss how the IoT can facilitate marketing.
challenges for security, including the need to secure trans- 7. Discuss the advantages of m-commerce over wired EC.
mission over the open air and through multiple connecting 8. Discuss how to sell products on Facebook (e.g., view
networks. The biggest technological challenges relate to shopify.com/facebook).