ASSIGMENT

2 Articles IT News from today wide newpaper :-

ARTICLE 1 ; Saturday July 9, 2011

SMEs should embrace IT to expand market reach
By DALJIT DHESI
daljit@thestar.com.my

OF some 600,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia, slightly over 100,000 have websites. This drives home one main point there's still plenty of room for technology to seep its way into the sphere of small firms in the country. And this is something SMEs can ill afford not to allow, that is, if they aspire to become world-class entities.

With 1.9 billion consumers online worldwide and tens of millions of businesses searching for products and services on the web, there is a huge market waiting for them.

According to a Nielsen Consumer Report, 85% of Internet users globally have purchased something online.

Google Malaysia Sdn Bhd industry head James Yeang says it is vital that SMEs embrace information technology (IT) to expand their market reach. Unfortunately, many appear unfamiliar or hesitant to use technology to grow their businesses, as their main focus is to drive and meet sales targets.

Yeang describes this as an anomaly because IT will improve the bottomline of companies by minimising costs and enhancing sales over the long term. “Many SMEs do not realise that using the right tools in actual fact only needs a small amount of investment. The appropriate technology will enable them to go global and capture new markets overseas.

“Malaysian businesses, including SMEs, should capitalise on the information, tools and marketing platforms available on the web to springboard into new markets,'' he says in an interview.

According to Yeang, businesses of all sizes face a number of challenges when expanding overseas. They need to identify the right market and understand the export opportunity as well as business profitability.

Businesses ought to also know in which parts of the world are consumers interested in purchasing their products and services and the level of competitiveness in these markets.


Google Malaysia industy head James Yeang.
Once they have identified the right market, these businesses have the option to translate their websites and advertise in the local language as well as offer local payment, delivery and customer support options.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, they need to have an efficient way to reach new customers overseas and drive them to their websites, with the aim to eventually purchase their products and services.

Yeang says the authorities will need to embark on more eduction and awareness programmes to ensure further penetration of Internet in Malaysia which, in return, will benefit also SMEs. The current Internet penetration in the country is around 66%, which is lower than some of the countries in the region.

Last year, Google, in collaboration with the International Trade and Industry Ministry, Multimedia University and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, offered a SME business stimulus package that enabled local businesses to be cost-effective and access a wider market.

This package, among others, allow SMEs to access their potential customers online and grow their businesses cost-effectively via the user-friendly websites and online marketing campaigns. Besides developing websites, the company also assisted small businesses to design their websites and create effective online advertisements.

Yeang is one of the speakers at The Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) 2011 forums in Kuching (July 13) and Kuala Lumpur (July 26). The topic of his presentation is “Growing your business online strategies to reach and engage the new Malaysian consumer”.

ARTICLE 2 ; Monday July 11, 2011

USE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

INFORMATION and technology are life-changing

I would like to thank The Star and its talented, creative and insightful columnists for highlighting, enlightening and showcasing very intriguing, touching and relevant articles of happenings in society.

I remember reading about technology and the 555 small notebook some time ago.

It was written in an easy, simple and very understandable manner.

Information and technology are great, powerful and life-changing only if you know how to utilise it wisely.

Look around you. Some are so hooked up with their gadgets and updating themselves with the latest information.

The information may be necessary, it may be good. But too much of something is not good.

One may end up suffering from Information Overload Syndrome. It’s a form of craving. We get bogged down by a kind of bumper-to-bumper crawl to our senses.

Information and technology are supposed to simplify our lives. What if simplicity becomes simplexity ? It’s simpleness becoming complex.

We can get confused with too much information particularly those that are not relevant. Let’s look from context of a simple decision making. Too much information may not lead to better decision making. It only reinforces our judgment.

We only need to ‘thin-slice’ of information for simple decision making.

Information addiction affects us physically and also mentally.

Choose only beneficial, empowering and the be-inspired information. One may consider applying 80/20 Pareto information management principle. Schedule our priorities, not prioritise our schedule. Apply flexibility. Don’t get carried away.

Learn to manage information efficiently and effectively. If not, it can affect us in many ways.

Let me cite an example here. What if you receive fiery, rude and disparaging information in the form of destructive criticism ? Pause. Take a few deep breaths. Think zen-ly, ‘Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is Form’.

EDWARD WONG.

Ipoh

ICT can help SMEs to reach out to large markets: Govt

PTI Jul 30, 2011, 10.37am IST
NEW DELHI: Easy and affordable access of Information and Communication technology (ICT) to SMEs would help them in exploring new markets globally, a senior government official said said.

"ICT is an enabling tool for any small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The moment you use ICT, you can reach out to large markets," Additional Secretary in the Department of Information Technology N Ravi Shanker said here on the sidelines of the Indiamart.com function on SMEs.

Shanker said the entrepreneurs can pay monthly bills to get access to the latest and modern technology at their doorstep.

Great ICT Sale

As part of MSC Malaysia's effort to boost adoption of ICT products and services locally, the Multimedia Development Corporation Sdn Bhd (Co. No. 389346-D) ("MDeC") has organized the MSC Malaysia Great ICT Sale that aims to pull together selected vendors that can bundle their products and services into Value+ Packages that provide buyers with easy-to-select, enhanced-value solution bundling options.

For the duration of the campaign month, the MSC Malaysia Great ICT Sale will present a unique opportunity for your organization to showcase your products and services, including both physical presence at 3 regional locations (Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor Bahru) and in the media, as well as online presence, to maximize reach and impact.

The MSC Malaysia Great ICT Sale will serve as a national platform for solution providers to bundle easy-to-select ICT products and services packages at great value to encourage adoption and to assist local SMEs to move up value-chain by leveraging on ICT as competitive differentiator.

http://www.mscmalaysia.my/topic/Great+ICT+Sale

ICTs Help Farmers Fight Crop Pests

The Sustainable Cocoa Enterprise Solutions for Smallholders (SUCCESS) Alliance, an ACDI/VOCA-led partnership between public, private and nonprofit organizations that promotes the sustainable cultivation and marketing of cocoa by smallholders in four countries, disseminated pest control and quality control information through mass media, including radio programs developed by program partner Overseas Strategic Consulting that were broadcast throughout the cocoa-growing areas of Sulawesi, reaching 270,000 farmers.

http://www.acdivoca.org/site/ID/ourwork_ict

ICT issues in Malaysia

Nowadays, globalization and digital convergence in the emerging knowledge society has raised complex ethical, legal and societal issues. So that, we are faced with the complex questions regarding the freedom of access to information, freedom of expression, the right to privacy, intellectual property rights, and cultural diversity. ICT exist as an instrumental need of all humans for gathering of knowledge and information, and as such should be guaranteed as a basic to all human beings. Information technology is impacting all walks of life all over the world. However, the rapid development of ICT globally also has led the growth of new forms of national and transnational crimes such as the digital divide, cybercrime, digital security and privacy concerns, all of which have affected people’s lives either directly or indirectly.

In general, ethics is a moral philosophy where a person makes a specific moral choice and sticks to it. ICT ethics are not exceptional from the general view of ethics, but, it means moral guidelines to refer when using the computer and computer networks such as internet. In a world where information and communication technology has come to define how people live and work, and has critically affected culture and values, it is important for us to review ethical issues, as well as social responsibility.

So, there exist so many ICT ethical issues nowadays. Such ethical issues included unemployment issues, crime issues, loss of privacy, intellectual property issues, digital divide issues, professional ethics issues and etc. ICT assists and extends the ability of mankind to capture, process, store, understand, use, create, and disseminate information at the speed and scale which never thought possible before. Some of the changes and impacts of ICT are obvious, but many are subtle.

For the unemployment issues, that is the automation of work has caused creative destruction by eliminating some vocations and creating new ones. Such as the rapid development of artificial intelligent, it result the employment rate of a nation keep decreasing. It is because the artificial intelligent also can do tasks which a normal person can do. For the crime issues, as an example, the stolen and counterfeit ATM cards are used to steal millions of dollars each year throughout the region. The anonymity of the machines makes some crimes easier and creates many new types of crimes. Besides that, some transactions are transmitted and recorded in databases at hospitals, banks, various organization which in the private or public sector.

As a conclusion, the rapid development of ICT brings many benefits and also issues for us. What we can do is try to overcome such ICT issues challenges. I hope that, everyone can use the technology in the good ways by not produced such much ICT issues to this world.

http://webtechmic.blogspot.com/2010/03/ict-issues-in-malaysia.html

Information & Communication Technology (ICT) ICT ENHANCES EFFECTIVENESS, EFFICIENCY AND REACH OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Information communication technologies (ICTs) can provide farmers, entrepreneurs and others in emerging economies with market information vital to their work and success. ACDI/VOCA continues to lead the way on how to best integrate ICTs into economic development approaches and project designs to improve results for beneficiaries.

A lack of timely and accurate information is a significant barrier to competitiveness for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), which are now widely recognized as the prime engine of growth in most of the developing world. To address this gap, ACDI/VOCA uses ICT and other multimedia technologies to stimulate and meet increased local demand for market information. We also use ICTs to provide farmers and other beneficiaries with much-needed credit information and technical knowledge, assistance and services.

http://www.acdivoca.org/site/ID/ourwork_ict

ASSIGMENT NUMBER 1 :

Find 5 Articles on any issues ICT from Malaysian Sources (local magazine & newspaper )
and another 5 article issues about ict from international sources on the web : -

Being green is never easy

Magazine Article posted January 11, 2011

Environmental issues are always on the classroom agenda, but now they are joined by green ICT. Of course, we all want to do our bit for the environment, but is ‘green’ being done effectively in ICT? I had to look up quite a few articles to get a grasp of green ICT as it isn’t covered in teacher training. Perhaps it’s assumed we know what it involves, but do teachers even understand the term? I asked a few and none had a good understanding.

What about teachers who don’t use ICT very often? Would they know what to do in a computer suite to save energy? And how do students treat the equipment?
Some green ICT measures recommended shutting down computers after use, but this isn’t practical. I teach in ICT suites where computers are used all day. It would be impossible to turn them off every time they have been used, not to mention expecting students to do this.

As well as practical concerns, green ICT raises funding and responsibility issues, but where will investment come from and where does responsibility lie? Often, not with the ICT department or the technical team. Considering these are the two groups who use ICT equipment the most, you may think they would have considerable influence.

The environment is important to schools, but green ICT will only be an enabler for change if it is included in teacher training.

- Laura Mulholland
Laura Mulholland is a trainee teacher of ICT at south west teacher training

Working towards quality e-community

By Natasha Ilyas
streets@nstp.com.my
2011/02/15

KUALA LUMPUR: The Local Agenda 21 (LA21) Kuala Lumpur programme is gearing towards implementing and achieving e-Bandar Raya status, a quality community.
LA21 KL programme is the result of an agreement signed in 1992 between 179 countries to address environmental, social, development and economy issues.

LA21 emphasises the involvement of three parties, namely, local authorities, public and private sectors to work together to plan and manage their surroundings for sustainable development and a higher quality of life in the 21st century.

The programme was first introduced last year and efforts will continue with the assistance of residents' associations and volunteers as pioneers of the Champion Project.

It will attempt to bridge the digital divide in developing an intellectual community.

In a collaboration between Kuala Lumpur City Hall and the Ministry of Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing, LA21 Kuala Lumpur was launched at Dataran Jelatek Gemilang, PPR Jelatek.

The programme is targeting over 420 students who will be sitting for the UPSR and SPM this year.

They will have the opportunity to use the ICT-based educational software called Skor A.

Kuala Lumpur City Council director general Datuk Saleh Yusup said LA21 KL has four themes -- Clean and Beautiful, Prosperous, and Safe City and e-City.

"They cover aspects of urban life that we want to realise for a world-class city."

He said the programme aims to teach Kuala Lumpur residents how to use information technology which is growing rapidly in the world today.

"The residents' association will sponsor 10 students who cannot afford to pay for the programme, while the others will only pay a minimum amount," he said.

To ensure commitment, parents of students who participate in this programme must pay a minimum of RM15 per month or RM180 a year. Normal charges for the programme is RM796.

This project will help to increase academic achievement through the use of the comprehensive software.

As many as 120 e-books will be allocated to six residents' associations, namely, PPR Sri Perak, Sri Johor 4A, Sri Penara, Desa Tun Razak, Youth Bandar Bukit Jalil and Kampung Malaysia Tambahan.

These e-books can be accessed on the Internet and Skor A software by the students.

Ministry of Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing chief secretary Datuk Ahmad Phesal Talib said parents should be concerned about their children who are sitting for the UPSR and SPM examination, and encourage them to pass with flying colours.

Tech: When feng shui meets ICT

2011/01/31

Lee Cheng Hoe abandoned a promising career in the fast lane to follow his calling in oriental astrology. He is zealously pursuing his passion in feng shui with some tech help, writes ROZANA SANI
ARMED with a First Class Honours degree in Mechanical Engineering after graduating from University of Strathcycle in United Kingdom in 1993, Penangite Lee Cheng Hoe seemed destined to make engineering his career for life.

The offspring of hawker parents, the Chung Ling High School alumnus made all the right moves — gaining employment in a multinational high technology company upon graduation and rising up in the various MNCs he worked for as he progressed.

Although he enjoyed it, his heart was elsewhere: specifically in the area of oriental astrology, which he had already developed a strong interest in since he first started working As he studied and did research on the subject, Lee was intrigued by the relevance of feng shui and metaphysics to daily life and felt compelled to share the ancestral knowledge with others.

So he went on to master feng shui, Bazi (an ancient fortune-reading method) and Chinese Name studies.

Lee has practised oriental astrology part-time for more than 10 years and full-time for the past three.

For Lee, feng shui is the combined study of geography, environment, history and magnetic energy (qi). “Basically, feng shui is divided into the hardware, Luan Tou, and the software, Li Qi.

“Luan Tou (space and location) is the physical influence of the surrounding environment while Li Qi (flow of Qi) is the influence of the magnetic energy which changes regularly.

“Just as we require the hardware and software in order to operate a computer, both concepts are applied in feng shui when it comes to human beings,” he explains.

“The hardware is our physical body and the software is our mind and soul. Missing either one and we will not be able to function properly.

“In ruling a country, a government needs to focus on both hardware and software. The hardware of a country is its infrastructure and the software is the heart of the people,” he allegorises.

Leveraging ICT Now based in Air Hitam, Penang, Lee believes feng shui can be practised by everyone. “Feng shui has become rather commercialised. My purpose in practising feng shui is to help ordinary people to improve their life, career, health and relationships.

“These people may not be able to afford the exorbitant rates charged by many feng shui masters.

“I feel a sense of satisfaction if my clients are indeed able to improve the bad situation they are in prior to consulting me,” he shares.

To be able to realise the vision, Lee leverages on ICT. “I charge a reasonable consultation fee as I do not need to pay expensive rental or hire staff to assist me.” Lee has a blog, a website and a presence on Facebook. The blog (http://penangfengshui.blogspot.com/) is a platform for Lee to share information on astrology and his views on current issues that can be explained through metaphysics. The website, http://www.penangfengshui.com/ , is where his role as an author, speaker and trainer in oriental astrology is showcased.
Here, readers can download electronics books (e-book) and videos that feature topics he covers.

The Facebook account is for interaction with clients and those who are curious or keen to know more about oriental astrology.

“The Internet is an amazing medium. Being borderless, someone from overseas can actually find you via the search engines. “Readers will assess you by first going through what you have done. You have to prove that you are the right person for them. Pictures, video, testimonials and informative articles are the keys to success. Readers from Italy, Australia, Singapore, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, and Dubai and Philippines have approached me.” “I am m glad to see many highly educated people beginning to realise that there is no link between feng shui and religion,” he says.

There are also many sophisticated tools such as the digital compass, hardware and software which ease his work. With all the tech gadgets, Lee is delighted that he no longer needs to conform to the 8 to 5 work schedule.

“I can work anytime, which is convenient to me. I can email my clients in the middle of the night and they can access their Bazi (a fortune reading method) reports when they switch on their computers the next day. Thus, there is more flexibility in time management.” The most memorable incident for him is helping a woman whose marriage had failed. She was contemplating suicide but Lee helped her begin a new chapter in life. “My clients often say: “This is my secret, how can you possibly know?” But it is nothing mysterious. Our ancestors gave us this science thousands of years ago. Predictions LEE has been invited by companies to hold seminars in oriental astrology and metaphysics especially those in housing development and managing finances. Lee believes the Year of the Rabbit will be similar to last year where businesses are concerned.

“2010 was a good year for the gold, fire and plant industries. We anticipate the Year of the Rabbit to be of golden and wood elements again. You can find out more on my free e-book http://www.penangfengshui.com/index.php?pages>book_enjoyyourlife_ebook for the industries of the related elements,” he says As for Lee’s own future, he dreams of learning and sharing more knowledge. “There are requests to write more books. Currently, I have started on my fourth book. This time, I’m going to write it in Mandarin. It is a book about Bazi reading, a fortune-telling book. It is my first Chinese book. I will market it as an e-book once completed.” Lee also wishes to have more classes. “After all, the more you share, the more you will gain.”

Write to the Editor for editorial enquiry or Sales Department for sales and advertising enquiry. Copyright © 2010 NST Online. All rights reserved.

http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/Tech_WhenfengshuimeetsICT/Article/

Visually-impaired get ICT training for a better life

Deputy Works Minister Datuk Yong Khoon Seng observing how a visually-impaired man navigate his way on the Internet during the launch of the ‘Workshop on Employment for the Blind’ at the ICT Centre Sarawak. — NST picture by Rozana Latif
KUCHING: For 34 blind men and women here, information and communications technology (ICT) represents a great hope that they can one day seek employment and play a meaningful role in the country's development.
The "special" men and women, comprising mostly young school leavers, including 10 Form Five students, are taking part in a two-day 'Workshop on Employment for the Blind' at the Sarawak Society for the Blind, aimed at exposing them to real-life experiences of job seeking.

The workshop, partly funded by the Women's Development Department, will train them to use ICT such as the Job Access With Speech (Jaws) voice-synthesiser -- a screen-reading software which allows them to hear all text written on the computer monitor and thus equip them with the ability to seek and apply for employment online.

Visually-impaired Barnabas Aling, 24, said ICT went a long way in helping the blind bridge the gap between the able and the disabled.
"With software designed for the blind, we can now access the Internet, fill up forms, pay bills and do everything we need to become independent individuals in society.

"Access to knowledge and information is literally at our fingertips."
Wilson Sejahtera, 22, said he first underwent computer training with the society last year and was now able to read websites, receive and send email, and join social network sites such as Facebook.

"This facility is really helping us to become active members of the society, despite our disabilities."

Wilson, who works with the society as a Braille facilitator, hoped his growing use of ICT would someday open up more employment opportunities for him.
"I would like to one day work in an administrative or managerial position.

"I am also thinking of entering the ICT industry."

Deputy Works Minister Datuk Yong Khoon Seng, who launched the workshop, said vocational training initiatives were key in the government's efforts to achieve its goal of at least 1 per cent employment for the disabled in all public agencies.

"We still have a long way to go to achieve that goal but it can be done with the support for the right programmes which offer the blind and the disabled opportunities for training, learning and more participation in society.

"These programmes are also in line with the government's policy to reduce dependency on foreign workers and to increase training for the local workforce." -- By Rozanna Latiff