South African Consumer Perspectives on Electronic Contract Challenges and Legislative Implications | Chapter 6 | Contemporary Issues of Business and Management: The Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Business and Management Dynamics (ICBMD), Edition 1

In recent years, the rise of online shopping and electronic contracts has intensified the challenges faced by South African consumers. This study investigates these challenges, emphasising the role of South Africa’s Consumer Protection Act (CPA) and Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECTA) in safeguarding consumers. Focusing on fairness and accessibility, this study identifies and explores barriers to consumer understanding, enforceability, and awareness, particularly in light of consumer rights such as transparency, privacy, and informed consent. Key findings reveal the need for greater transparency and simplification of contract terms.

This research employs multiple methods, combining a consumer survey with quantitative analysis to explore gaps in consumer awareness and regulatory effectiveness.  The study utilised non-probability sampling techniques, employing purposive and convenience sampling. The consumer survey, which was primarily quantitative in nature, utilised questionnaires. Limited research has been conducted on electronic contract consumer challenges in South Africa and studies have focused more on formal face-to-face written agreements. This study therefore addresses such gap by exploring online consumer challenges and the protection provided by existing consumer laws. The findings show that there are multiple challenges and barriers facing consumers with respect to electronic contracts, notably, revealing significant challenges in consumer understanding, a lack of accessible contract language, and barriers to enforceability that have not been adequately addressed. In addition, possible measures to address such challenges include workshops on consumer protection laws and consumer contracts in plain and understandable language.

 

Author (s) Details

 

Nikita Dwarika
Department of Applied Law, Faculty of Management Sciences, Durban University of Technology, South Africa.

 

Karunanidhi Reddy
Department of Applied Law, Faculty of Management Sciences, Durban University of Technology, South Africa.

 

Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/mono/978-93-49238-29-9/CH6

Towards the Prosperity of Small Business Enterprises: What’s in for Information and Communication Technology? | Chapter 1 | Current Aspects in Business, Economics and Finance Vol. 2

 

Small business enterprises, also known as SBEs, are frequently identified by their diminutive size, constrained resources, and sparse workforce. Some of them received access to incubation programs, which include working space, business capacity building, networking, mentoring, and business development support services to help them overcome such issues in the early stages of operating their businesses. This study examined the role that information and communication technology (ICT) can play in assisting Tanzanian SBEs that have participated in incubation programs to enhance their operational efficiency. Primary data were gathered from fifty SBEs participating in incubator programs at the Tanzania Engineering and Manufacturing Development Organization, a government facility, using a purposeful sampling technique. The Statistical Package for Social Science and the R programming language were used to examine the data. According to the findings, integrating ICT into daily tasks enhances access to business information, boosts market share and market overage, promotes marketing promotions, and decreases financial troubles by over 70%. For 64 percent of respondents, 78 percent of respondents, and 72 percent of respondents, respectively, it was found that the use of ICT is likely to improve business performance by fostering a supportive business environment, removing business-related obstacles, and cutting down on the time it takes to launch new products. Increasing company productivity is a byproduct rather than the intended outcome. Additionally, employing ICT, SBEs that have been incubated have a good chance of increasing their sales volume, revenue, and profit margin by more than 60%. However, only 52% of business assets can be sold on the open market as a result of ICT. Because of this, incubated SBEs must work to incorporate ICT-mediated technology into their business practices despite having minimal resources.

Author(s) Details:

Liliane Pasape
Department of Business Administration and Management, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/CABEF-V2/article/view/7637

Implementation of E-Governments System in Iraq | Chapter 3 | Technological Innovation in Engineering Research Vol. 6

 

 It is effective and competent to use information and communication technology (ICT) to carry out organisational and corporate mandates. A government's obligation to its population includes providing for their needs, which is accomplished through using ICT to modernise any services or facilities. E-government initiatives also aim to enhance citizens' social, political, and economic well-being. All administrations are consolidated into "smart governments" by the governments. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, some governments in less developed countries are unable to implement such a change. There is no managerial commitment, there is no e-government interoperability, and there are not enough resources. Consequently, the goal of this effort is to offer a framework for the deployment of e-government in Iraq. Implementing e-governance in Iraq will face political, technical, cultural, and legal obstacles, all of which have been recognised. 180 managers participated in an online poll to analyse the framework for implementing e-government. Users lacked confidence, there was a lack of security equipment, there was no cooperation between governmental instructions, and there was no information technology legislation or integrity. This study is distinctive since it seeks to create an effective e-government for Iraq.

Author(s) Details:

Noor A. Jasim,
Middle Technical University, Baquba Technical Institute, Iraq.

Emad M. Hameed,
Middle Technical University, Baquba Technical Institute, Iraq.

Sarah A. Jasim,
Ministry of Education, General Director of Education, Diyala, Baqubah, Iraq.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/TIER-V6/article/view/7600

Information Technology in Indian Agriculture: An Approach towards Developments and Perspectives | Chapter 10 | Current Topics in Agricultural Sciences Vol. 6

 In Indian agriculture, information technology (IT) plays a significant role. Information technology (IT) can be described as the use of data to enable or improve products or processes. This chapter looks at a variety of information technology uses in agriculture and speculates on their future prospects. Precision farming is a farm management approach that uses precise amounts of crop inputs such as fertilisers, herbicides, and irrigation water to increase crop output and quality while reducing pollution. Support and information systems can be established to investigate efficient cropping patterns in order to maximise productivity per acre and reduce waste, for example, by not applying more nutrients than the crops require. Applications for climatic and flood forecasting can be created to help farmers deal with disasters. Weather forecast information that is accessible at the proper moment can be extremely useful in assessing disaster risks and developing a risk management strategy. The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to boost India's food output and productivity is a possibility (ICT). Several mobile-based projects have been created to give farmers with 24/7 access to information and knowledge. Farmers and cooperative groups have benefited from the use of satellite-based remote sensing data, which is provided by many government and public institutions. In the extension component of agriculture, e-Learning plays a critical role in imparting training on new IT breakthroughs. To address conflicts via the Internet, online dialogues using chat capabilities may be encouraged. Using techniques like video conferencing, critical choices about policy issues can be made in real time. The goal of this paper is to describe major IT advances in the context of Indian agriculture and to suggest a course of action.

Author(S) Details

Harpreet Kaur
Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India.

View Book:- https://stm.bookpi.org/CTAS-V6/article/view/6220

An Assessment of Incorporating Online Learning in Higher Education | Chapter 7 | Modern Perspectives in Language, Literature and Education Vol. 5

 In educational settings, learning and teaching have traditionally been viewed as a direct interpersonal classroom activity. As a result of technological advancements, new forms of teaching and evaluation have emerged, and they have gradually become a more prevalent aspect of education. With the advancement of information technology in general, and the Internet and online technologies in particular, there has been a growing emphasis on the development of distance learning methods, allowing students to extend their learning beyond the constraints of space and time. The goal of this paper is to present the results of a case study investigation into student perceptions of the as part of their experience of an M.A. programme in Catholic School Leadership at St Mary's University, Twickenham, the addition of an e-learning component Students were able to participate in a "virtual classroom" by engaging in online learning and sharing discussions sparked by online questions. As a result, the introduction of online learning represents a significant step forward that has the potential to influence pedagogy and assessment. As a result of this investigation, the following conclusion can be reached: While some students had reservations about the facility's implementation, they all agreed that online activities improved the quality of their education.

Author (S) Details

Dr. David Fincham
St Mary’s University College, London, UK.

View Book :- https://stm.bookpi.org/MPLLE-V5/article/view/1636

Management of Secondary Education in Anambra State for Sustainable Development through ICT Deployment | Chapter 13 | New Horizons in Education and Social Studies Vol. 1

The study investigated the extent of principal’s deployment of ICT skills in managing secondary school for sustainable development. Two research questions and one null hypothesis guided the  study. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised all the 261 principals and 5,827 teachers in the 261 secondary schools in Anambra state. A sample of 60 principals and 360 teachers were randomly selected for the study. The instrument used for data collection was a self-developed questionnaire, titled, “ICT Deployment in Managing of Schools Questionnaire,” (ICTDMSQ). The instrument was validated by three experts, two experts from education management unit, one expert from measurement and evaluation unit, all from faculty of education in Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam. Using Cronbach Alpha, reliability index of 0.92 was obtained for the instrument. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the two research questions, while t-test was used to test the null hypothesis at .05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that principals do not deploy ICT skills in managing secondary schools which might be because of some challenges they encounter in trying to deploy ICT skills in school management. Based on the findings, some recommendations were made which include that, the government should be organizing periodic training and workshops on ICT usage for principals to attain the 21st century computer proficiency for effective and efficient management of schools and that government should release adequate fund for the procurement and management of ICT facilities and equipment for secondary schools.

Author (s) Details

F. Manafa Ifeyinwa
Department of Educational Foundations, Faculty of Education Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Nigeria.

View Book :- http://bp.bookpi.org/index.php/bpi/catalog/book/204