The Blame Upon Victor Frankenstein - Free Essay Example

In the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, it is clear to lay the blame upon Victor Frankenstein. The definition of blame is the assignation of responsibility towards someone/something for a fault or wrong. Victors love and passion for science led to a monstrous idea and ended up killing three people. While his pride was a driving force, abandoning the creature was not a smart move. Due to the fact that his idea was matched with the act of doing gives the right to put forth the blame. Clearly, Victor Frankensteins pride and hunger for recognition blinded his reasoning and abandoning the creature brought blame upon himself. In light of the formation of the creature, Frankensteins pride pushed it further to existence. It all started during his childhood; natural philosophy changed the way he saw things and was purely obsessed with science. At age thirteen, Victor attended a party of pleasure to the baths near Thonon, where due to weather conditions, had to stay at an inn in which he founded the works of Cornelius Agrippa(a philosopher). He became intrigued; therefore sought to his father to show him the book, but his father turned it down calling it sad trash. Victors father was not scientific in the least and always turned to logic, whereas Victor thrived for science. His father never understood Frankensteins passion for science, and so it drove Frankensteins desire for intelligence. My father was not scientific, and I was left to struggle with a childs blindness, added to a students thirst for knowledge.(Shelley 36). Blind indeed Frankenstein was, but not from the lack of information given as a child; he was blinded by his own pride and the scarcity of judgement. Victors knowledge continued to grow as did his pride leading up to the creation of the creature. Wealth was an inferior object, but what glory would attend the discovery if I could banish disease from the human frame and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death! Nor were these my only visions. The raising of ghosts or devils was a promise liberally accorded by my favourite authors, the fulfillment of which I most eagerly sought; and if my incantations were always unsuccessful, I attributed the failure rather to my own inexperience and mistake than to a want of skill or fidelity in my instructors. (Shelley 36). In this quote his pride shows by his obsession over the idea of the recognition from his accomplishment, not thinking of the whole picture. His focus was on him and what he could possibly bring to the table of science. Frankenstein could be defined as a narcissist, fantasising over success, power, and brilliance, who takes advantage of others and has a hard time maintaining relationships; entitled. Since his only thoughts were on himself, it lead his pride take over, constructing a demolition. As shown above, Victor Frankensteins pride blinded his judgement, leaving him to blame upon the destruction. Finally, his abandonment of the creature left it to live in fear and confusion, causing it to harm others. After fulfilling his goal (creating the creature), he was amazed by his creation at first, but when he observed all the details of its appearance he was disgusted and relentful. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.(Shelley 59). It was at that moment when Frankenstein made a terrible mistake; abandoning the creature. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room and continued a long time traversing my bedchamber, unable to compose my mind to sleep.(Shelley 59). There are only two reasons thought of as to why he left it to fend for itself: pure shock and regret in his decision making, and repeating what his father did to him (cowardice). In the beginning of the book, just after his mother died his father sent Victor away to school to study his science. Instead of pushing Victor away during this depressing time, he should have kept him close and went through a time of mourning together as family. Since Victor had no understanding of what parenting is, like his father, he ran from his problem and had no intention of teaching it the ways of the world. Due to his abandonment, the creature became angry, and scared. During this time, it led him to do bad things; kill people. Frankenstein then went to seek out the creature to be rid of him. Once he got ahold of it, the creature said, ?I expected this reception, said the daemon. All men hate the wretched; how, then, must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things! Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us. You purpose to kill me. How dare you sport thus with life? Do your duty towards me, and I will do mine towards you and the rest of mankind. If you will comply with my conditions, I will leave them and you at peace; but if you refuse, I will glut the maw of death, until it be satiated with the blood of your remaining friends.'(Shelley 113). In this quote, the creature questions Frankenstein reason to why he brought him to life if all he wants to do is kill him and the rest of mankind sees it as this ratchet monster, essentially blaming him for creating him. While murdering people wasnt the best idea, the creature didnt know any better because it wasnt conditioned/trained right from wrong. If Frankenstein would have taught the creature the ways of human life like polite mannerisms, basic education, and cognitive thinking, most likely the murders would not have taken place. Given these points, it is Frankensteins fault that his abandonment brought bitterness upon the creature, causing harm towards others. In conclusion, Victor Frankensteins pride and hunger for recognition blinded his reasoning and abandoning the creature brought blame upon himself. His pride grew with the knowledge he obtained from his schooling and philosophers he read about, for example Cornelius Agrippa; therefore contributing to his narcissism and not thinking about the whole picture. Frankenstein also abandoned the creature leaving it to fester in anger and confusion towards his existence that it displaced its emotions on others, killing them. Ultimately, the blame should be laid on Frankensteins shoulders due to excessive pride and refusing his responsibility towards his creation, the creature.

Essay on Significance of Two Triumvirates in the Breakdown of the Republic

What Was the Significance of Triumvirates in the Breakdown of the Republic? The concept â€Å"triumvirate† can be defined as a group of three people. This word is used in the Roman history to refer to the two significant triumvirates that made a huge impact on the history. Probably, the most known and popular Roman ruler is Julius Caesar. A great deal of his popularity might also be due to Shakespeare’s portrayal of him in his plays. Nevertheless, Julius Caesar was one of the individuals in the first triumvirate. The other two were Gnaeus Pompey and Marcus Licinius Crassus. Among the three of them, they had military force, political influence and financial support to make the alliance work, which started in 60 B.C. After the death of all the three men in various circumstances, another triumvirate came into being several years later. This consisted of Octavian, Marc Antony and Marcus Lepidus. Although the members of this group were not as popular to this generation as those of the first, they too held power for some time. But just like the first group, this triumvirate also fell apart after a while. History has been proving again and again that when ambitious men form an alliance to come to power, they would often destroy the unity by their own avarice. They would stay united until they reach a powerful position. But once they have power, they would want it all for themselves and try to destroy the other members in the group. Although the two triumvirates did impact the Roman republic in a significant way, they were not the main cause of its downfall. The maximum influence that they had ever had in causing anyone’s fall was on their own triumvirates.

The Degradation of Women in Hip-Hop Music Videos and...

Hip-hop began in the 1970s in the south Bronx of New York and served a cathartic purpose for the black community. People could explore issues such as the eradication of racism and equality, but since Hip-hop was created, the cathartic use has been abused through the increased use of misogynistic lyrics and music videos. Artists like Ludacris, 50 Cent and Eminem portray women nothing more than â€Å"ho’s†, â€Å"bitches† and â€Å"freaks†. Nothing more than sex objects; and yet, their biggest fan base is adolescents, this is dreadful as neuroscientists have discovered that the teenage brain still undergoes the same radical development as seen in childhood . Teenagers are easily influenced through their formative years ; as they are consuming music videos†¦show more content†¦As Nicki calls herself Nicki Lewinsky it also tells her fans that she also performs this. Nicki Minaj has done numerous things to make herself a celebrity; she had undergone co smetic surgeries several times to look (what she believes) is sexy. She is an eccentric character, but what would persuade a woman to enhance her body so much? In an Interview with Vibe Magazine, Nicki stated, â€Å"When I grew up I saw females doing certain things, and I thought I had to do that exactly. The female rappers of my day spoke about sex a lot†¦ and I thought that to have the success they got; I would have to represent the same thing. When in fact I didn’t have to represent the same thing†, this is the perfect example of the hypodermic needle theory at work. As Nicki Minaj grew up, her inspirations were Foxy Brown and Lil Kim. Nicki Minaj was also a passive watcher, as she watched all her favourite artists perform and talk about women in a degrading way. The affects of this on Nicki was she also became thinking like a woman who had no respect. Kimberly â€Å"Lil Kim† Jones is an American singer-songwriter and rapper who was associated with rapper Notorious B.I.G. The self-proclaimed Queen Bee (short for bitch) has made tracks such as Suck my d***, Shut up b**** and How many licks which is an innuendo of sexual scenarios of Lil Kim having sex with men from different

Why Did Some Women Get the Vote in 1918 - 2224 Words

This essay shall attempt to explain why some women got the vote in 1918 by discussing male and female spheres, the emergence of the suffrage societies and the similarities and differences between them. It shall proceed to discuss anti-suffrage, the role of politics, discuss how the war affected the women’s movement and finally the 1918 Representation of the People Act. It shall conclude was a summary of the points discussed. To understand the reasons behind some women getting the vote in 1918, one must look back at the history of the women’s movement to fully understand the reason female suffrage was sought and gained. In Victorian Britain there was a longstanding and persistent belief that men and women occupied separate spheres. The†¦show more content†¦Consequently the militant campaign escalated in 1912 with attacks on government and commercial buildings and commonly took the form of window smashing. Other militant tactics involved setting fire to letters boxes, defacing buildings, burning golf greens with acid and firebombing the newly built country house of then Prime Minister Lloyd George. Suffragettes arrested for criminal damage refused to pay fines and were then put in prison. As a protest against being denied the rights of political prisoners, they went on hunger strike. The government authorised force-feeding, which met with resistance not only from the prisoners themselves but also from the movement at large. By 1913 the Liberal government introduced the Prisoners Temporary Discharge Act, which was also known as the ‘Cat and Mouse’ Act, which meant that once the prisoner’s health had deteriorated past a certain point, they could be temporarily released to regain their health and then rearrested again. The catch was that they were soon rearrested if they did not return to the prison voluntarily so that the cycle of hunger-strike and force-feeding could be continued. Despite the new technique failing to change government policy, it contributed to suffragette propaganda. The purpose of suffrage propaganda was to build up an irresistible pressure of public opinion and at the same time convert MPS toShow MoreRelatedHigher History Women1700 Words   |  7 PagesSociety towards women was the major reason why some women received the vote in 1918. How accurate is this view? During the 1900s, many women were beginning to stand up for themselves and no longer wanted to be inferior to men. Prior to 1918, women were disrespected and under - valued in society. There was a change in attitudes towards women as the image of the New Women began to arise. They were becoming involved in various different jobs, having the ability to be better educated and get involved inRead MoreEssay about Why Women Gained the Vote in 19181224 Words   |  5 PagesWhy Women Gained the Vote in 1918 In 1918, women had finally gained the right to vote, after 68 long and hard years of campaigning and rebelling they finally got the vote they wanted. The women had tried everything like campaigning, getting them selves arrested, using the media and many more things were done. However, there were a couple of things that they did which really helped them get the right to vote and they were the fact that they helped the men in World WarRead MoreThe Major Reasons for Women Receiving the Right to Vote 1099 Words   |  4 PagesThe major reasons for women receiving in 1918 the vote in my opinion were divided into sections, political view, male view, war effort and changes in law and legislation. Whilst some historians argue that the women’s work during WWI in factories and other work programmes radically changed male ideas about their role in society other traditional historians suggest that the government passing the legislation to give women the vote in 1918 was almost a reward for their efforts I believe that this explanationRead MoreWhy Women Should Be Remembered For World War I1384 Words   |  6 Pages ‘Why should women of World War 1 be remembered?’ Good evening ladies and gentlemen, today I will be talking about why women should be remembered for their role in World War 1 and not just the troops who fought during the war. So why women should be remembered for World War 1? I believe women should be remembered for World War 1 because for women around 1917 were paid a really low wage of around 3-6 shillings a week for really long hours. The women took on the hard work that the men did beforeRead MoreWar on the home front1000 Words   |  4 Pageseconomically. The Wartime Elections Act proposed by Robert Borden weakened Canada politically as a country. This act that was passed in 1917 took the vote away from citizens who had emigrated from enemy countries. In addition, the act only gave army nurses and close relatives of soldiers the right to vote. In 1918, women living in Canada were given the right to vote, but they could still not be elected to Parliament. During the later part of the war, conscription was introduced which was not a good sign forRead MoreWomens Contribution to the War Effort and Their Gain in Voting Rights491 Words   |  2 PagesRights Women over 30 gained the vote in 1918. There were a number of reasons for this but mainly because of womens contribution to the war effort. I will be looking at these different reasons and writing about how everything came together for the vote for women. I will start by looking at what the women did in the war. Women were pleased by the outbreak of the war because this meant they could prove themselves and even get suffrage at the end of it all. Women thoughtRead MoreEssay about The Campaign for Women’s Suffrage1614 Words   |  7 Pagesrights of women began to improve. Though women were still thought of as second-class citizens, during the 1870’s the women’s suffrage became a mass movement. Prior to 1870, there were laws that meant that women were unable to keep any of their earnings once they married. That also meant that all her possessions belonged to her husband as well. In 1870, the Married Women’s Property Act meant that women were allowed to keep  £200 of their earnings. Women such as CarolineRead MoreTechniques of Suffragists and Suffragettes941 Words   |  4 Pagessuffragettes were different. Women started campaigning to win the vote in the 1850s. Small local groups had meetings nationwide to present their arguement for allowing women to vote. In 1877 - 78 there were 1,300 meetings - this represents how serious the women were.The campaigners were mainly middle class, as, upper class ladies most propably found campaigning and argueing unlady like and inappropriate. However this does not mean they they too did not want the right to vote. The campaigners wereRead MoreCampaigns for Women Suffrage and their Effectiveness Essay783 Words   |  4 PagesCampaigns for Women Suffrage and their Effectiveness Throughout the nineteenth century, the suffragists and the suffragettes worked hard campaigning for women suffrage. Finally, in 1918, the vote was given to women, but only women over thirty. But suffrage campaigns, although important, were not the only reason that the franchise was granted. Some other reasons include, a fear of the return of suffragette activity, the government following an international trend, theRead MoreEssay about The Changing Role and Status of Women in Britain Since 19001679 Words   |  7 PagesThe Changing Role and Status of Women in Britain Since 1900 1. Before 1900, women had generally stayed in the home. From the Middle Ages to 17th Century, they had been involved in cottage industries like making gloves. Early in the industrialisation period, women were sent down coalmines, because they cost less, but later on when rules and regulations were set over hours and safety, women were pushed back into the home because men could work harder for longer hours

Howe 2 Ski Case Study - 1087 Words

Howe 2 Ski Case Study 1. Given the background information about Howe 2 Ski Stores, discuss the feasibility of implementing lump sum bonus, pay for knowledge, profit sharing, and gainsharing plans. What plan or plans would you recommend that Howe look at most closely and why? Lump sum bonuses are a form of performance pay bonus. Defined as â€Å"bonuses †¦ earned at the end of a specified time period, such as monthly, quarterly, or annually, when a salesperson achieves a specific level of sales or sales quota† (Quast), they are utilized frequently in the sales industry. The dilemma, in this case, is that quality and productivity is not based only on sales. The molders are contributing to the issues that impact How 2 Ski. The lump sum bonuses†¦show more content†¦The Scanlon, Rucker and Improshare gain sharing plans are those most often utilized in organizations. In order to appropriately recommend an incentive plan, one must first identify the main issues with operation at Howe 2 ski. Howe 2 Ski has experience increased competition resulting in a decreased market share. Smaller market share increases the negative impact a lack of productivity and customer dissatisfaction has on Howe 2 Ski’s profits. The decreased production of both the molders and Sales-Persons result in increased inventory and higher cost of production. Furthermore, Howe has attempted to establish an incentive pay program that has served to be ineffective and has fostered low morale within the organization. Given these factors, gainsharing would be the most beneficial for How 2 Ski. 2. Assuming that Howe decides that a gainsharing plan is feasible, what could be done to increase the likelihood of success? Timothy L Ross, Ph.D. offers comprehensive research providing an astute account of the effective implementation of gainsharing plans. A well-planned gainsharing plan is essential when implementing the bonus program. First, a plan should include elements of employee involvement. It is important that management gain employeeShow MoreRelatedTest Paper1754 Words   |  8 PagesSystem Case study of Howe 2 Ski Sores Submitted By Mr. Sardar Ali MBA Section-D Submitted to Lecturer: Mr. Baber Jamil Institute of Management Sciences Phase 7 Hayatabad Pehsawar, Pakistan Evaluating Non-Traditional Incentive Systems Case Study: Howe 2 Ski Stores Introduction: In this case study, the main focus of our interest is to evaluate the non traditional incentive system. But before going into the detail of Non-traditional incentive system, let us summarize the case studyRead MoreEssay on The Special Olympics2686 Words   |  11 Pagesto survive in society than the public school system alone.    In order to design an effective program for any group of children, an analysis must be made of that group. Frank Hayden is a research associate at the University of Toronto who studies motor development in handicapped children. 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Kierkegaard s An Age Of Dispassionate Reflection - 954 Words

Soren Kierkegaard, in his essay, the Present Age, writes about two ages—the passionate age and the present age: an age of dispassionate reflection. Kierkegaard believes the present age to be centered on reflection (deliberation, representation, anticipation), which substitutes for decisive action. The present age, according to Kierkegaard is â€Å"characterized by an ‘unhappy objectivity,’ in which the individual has become ‘leveled down’ and loses himself as part of a crowd. â€Å" One aspect of this unhappy objectivity is that our age is an age of reflection rather than of passion. Kierkegaard suggests, the most dangerous, if also the most respectable of all diseases is to admire in public what is considered unimportant in private - since†¦show more content†¦This is dangerous because in the act of doing so, we lose our true selves in the process. Kierkegaard strongly believes in the idea of individuality. If individuals (as individuals) take it upon themselves to experience first-hand meaningful action and informed opinion (which is risky) they will gain something precious. Yet, many would rather stay in the safety (and effortlessness) of the public and live meaninglessly. Kierkegaard uses the example of the skater to demonstrate his assertion of â€Å"the most dangerous of all diseases†. The skater, on a frozen lake with dangerously thin ice, sees a jewel in the distance. In the passionate age, he argues, the public would cheer and support the skater as he made efforts to reach the jewel. They would worry for him and show concern at any sign of danger. However, in an age absent of passion, the crowds would agree on the fact that it was unreasonable and not worthwhile to engage in such a dangerous activity. In addition, they would praise themselves for being clever and practical for figuring this out. The qualities of being daring and enthusiastic for something an individual may be passionate about is malformed into a feat of skill, in which people are encouraged to surrender to â€Å"the most dangerous of all diseases†: â€Å"to admire in public what is

Technical Paper on E-Commerce free essay sample

TECHNICAL PAPER ON ELECTRONIC COMMERCE ABSTRACT There is no official definition as to what electronic commerce is. Different experts have different definitions. Communication people say that it is the transmission of information, of products/services of payments through telephone lines, network or any other medium. From a businessman standpoint, e-commerce is the use of technology to automate business transactions and work flows. Someone from the service industry might say that e-commerce is a transaction and work flows. Someone from the service industry might say that e-commerce is a helpful innovation that allows business to cut costs, enabling it to provide better quality products with a quicker delivery time. For our purpose and probably the general and literal definition for e-commerce is that it is the actually the buying and selling of goods or services electronically online. Products are displayed on an online store and potential customers can read information about the product, see them on the website and have the option to purchase them online. We will write a custom essay sample on Technical Paper on E-Commerce or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There are sites selling everything from pets to automobiles. Virtually any product or service can be sold online. All the principles involved in good business practices apply here. Electronic commerce presents a fantastic opportunity for businesses to increase their sales. Online storefronts operate by using a shopping cart. A shopping cart allows visitors select multiple products and collects payment information. Choosing a shopping cart is a critical step in the design of your site. Shopping carts should be matched to the needs of your website. The internet is a new and existing realm that offers businesses the ability to reach millions of customers at very low costs. It also offers businesses the ability to conduct sales through their website 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Establishing an E-commerce website requires an experienced e-commerce designer. There is a multitude of issues, which must be addressed that require very specific knowledge in programming, security and in the unique nature of internet transactions. Failure to address many issues surrounding the creation of an e-commerce site can result in lost business, damaged credibility of financial losses. When you fill out a form on a website that information travels from your computer to the website’s server computer. A special program which resides then processes that information on the server computer. Generally this information this information is emailed to the owner of the website. Secure ordering occurs when a website or an order form is accessed through a secure server. A secure server is a server computer which has special encryption software installed. Any information you submit is encrypted or coded when transmitted. It is more complicated than that, but further explanation would require extra jargon. At this point the customer has placed their order; however the transaction is still not complete until the merchant receives the information. Many sites ordering systems are secure to this point. However, security problems can arise after the information arrives on the server computer. Many websites claim to have secure ordering while in fact they do not. The information is only secured during the initial transmission from the visitor’s computer to the server computer. After the information arrives at the server computer, man websites simply email the information to whoever processes the orders. Email is not a secure method of transmitting information. With the proper knowledge anyone can access the information as it is transmitted. There are several ways to handle securing the information after it arrives on the server. One of the options is to keep the information on the server. Generally writing the information to an inaccessible or secured section of the server computer does this. The merchant can then retrieve the information. A security risk does arise with this method if the operators of the hosting service act unscrupulously and access the server using their administrative access. INTRODUCTION E-commerce is an exceptionally cost effective way of generating extra revenue. E-commerce removes all geographical boundaries and time differences. With increased demand for retail services, on-line ordering will enable your organization to sell its products and resources over the internet customers can order directly from a secure server, with Visa payments now being accepted in both Newzealand and American currencies. Implementation of a successful e-commerce site first involves establishing some strategies. E-commerce: Enables automated and 24 hour ordering that reduces the cost and the chances of errors. Improves customer service Allows customers to track orders themselves Provides up-to- date price list and product catalogues Greatly reduces the time between ordering and dispatch Reduces supply chain costs. Some of the terminologies used:- Shopping Carts- programs that arrow visitors to select products as they move through a website. When they are finished shopping it gives them a total purchase amount. An ordering process also is also generally present Membership Sites- sites which offer members specific information for the cost of membership Secure Transactions- using â€Å"Encryption or coding† to encode sensitive information to prevent unauthorized viewing Real Time Credit Card Processing- Where the customer finds out immediately if their credit cards was accepted or denied. Standard or ‘Batch’ Credit Card Processing- Where the merchant transmits the customers ordering information and card number to their credit card processor. What e-commerce represents is a way to reach out to customers. E-commerce will allow you to undertake cost-effective business with large number of customers, and with lower value orders. E-commerce can be divided into: E-tailing or â€Å"virtual storefronts† on websites with online catalogs, sometimes gathered into a â€Å"virtual mail†. The gathering and use of demographic data through web contacts Electronic Data Interchange(EDI) , the business –to-business exchange of data E-mail and fax and their use as media for reaching prospects and established customers( for example with newsletters) Business-to- business buying and selling The security of business transactions CONCEPTS OF E-COMMERCE E-tailing or The Virtual storefront and the Virtual mail As a place for direct retailing shopping, with its 24-hour availability, a global reach, the ability to interact and provide custom information and ordering and multimedia prospects, the web is rapidly becoming a multibillion-dollar source of revenue for the world’s businesses. A number of businesses already report considerable success. As early as the middle of 1997, Dell Computers reported orders of a million dollars a day. But early 1999, projected e-commerce revenues for business were in the billions of ollars and the stocks of companies deemed most adept at e-commerce were skyrocketing. Apart from computer and network products, books(Amazon. com), gardening products(garden. com), music on compact disks(CDNow), and office supplies (Supplies Online) were a few of the better-known e-commerce sites. By early 1999, even businesses that have always counted on fa ce-to-face customer interaction were planning e-commerce websites and many businesses were planning how to coordinate in-store and web store retail approaches. Meanwhile, new businesses based entirely on web sales were being invented daily. Market Research In early 1999, it was widely recognized that because of the interactive nature of the internet, companies could gather data about prospects and customers in unprecedented amounts-through site registration, questionnaires and as part of taking orders. The issue of whether data was being collected with the knowledge and permission of market subjects had been raised. (Microsoft referred to its policy of data collection as profiling and a proposed standard has been developed that allows internet users to decide who can have what personal information) Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) EDI is the exchange of business data using an understood data format. It predates today’s Internet. EDI involves data exchange among parties that know each other will and make arrangements for one-to-one (or point-to-point) connection, usually dial-up. E-Mail, Fax, and Internet Telephony E-commerce is also conducted through the more limited electronic forms of communication called e-mail, facsimile or fax and the emerging use of telephone calls over the internet. Most of this is business-to-business, with some companies attempting to use e-mail and fax for unsolicited ads (usually viewed as online junk mail or spam) to consumers and other business prospects. An increasing number of business websites offer e-mail newsletters for subscribers. A new trend is opt-in email which web users voluntarily sign up to receive email, usually sponsored or containing ads, about product categories or other subjects they are interested in. Business –to-business buying and selling Thousands of companies that sell products to other companies have discovered that the web providers not only a 24- hour-a-day showcase for their products but a quick way to reach the right people in a company for more information. The Security of Business Transactions Security includes authenticating business transactions, controlling access to resources such as Web pages for registered or selected users, encrypting communications and in general ensuring the privacy and effectiveness of transactions. Among the most widely used security technologies are SSL and RSA. Secure Electronic Transactions (SET) is an emerging industry standard. *E –* Business â€Å"E –business† ( â€Å" electronic business ,† derived from such terms as â€Å"e-mail† and â€Å"e-commerce†) is the conduct of business on the internet, not only buying and selling but also servicing customers and collaborating with business partners. One of the firsts to use the term was IBM, when in October 1997, it launched a thematic campaign built around the term. Today, major corporations are rethinking their businesses in terms of the Internet and its new culture and capabilities. Companies are using the Web to buy parts and supplies from other companies, to collaborate on sales promotion and to do joint research. Exploiting the convenience availability and worldwide reach of the internet, many companies, such as Amazon. com, the booksellers, have already discovered how to use the internet successfully. Increasingly, much direct selling (or e-tailing) is taking place on the Internet of computer related equipment and software. One of the firsts to report sales in the millions of dollars directly from the web was Dell computer. Travel bookings directly or indirectly as a result of web research are becoming significance. Customer-orderable golf clubs and similar specialties are considered good prospects for the immediate future. With the security built into today’s browsers and with the digital certificates now available for individuals and companies from VeriSign, a certificate issuer, much of the early concern about the security of business transaction on the web has abated and e-business by whatever name is accelerating. IBM also considers the development of intranets and extranets to be part of business. Trade and commerce between individuals is as old as the existence of mankind. There have been innumerable channels that have facilitated this exchange. The latest to join this is e-commerce. The debatable topic now is what extent this new venture will make roads into business operations. In 1997-98 experts predicted the e-commerce trade to be worth $ 200-250 billions and expected figures today are $ 3 trillion of its volume. E-commerce method of doing business differs from traditional commerce because it combines information and technology, telecommunications technology and business process to make it practical to do business in ways that could not be done otherwise. Types of e-commerce E-commerce is divided into three major segments i. e. Inter – organizational Intra – organizational Retail inter-organizational, between different business entities It reduces suppliers and facilitates business partnerships by reducing purchase orders, processing costs and inventory cycle timings. It could be operated on Internet or extranet which just lets us select a few participants. Supply chain management or payment management is examples of inter-organizational application. Intra organizational e-commerce occurs within a business entity. The objective is to link the constituents together and increase the flow of information within the organization. Examples of it include human resource or department websites that disseminate information and services through an intranet. Retail e-commerce, as the name suggests, is directed at the consumer. It can be used for any business for consumer interaction. Technological dimensions of e-commerce While many technologies can fit within the definitions of e-commerce, the most important are electronic data interchange(EDI), bar codes, electronic mails, internet, World Wide Web, product data exchange and electronic forms. Electronic Data Interchange is the computer to computer transfer of structured information in a standard electronic format. Information stored in one computer is translated by software programs into standard EDI format for transmission to one or more trading partners. The trading partner’s computer, in turn, translates the information using software to a form, which they can understand. Bar codes are used for automatic product identification by a computer. They are rectangular type of lines of varying widths and spaces. The most common example of bar codes is consumer products like packaged food, books etc. These codes allow the product to be scanned at the checkout corners. As the product is identified, the price of the product is entered in cash register, while internal systems are automatically updated. Electronic Mails are message composed by individuals and sent to other recipients via Internet. Internet is decentralized network of millions of computers and computer networks. World Wide Web is a collection of documents written and encoded with hypertext marker language. With the aid of a relatively small piece of software, the user can ask for these documents and display them on the users local computer. Product Data Interchange is exchange of data usually in the graphic form that is needed to describe a project. Electronic Forms is a technology that combines the familiarity of paper forms with the power of storing information in digital form. To the user and the electronic form is simply a digital analogue of such a paper form, but appears on a computer screen and is filled out via mouse and keyboard. FUNCTIONS OF E-COMMERCE There are four functions of e-commerce:- Communication Process management Service management Transactional capabilities The communication function is aimed at the delivery of information and /or document to facilitate business transactions. Email is an excellent example of this. The process management function covers the automation and improvement of business process. The best example of this would be networking two computers together so that they can be shared and transfer of data is possible instead of one person taking data from one computer to another. Service management function is the application of technology to improve the quality of services. A good example of this is the Federal Express Website. It permits customers to track shipments and schedule pick-ups 24 hours a day without having to talk to a service representative. Customer services are greatly enhanced due to this site. The last function, transaction capabilities provide the ability to buy and sell on the internet. Amazon. com and REI offer good example. PRE-REQUISITES OF E-COMMERCE There are a very few pre-requisites to conduct e-commerce business. These are: Either your own or provided by a cart A shopping cart programmed to list your products or services and means to collect purchase information. A method to get funds into your bank account. If you want to automate the process, a compatible credit card merchant account and transaction processor (e. g. Authorise. net) to collect the credit card information and obtain authorization and post the funds into your account are required. SIGNIFICANCE OF E-COMMERCE Participants in the electronic market place are not only limited to digital product companies such as publishing, software and information industries. The digital age and digital revolution affect all of us by virtue of their process innovations. The web TV and digital television is going to affect the TV news and entertainment programs. Changes in telecommunications will affect the way we receive information, product announcements or orders etc. as phones, Fax USERS OF E-COMMERCE Anyone with something to sell can use e-commerce. If you access a website where you can store information about the items or products your company offers, you can use e-commerce. There are three kinds of business concerns, which are mainly using e-commerce. The first are new enterprises, which have no existing infrastructure. The other is the technology company which would have an interest in electronic routes to promote their services. The third category is of media companies, which would benefit from fast distribution of information together with low set up costs. Credit cards, cheques or any other mode of payment arrangement can be set up to be used via the internet. You do not have a transaction processor to process the transaction in real time, although real time credit card processing offers the most immediate methods to have funds deposited into your account. These are the e-commerce solution that allow information collection and retrieval from a secure server and then let you enter that information manually at your local terminal. EMPLOYMENT POTENTIAL OF E-COMMERCE According to computer system of a value added network (VAN) of the US government, there are many full and part time positions available in e-commerce with flexible hours. The current requirements but are not limited to: Systems programming(Unix,Win95,Win NT) EDI programmers Communication Engineers (Routers,ISDN,SLIP, PPP,RAS) Communication programmers (C,C++, VB) Technical writers Technical Support Sales and Marketing focus Field Engineering Support. PROS AND CONS OF E-COMMERCE ADVANTAGES Although in its infancy, e commerce is the most popular way for a business to expand their customer base and increase productivity. In recent years the online shopping industry has leaped forward and every business can be found without a website. With an Earth Link Total Commerce Package, you can sell product throughout the world by your web-based store. Here are some of the pros and cons of e-commerce:- The biggest advantage of e-commerce is that distance doesn’t matter in carrying out the trades. You can reach out to the world anytime you want. This helps the companies to have a cheap and effective way of communications with suppliers on one side with customers on the other. Contact with suppliers is possible through internet or via an EDI system. Secondly, unlike a brick and mortar store an online store is open 24 hours a day,7 days a week and 365 days a year. Thirdly, compared with a retail outlet or a new office the cost of setting up of an e-commerce office is very low. Fourthly, there is flexibility in a website to add and remove a product or product than in catalogue. Another advantage of being online is that it potentially gives exposure to previously untapped market segments. Another benefit is error reduction because orders don’t have to be re-keyed into order entry systems increased efficiencies through the automation of business process. Other benefits include wider choice and no wastage of time. People who want to buy products usually have to go out and search a shop. Now the only thing they have to do is turn their computer and select one of the thousands of online stores. Customers can find product from all over the world, so the amount of offers is far greater. DISADVANTAGES OF E-COMMERCE Among the disadvantages of selling online include inability to touch and feel the merchandise. As one analyst puts it, â€Å"kick the tyres†. This is a psychological barrier but as consumers become more familiar with shopping online this barrier will go. Further, a big rush with the growing importance of e-commerce and computer communication technology is that people don’t have social contacts any more. Further, because online stores do not exist for very long, many companies do not know how to set up a store. This results in a large group of annoyed customers, who want to but something but it is not clear how they should and there is no one who they should ask, like in a normal shop. In addition, computer systems will never be 100% safe. There shall be hackers who intercept money transactions and cause problems for consumers and companies. Above all in a developing nation Internet user usually is a young highly educated man. If you start a business then perhaps you might not reach women and elderly. At this time, e-commerce is not good if you want to sell product to a target other than highly educated man. This won’t be a problem in future as more and more people will use computer and the internet. PROSPECTS OF E-COMMERCE Though difficult to predict precisely but it is more likely that it stays here. On the up side all of us believe that e-commerce will increase exponentially in the coming years. An estimated 148 million shoppers were expected to spend an estimated $ 15 million in the cyber market space. According to IDC market estimates cyber sales are set to increase by 20% by the year 2000. The US department report in April 1998 titled â€Å"The Emergent Digital Economy† predicted that e-commerce will account $300 million annually by 2002. Area expected to grow includes financial services, entertainment, travel and groceries. The jackpot returns from e-commerce depend a lot on how the business processes are being leveraged by electronic transformation. On the downside experts say that longer a company waits the more difficult it will be to establish their presence. On the whole in the next few years, experts say that the world and the world of marketing in particular will be entirely transformed by the yet to be realized potential of e-commerce. Lessons derived from the evolution of e-commerce The following is a checklist of a few lessons learnt from the coming of e-commerce: No one that properly embraced ATMs, ant time money credit or debit cards even went back. Customers want expanded hours-24 hours per day are the limit. If it is convenient, people will gravitate to it after experimenting with it. Customers want expanded locations – the closer to home the better – the home is the limit. Customers change the way businessmen does business, technology is merely the facilitator. There is an inevitable trend in its emergence and e-commerce is here to stay. CONCLUSION E-commerce is growing explosively on the internet. Before the end of this decade, millions of companies and individuals will be buying, selling, bidding, brokering, advertising and collaborating on a daily basis, as the Internet merges with other branches of information highway. The resulting economies of scale will drastically lower cost of implementing and maintaining a procurement infrastructure. All said and done those who clearly see the opportunity, understand the medium creatively and completely put it to work for them, will definitely succeed in the digital economy of tomorrow. The e-commerce market may be infant in terms of years of existence, but the time has come for it to mature and develop a rational commerce strategy. Additionally using these methods will allow you to track your orders to the end user to investigate a fraudulent transaction. Real –time processing and delivery- Try to avoid real time processing and product delivery if at all possible. When your product is delivered immediately you lose the ability to check the order for possible fraud. That means a higher likelihood of stolen cards. Matching Addresses- If you receive an order that has different addresses for shipping and billing you should red flag this order. Many times there is nothing wrong with this type of order, but this is also a common way for someone using a stolen card to obtain merchandise. Call the Issuing Bank- This is an excellent way to determine if a card is stolen. When you provide the number to the bank they tell you immediately if the card is valid, stolen, or whatever. Since you don’t have the card in your possession you can call the credit card company- Visa, MasterCard etc. and get the name of the issuing bank. Don’t accept orders from free email addresses- Addresses such as usa. net, yahoo. com, or other free email addresses are perfect ways for an individual to hide their identity. Anyone can sign up for the services and they can give false information when signing up. The majority of fraudulent transactions come from free email address services. Make sure you tell your clients that any information submitted would not be used for any other purposes, nor will it be distributed. Envy- reports – These reports are taken by your form submission program and generally display IP addresses, and other visitor information. This information is very important in tracking orders, which have proven to be fraudulent. Using the IP address you can track the individual to their ISP and from there you can get the persons real address. Generally ISPs will release this information only if you can provide solid evidence that the individual committed fraud. You may also be required to get a court order. Telephone numbers – The best advice one can give is to get phone numbers from all customers and contact each customer regarding their order. One may also recommend telling customers on the order form, that you will be contacting them regarding their order prior to order fulfillment. This will stop many thieves from even placing the order. BIBLIOGRAPHY Employment News- January 2000 Website : http://www. dell. com Website :http://ecommerce. internet. com/ Website : http://www. consumer. net Website: http://www. ecrc. ctc. com/ Why This Fuse About E-Commerce- By Sanjay Kumar Misra E-Commerce (An Overview Of E-Commerce For Students And General Readers) By Bhushan Dewan E-commerce – By Dr. Milind M. Oka