Category: Digital Era

A Dictionary of Accounting defines ‘appraisal’ as “the assessment of alternative courses of action with a view to establishing which action should be taken. Appraisals may be financial, economic, or technical in emphasis” and ‘feasibility study’, as “an investigation to determine which of a range of decisions is likely to give a satisfactory return in a financial appraisal or economic appraisal of the alternatives” (Law 2016). For a Library facility, evaluation of these aspects can be carried out, by developing the stakeholder model and then surveying the current situation (Nyström 2012).

Libraries have evolved in this digital age and concepts like learning centres, learning spaces, information commons, learning commons, and collaborative spaces are expressed. “They speak of new uses of technology, reaching out to previously unserved populations, embedding themselves in academic departments and elsewhere, and partnering with nonlibrary units to create new types of services.”(Seal 2011). The historic ‘book warehouse’ library, being the storage of knowledge has now transformed to a modern, lively, social, more accessible, communal, user centric, technology exhibitionist, high performing and collaborative platform to share information. Virtual learning, career development centres, counselling and advising services, tutoring services, Computing and communications, refreshment zones, interactive design, silent study, skill development, makerspaces, experimental learning, meditation are some of the many vast available facilities now available in a library (Oliveira Silas 2018).

Libraries 2.0 have embraced for better communication and connectivity with their patrons through social media platforms, for marketing, customer service and other external communications (Del Bosque, Leif et al. 2012). In her research, Annie Talve shared “A cost benefit analysis of public libraries in 2009 revealed that not only do Australian public libraries return up to $8 of value for every dollar spent, but that library services are the most popular and highly used of all local government services offered to residents”(Talve 2011). Library expenditures have risen faster than the inflation rate, but a shift from material/book purchasing can be noticed, due to rising cost of materials and increased popularity wide-access to online media and research material (Prabha and Ogden 1994). Librarians, on the other hand, face workplace related stresses and pressure, because of sharp increase in expectations for full time availability, monitoring email and messages, keeping update with sheer the number of applications and technologies surrounding them (Quinn 2017).

SciTech Library is housed at the podium level in the 5-star green rated, Jane Foss Russell building, total project costing at $50 million (Architects). This building sits at a strategic location connecting two historic university campus halves of Camperdown and Darlington, separated earlier by the busy City Road (Architects). The expansive Library has created an internal landscape of terraces overlooking the gardens on the south and the City road on the north, within which variety of learning and study spaces have been accommodated to suit different usages (Architects). Johnpaul Cenzato, the Academic Liaison Librarian was available to quote details about the library: It supports the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment: Architecture, Design & Planning: Engineering and Information Technologies: the Sydney Medical School and Faculty of Veterinary Sciences. Furthermore, he added that the library alone has a footprint area of 3806 sqm, with around 600 seats, 147 computer stations, 85,000 non serial items and 1270 serials. The facility is maintained by 13.6 FTEs at information counters, helpdesks, and back office management (Cenzato 2019).

Introduction

Computer development these days are growing rapidly. Different types of new software and computer systems have made human life even easier. It has produced a lot of latest programs and innovations compared to the older computer systems (Malazarte, 2019). This proposal is about finding a computing solution to computerize a library.

The private higher institution is currently having a computer system; however, the computer system is a much older system. It is being used for normal work operations. The operating system of the current computer system is only 32-bit. Moreover, its storage space is limited. The institute administrators’ primary complaint with this program is that the current computer system is not equipped with the latest programs and software. Thus, the private higher institution has requested for an enhancement in the system. A great help will be the digital library system. Queries and transactions can be generated in one click; in addition, the storage system can be connected with the internet.

In this proposal, a modern computer system will be discussed and recommended for the library. The architecture of the modern computer system will be discussed alongside with arithmetic and I/O subsystems. A storage solution will be discussed as well to help store details and information of the library. With these solutions, the library will be able to run the library more efficiently.

General Objective

To enhance the current system to a more modern computer system that will help the private higher institution to deal with their problems of the current system. It is to help them to be equipped with latest technologies as well. Moreover, it is to boost their efficiency and productivity.

Specific Objective

1. To describe the architecture of the modern computer system
2. To provide a full specification of the modern computer system
3. To find a storage solution for the enhanced system

Problems of Current Computer System

A meeting was conducted with the admin of the private higher institute to find out what problems are they facing with the current computer system. Here are a few of the problems:

• Applications are running slowly in the current computer system.
• The version of software is old and outdated.
• Upgrades cannot be installed in the current computer system.
• The storage system of the current system is on a hard drive.
• The speed of the computer system is slow
• Crashes easily
• Unable to meet minimum requirements for software
• Internet is slow

User Requirements

The admins of the private higher institution has requested to find a computing solution to computerize the library. After highlighting at the problems stated, below shows the table of the user requirements for the enhance computer system.

Table 1: User Requirements

User Requirements

Enhance Computer System

Storage

Internet based

Software

Equipped with latest software

Speed

Fast

Operating System

64-bit

Internet Speed

Fast

Upgrades

Available

Updates on system

Often

Computing System

Architecture of modern computer system

Computer systems are a collection of interconnected components with the shared purpose of carrying out different operations. It consists of a computer, all the necessary supporting equipment for its use, instructions specifying the performance of certain tasks, procedures to be followed by people to use the computer and people using the system. The computer’s aim is to receive data, process data and output of operations as useful information (Hardin, 1994).

The modern computer system that is recommended for the library to use would be a personal computer (PC). PCs will increase productivity and the library will be more efficient with a good understanding of the software running on them. A diagram of the architecture of a modern PC will be shown at the appendix section A.

The architecture’s components are a CPU, optical disk drive, keyboard, memory, hard disks and audio capability and built in video. The system usually provides Wi-Fi, modem and network parallel, USB or Ethernet. For various functions, ports can be used such as printers, mouse modems and other devices. When the system is running, the commands are read from the disk directory of the machine code into memory. The code is a series of instructions that are placed in memory at this stage. Some applications have some persistent data stored in memory as well. The CPU executes the program by extracting and executing each instruction from the memory. The data is also obtained by the system as needed (Hardin, 1994).

Most programs also have access to Input/output (I/O) devices and it need to program each access. I/O devices are highly variable. For example, a keyboard, a mouse, a monitor, some are intended to interact with humans. Others are meant for I/O readable devices. A computer, for example, could store a file on a disk or read a network file. All of these devices have very different characteristics and their pacing properties are drastically different from each other (Hardin, 1994).

Admins must develop a thorough understanding of how the CPU performs programs and communicates with memory. Since I/O computer programming is complicated and each application makes use of it, the operating system provides the code for managing I/O devices. The C runtime environment includes a rich collection of functions that a developer of software can use to execute I/O activities and rely on these facilities to perform I/O operations (Hardin, 1994).

Specification of PC

The suitable model of PC will be Dell. Dell OptiPlex 24 7000 All-in – One Series (7440) offers outstanding performance in a compact, clutter-free model with a 23.8 ‘FullHD screen and additional 4 K UltraHD monitor. With up to sixth Gen Intel ® CoreTM i7 Processors, Intel ® HD graphics, and Intel ® vPro system management, Dell’s most stable and functional consumer all-in-one is accessible. Contact functionality dramatically improves performance, although rapid deployment and tool-free serviceability minimize downtime. In addition, the excellent 24×7 ProSupport Plus covers all modules (Allone, Intel and Plus, no date). Below shows, a table of its specifications and a figure of the PC will be shown in at the appendix section B.

Table 2: Specification of Dell OptiPlex 24 7000 Series All-in-One (7440)

Operating System

Windows® 10 Professional 64-bit

Keyboard

Dell KB216 Multi-Media Keyboard

Hard Drive

500GB 2.5″ 7200RPM

OptiPlex 7440 All-in-One

Intel Core i5-6500 (3.2GHz)

Monitor

23.8″ Full-HD Non-touch w/ Camera

Audio Solutions

Integrated Digital Audio

Memory

8GB DDR4

Warranty

5 Year Limited Warranty

Video Card

Intel Integrated Graphics

Mouse

Dell MS116 USB Optical Mouse

Speakers

Integrated internal

Network Adapters

Intel® 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet

Price (RM)

3703.56

Storage System

Cloud storage can create a great library storage system. OneDrive should be used as a cloud storage by the library. OneDrive is the storage service for Microsoft to host files in the ‘cloud’. It is available to all Microsoft account owners free of charge. OneDrive provides users a convenient way to store, synchronize and share different kinds of files on the cloud with other individuals and computers. Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 also synchronizes system settings, interface customizations, themes app configurations and even Microsoft Edge windows, browsing history and stored passwords through OneDrive. A figure of the architecture of OneDrive will be shown at the appendix section C (Neagu, 2019).

OneDrive is available on all devices. The library’s administrator can view the files containing the book information stored in OneDrive space directly from a web browser or directly from the PC’s operating system. Students and other members can be able to view the books available at the library just by searching it up on the library’s website or by viewing it on one’s phone. It is not necessary for them to visit the library to search for books; they can simply view it at home or anywhere else. It helps the library members to safe a trip to the library just in case the required book is not available (Neagu, 2019).

OneDrive provides 5 GB of free storage space; however, other plans are available in the future, if the library needs further storage. OneDrive enables easy access to the cloud storage of the library that makes it easy to share information about the books on OneDrive. In contrast, it can save library data copies and can synchronize it. Microsoft is configuring OneDrive as the default library data saving venue. If this is allowed by the library, OneDrive can automatically restore backups of library copies to the cloud and synchronize them to other computers. If the hard drive or SSD crashes, the library will have its records in your OneDrive readily available, preventing the disappearance of important files (Neagu, 2019).

Conclusion and Recommendation

The private higher institution needs a modern computer to be more efficient with tasks and to equip themselves with the latest technologies. Many days, modern computers provide outstanding virus protection. The antivirus software’s reliability has greatly improved. This allows accessing the modern computers more challenging for malicious parties. It can also automatically encrypt files when it is found to be compromised (Softwarelicense4u, 2019). That is why it is important to use modern computers these days.

Moreover, the specifications display above can also be upgraded in the future as well. One of the recommendation is the processor. The processor improvement would bring efficiency to the system and boost the computer’s life expectancy as it can adapt to new applications. In contrast, the memory can also be added to. It will help to increase the machine rate and contribute to the end-user experience (Flls.org, 2019). Overall, this is the proposal for the client from the private higher institution.

The digital economy in world creates efficiency and is beneficial to connect the whole world within a single framework. It is also termed a new economy. The digital economy was first coined by a Japanese professor at the end of 1990. The digital economy is termed because digital technologies help the economy by providing several inclusive opportunities. The broad scope of the digital economy includes sustainable growth for economics and it provides several facilities like e-commerce platforms, industry procurement, implementation of new software, and digital services and enhances excellent international cooperation among countries.

The digital economy is a term that emphasizes using digital technologies, which are generally based on computing technologies. It is essential for covering all types of business, industries, and economic and social aspects of an economy. Support from the Web and digital technologies accelerates the pace of the interconnection of global networks. Various countries define the digital economy in different terms. Australian economy termed it as a global network, whereas defines it as a connection that ensures electronic transactions are easy. OECD countries termed it the web economy, and it states that the digital economy assures efficient trading of goods and services.

This work aims to understand the significance of the digital economy as well as its promises and perils.

Promises of the Digital Economy

Firstly, the digital economy has helped to simplify payment and make transactions easy. It has made cash transactions rare and has reduced the complexity of cash counting and carrying safely. It also reduces the amount of black money and enhances anti-corruption policies. It ensures a transparent economy, acts as a powerful catalyst to simplify huge business transactions, and ensures 90% of more market capitalization. Most developed countries are willing to adopt the digital economy. From the period of 2005 to 2019, it has experienced an increase in adoption in the digital economy all over the world. Through a digital approach, it reduces the cost of sending and receiving money. It also increases the safekeeping of money and fast speed for money transfer. It has been reported 53% of the users believe in digital assistance and money security (Avazov and Maxmudov, 2021). An increase in cryptocurrency regulation and financial literacy has been encouraged through the digital economy.

But the most promising feature of the digital economy is that it can be applied in every industry. It directly connects to developing computer technologies and enhances the digital revolution. Internet banking, electronic payments, e-commerce, rise in business outsourcing are the promising sides of the digital economy. It can be applied in every field of life, whether in sports or aviation, telecommunication, or other manufacturing industries. Smart cities are created, and it has been noticed that the implementation of smart cities raises the sphere of information security by 36% (Avazov, 2021).

Dangers of the Digital Economy in the Age of Network Intelligence

The dark side of the digital economy is digital insecurity and cyber insecurity. The rising pace of the digital economy has increased the need for digital security. However, it is not able to maintain the pace, and the rapid growth is creating a legacy and complications in financial and other business services, making the digital economy vulnerable to data breaches and network ad password hacking. Large industries, including aviation, military, banking, manufacturing, and other services, are digitized, and technology inefficiency increases the country to cyber-attacks because of digital insecurity.

Moreover, the digital economy undergoes heavy investment, which is sometimes difficult for developing countries. The digital economy can be implemented with a strong infrastructural framework and high-functioning potential for networks and telecommunications. It requires huge investment to engage different shareholders and strong market capitalization. Thus, the implementation of the digital economy in developing and underdeveloped countries remains a dream.

Reasons for the Unprecedented Growth of the Digital Economy

The major three components of digital economies are the core aspects of the digital world, digital and information technology, and wider aspects of digitalized sectors. These components are used in different sections of an economy, and among them, the core aspects of the digital world focus on investments and financing for the economy. Facilities incorporated with the digital economy improve personal skills and infrastructure, which encourages sustainable economic growth. According to a UNCTAD report, digital skills, and capital include 23% of the world’s overall GDP (Unctad.org, 2019). The reasons behind the unprecedented growth of digital economies are the usage of blockchain technologies, three-dimensional printing facilities, digital transactions, high-speed Internet facilities, the Internet of Things, automation, cloud computing, and robotics, as well as data trafficking. The features of the digital economy like blockchain technology ensure many parties engage in secure and trusted transactions. Three-dimensional printing features are beneficial for developing countries to boost local markets and international trading. IoT is another growing advantage of the digital economy and it has been forecast to grow by 17% by the end of 2024. Sensors and chips for identifying radio frequencies are some gadgets that help in the easy facilitation of sending and receiving data.

Mitigating Strategies to Overcome the Dangers

Countries should focus on reinventing the Internet facility to provide a secure and safe digital economy. Internet communication is growing fragile due to huge malicious activities, data insecurity, hacking, and theft. It needs to be removed by implementing a trusted digital economic sphere, and this could boost up additional 2.8% growth for large organizations in an economy. To make the digital economy secure, the Internet of Things needs to be changed. 74% of business leaders around the world acknowledge solving the Internet of Things, and removing problems from blockchain technology will lead to the digital economy secure.

Before implementing the digital economy, countries should focus on removing gaps within it. Gaps within income, education, and urban-rural division are the barriers to implementing the digital economy. This causes a shortage of investment and problems occur while implementing digital technologies. On the other hand, problems with digital insecurity can be resolved by ICT tools, botnet mitigation, and basic standard rules for IT security. This could engage secure electronic identity and more code encryption to handle these connections with more efficacy. Greater use of network architecture can be used to mitigate the threats. Confidence in Internet security can rise then only and quantum computing could be applied to detect frauds in digital financing.

Conclusion and Recommendations

This work has revealed the significance of the digital economy, including its promises and disadvantageous features. Reviewing the recent trends of the digital economy signifies that digital technologies connect with all aspects of digital infrastructure. There are different promising characteristics of the digital economy, and among them, digital transactions and their potential to be applicable in all industries are the most important. The black side of the digital economy is that it requires huge investment as well as digital insecurity. Digital confidence among people is very low, although dependence on the Internet and digital finance is more than 90%. This work frames some recommendations so that the perils of the digital economy can be resolved and those are as follows:

• Digital insecurity can be resolved by maintaining strong protocols of Internet security and removing the complexity of the Internet of Things.
• Digital security can be ensured by implementing necessary software in every aspect of digital technologies.
• The digital economy needs huge investment, and thus proper international collaboration is recommended within countries.
• Engaging shareholders and stakeholders are suggested in the digital economies to assuring investment and funding.
• Economies are recommended to resolve the gap between education, region, and income so that investment and literacy about the digital economy both are ensured.
• Coded encryption and quantum connectivity should be ensured to remove digital insecurity and frame a robust digital economy.

The digital economy in world creates efficiency and is beneficial to connect the whole world within a single framework. It is also termed a new economy. The digital economy was first coined by a Japanese professor at the end of 1990. The digital economy is termed because digital technologies help the economy by providing several inclusive opportunities. The broad scope of the digital economy includes sustainable growth for economics and it provides several facilities like e-commerce platforms, industry procurement, implementation of new software, and digital services and enhances excellent international cooperation among countries.

The digital economy is a term that emphasizes using digital technologies, which are generally based on computing technologies. It is essential for covering all types of business, industries, and economic and social aspects of an economy. Support from the Web and digital technologies accelerates the pace of the interconnection of global networks. Various countries define the digital economy in different terms. Australian economy termed it as a global network, whereas defines it as a connection that ensures electronic transactions are easy. OECD countries termed it the web economy, and it states that the digital economy assures efficient trading of goods and services.

This work aims to understand the significance of the digital economy as well as its promises and perils.

Promises of the Digital Economy

Firstly, the digital economy has helped to simplify payment and make transactions easy. It has made cash transactions rare and has reduced the complexity of cash counting and carrying safely. It also reduces the amount of black money and enhances anti-corruption policies. It ensures a transparent economy, acts as a powerful catalyst to simplify huge business transactions, and ensures 90% of more market capitalization. Most developed countries are willing to adopt the digital economy. From the period of 2005 to 2019, it has experienced an increase in adoption in the digital economy all over the world. Through a digital approach, it reduces the cost of sending and receiving money. It also increases the safekeeping of money and fast speed for money transfer. It has been reported 53% of the users believe in digital assistance and money security (Avazov and Maxmudov, 2021). An increase in cryptocurrency regulation and financial literacy has been encouraged through the digital economy.

But the most promising feature of the digital economy is that it can be applied in every industry. It directly connects to developing computer technologies and enhances the digital revolution. Internet banking, electronic payments, e-commerce, rise in business outsourcing are the promising sides of the digital economy. It can be applied in every field of life, whether in sports or aviation, telecommunication, or other manufacturing industries. Smart cities are created, and it has been noticed that the implementation of smart cities raises the sphere of information security by 36% (Avazov, 2021).

Dangers of the Digital Economy in the Age of Network Intelligence

The dark side of the digital economy is digital insecurity and cyber insecurity. The rising pace of the digital economy has increased the need for digital security. However, it is not able to maintain the pace, and the rapid growth is creating a legacy and complications in financial and other business services, making the digital economy vulnerable to data breaches and network ad password hacking. Large industries, including aviation, military, banking, manufacturing, and other services, are digitized, and technology inefficiency increases the country to cyber-attacks because of digital insecurity.

Moreover, the digital economy undergoes heavy investment, which is sometimes difficult for developing countries. The digital economy can be implemented with a strong infrastructural framework and high-functioning potential for networks and telecommunications. It requires huge investment to engage different shareholders and strong market capitalization. Thus, the implementation of the digital economy in developing and underdeveloped countries remains a dream.

Reasons for the Unprecedented Growth of the Digital Economy

The major three components of digital economies are the core aspects of the digital world, digital and information technology, and wider aspects of digitalized sectors. These components are used in different sections of an economy, and among them, the core aspects of the digital world focus on investments and financing for the economy. Facilities incorporated with the digital economy improve personal skills and infrastructure, which encourages sustainable economic growth. According to a UNCTAD report, digital skills, and capital include 23% of the world’s overall GDP (Unctad.org, 2019). The reasons behind the unprecedented growth of digital economies are the usage of blockchain technologies, three-dimensional printing facilities, digital transactions, high-speed Internet facilities, the Internet of Things, automation, cloud computing, and robotics, as well as data trafficking. The features of the digital economy like blockchain technology ensure many parties engage in secure and trusted transactions. Three-dimensional printing features are beneficial for developing countries to boost local markets and international trading. IoT is another growing advantage of the digital economy and it has been forecast to grow by 17% by the end of 2024. Sensors and chips for identifying radio frequencies are some gadgets that help in the easy facilitation of sending and receiving data.

Mitigating Strategies to Overcome the Dangers

Countries should focus on reinventing the Internet facility to provide a secure and safe digital economy. Internet communication is growing fragile due to huge malicious activities, data insecurity, hacking, and theft. It needs to be removed by implementing a trusted digital economic sphere, and this could boost up additional 2.8% growth for large organizations in an economy. To make the digital economy secure, the Internet of Things needs to be changed. 74% of business leaders around the world acknowledge solving the Internet of Things, and removing problems from blockchain technology will lead to the digital economy secure.

Before implementing the digital economy, countries should focus on removing gaps within it. Gaps within income, education, and urban-rural division are the barriers to implementing the digital economy. This causes a shortage of investment and problems occur while implementing digital technologies. On the other hand, problems with digital insecurity can be resolved by ICT tools, botnet mitigation, and basic standard rules for IT security. This could engage secure electronic identity and more code encryption to handle these connections with more efficacy. Greater use of network architecture can be used to mitigate the threats. Confidence in Internet security can rise then only and quantum computing could be applied to detect frauds in digital financing.

Conclusion and Recommendations

This work has revealed the significance of the digital economy, including its promises and disadvantageous features. Reviewing the recent trends of the digital economy signifies that digital technologies connect with all aspects of digital infrastructure. There are different promising characteristics of the digital economy, and among them, digital transactions and their potential to be applicable in all industries are the most important. The black side of the digital economy is that it requires huge investment as well as digital insecurity. Digital confidence among people is very low, although dependence on the Internet and digital finance is more than 90%. This work frames some recommendations so that the perils of the digital economy can be resolved and those are as follows:

• Digital insecurity can be resolved by maintaining strong protocols of Internet security and removing the complexity of the Internet of Things.
• Digital security can be ensured by implementing necessary software in every aspect of digital technologies.
• The digital economy needs huge investment, and thus proper international collaboration is recommended within countries.
• Engaging shareholders and stakeholders are suggested in the digital economies to assuring investment and funding.
• Economies are recommended to resolve the gap between education, region, and income so that investment and literacy about the digital economy both are ensured.
• Coded encryption and quantum connectivity should be ensured to remove digital insecurity and frame a robust digital economy.

Within today’s society of the digital age, people have discussed a topic that some may find to be alarming or controversial. The topic of “Fake News” has surfaced throughout the digital age, there are numerous reasons why fake news is considered a “dangerous” topic. To some people it can be something silly like aliens crash landing on earth, while to many it is over serious matters such as a certain presidents doing something irrational again or something that is considered surprising. Fake news is when people are misinformed on information about an event, topic, or person; or even information related to past actions of history. The misinformation can spread and cause rumors that aren’t true; thus, causing possible negative actions toward the matter at hand.

Fake news has been defined as “a catchall term that seeks to discredit a source, typically unaccompanied by any other supporting evidence” (Fernandez) or as false or misleading stories that are shared between people. This can be to get either a negative or positive response on issues that some may find controversial. In Judith Donath’s article on fake news, she informs that “Posting fake news stories is a modern form of identity politics, proclaiming an affinity for a particular community” (Donath). While most people can see clear indicators of fake news spread all over social media, it typically consists of bias opinions or un-factual claims. While conducting research for fake news in social media, I came across some fake news called “Obama Signs Executive Order Banning the Pledge of Allegiance in Public Schools Nationwide”. While this being a dead giveaway due to the fact that it would be outrageous for a president to dismiss the pledge in schools, it was also found on an untrustworthy website that was thought to be a trustful website.

Most trustworthy websites end in .net, .edu, or .gov, but the website I looked into ended in abcnew.com.co. These websites are labeled as “trustworthy” since it is from the government or other superficial people that have conducted research and tested the areas being discussed to be considered actual facts, rather than claims. Another way I was able to tell the article was fake was how the author used repetition to start off the sentences, “Early this morning, President Obama made what could very well prove to be the most controversial move of his presidency with the signing of…” (Rustling). Thus, giving away to the realization that the authors is not a particular trusting source of information.

The source from where the article was obtained from is not the only indication this article is not true. The Pledge of Allegiance has been recited for many years, it is symbolic and important to our history. To ban this pledge would be very unreasonable and would cause a lot of uproar by the people. The pledge was written by a Youth’s Companion employee, Francis Bellamy, in preparation for a Columbus Day celebration in 1892 (Martin). However, during that time period people did not realize how symbolic the pledge was. Students were required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in school, even if they did not want to for religious reasons. In order for a student to have permission not to recite the pledge they must have a letter from their parents stating why their child cannot recite the pledge. In 1943, the supreme court case of West Virginia State Board of Education v Barnette ruled that students did not have to recite the pledge if it was against their religion and did not disrupt the class (“Parents”). The meaning and importance of the pledge change when a tragedy occured. September 11, 2001 was the day that changed everyone. There was a terrorist attack that left the entire world in silence and devastation. Students gave the pledge a new meaning of hope and unity. the pledge is not only important to the students, but also to those who fight for our country.

Within the articles I read, some points seem to be believable, but if you pay close attention then you won’t be fooled into their lies. It goes on to say by calling this ‘one nation under God’, we exclude the millions of hard working atheists and agnostics who call America home. By saying “liberty and justice for all’, we ignore the grievances of millions of Hispanics, African Americans and Muslims who feel they have neither liberty nor justice” (Rustling). Furthermore, Rustling goes on to include Hillary Clinton to mention that she supports Obama’s decision. Not only was Hillary included, so was Donald Trump, however he was not in agreeance with this order; he went on to call Obama, and I quote, “illegitimate Muslim traitor.” All this evidence and text citations make this news believable, however, this story is fake.

While some may consider to believe the fake news of “Obama Signs Executive Order Banning the Pledge of Allegiance in Schools Nationwide” you actually have to take into consideration of the source they gathered their materials and whether or not they are trustworthy source as well. A good way to make sure your information is legit is to fact check the information. Fact checking is when you consult a website or personal knowledge to assess whether a website or your source of information is actually reliable. This can be processed through websites such as FactCheck.org which is a very reliable website that checks whether or not the source is reliable. If the article is open to other points of view and allows the reader to better depict the situation then it is more likely to be a reasonable and honest source than that of one that is biased to their one sided claims. Overall, when it comes to whether or not fake news is a problem the answer is in the eye of the beholder.

Fake news is an unprecedented problem that has swept over the eyes of millions and can not always be dismissed so easily, but if you are able to catch the unprecedented signs of the reality vs fake news then you can easily choose your own opinion on the matter.

Since the inception of time, commerce, business, and trading have been prevalent in this world. Be it the Indus Valley Civilization or the modern digital era, there have always been parties in the fields of business commerce and arts. In every typical business model, there is a party that buys something and another party that pays something equivalent to the worth of the utility he or she is purchasing. Now, the payment methodology of such transactions evolved as the trade industry grew. Initially, a barter system was introduced where the purchaser or buyer could buy something by exchanging something, which is useful for the seller. For example, if I wanted a rice bag of 1kg, I would have to request the seller to sell me the bag, and in exchange ask for a deal of what needed to be exchanged against the rice bag. It could be 1kg of wheat flour or even a kilogram of gold. Therefore, visibly, there was no definite measure of exchange of value, and moreover, I would have to sacrifice something to gain something, the same stands for the seller as well. Moreover, their system of deferred payment would be impossible in such Transactions, nevertheless, the storing value of such goods also stands as a burden. Then came the concept of metal money issued by an authority, usually issued by the kings or barons of land. Soon as time elapsed, metal money was slowly replaced by coinage metals, which certain coins stood for as the value of money, shinier and weight the coin had, much larger was the value it carried. As soon as the political and legislative structure started to adapt in this world, soon humans invented the concept of paper money, where paper represented had no value, but were issued by the government and legalized authorities, such as the central banks. Soon plastic money came into existence. That is, cheques, payment orders, etc., such payment methods were known as the traditional forms of payment. In the 1990s, technology was blooming and the world was going digital. Computers came into existence and the world soon turned into a global village through this digitalization. With this technological advancement, the concept of electric fund transfer and e-payments came into the picture. The modern emerging form of payment is the e-form of payment.

E-form of payment or e-payment is a payment that is done through electronic or digital mode. In short, it enhances the acceptance of electronic payment for online transactions. In every transaction, there is a payer and a payee (buyer and seller). In such payment modes, the account of the payer is debited, and the account of the payee is credited at the time of the transaction. A credit card is an example of this mode of payment. Such systems have been increasingly relevant in recent times.

Advantages of E-Payment Systems

1. Low labor cost. Such digital or e-payments are automatic and hence need no manpower or much labor for which the labor cost for such is usually low. This helps in higher profit expectancy and huge growth opportunities for any producer.
2. Fast. Unlike the earlier days when one had to stand in a line/queue or wait for hours at the table or cashing counter in order to perform a transaction, here, the transaction is only a few clicks away. Fast transactions help in increasing revenue at a growing rate and provide an opportunity for the producer or company to increase its customer base.
3. Automatic. Such payments are automatic, which is usually convenient for the customers as well as users. Such payments take place through banks with no bank employee involved in order to initiate the transaction. This ensures a safe and fast transaction.
4. Feedback. E-payments usually have a quick mode of feedback from their customers. When feedback is quick, problems can be identified easily. Hence, they help the management to prepare a response plan much more quickly and efficiently.
5. Increased sales. As e-payments become widespread, the number of people using cash sales reduces, and hence by such a bank rate e-payments enable quick sales to customers who prefer to pay electronically, and hence gain a competitive advantage over those using traditional payment methods.
6. Record of transactions. Each and every transaction is recorded, and hence by such mode of payments the accounts of a firm or a company are easy by use of various software and this helps in clear transactions and accountability in the books of accounts of a company or a firm.
7. Enhances digitality. E-payments enhance and entice consumers and customers to shift to digital modes of payment. Hence, it helps in the digitalization of the economy.

Disadvantages of Digital Payment

1. Security. E-payments are prone to cybercriminals who disable online payments and exploit them to steal such people’s money. That is, when someone uses credit card credentials to perform a transaction without the authorization of the credit card owner, such transactions are deemed to be genuine and lead to cyber fraud and siphoning of funds. Other than cyber fraud, the data transfer which takes place during a transaction is a concern. As personal data may be often stored in databases of such systems, hence there is a lack of anonymity.
2. Technical problems. Technical glitches and technical errors usually slow down e-payments, resulting in disputed transactions. In such cases, it is difficult to claim a refund.
3. Dependability. To perform digital payments or e-payments one has to be acquainted with digital technology. Those who do not know much about digital technologies often find it difficult and have less trust in such modes of payment. Hence, the element of dependability on technology is a backdrop to such a mode of payment. In short, with no Internet access, such payments cannot be performed.
4. High maintenance costs. It is evident that the world is growing at a fast pace. 20 years back no one would have considered e-payment as a mode of transaction, and a few more years back, no one knew that bitcoins and cryptocurrency would be prevalent in the present modern era. Maintenance cost is the cost of constantly updating to new faster and quick technology. When one engages in an e-payment mode of payment, the cost of maintenance becomes inevitable.

Conclusion

Concluding on a lighter note, e-payments provide a great opportunity for fast transactions and have many pros with a little number of concerning drawbacks. E-payments prove to be an effective mode of payment. But it is also to be noted that, according to various studies, the rate of criminal fraud in cyber payments increases by 30% every year. Therefore, one must be cautious and attentive while making such payments. Also, one must be acquainted with various important secured ways to pay via e-payments in the market.