ITGS portfolio Loss of employment and privacy issues regarding the rise of online grocery shopping Area of Impact: 3.1 Business and employment

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Portfolio Assignment #3
Loss of employment and privacy issues regarding the rise of online grocery shopping

Area of Impact: 3.1 Business and employment

October 14, 2010

Word Count: 987

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jul/07/amazon-groceries-ocado-flotation


Presentation of the Issue:

        Recently, Amazon launched a grocery division online, including 22,000 different products ranging from Kraft, Nestle, Pampers and many other brands.  The idea of online grocery shopping is becoming a well-liked form of technology and customers are realizing the benefits it can provide.  Some advantages of grocery shopping online would be the great amount of convenience it would provide for busy parents, flexibility of grocery shopping times, the ability to get specialty products that local grocery stores may not have and it can help the shopper be aware of the subtotal by simply checking the list of foods that have been picked.

        With advantages, come disadvantages.  Security and privacy issues arise when ordering the grocery goods online, because personal information like name, address and credit card numbers are given away.  Another downside is that vendors might not be reliable with the orders customers make.  Although many individuals and households have access to Internet, not everyone does.  Seniors who have troubles with mobility might not be able to use this form of technology as they are either not tech-savvy or they don’t have access to Internet.  Equality of access is also being limited to the people who live in rural areas, because deliveries might not reach to low populated areas.  Last but not least, issues concerning loss of employment and loss of human touch might arise because intermediary service is no longer needed.

Information Technology Background of the Issue:

        The birth of online grocery shopping started in the early 1990s.  Only during the last decade has online grocery shopping been popular to the society.  With the rapid improvements of technology, “analysts at market research firm IGD predict that online sales of groceries will almost double to £7.2bn by 2014.”  As for Amazon, it started out with Jeff Bezos in 1995 selling books online.  As time passes, Amazon has built up from a small online book store to one of the largest online retailers in the world, selling a large variety of products.  Online grocery shopping was invented to improve the lives of families and individuals who are either too busy or are unable to go shopping for groceries.  Not only can it provide convenience, but it can also help maintain a healthy lifestyle and help maintain a moderate budget for groceries.

        Using the technology of purchasing grocery food online can cause problems regarding the issue of computers replacing the jobs of human beings.  People might rely on the convenience of using online grocery shopping, therefore neglecting the people who work as a clerk or cashiers in grocery stores.  The rise of using online grocery shopping would result in a loss of employment for many members of the society.  Also, public communications would be a factor that will be affected.  As the employment number from grocery stores decrease, so will the ability of people to interact with people in the society and community.  

Impact of the Issue:

        Just like any other type of online shopping, online grocery shopping can cause issues concerning privacy and security.  Even though going to the grocery store and buying the food in person might require more time compared to making orders online, it will diminish the seriousness of security issues because customers are no longer entering their credit card number into the computer.  Lower the chances of privacy issues arising would also limit the chance of identity theft.  By entering the credit card number on the Internet, it will automatically put the user at risk because the theft will be able to use the credit card and personal information to make purchases.

        Online grocery shopping will definitely affect the business and employment field.  If online grocery shopping becomes the ideal choice of buying produces for everyone in the society then the issue of employment will be very severe.  As technology improves, communication between people decreases.  For example, business meetings no longer need to be held in a meeting room, because video chat rooms on the computer are available for all members of the company.  This also applies to online grocery shopping.  As technology provides convenience and efficiency for people, it is also affecting us in a negative way by minimizing the need for interactions.  Communication will be affected, and not only that but also daily basic skills, like addition and subtraction, because credit cards are always being used during transactions when purchasing online groceries, basic math is no longer practiced.

Solution for the Issue:

        The first and best way to ensure a safe online grocery order is to acknowledge that there are serious risks when purchasing products because personal information is given out.  A good and simple way to minimize reliability issues regarding online grocery shopping is to establish a good relationship with the vendors that you are working with.  Good vendors should have offline information available for consumers to study.  Things like contact information, experience, reviews and when the products are from should be available for the consumers to see. “Know your vendor's complaint and return policy and don't be afraid to use it.”  Another simple thing for consumers to do is to make small orders before making large ones just o make sure the vendor is reliable.

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        For the best form of security, remember to make up a secure password, print and save records when making online transactions and make sure there is a secure checkout and payment process.  Precautions like looking out for delayed shipping and making sure prices for products aren’t too good to be true are both very simple but significantly important things that can be done.  According to PayPal, it is extremely important for vendors to have a Secure Socket Layer (SSL), which encrypts sensitive information and makes it safe. “Look for the locked padlock icon at the bottom of your browser window ...

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