Integrated Skills in the Digital Age

This report discusses the positive and negative aspects of managing online and offline selling, the impact of COVID-19 on online applications, and the challenges of online security and privacy. It also provides recommendations for tools and explores video conferencing with Zoom.

Integrated skills in the
digital age

Abstract
The following report includes explanation about the positive and negative aspects of managing
the online and offline way of selling products. There is discussion about the effect of COVID
pandemic on the way of increase in online and video applications.

Table of Contents
Abstract...................................................................................................................................................2
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................4
Literature Review........................................................................................................................................4
Positive and negative aspects of services and products sold online and offline.......................................4
The challenges and measures of security and privacy that individuals and businesses take when they go
online...........................................................................................................................................................7
Due to widespread of COVID-19, many businesses are turning to provide their services online. Select
any two tools, compare and contrast their features, applications, suitability etc......................................9
Recommendation......................................................................................................................................11
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................11
From the above report, it is discussed that there are various companies across the world which are facing
problem due to the covid-19 and they have to start operating their business online. There are various
companies which have to embrace a video first culture. There is high increase in market of
videoconferencing. Today's world is defined by remote working as well as globalisation, due to which
there is increase in managing the way in which business can be done without face to face interaction.....11
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................12

Introduction
There is explanation of positive as well as negative services and products which are sold through
online and offline medium. Due to widespread of COVID-19, many businesses are turning to
provide their services online. Select any two tools, compare and contrast their features,
applications, suitability etc.
Literature Review
Positive and negative aspects of services and products sold online and offline
Online Shopping
Positive Aspects:
 Convenient; It is seen that online shopping is much easier than shopping at a physical
store. There are a number of online shopping sites such as eBay Amazon and a number of
others which have expertise and a number of features to make it convenient for customers
to shop. They have developed a number of out of box and customizable features for or
customers to make their shopping experience more convenient and easier. Additionally,
there are a number of bonus and benefits along with sale offers on the online products
which act as a benefit for online shopping sites.
 Cheap: Setting up of online store is also cheap as there is no physical presence required.
They are also very less risk attached to online shopping. Nowadays online shoppers have
also introduced product returning facilities through which users can easily return their
products if they do not like it. They do not have any maintenance cost for physical stores
for employees also they do not require to keep any stock for display due to which their
cost is decreased and the benefit is shown as sales and discounts for the customers.
 Discounts and offers: A number of online shopping sites also come with 24-hour sales in
a number of products full stop this is not seen in offline shopping. There for the
customers who are price conscious and do not want to spend much on shopping can
effectively use online shopping in order to save money. They also get a number of
varieties and options which is huge and offline shoppers do not have this benefit of
various range of products.

 Time saving: Online shopping also saves time and efforts which person use while
shopping. They do not need to go to stores and spend their time in the store. Whenever
they are free, they can easily surf online and order the products they want to buy
convenience factor in online selling and buying of product is the major reason for growth
of this sector.
Negative Aspects:
 Delay in delivery: It is often seen that there is delay in delivering a product that is bought
online. This creates inconvenience for the buyer. If certain products are required urgently
by a customer online shopping is not the best option for them. It is often seen that while
purchasing a product the time shown for delivery and the time in which the product
reaches the customer varies widely.
 Lack of physical touch: Lack of physical touch of fabric while buying merchandise
online is a major setback for online shopping. Some of the customers think it to be
important checking quality of products while buying. They cannot do it in online
shopping due to which they feel differently about online shopping.
 Frauds: It is often seen that there are a number of frauds taking place in online shopping.
This might happen with the payments which are not much secured. Also, in order to grow
their e commerce many marketers use low quality of product and this cannot be judged
online through pictures.
Offline shopping
This refers to the shopping which is not done by consumer online rather they physically
go to stores in order to buy the goods and services. Below mentioned are various positive as well
as negative aspects of offline shopping:
Positive Aspects:
 Instant check on quality- one of the greatest benefits of offline shopping is that person
can personally check the quality and authenticity of the product they are buying. When
shopping online there is no scope for checking these qualities. a person will never get
disappointed when they are shopping offline because the true features of products are
presented in front of customers while they are shopping. It is often seen in online

shopping that the quality of fabric while buying clothes is not clear which makes online
shopping difficult.
 No waiting period- One another benefit of offline shopping is that one can use the
product they have bought instantly. There is no waiting period for using the products
bought in offline shopping. On the other hand, when there is online shopping done by
customers, they need to wait till the time the product is delivered for them. Therefore, if
there is instant use for some product online shopping is not a great option whereas offline
shopping is the best option for instant use of products.
 Personal Touch- It is often seen that offline shopping has personal touch of customers.
When a product is bought from the same shopper for a number of times it makes
relationship between the buyer and the seller. This is not at all possible online shopping.
This personal relationship created between buyer and seller is beneficial for both
customer as well as shopkeepers. The shopkeepers are the owners are well aware of
choices of the customer and they also give personal attention to customers who visit there
stores regularly.
Negative Aspects:
 Less options: This is one of the major reasons which proves to be a great disadvantage
for offline shopping. There are very less options available for customers who visit stores
to buy products. It is often seen that when a person goes to buy a product offline the
shopkeeper shows maximum 10 to 20 options. But when looking for online shopping
there are thousands of options available and even the customer will get tired of scrolling
down the options still there are no end to options available. This is another drawback
offline shopping because it is not possible for stores to provide so many options as online
shopping provides.
 Lack of discounts and expensive: It is often seen that offline stores do not run discounts
regularly. The reason behind this can be that they have to earn the maintenance cost of
stores which includes rent, electricity bills, salary of employees and so on. Due to this
offline shopping is often costly when considered to online shopping. Therefore, a
consumer who is price conscious and wants product at lower prices should go for online

shopping of products rather than getting them offline. because there are always some
good deals running on online shopping sites due to heavy competition in the market,
 Time consuming: When considering offline shopping a person is required to go to stores
and purchase the product. It is a time taking process which includes time of conveyance,
waiting time, billing time and so on. Whereas, in online shopping one can order products
just through a simple click. If someone wants convenience and products delivered to
them at their doorsteps then offline shopping is not meant for them. People who have a
lot of time and do not mind spending time on shopping should prefer offline shopping.
The challenges and measures of security and privacy that individuals and businesses take when
they go online
There are a number of challenges faced by businesses and individuals when the use online
sources. It is important to make sure that they do not fall in trap to these challenges and maintain
their security and privacy. some of the major challenges faced are mentioned below:
 Search engines: It is not known by many users but Google and a number of big search
engines are collecting a lot of information about their users. Along with some of the basic
information like name, address, birthdate they also contain data like your browsing history,
searches, clicks, location and various devices through which one is logging in. It is often
done to provide users with a personalised experience but it results in increasing revenues for
companies through displaying various adds as per one’s interests. In this way a lot of
information about user is passed on to businesses who then use it to increase their revenues.
However, it is not illegal but a matter of trust rises here. Identity theft: It have been seen that millions of people have faced theft of data and private
information due to internet which have led to a number of financial losses and legal problems
of people. It is seen that every website somewhere asks for name, birthdate, address and such
information this information are enough for those experienced offers to breach privacy and
also theft of identity takes place. This is enough to damage an individual’s image and
identity, it can also cause legal issues against individuals. It is also often seen that there are a
number of financial losses to individuals. It is also seen that a number of secured banking
applications are facing a number of breaches of security. It makes it necessary for individuals

and businesses to make sure that they are careful about where and when they are leaving their
data. Tracking: One might often notice that every website which is visited online have some or
other cookies. It is necessary to notify users so users usually have to click “OK”, “agree” or
“I accept”. It is not usually known that these cookies have certain data about user. Through
this server can also deliver specially tailored pages of users. The smartphones have
developed even bigger issues for privacy issues of students. There is a lot of data present in
phones including contacts, text emails, storage and so on. All this data is always prone to
losses and theft.
All the above-mentioned challenges can result in damage to an individual or a business firm. In
order to avoid these and protect one’s privacy and security following measures can be taken:
 Securing browser: The browser which business and individuals use are the way to
interact with the world outside. If one is not careful enough while using it they can fall in
trap and leave their evidences behind as they browse through internet. There are some
steps to be followed in order to secure browser which includes avoiding third party
cookies. If the threats are severe one can also disable JavaScript. It is another way
through which hackers can reach the personal information of an individual. One can also
use private browsing modes. This will delete the cookies, browsing history and also all
the temporary files when browser is closed for some time. In this businesses and
individuals can secure their data and reduce the threats from data losses while using
internet.
 Virus free computers: Digital security od individual and business is directly related to
digital privacy. It is often seen that if a computer or system is infected with malwares or
viruses the chances of hackers stealing the data stored in system is increased. The
solution for this is very simple which is to run some anti-virus program in system. There
are a number of anti-virus present in market which works fine for a system. It is also
required to keep software up to date in order to avoid any security holes present within
system. This is essential for not only computers or laptops but also for personal mobile
phones.

 Switching between search engines: it is often seen that there are a number of search
engines that usually keep a tab on the data of a user. This usually include the personal
data related to a user. It is therefore advisable to not use a single search engine for a
longer period of time. There are a number of search engines present which can be used by
individuals as per their needs and requirements.
 Use secure wi-fi connections: It is convenient to use free and open wi-fi at different
places but this results in leaking of data about individuals. It is not advisable to use public
wi-fi. Even when using it one must never enter their personal data in it. It is also
advisable for users to use a VPN service in order to encrypt all the data one is using and
even sharing.
Due to widespread of COVID-19, many businesses are turning to provide their services online.
Select any two tools, compare and contrast their features, applications, suitability etc
There are videos in managing the business which are helpful for bringing more context
and meaning to a meeting and also improving the daily interaction with colleagues.
Videoconferencing is an essential factor that is used while trading with different company in the
communication industry.
Zoom
Zoom is defined as a global company that is used by businesses which require quick and
convenient video for external as well as internal conferencing. This company has developed
headlines according to the public debut and it has break records for a management of business
value. Zoom was started in the year 2011 and it is a video conferencing software that came into
market for making it easy for business to communicate with other traders. This is a alternative
solution for various business while managing the different strategies of companies. Zoom is a
software which has provided information that communication is the only key for managing
business in proper manner and it is very important to communicate with the traders effectively.
Hence, zoom is a software for video conferencing which enables the business person to
communicate with other traders anywhere and anytime. Zoom meetings are the core product of
portfolio and it provides incredible combination of HD audio as well as video. There are various

features of zoom meetings which provides sensational videoconferencing. This software
provides a quality video which is excellent and audio clarity is also very high. There is
opportunity for sharing multiple screens and using white board functions in order to accomplish
the projects effectively. Zoom is a software which provides freedom for connecting on any
device which provides video quality like smartphones. There are various features of zoom
meetings. Some of these are mentioned below
 There is easy adoption of web RTC technology
 Any person can join this video from anywhere
 There is excess to robust security solutions throughout the process of video
 There are screen sharing option which helps in having a good video quality
 There is use of HD video and audio calls properly
 There is support provided to more than 2000 participants and more than 50 videos
 Organisations have the opportunity for managing the role based user permissions in
effective manner
 there is opportunity for streamlining the calendering services with Google as well as
Outlook
 This helps in building recording as well as transcripts
 Organisations have opportunities for managing team chat in order to analyse group and
one-on-one messaging
 There is ability for accessing extra features like chat, phone and webinars
WebEx
The Cisco WebEx is defined as flexible conferencing solution that has been developed for
business to communicate with colleagues in the time of covid-19 pandemic. This is a audio and
video web conferencing software which consists of different tools that allows the users in order
to communicate meetings in effective manner. Cisco WebEx is available in different plants
which allows users to choose the appropriate plan according to their usage. there are different
rules which theatres specific work and meeting which is required by space capacity of the
company. WebEx is a software which provides benefits to have various big events like product
launching for educational sessions. This type of software is providing help in promoting the

effective brainstorming as well as group collaboration by using the teleconferencing system
properly. There are different features of Cisco WebEx which are mentioned below
WebEx meeting centre - according to this feature, it is easy for scheduling, starting and
conducting a meeting online. For starting the meeting, organisation managers have to login with
hosting account it that is presented to different college. All the users have to prepare invitation in
order to join the meeting using Microsoft Outlook.
Training centre – this consist of managing the collaboration of company with colleagues in
effective manner. According to this feature, there is management of screen view that depends
upon the type of files which are being used. This can be explained with an example, if the file is
PowerPoint presentation, the video file will include the PowerPoint presentation.
Event centre - this is a feature of Cisco WebEx which provides users for holding meeting with
more than 3000 attendees. The main objective of training centre is that registration and invitation
sites can be customised accordingly. In this case, events can be interactively handed and Cisco
WebEx is useful for accommodating chat and screen sharing.
Recommendation
 It is recommended for companies dealing in Online shopping which is the electronic form
of shopping through which consumers can buy goods and services directly from a seller
through internet.
 They should use web browser and internet for it. There are a number of websites
throughout the world who take orders online and deliver their products at your doorstep
in order to provide convenience for customers.
Conclusion
From the above report, it is discussed that there are various companies across the world which
are facing problem due to the covid-19 and they have to start operating their business online.
There are various companies which have to embrace a video first culture. There is high increase
in market of videoconferencing. Today's world is defined by remote working as well as
globalisation, due to which there is increase in managing the way in which business can be done
without face to face interaction.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
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Cabrero, M.T. and Campos-Dintrans, G., 2018. Developing oral communication in Spanish
lower-level courses: The case of voice recording and videoconferencing
activities. ReCALL.
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classroom: An exploration of the multimodal negotiation of meaning via Skype
videoconferencing on mobile devices. System, 81, pp.26-38.
Motteram, G., 2019. Videoconferencing Tools as Mediating Artefacts in English Language
Teacher Development in Challenging Contexts. Journal of Educators Online, 16(1),
p.n1.
Sulema, Y. and Rozinaj, G., 2017, September. WebRTC-based 3D videoconferencing system.
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Wang, Y., Jordan, C.S., Pinter, M. and Southard, J., InTouch Technologies Inc, 2016. Protocol
for a remotely controlled videoconferencing robot. U.S. Patent 9,375,843.