AARE has commenced an e-commerce arrangement to save costs for members and provide better service. The service has been started with arrangements for registration for the AARE 2001 Conference - Fremantle. It applies to credit card payments which are a high and growing proportion of individual and institutional payments to AARE.
We all know that credit card fraud has to be guarded against at all times and especially when using the Internet. So, members will be happy to know that AARE Office has proceeded very carefully with the introduction of e-commerce to make sure that members can trust our system and the systems of our service providers.
At a recent seminar on trust factors in e-commerce given by Associate Professor W S [Vincent] Chow, School of Business, Hong-Kong Baptist University, we learned of several factors which will encourage trust in e-commerce.
Among these was the integrity of the business providing the service.
We trust AARE members have the highest confidence in the integrity of AARE.
Another factor was a business' ability in delivery and performing promises.
We trust AARE members have the highest confidence that services [registrations] ordered through AARE e-commerce web site will be delivered in full as promised.
Another factor was the quality of the goods or service when delivered.
We trust AARE members are confident that the services promised by the Association will be provided in as near perfect condition as AARE can achieve.
Another factor was confidence in the electronic [IT/Internet] system.
AARE has gone out of its way to leave no stone unturned to get the best security service on its web site, then to employ a contractor for e-commerce that has impeccable qualifications and very, very secure encrypted links to the banking system.
AARE will strive to protect your personal information, but AARE cannot absolutely ensure the security of any information you transmit in connection with the general AARE web site except for the e-commerce operations via DirectOne which are completely secure.
Please refer to DirectOne's web site for full details of their security system.
AARE utilizes a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information. All user contact information is only accessible by a limited number of employees who have special access rights to the system. Passwords and credit card numbers are encrypted in DirectOne's secure database which is located behind a firewall. All sensitive/credit card information supplied by users is transmitted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology and then encrypted in DirectOne's databases as stated above. Because password and credit card information has been encrypted, it is completely invisible to any employee who accesses it, including AARE Office Services staff.
AARE Executive has seen a demonstration of the e-commerce system for AARE 2001 Conference and any member of the Executive will be happy to answer questions about the e-commerce system if asked. There are plenty of documents to be read about these matters on AARE web site and an email to aare@aare.edu.au will be answered promptly.
Peter Jeffery