Uber (global, launched 2010; Sri Lanka 2015) and PickMe (Sri Lanka, launched 2015) are both ride-hailing apps that connect passengers with drivers through a smartphone interface. Their key differences are:
- Uber uses separate apps for rides and food delivery; PickMe combines rides, food, market, rentals, flash delivery, and trucks into one single app.
- PickMe supports pre-booking; Uber is primarily immediate booking.
- PickMe offers a wider range of vehicle types suited to the Sri Lankan market (tuk, mini, car, van, truck).
Value Propositions — to passengers: lower wait time, lower price, ease of access, safety. To drivers: flexible hours, extra income, ability to choose rides.
Uber's revenue comes from ride commissions, Surge Pricing premiums, and premium tiers. Costs are mainly infrastructure and salaries.
Online food ordering lets customers place food orders via an app or website and have them delivered. Payment can be online, cash-on-delivery, or card-on-delivery.
UberEats process: Customer orders → restaurant accepts and prepares → UberEats rider collects → rider delivers to doorstep → customer tracks in real time.
Why UberEats succeeded:
- Reused Uber's existing GPS routing, payment systems, and driver network — no need to build from scratch.
- Already had a large loyal customer base and driver pool at launch.
- Consumers are willing to pay a delivery fee for the convenience of doorstep meals.
Online education is teaching and learning conducted over the internet where students and instructors are geographically separated. Related terms include e-learning, blended learning, virtual learning, and distance education. COVID-19 forced mass adoption via Moodle, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams.
Kaplan & Haenlein Classification (by time & scale):
- MOOC — Asynchronous, unlimited students, distance. Open access; certificates cost extra.
- SPOC — Asynchronous, limited students, distance. Competitive entry; may charge tuition.
- SMOC — Synchronous, unlimited students, distance. All students online at the same time (live streaming).
- SSOC — Synchronous, limited students, distance. Small real-time cohort, like an online seminar.
Benefits: Schedule flexibility, reduced costs, geographic freedom, wider programme choice, improved technical skills.
Challenges: Requires self-discipline, high dropout rates, social isolation, screen time increase, technology dependency.
Online banking (Internet Banking / Web Banking) allows users to conduct financial transactions over the internet — virtually replicating all physical branch services digitally. Sri Lankan examples: People's Bank, Sampath Bank, Commercial Bank (ComBank Digital).
Key services: Fund transfers, bill payments, account opening, loan applications, credit card management, and real-time transaction alerts.
Advantages:
- Convenience: Available 24/7 from anywhere; no queuing.
- Speed: Intra-bank transfers are near-instant.
- Easy monitoring: Real-time transaction history and SMS alerts.
- Cost savings: Saves time and travel for customers; reduces operational costs for banks.
Disadvantages:
- Confusing for elderly or non-technical users.
- Cannot withdraw physical cash online.
- Vulnerable to phishing, hacking, and malware.
- Unavailable during internet outages or system maintenance.
Five common success factors across all Topic 3 eBusiness applications:
- Solving a real need: Every app addressed genuine customer friction — waiting for taxis, cold food, distance from classrooms, bank queue times.
- Leveraging existing infrastructure: UberEats reused Uber's drivers, GPS, and payments; PickMe Food reused PickMe's rider network; Moodle built on open-source.
- Network effects: More users on one side attract more on the other (more passengers → more drivers → shorter waits → more passengers).
- Ease of use: Zoom's low data usage and simple interface made it accessible to teachers and students globally. PickMe's single app reduces friction.
- Trust and safety mechanisms: Driver ratings, real-time GPS sharing, MFA, encryption — all build the trust needed for adoption.