Tag: mobile technology

A report from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has pointed the finger at smartphones for U.K. retail reduction.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has released the results of its research, which was based on information compiled by The Local Data Company, which revealed that the United Kingdom suffered a net loss of 987 brick and mortar retail stores, last year, and it has placed the blame on factors such as mobile technology.

This rate of store closures represented an average of 16 per day, across the country, which is a massive increase.

The year before, the figure of store closures in the U.K. was three times lower, when a total of 371 closures had been recorded. On the whole, in 2014, there were 5,839 stores that closed their doors forever, while there were 4,852 new store openings. Among the stores that closed, two out of every three were in the clothing and footwear categories. Mobile technology stores, money services, and bank branches also faced serious difficulties. That said, some types of stores broke away from that trend and managed to thrive, including discount shops such as Poundland, coffee shops, charity shops, smoke shops/e-cigarettes, and betting shops.

Mobile technology and the internet were said to have played an important role in these trends.

According to The Local Data Company director, Matthey Hopkinson, “Our town centers continue to evolve away from traditional shops and services to leisure – food, beverage and entertainment.” He also added that “This is reflected by American and British restaurants featuring in the top 10 risers along with the impact of click and collect services showing a 20% growth in 2014.”

Mike Jervis, a retail specialist at PwC, explained that mobile tech and the internet as a whole played an important part in the retail shop downturns, speeding up the rate of store closures as consumer behavior continues to undergo an evolution through the use of these types of tech.

Mark Hudson, PwC retail leader, explained that by watching the “work and play” behaviors of “digital natives”, it will be possible to better predict the future. This means that it will be important to keep a particular eye on those who have grown up with mobile technology, online shopping, and broadly available broadband, as they will have a considerably different relationship with brick and mortar stores than any of the generations that have come previous to them.

The ubiquitous nature of smartphones among students is starting to cause concerns over the potential for cheating.

In India, a new concern has arisen with regards to the use of mobile technology among students, as the risks of the spread of copies of the HSC (higher secondary school certificate) exams throughout the web continue to grow.

Officials are now considering the implementation of more strict regulations with regards to the use of mobile devices.

The hope is to reduce the use of mobile technology by students and exam supervisors throughout the examination process. Currently, there is already a regulation from the state board that bans students from carrying cell phones into the exam halls. According to a divisional board standing committee member, Uday Nare, “It is dangerous for both students and supervisors to carry mobile phones to the exam hall, as it could lead to cheating. Although we have rules to prevent it, they should be stricter.”

Equally, most exam centers have permitted mobile technology devices to be carried in as long as they are turned off.

Mithibai College, Vile Parle principal, Swapna Durve, explained that student mobile devices can be very expensive, nowadays, and the exam centers are hesitant to “take any chance by asking them keep the phones in their bags outside the classrooms. So, we ask students to switch off the phone and keep it in their pockets.”

Unfortunately, there have been problems that have arisen with this honor system based policy. On March 4, a student was caught by an exam supervisor. That student had been using a cell phone to cheat during the Vile Parle exam center’s SSC examination.

These types of issues are popping up as colleges are, understandably, not frequently willing to actually frisk the students to ensure that they are not carrying any mobile devices. The principal at the Jai Hind College in Churchgate, Jyoti Thakur, explained that “We cannot frisk students, as girl students might raise objections.”

In order to help to overcome some of the mobile technology related issues, some of the centers have now hired women staff specifically to be able to check female students for devices before they enter the exam halls.