Four I.T students from Zayed University, Dubai, launched the "mounh.com" project, a new initiative for developing the e-shopping system for consumer goods. This first of its kind project was sponsored by Union Co-operative Projects in Dubai. The aim of the project is to move from traditional shopping methods to using modern technology in order to save time and effort when shopping.

Vice President of Zayed University, Dr. Sulaiman Al Jassim, said the graduation project ideas the students come up with are linked to the various social interests and is applied to the students' academic programs. The projects are assessed according to many standards, including the ability to apply it in real life and how much benefit and positive effect the project will have in their field of study. The students expressed many workableideas and recommendations throughout their projects.

Dr. Sulaiman stated the university supports these new projects and inventions along with the support of His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Higher Education & Scientific Research, President of Zayed University, of student activities and creativities.

He also praised the e-shopping project which he found to be a modern idea to facilitate the use of technology to accomplish everyday needs, specifically when purchasing consumer goods. The students related their project with UAE heritage and culture in which they named it "mounh" which is a popular term in the UAE meaning "insuring the family's need of food products". This shows the students awareness in finding a connection between modern ways of using technology and the inherited culture.

Shaima Obaid, an I.T student at Zayed University - Dubai, explained how she and her colleagues May Abdulmajeed, Amna Ismail and Hanadi Sultan came up with the idea of launching the website www.mounh.com. The project consists of establishing a virtual e-market that provides the surfer a wide variety of goods, products and special promotions. An illustrated picture of each product will be available as well as a 3-D photo which enables the buyer to see the details of the product that he/she wants to buy along with the prices, manufacturing information and other essential details. This allows the buyer to have an easy and comfortable shopping experience.

The project includes a new and smart way of purchasing products through a "mounh" pre-paid card which can be recharged. The use of this card eliminates the risk of electronic theft and fraud of credit cards, making it safer for the buyer. SMS will be used to inform the "mounh" card holder of any purchases made and how much remaining credit the card holds.

Shaima added that she and her colleagues used scientific methods when carrying out applied research for the project. They carried out surveys to find out how aware and willing people are of the use of e-shopping and pre-paid cards. The information gathered was used as a reference when they developed the website and when they launched the market campaign on campus, which included distributing brochures and information packs. The survey showed that the percentage of e-shopping, when compared to traditional shopping, is very low. People need more information on the benefits of using the internet for shopping.