Business coordination electronically has risen with increasing use of e-signatures becoming high on a worldwide scale. Someone can quickly become involved in a legally binding contract by merely using a debit card, clicking of a mouse or digital signature pad. E-signatures can then be thought of as a bespoke and unique means of identification that allows for the conduct of businesses electronically in many different ways. The use of Morse code during the Civil War to send and receive electronic messages and documents via telegraph is what ushered in the era of e-signature. The transmission of contract agreement terms is often carried out this way. Some basic facts that should not go unmentioned are that digital signature is an abbreviated form of Electronic signature and are unique identifiers that are much used on an international scale for all levels of e-commerce. In the late twentieth century, legal documents were transferred using fax machines and these electronic documents which use an electronic signature, contains legally binding electronic signature images, with the official electronic name on the physical hard copy of the report. Some set rules were later legislated worldwide, for instance, the UETA in 2000 in the United States. It should also be noted that transactions should not be performed on unsecured websites to guide against any form of electronic theft. Similarly, users should be aware of the fact that documents containing electronic signature are tenable in law courts as evidence, as they can be used for making audits, civil and criminal investigations, and legal proceedings, as needed.
Uses of e-signature
Whenever the Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) of an individual is used by the person in activities such as at financial institutions and online businesses, performing background checks and through agreements entered via electronic mails, electronic signatures are legally bound.
Another application area of the digital signature is when an individual makes use of their credit or debit cards at any Point of Sale (POS), such a transaction involves the only signing while using a digitalized pen.
Entering into any contract online by agreeing to the terms and conditions upholding the agreement constitutes a legally binding digital signature.
Benefits derivable from the use of e-signature
e-signatures provides all parties involved in any transaction such as a construction project with benefits such as:
i. Ease of use and convenience.
ii. The versatility of modalities used, an example of which is online, email or debit cards.
There is an improved rate of transaction processing such as decision making in a construction project.
e-signatures propagate the use of paperless transactions and dealings in the industrial and corporate settings, which invariably reduces the clutter of documents and minimizes the use of the traditional storage boxes, cabinets or safes. Electronic signature dealings or transactions can be stored as an electronic file, and the, in turn, is stored in some portable storage devices such as a flash drive and CD or in the cloud instead of employing a storage box.
Reduced cost of transaction and maintenance by eliminating the need for the current paper contracts which can be tampered with.
How to Create an e-Signature
Just as more and more people are switching from paper to paperless transactions; it is becoming a difficult task to verify electronic documents without the use of an e-signature. The beautiful thing about this is that one does not require any fancy or expensive software to create an e-signature. All that is needed by a Windows user, for instance, is the Paint application which is a graphics program that comes with the Windows OS. Having a new means of stamping documents with one’s approval is quite an easy task as the creation of an e-signature is synonymous to writing a signature on paper. The procedure is as follows:
Open the Paint application, selecting the “Accessories” folder then choose the “Paint.” Navigate to the “Properties” using the small down-pointing arrow in the top-left corner of the window and select. Next is to modify the dimensions of the box to the desired width and height for the e-signature. Select the “Brushes” button on the ribbon and “Calligraphy brush 1” should be chosen from the drop-down menu. Then click on the “Size” button, selecting the thinnest line from the drop-down. If a normal e-signature is needed, leave Paint as default otherwise change the color as deemed fit from the color choices ribbon. Next, the mouse should be used to write the first name of the signer just as like a pen and subsequently the last name or possibly use the initials, taking note of the Paint workspace parameters. Finally, at the small down arrow, select the “Save as” option and click the “Save as type” to choose PNG or GIF to preserve its transparency that facilitates the e-signature placement on any background.
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