THE LEGAL AND ETHICAL

The Legal and Ethical Environment of Business

Discussion Board 2

The Legal and Ethical Environment of Business

Discussion Board 2

Introduction & Summary of Facts

Technology makes it possible to do things that were never before possible. Unfortunately many of those things may be illegal, immoral, or unethical and still be easy to do. With the legal system far behind the growth of new business models there have been few generally accepted guidelines for many of the new business practices. The “wild-west” mentality that this freedom engendered has led some to question the ethics of e-Business. Doing business online brings into sharp focus ethical questions about privacy, employee monitoring, and sharing data in supply chains.

Current Political Overview

Changes in technology and business processes can outpace companies' ability to consider their ethical implications or to train employees to deal with them. Few companies have formal programs like Lockheed Martin's, which requires its 140,000 employees to complete one hour of ethics training every year.

Legal Risks

Many IT and business managers seem to take their cues about ethical conduct from the companies they work for. In an InformationWeek Research survey of 250 IT and business professionals, only 54% say they have a personal code for evaluating the ethical and moral implications of business decisions. An eye-opening 93% of all respondents say they agree with all aspects of their company's ethical code, and 96% say their company adheres to its code.

Ethical Risks

Most everyone in E-business agrees that questionable ethical moves that compromise customer privacy for short-term marketing gain are bad for business in the long run. Trust between workers and employers puts IT managers in the midst of ethical decisions. Most companies forbid employees using company computers to access Web sites with material that is pornographic, violent, or hate-related.

Benefits of Expansion

Most IT managers and ...