Ethical Concerns When Conducting E-Business

E-business is defined as doing business over the Internet. For example, if you go to a website and use your credit card to make a purchase, you've just participated in e-business. Aside from the common ethical issues presented with operating and running a business, e-business brings an entirely new set of concerns to the table.

Universal Business Ethics

• While an e-business differs in many ways from traditional brick-and-mortar businesses, there are still many similar rules and ethics you should follow. Whether the business is in a physical building or online, honesty and customer satisfaction should be two of the most important aspects of a business. Similarly, a company's integrity can either drive away or attract customers.

Security

• Online security is important to e-business ethics because if your business is secure, so are your customers. Threats range from viruses to spyware to hackers and much more, which is why using tools such as firewalls, SSL certification, password protection and data encryption are paramount to good e-business ethics.
• Sponsored Links
  

  • Checkout Online Store
    Accept credit card payments online. Instant setup & unlimited support!
    www.SecurePay.com.au

Marketing

• Ethics play a large role in the marketing strategies of online businesses. For example, it's unethical to send spam and junk mail as a marketing campaign. Similarly, good ethics dictate that you only email those who opt-in to a mailing list. Such mailing lists are also required by law to give the subscriber the option to opt-out and stop receiving emails from you.

Scamming

• Scamming customers is unethical, no matter how you look at it. Scams are lies or clear overexaggeration intended to trick customers into paying for something. Scamming customers is one of the quickest ways to lose trust and any chance of repeat business. A good e-business ethic is to never conduct a scam or associate with those who perpetuate Internet scams.

Terms of Service

• Businesses that require users to sign up or login to use their service should have clearly defined terms of service. This will help improve the image of a company by promoting honesty. Also, with terms of service agreements, customers can clearly read everything involved with what they're about to sign up for.

Privacy

• Privacy is one of the largest ethical concerns surrounding e-business. Customers expect complete privacy when it comes to the information they give businesses online. When a customer gives you his e-mail address, phone number or other personal information, he expects that it won't be sold to an outside party. An example of bad privacy ethics is DoubleClick. DoubleClick, an Internet marketing firm, was caught monitoring the names and addresses of web users, often even monitoring actual web activity.

REFERENCESS:-
  Ethical Concerns When Conducting E-Business | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_6746700_ethical-concerns-conducting-e_business.html#ixzz1wA1yRkh4