The moral, ethical and legal issues affecting modern e-business Essay

The moral, ethical and legal issues affecting modern e-business organisations - Essay Example In 2009 UK recorded 18.3 million internet users, accounting for the 70% of country’s total population, which â€Å"is an increase of just under 2 million households (11 per cent) over the last year and 4 million households (28 per cent) since 2006† (National Statistics, Internet Access, 2009). This scenario comprise of a number of different players that range from technological innovations, multinational companies, public policies, legal issues, and ethical values, present a number of challenging constraints and opportunities. Maintaining certain ethical and moral values within any form of commercial enterprise (including modern e-business organisations) are important for attaining sustainable success for that firm. Recently it has become especially important for the business firms, especially those involved in e-commerce, to maintain correct ethical and moral behavioural attitudes to avoid legal problems. In this era of economic globalization and technological convergence there is an emergence of a new form of internet-based society often referred to as the knowledge society, and has raised questions on issues related to various ethical, moral and legal matters. The modern computer based technologies, used for collecting, amassing, managing, and communicating data, though managed to bring in new reforms in the dispersion and application of information, also brought in various ethical and legal dilemmas. The various business firms that operate within this arena face difficulties in the context of right to information, right to privacy, right to the freedom of expression, and intellectual property rights, which vary from country to country. The immense importance and efficiency of internet based systems that include worldwide and local system networks, databases, and the various programs for data processing make it compulsory that policymakers make a review of the existing rights and r esponsibilities, in relation to conducting e-businesses in a legal and ethical manner. (Lynch, Ethical Issues in Electronic Information Systems, 1994). Discussion What is e-business and e-commerce? In the recent times it has been observed that â€Å"The capabilities and opportunities provided by the Internet have transformed many legitimate business activities, augmenting the speed, ease, and range with which transactions can be conducted while also lowering many of the costs†( Williams, 2002, 1). The increase in e-business transactions is evident in the figures presented in the UK National Statistics survey report, â€Å"The value of Internet sales by businesses rose to ?71.1 billion in 2004, an increase of 81 per cent [from] 2003... The results of the 2004 survey show growth in the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and large increases in the value of trade over the Internet. The results also highlight significantly greater use of ICTs by the largest businesses (those with 1000 or more employees)... Internet purchases by businesses rose 64.6 per cent from ?37.9 billion in 2003 to ?62.4 billion in 2004† (National Statistics, News Release, 2005). Though computer and data processing systems were present during the 70s and 80s, it was primarily the late nineties that saw a rise in e-trade, where the Internet changed the way many business activities were conducted through speed augmentation, â€Å"ease, and range with which transactions can be conducted while also lowering many of the costs†(Williams, 2002, 1). Thus, the changing perspectives of trading community from that of an actual ‘

In A Theory of Justice, John Rawls Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

In A Theory of Justice, John Rawls - Essay Example ..no one knows his place in society, his class position or social status; nor does he know his fortune in the distribution of natural assets and abilities, his intelligence and strength, and the like† (Rawls, p. 118). The individual is then tasked with designing a society with this understanding in mind. As a means of carrying out Rawl’s veil of ignorance, this essay proposes what sorts of principles I would propose for this new society. Additionally, the essay considers what guarantees people would have, and what values would be most important to create and preserve. After considering the veil of ignorance one of the overarching considerations of this new society is the need to ensure that it offers fair opportunities to all citizens. As a means of achieving this society there necessarily must be a radical reimagining of the way that the country is structured. Currently society is organized a capitalist democratic model. In this way the primary means of achieving income are through capitalizing on one’s strengths to as great a degree as possible. The pervading logic in this approach to life is that individuals who work the hardest will correspondingly be given the most opportunities and success. There is the further belief that innovation and entrepreneurship will not occur unless people are given a direct financial incentive. While from a theoretical perspective this view of the world may be accurate, in practice there is a great amount of complication. What often occurs is that specific groups of people gain power and are able to oppress other groups of people. In this way survival of the fittest partially takes over, wherein the strong dominate the weak. Additionally, people become oppressed along racial and ethnic lines. In this way many of the brightest and most talented individuals in society are not granted the equal opportunities. Even as society is democratic in nature, the pervading structures are such that these processes are cyc lical, with individuals in power contributing to the oppressive mechanisms. Following the understanding of society as greatly contributing to the oppression of certain groups of people significant changes will be implemented. One of the first changes is that the past notion that all individuals work for the simple accumulation of wealth will be disregarded. Numerous studies have indicated that once an individual makes over $75,000 a year their relative happiness level does not increase. Still, a significant amount of people in society make considerably more than this amount, while millions of others struggle to achieve a living income. The obvious solution is to institute wealth distribution systems, where the wealthiest Americans necessarily distribute their wealth to those making the least amount of money. While such processes are in place to a small extent, the large-scale implementation of these processes have not occurred as there is the general belief that individuals would no t work as hard if they did not receive direct compensation for their actions. Although there is an extent of truth to these claims, ultimately it appears that they do not fully take into account the motivations of human behavior. One considers that individuals such as Warren Buffet have made extensive amounts of money and ultimately given it away to charity. The current Presidential candidate Mitt Romney,