Paper Topic:

Ethical, Legal Issues on Websites

B2B and B2C

Their ethical , legal , and regulatory environments

The marketplace of internet commerce is rapidly expanding . Although there are wide variations within each category , internet-related businesses are usually classified as being either B2B (business-to-business , or B2C (business-to-consumer ) enterprises . The economic landscape in which these companies operate is always changing For that reason , it is all the more necessary for there to be a firm concept of the ethical , legal and regulatory responsibilities within this emerging marketplace

B2Bs and B2Cs share many of these responsibilities in common . In some cases

, however , there are particular nuances of operating a B2B that may call for a different framework than is necessary for operating a B2C and vice versa . The variations between these businesses are continually widening , meaning that the particulars of the ethical , legal and regulatory frameworks will differ . The overall goal of these frameworks is the same-establishing the concept of trust . Trust is the key to establishing any reputable , successful and long lasting business

Overview

B2Bs (business-to-business ) are business that interconnect using the internet . In other words , they are businesses that buy and sell to each other . B2Cs are businesses that use the internet to sell to the end consumer . It may be the internet site of a well-established department store , or it may be a business that uses the internet as its only point of contact with consumers . The world of internet business is still relatively new . As it continues to grow , it will have to adapt to regulatory and legal changes

The continued emergence of variations within the E-marketplace is a challenge to those concerned with ethical and regulatory issues . Far from being on the wane , these issues are more common than ever According to market forecasters Security and privacy issues along with e-business regulatory issues will become more prevalent (Warholic 2007

Ethical environment

Conduct of B2B transactions is reliant on the two-way sharing of information . As a result businesses on both ends of the transaction must make sure that information platforms are secure , and accessible only to authorized personnel . Since trust is a critical element in E-business as well as more traditional forms of business , professional codes already in existence are applicable in both areas

Unfortunately , industry-wide adherence to these codes is lacking Companies are struggling with the wide array of issues raised by internet commerce . A recent report on the publications industry highlighted one of the many potential ethical problems of conducting business in an advertising-driven media . .several respondents indicated that there was too much of a blur between editorial and advertising departments (ASBPE , 2006

Another likely area of ethical focus for the B2B industry is highlighted by Laura Spense : What about the facilitating of fraudulent activity (Spense , 2002 . In an environment with a multitude of partners platforms and subsidiaries how much responsibility does a B2B company bear for the actions of its partners ? In Spense 's example , a B2B bank was knowingly enabling one of its partners to conduct illegal activities overseas . Again , examples similar...

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