Legal, Ethical, and Regulatory Issues for B2C vs. B2B
B2B and B2C:
Ethical, Legal, and Regulatory Issues The World Wide Web has become more than a growing trend in today’s world. It is the electronic wave of the future for business, education, communication, and technology that is happening now. From 2000 to 2007, worldwide Internet usage grew 256% and at year-end 2007 Internet users numbered 1,319,872,109, or 20% of the world’s total population (Internet World Stats, 2008). These statistics represent a business market waiting to be explored that almost seems to guarantee growth, given the global expanse of the Internet and billion-plus users. Business on the Internet – or e-business -- has spawned different types of e-commerce operations, among them business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C). Like traditional business, e-business is guided by ethical standards as well as subject to laws and regulations with which they are required to comply. This paper discusses and compares some of the ethical, legal, and regulatory issues that B2B and B2C operations face on the Internet.
B2B and B2C Defined B2B enables or improves organizational relationships within companies and between two or more companies. B2B is based on using private networks and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and the Internet. Examples of B2B Internet use are product catalogues searches, ordering from suppliers, receiving invoices and remitting electronic payments. B2B includes collaborative design and engineering, and managing the logistics of supply and delivery (Cheshire Henbury, 2008).
B2C is Internet retailing – selling end products to consumers – involves electronic shopping and information searching. Among popular items purchased are airline tickets and other travel products and services, books, computers, videotapes, and music (Cheshire Henbury, 2008).
Ethical Issues
Ethics is a standard of moral behavior motivated by right and wrong, and good and bad. In business, ethics translates to a code of professional
Ethical, Legal, and Regulatory Issues The World Wide Web has become more than a growing trend in today’s world. It is the electronic wave of the future for business, education, communication, and technology that is happening now. From 2000 to 2007, worldwide Internet usage grew 256% and at year-end 2007 Internet users numbered 1,319,872,109, or 20% of the world’s total population (Internet World Stats, 2008). These statistics represent a business market waiting to be explored that almost seems to guarantee growth, given the global expanse of the Internet and billion-plus users. Business on the Internet – or e-business -- has spawned different types of e-commerce operations, among them business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C). Like traditional business, e-business is guided by ethical standards as well as subject to laws and regulations with which they are required to comply. This paper discusses and compares some of the ethical, legal, and regulatory issues that B2B and B2C operations face on the Internet.
B2B and B2C Defined B2B enables or improves organizational relationships within companies and between two or more companies. B2B is based on using private networks and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and the Internet. Examples of B2B Internet use are product catalogues searches, ordering from suppliers, receiving invoices and remitting electronic payments. B2B includes collaborative design and engineering, and managing the logistics of supply and delivery (Cheshire Henbury, 2008).
B2C is Internet retailing – selling end products to consumers – involves electronic shopping and information searching. Among popular items purchased are airline tickets and other travel products and services, books, computers, videotapes, and music (Cheshire Henbury, 2008).
Ethical Issues
Ethics is a standard of moral behavior motivated by right and wrong, and good and bad. In business, ethics translates to a code of professional
References: Cheshire Henbury (2008). E-Business Definitions (B2B, B2C, etc.). Copyright 2001, Cheshire Henbury, Created by Paul T © 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 LitLangs All Rights Reserved. Retrieved March 10, 2008 from http://www.ecommerce-digest.com/ecommerce-security- issues.html Internet World Stats (2008, March 1) 2008, Miniwatts Marketing Group. All rights reserved worldwide. Retrieved March 9, 2008 from http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm Rumsey, T. (2006, July 20). Privacy Issues in the B2B world. Rich Enterprises, Inc. Retrieved March 9, 2008 from http://www.richworldwide.com/ newsletterarchives/REI%20July%2019,2006.pdf Schneider, G. (2004). The Second Wave: Legal, ethical, and tax issues. Copyright 2004, Course Technology