E-Commerce Research Proposal: Ethical Issues and User Perception Study

This research proposal aims to identify the ethical challenges associated with e-commerce and analyze their impact on user perception. It begins by providing a background on the rise of e-commerce and its associated security and trust issues. The proposal outlines the purpose of the research, which includes identifying ethical challenges, understanding their impact on users and non-users, and proposing potential solutions. Expected results include highlighting the importance of ethics in e-commerce for sustainability and suggesting ways to minimize or eliminate identified issues. The proposal also discusses the pros and cons of the research, highlighting the benefits of identifying and addressing ethical concerns while acknowledging potential limitations and negative impacts. Key ethical issues such as personal data use, privacy violations, fraud, and security breaches are identified, and potential solutions like data encryption, strict legal regulations, and regular audits are proposed. The research concludes that addressing these ethical challenges is crucial for ensuring the continued success and trustworthiness of e-commerce.

Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL: E-COMMERCE
RESEARCH PROPOSAL: E-COMMERCE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Background:...............................................................................................................................2
Purpose:..................................................................................................................................3
Expected results:....................................................................................................................3
Pros and Cons of the Research:..................................................................................................3
Pros:........................................................................................................................................3
Cons:......................................................................................................................................4
Ethical Issues:.............................................................................................................................4
Potential solutions:.....................................................................................................................5
Conclusion:................................................................................................................................5
Bibliography:..............................................................................................................................6

Introduction
Technology and internet are the most revolutionary inventions of the era and are
offering significant advantage to its users. The discussed innovations have integrated together
to offer various technological advancements that have simplified the human life. One of such
advancement is the e-commerce which has emerged as one of the favourite choices for the
shopping. Multiple e-commerce giants have made themselves large and earned a global
reputation. The impact of this e-commerce is so huge that multiple research works have been
conducted on the subject and the proposed work will add to the findings of the subject. The
proposal will offer a background of the research along with their pros & cons followed by the
ethical issues and response plans before concluding the paper.
Background:
It is believed that the concept of e-commerce originated back in the 1990 and since
then has revolutionised the world. The term ‘e-commerce is defined as the commercial
transaction that is conducted over the internet by electronics means. Adoption of the subject
has changed the working method and approach of the organisation by offering them
regulatory environment along with competitive advantage. It offers a faster and effortless
method of transaction which can be accessed from any place at any instant with proper
credentials to proceed with the transaction. However, with such significant benefit, the
subject also offers substantial challenges to the organisations which are mostly related to the
trust and security issues. The trust and security issues are associated with the subject because
it uses internet which is one of the most volatile technologies of the era. The security &
privacy have always been a matter of concern for the internet which leads to the trust issues
among the users and the e-commerce service providers. The proposed work will dive deep
into the topic and attempt at earning an insight into it.

Purpose:
The purpose of the proposed work is to identify the ethical threats that have associated
itself with the subject and how they are changing the perception of the users. The sub-
objectives of the paper include identification of the ethical challenges (if any) it offers and the
methods that can assist in omitting or minimising the ethical issues. The impact of the subject
on the society (ethically) mainly, to its traditional counterparts will also be given adequate
attention. The research questions for the proposed work has been listed as follows:
Research questions:
 What is the perception of both the users and non-users towards the e-commerce?
 What are the ethical issues that are associated with the subject?
 What is the impact of the identified ethical issues on the perception of the non-users?
 What is the impact of the ethical issues on the perception of the e-commerce users?
 What are the potential solutions to tackle the identified ethical issues?
Expected results:
The expected results from the proposed work will cite the importance of the ethics in
the e-commerce and how it can assist in maintaining sustainability. The ethical issues will
also be identified, and attempts will be made to minimise or omit the identified issues. The
minimisation of the issues will cite positive response on the perception of both the user and
non-user in the process answering the question about the perception.
Pros and Cons of the Research:
Pros:
The objective of the paper is to identify the challenges that are associated with the e-
commerce which will be of significant benefit taking in consideration of the massive
adoption of the subject and popularity. Additionally, identifying the ethical issues will even

assist in minimising them which will enable a sustainable life for the e-commerce and will
even develop a strong sense of trust among the users will further enhance the consumer base
of the subject. Further, on identifying the impact that the subject has on the society, it can be
improved or enhanced (depending on the findings) to maximise the positive impact and
minimise the negativity spread by the subject. In case, the negative impact is evident, and it
cannot be minimised then the report will motivate users to opt for other means of commerce.
Finally, identifying the impact on its traditional counterparts will assist the e-commerce
competitors in identifying methods to cope up with the subject and challenge its dominance.
Cons:
There are minimal cons of any research work though, taking another scenario in
consideration the findings from the research can reveal some harsh truth which can
completely alter the perception of the user or non-user of the e-commerce. The organisations
may also reconsider their decision of associating with the e-commerce or traditional means of
transactions. Another, notable con of the paper is that it may not address all research
questions appropriately any may leave some literature gap.
Ethical Issues:
The ethical issues that are associated with the e-commerce are listed as follows:
 Personal use of user data: The e-commerce providers have the credentials of the users
and they can track it and can use it to fulfil their objectives and agendas which will be
a violation of the user's trust.
 Privacy: The service providers can peak in the details provided by the user to make
attractive offers for them which is a violation of their privacy.
 Fraud: Inadequate details or false details to attract users.
 Security: Security of the user data and other resources.

Potential solutions:
The providers can ensure that the personal use of user data is avoided by keeping the
user data encrypted and can only be accessed by the providers in dire situations by the former
without user authentication.
Strict legal regulations should be implemented for the e-commerce providers that
prevent them from peaking in user data.
The providers who offer inadequate or false details should be penalised, and a body
should periodically audit such service providers to avoid such issues from arousal.
Appropriate security measures can avoid the security-related ethical issue and in the
process protect user data and other resources.
Conclusion:
The discussed topic can be emphasised to conclude that e-commerce is one of the
much appreciated and adopted technology of the time. However, it does offer some
significant ethical and other challenges that need to be countered to ensure that the subject is
used to its full potential and fulfils the purpose it had been created for. Additionally, remedial
measures for the ethical issue has answered that both the user will have positive perception
towards the e-commerce.

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