Abstract
This paper examines the assumptions underlying the decision-making process for information technology (IT) investments. The business cases developed to support such investments focus on organisation-specific impacts, which sometimes extend to partner firms, such as suppliers. This approach does not reflect the broader effect of modern digital technologies on stakeholders outside or within a firm, such as employees, and non-financial outcomes. As the impacts of IT on various aspects of society, such as access to justice and health, become more common, it is timely to consider alternative approaches. This paper connects the concept of externalities from economics with ethical issues to suggest how such IT-originating externalities can be managed to remedy the overemphasis on market logic in IT decision-making.
Recommended Citation
Singh, Harminder and Díaz Andrade, Antonio, "The Ethical Externalities of Information Technology" (2023). GlobDev 2023. 1.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/globdev2023/1