Corporate Responsibilities in Internet-Enabled Social Networks

Journal of Business Ethics · 2009 · Volume 90 · Issue 4

Abstract

As demonstrated by the popularity of social networking sites such asFacebookandTwitter, Internet-based social networks have become an important part of daily life, and many businesses are now involved in such networks either as service providers or as participants. Furthermore, inter-organizational networks are becoming an increasingly common feature of many industries, not only on the Internet. However, despite the growing importance of networks for businesses, there is little theoretical study on the social responsibilities of businesses in such networks, and how these responsibilities are affected by different types of networks. This article explores how social network analysis, which has been developed from studies of social networks of individuals, can be used to shed light on corporate responsibilities in social networks.

Keywords

Internet, social networks, legal responsibilities, moral responsibilities, network centrality, structural holes, small worlds, network externalities

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