The Freemium Model Free
Management involves acquisitions! Acquisitions usually require a budget ... or do they?
Nowadays, the digital economy has become so cheap that the result would be businesses that exist by providing services and products for FREE!
This is already happening! Consider Google, Evernote, Yahoo, Facebook, Twitter, etc.Read the article, Making "Freemium" Work to get sufficient grasp of the concept of how FREE can and is working in the business world today.
Your task in this discussion is to consider the ethical impact of FREE in terms of IS. What problems and/or ethical issues exist? This is a very broad topic; here are just a few questions you might ask yourself:
In what ways can you see having to manage and choose between options that include free ones?
When is free NOT the best choice?
Is it okay to offer services as free even when they actually have a cost associated with them?
Do any businesses use tactics like Candy Crush and other games where the game is free but there are in-game purchases? Is this an ethical practice?