Mark Zuckerberg is known for his desire to bring the Internet to the masses. He stated that it is a moral responsibility and that the Internet has the “potential to bring economic and social opportunity to people worldwide.” It is hard to argue against connectivity and bringing information to underserved populations in the world. This could influence a wide range of stakeholders. The case maintains:
If the majority of the world’s online population spends time on Facebook, then policymakers, businesses, etc. and anyone else interested in communicating with them will also, if they are to be effective, go to Facebook. That means they must play by the rules of one company.
On the other hand, Facebook may be violating ethical standards as they work towards this goal. The case further observes:
The next three billion people to go online could enjoy the same empowering, non-discriminatory access to knowledge and tools of expression as the first three billion. Or, they could get a second-class experience, limited to Internet-connected services and applications in a walled garden built by big tech and telcom companies, with an open Internet just beyond their reach.
Case Study Questions
The entire case #22 is on page 170 in Ethics in Marketing: International Cases and Perspectives 2nd ed. Read it carefully and then prepare a case analysis by applying the decision model for resolving ethical issues. This full case analysis assignment requires that you complete the following tasks:
Determine the facts of the case: Who. What. Where. When.
Precisely define the key ethical issues.
Stakeholder analysis. Who are the important stakeholders?
Identify the ethical theories that relate most closely with this issue.
Describe three alternative courses of action and the pros and cons of each.
Recommend and justify a course of action.