Consumer Evaluations of Unethical Behaviors of Web Sites

Data from the U.S. and Taiwan demonstrate that unethical behavior negatively affect consumers' trust, perceptions of fairness, and commitment towards Web sites as well as their intentions of continuing to patronize them.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Ethical issues abound when conducting business in cyberspace. This work examines several such ethical issues, including disguising advertisements as editorial content, selling private information, and sending spam messages. Data from the U.S. and Taiwan demonstrate that unethical behavior negatively affect consumers' trust, perceptions of fairness, and commitment towards Web sites as well as their intentions of continuing to patronize them. The similarities and differences between consumers' responses to unethical Web sites in two cultures are also examined.