Small and medium enterprises' (SMEs) digital footprints and their ethical implications during the COVID-19 outbreak and beyond

该项目的目的是帮助中小企业应对数字工具的使用增加所造成的数字足迹的管理，特别是在新冠肺炎爆发之后。它回答了以下问题：就组织的透明度战略和个人的平等机会而言，关于中小型企业(SME)数字足迹的主要伦理关切是什么？哪些流程可以帮助组织更好地了解其组织的数字足迹？透明战略在组织(雇主)和个人(员工)层面上都会是什么样子？商业环境的数字化创造了数字足迹，例如每个员工或组织以电子邮件、文档共享、电话或聊天的形式创建、传输或接收的电子信息。数字足迹模糊了个人和组织之间的界限，这在透明度、平等和包容性方面造成了各种风险。中小企业没有能力处理如此雪崩的数字足迹)，这模糊了组织信息和个人信息之间的界限。随着越来越多的组织和个人活动在电子数据库中留下数字足迹，许多中小企业利用这种容易获得的在线数据来帮助形成其管理、招聘和沟通战略。等式中包含的个人信息越多，对相关个人隐私的干扰就越大。为了在数字世界中创业，许多中小企业正在采取最小和含糊的步骤。因此，这些问题应运而生；这些数字足迹属于谁，最终谁拥有它的控制权，是组织需要考虑的关键问题。我们的项目旨在开发一个分析框架，帮助中小企业更好地了解它们的数字足迹及其在组织和个人层面的道德影响。通过我们创新的网络志方法，该项目将通过审查个案研究和通过数字人种学收集新的信息来进行。两家中小企业的数字足迹将通过参与一些在线活动来跟踪和观察，主要是通过社交媒体、公司网站和其他数字平台。该小组将与包括领导人和员工在内的10家中小企业的代表进行总共25次访谈。我们将使用混合方法分析数据。我们将与业界伙伴和其他利益相关者组织多个虚拟工作坊，为中小企业和员工提供学术出版物、博客和信息图表。我们还将为企业支持实体和政策制定者提供简报。我们将通过媒体渠道发布结果。该项目的结果将在未来的工作场景中展现出强大的前景。它通过解决透明度战略来促进对数字足迹如何重塑工作的理解，以帮助更好地理解中小企业数字足迹及其伦理影响。

The aim of this project is to help SMEs deal with the management of digital footprints that increased usage of digital tools is creating, especially after the Covid-19 outbreak. It answers the questions: What are the main ethical concerns regarding Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) digital footprints, in terms of transparency strategies of organisations and equal opportunities for individuals? What are the processes that can help organisations understand their organisational digital footprints better? What would a transparency strategy look like both at an organisational (employer) and individual (employee) level? Digitisation of the business environment creates digital footprints such as electronic information each employee or organisation creates, transfers or receives in the form of emails, document-sharing, calls or chats. Digital footprints blur the boundaries between the individuals and organisations, which creates various risks in transparency, equality and inclusion. SMEs are not equipped to handle such an avalanche of digital footprints, particularly due to the COVID-19 crisis), which blur the boundaries between organisational and personal information. With an increasing portion of organisational and individual activities leave digital footprints in electronic-databases, many SMEs take advantage of such easily available online data to help shape their management, recruitment, and communication strategies. The more personal information included in the equation, the more it interferes with the privacy of the individuals concerned. Striving to carve out in the digital world, many SMEs are taking minimal and vague steps. Thus, these questions emerge; to whom does this digital footprint belong and who, ultimately, has the control of it, are the critical questions for organisations to consider.Our project aims to develop an analytical framework that helps SMEs to better understand their digital footprints and their ethical implication both at the organisational and individual level. Through our innovative approach of netnography, the project will be undertaken through a review of case studies and a collection of new information via digital ethnography. Two SMEs' digital footprints will be tracked and observed through participation in some online activities, mainly through social media, company websites, and other digital platforms. The team will undertake a total of 25 interviews with representatives of 10 SMEs, including leaders and employees. We will analyse data using a mixed-method approach. We will organise a number of virtual workshops with industry partners and other stakeholders.This work will result in academic publications, blogs and infographics for SMEs and employees. We will also provide briefings for business support entities and policymakers. We will disseminate the result via media channels. The outcome of the project will transpire a strong perspective in the future of work scenarios. It advances the understanding of how digital footprints are reshaping work, by addressing transparency strategies to help better understand SMEs digital footprints and its ethical implications.