Applying the normative aspect of stakeholder analysis to electronic commerce diffusion: stakeholder consideration for the elimination of the digital divide

The digital divide between developed and nondeveloped countries or large and smaller companies in terms of adoption of new technologies and particularly the Internet and electronic commerce is a heavily debated and frequently discussed issue. Policy makers worldwide clearly declare that the main aim of their technology diffusion strategies is the elimination of the gap between ´haves´ and ´have-nots´ in the cyberspace. In this paper we extent previous research on the application of the stakeholder analysis in electronic commerce policy making (Papazafeiropoulou et al., 2001) by focusing on its normative aspect. According to this aspect it is ethically appropriate for policy makers to consider all stakeholders, which are relevant to their strategies. We argue that the need to consider the widest spectrum of stakeholders in the implementation of electronic commerce policies may lead to a fair strategy towards the elimination of the digital divide.