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

This project focuses on SMEs who have been facing challenges regarding the rapid increased usage of digital tools (e-mails, cloud, big data) especially after the COVID-19 outbreak. Digitisation of the business environment creates digital footprints (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. In the World Bank Report (2016), access to the internet was estimated to have the potential to generate over $2.2 trillion in additional GDP and more than 140 million new jobs worldwide. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, these figures will surely increase, where digitalisation, along with its challenges, is expected to be in the heart of our business and social lives. In April 2020, according to the latest research by the Office of National Statistics (ONS, 2020), 46.6% of employees did some work at home, with 86% of these doing so as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposed project focuses on developing an analytical framework that can help SMEs to better understand their digital footprints and their ethical implications. Through qualitative methods including netnography and in-depth interviews, the project plans to develop insights both at organisational and individual levels to use digital footprints ethically and safely in creating business and social value. Our potential analytical framework can help shape more definite post-COVID and "future of work" scenarios.