Name the top ethical issue in the networked economy today. Note why it is important and discuss what things can be done to work deal with any problems it raises.

Antonio Argandoña (2003) argues that the new economy is a technological revolution involving the information and communication technologies and which affects almost all aspects of the economy, business, and our personal lives. The problems it raises for businesses are not radically new, and even less so from an ethical viewpoint. However, they deserve particular attention, especially now, in the first years of the 21st century, when we are feeling the full impact of the changes brought about by this technological revolution. (1)

Not everyone agrees, but perhaps one of the top ethical issues has to do with diversity and related cultural issues. For example, one source argues that the phenomena linked to the advent of the networked economy and the information society, in a context of globalization; raises the question of cultural property's place in the market for goods and services. The nature of the ethical problem varies according to whether consideration is being given to immovable property, landscapes, movable objects or the immaterial heritage, but it is a question of either remedying inadequate exploitation of heritage/cultural resources by the market or counterbalancing excess industrialization, which may jeopardize heritage/cultural conservation itself. How should private investment, which is essential, and free operation of market forces be linked to preservation of a "public sphere", in the general interest, going hand in hand with protection of cultural diversity and free access to knowledge and culture for as many people as possible? The emergence of a new social divide, characterized by inequality of opportunity in access to the cultural heritage, is to be feared. How can this be prevented? (2)

According to the European Council (n.d), attention must above all be paid to the fact that, in the networked economy, the local sphere may be the level at which individual needs for a sense of identity and belonging find expression, while at the same time constituting the main source of strengths, in terms of international economic competition, for regions capable of turning to advantage their human and cultural resources. They argue that this subject, which encompasses a number of other social and ethical issues, should be dealt with in greater depth. For example, one of cultural/heritage's major roles is to strengthen cohesion and social ties in societies disrupted by all kinds of changes. The networked economy impacts the cultural and environmental spheres, which are becoming a preferred terrain for experimentation with citizenship, voluntary work and partnership. The projects concerned adopt an innovative approach to the sharing of responsibility and to new forms of social and civil society relationships. The practices to be observed here constitute as many illustrations of the dynamism of civil society, which in some countries is already very much alive and in others is still nascent, as a measure of a society's degree of democracy. http://www.coe.int/t/e/cultural_co-operation/heritage/cultural_identities/3Planning.asp

Indeed, the networked society and economy raise a number of ethical issues and democratic choices in fields as varied as access to the cultural heritage, public health, individual well-being and, of course, management of natural resources and spatial planning. Some suggested avenues to consider are as follows:

· the "cultural diversity" concept, in connection with the political role
· the function of cultural heritage in an information society for the benefit of all, without exploitation of resources and inequality. In particular, the issue of converting cultural diversity and heritage into digital forms should be addressed by public authorities as a matter of urgency and necessitates drawing comparisons between countries.
· Diversification of means of participation and of public access to culture and heritage in the context of globalisation; again in fairness and equal opportunity for all (2)

FINAL REMARKS I HOPE THIS HELPS AND TAKE CARE.