The Knowledge Economy’s Strategy Dilemma: Balancing Digital Relationships and Rights

Marketing scholars, like their economics and strategic management colleagues, acknowledge the knowledge economy’s profound transformation of the business enterprise. Yet, the ethical tradeoffs incurred by enterprises that embrace digital network technology have not been sufficiently explored. This study examines the dilemma posed by the emerging knowledge economy structures and related digital network systems for sustainable business marketing relationships. Unlike the conflict focus presented in the extant literature, a confluent framework of digital enterprise and ethics is advanced by coupling marketing and MIS competences. Accordingly, knowledge economy resources are shown to optimize marketing strategy without obfuscating risks for business customers. Beginning with an examination of knowledge economy drivers, the essential determinants of successful business enterprise alliance are derived from relational marketing strategies and digital information systems. Next, a process is proposed to optimize knowledge economy business-to-business networking strategy, by balancing micromarketing enterprise relationship considerations with macromarketing ethical rights concerns. The resulting knowledge economy relationship management (KERM) process is then applied to a knowledge economy enterprise scenario to demonstrate its conceptual validity and commercial viability. Consequently, by embracing digital ethics rights as a complementary knowledge economy dimension, this exploratory study contributes a more balanced strategic perspective of digital enterprise relationships.