A Conceptual Model of the Effect of Privacy, Ethical and Policy Concerns on Electronic Mail Usage

Communication between individuals and firms has never been faster or easier thanks to powerful new information technologies such as electronic mail (E-mail). Over the past ten years, the effect of task, channel and demographic variables on e-mail usage within organizations has been extensively studied. Although E-mail offers firms increased control over widely dispersed operations, it also gives employers the keys to unlock a treasure chest of intercompany messages. This ability to monitor employee\u27s electronic correspondence has opened a new chapter in the fight for ethical principles and privacy rights. This paper attempts to broaden the scope of variables used to predict e-mail usage by suggesting that individuals have inherent ethical philosophies and emerging attitudes toward privacy, which play important roles in the selection and use of communication media