Digital business world and ethical dilemmas: a systematic literature review

The digital transition in the business world emerged as a necessity during the health crisis. Along with businesses transitioning into the innovative digital sphere, ethical issues also appeared. To switch to new technologies, companies must not only be aware of but also engage in digital practices and, last but not least, consider the importance of ethics. Talking about ethics in business is easy since we have a series of guidelines. It becomes more complicated when we face digital ethics and robots that do not have morals. Such a transition requires companies to rethink and innovate their business models and how they offer their customers value, while simultaneously considering digital ethical matters and even environmental and social aspects. This systematic literature review highlights—from the company's perspective—the key topics that characterize digitalization and the crucial role of ethics, describing the internal and external factors to consider in transition processes. The research results propose a series of guidelines but also open up new research opportunities to facilitate the digital transition in the business environment while respecting its ethical aspects. The main contribution of the research is to the specialist literature, deepening the topic and identifying some key aspects regarding the crucial role of ethics in the digital transition.