ACCEPTABLE RISKS: AN ARTICLE CRITIQUE
Dalton, G. (1998, 31 August). Acceptable risks. Information Week, 36, 38, 40, 44, 46, 48.
This article deals with the general issue of Internet security. Within the context of this article, security is concerned with both the integrity of online information and the security of the internal information systems of the organizations maintaining Internet sites. This article focused especially on risks associated with Web commerce, electronic supply chains, and enterprise resource planning. Two major risks were identified for organizations engaging in these activities. These risks were as follows:
1. First, organizations engaged in Web commerce, electronic supply chains, and enterprise resource planning experience incidents of information loss and the theft of trade secrets at a rate three times the rate for such losses experienced by organizations that do not engage in Web commerce, electronic supply chains, and enterprise resource planning. This risk differential is significant for all organizations that engage in Web commerce, electronic supply chains, and enterprise resource planning.
2. Second, organizations engaged in Web commerce experience revenue loss incidents at a rate seven times the rate of revenue loss incidents experienced by organizations that maintain non-commerce Web sites. This risk differential is significant for all organizations that engage in Web commerce.
The authors of the article concluded that managing risk is now a top priority for organizations that maintain a presence on the Internet. The authors concluded further that, while such risks cannot be eliminated, they can be maintained at acceptable levels by alert organizations.
The article is critiqued in three contexts. These contexts are (1) information gained from the article, (2) usefulness and understandability of the article, and (3) applicability of the
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