The topic of ethics raises ontological, epistemological and normative challenges that other, more established, topics
do not necessarily have to contend with. Furthermore, there are issues arising out of the complex relationship
between ethics and research. At least three aspects of this relationship are of importance and influence approach and
outcomes of research activities: First, there is the ethical intention of the researcher. In many cases researchers
interested in ethical issues feel strongly about these and are motivated by their views to do something ethical, which
results in the research project. Second, there is research on ethical matters. Such research can be conceptual or
empirical, investigating what is or should be good or right or what people do or should do. Third, there are ethical
aspects of conducting research on ethical issues. All research on humans can raise ethical questions and there are
different ways of addressing these. Research on ethics can be particularly problematic in this respect and require
specific attention. Textbooks on IS in general (e.g. Laudon & Laudon, 1999) or on IS research (e.g. Oates, 2006)
tend to touch on some aspects of the relationship of IS and ethics but usually do this in a perfunctory fashion.