Case Studies of Cybercrime and Its Impact On Marketing Activity and Shareholder Value
Case Studies of Cybercrime and Its Impact On Marketing Activity and Shareholder Value
Case Studies of Cybercrime and Its Impact On Marketing Activity and Shareholder Value
ABSTRACT:
Cybercrime, also called e-crime, costs publicly traded companies billions of dollars annually in stolen
assets and lost business. Cybercrime can totally disrupt a company’s marketing activities. Further, when a
company falls prey to cyber criminals, this may cause customers to worry about the security of their
business transactions with the company. As a result, a company can lose future business if it is perceived to
be vulnerable to cybercrime. Such vulnerability can lead to a decrease in the market value of the company,
due to legitimate concerns of financial analysts, investors, and creditors. This study examines 10 case
studies of publicly traded companies affected by cybercrime, and its impact on marketing activity and
shareholder value. The study also describes some of the major types of cybercrime. Results indicate that
costs of cybercrime go beyond stolen assets, lost business, and company reputation; cybercrime has a
significant negative effect on shareholder value.
INTRODUCTION:
E-commerce is a fundamental part of marketing activity. Most e-commerce takes place on the websites of
publicly traded companies. The term „cyberspace‟ refers to the electronic medium of computer networks,
principally the Web, in which online communication takes place. A challenge facing e-business or
cyber-business is that it is vulnerable to e-crime, also called cybercrime. Cybercrime can totally disrupt a
company marketing activities. Cybercrime costs publicly traded companies billions of dollars annually in
stolen assets, lost business, and damaged reputations. Cybercrime costs the US economy over $100 billion
per year (Kratchman et al. 2008, Mello 2007). Cash can be stolen, literally with the push of a button. If a
company website goes down, customers will take their business elsewhere. In addition to the direct losses
associated with cybercrime, a company that falls prey to cyber criminals may lose the confidence of
customers who worry about the security of their business transactions. As a result, a company can lose
future business if it is perceived to be vulnerable to cybercrime. Such vulnerability may even lead to a
decrease in the market value of the company, due to legitimate concerns of financial analysts, investors,
and creditors. This study examines types of cybercrime and how they affect marketing activity. In addition,
the study reviews 10 case studies of publicly traded companies affected by cybercrime, and its impact on
shareholder value. The research questions addressed by this study include:
(1) What are some ways that cybercrime affects marketing activity?
(2) Do cybercrime news stories negatively affect shareholder value? Results suggest that there are a
number of types of cybercrime that have detrimental effects on marketing activity. Furthermore, the costs
of cybercrime go beyond stolen assets, lost business, and company reputation, but also include a negative
impact on the company stock price.
E-BUSINESS AND E-RISK :
Corporate managers must consider e-risks, that is, potential problems associated with ebusiness.
Precautions must be taken against e-fraud, malicious hackers, computer viruses, and other cybercrimes. To
some extent, electronic business (e-business) began with the early computers in the 1950s. However, not