Final answer:
In the 1990s, emerging technologies presented new challenges in business ethics, leading to an increased focus on corporate responsibility and the development of codes of ethics to guide entrepreneur and corporate conduct in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the 1990s, a new issue emerged that significantly affected entrepreneurs and the broader scope of business ethics; this was the challenge of establishing ethical practices related to rapidly emerging technologies. The content loaded during the 1990s, such as internet technology, brought forward unprecedented ethical dilemmas, such as cyber security and privacy concerns, which were largely unanticipated. As these technologies were adopted, issues around corporate responsibility for social, economic, and environmental problems gained prominence, resulting in an increased effort to develop and implement codes of ethics within organizations.
In response to these challenges, professional organizations, including those in technology sectors like the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Computer Society (IEEE-CS), produced codes of ethics to guide conduct. The Software Engineering Code of Ethics, adopted in 2000 by IEEE-CS, is an example of how organizations began to tackle the complex task of defining the ethical obligations of professionals in the face of new technological innovations. Issues such as the environmental impact of business practices and the equitable use of technology also came to the forefront, tying business conduct to broader social and moral considerations.