IP Outreach Research > IP Crime
Reference
Title: | Testing an Ethical Decision-Making Theory: The Case of Softlifting |
Author: | James Y L Thong [Hong Kong University of Science and Technology] and Chee-Sing Yap [National University of Singapore] |
Source: | Journal of Management Information Systems 15, no. 1: 213-237 |
Year: | 1998 |
Details
Subject/Type: | Piracy |
Focus: | Software |
Country/Territory: | Singapore |
Objective: | To study the ethical decision-making process of information systems (IS) professionals with regard to illegal copying of software for personal use. |
Sample: | 243 graduating information systems students from a major Singaporean university |
Methodology: | Voluntary and anonymous questionnaire completed during class time |
Main Findings
The perceived consequences of softlifting were found to be more important than the perceived rightness/wrongness of the action in determining participants' intention to copy copyrighted software without permission. Therefore, suggest that organisations' codes of ethics should emphasise the negative consequences of unethical behaviour.
[Date Added: Aug 12, 2008 ]