Software piracy: Is it related to level of moral judgment?
Journal of Business Ethics 13 (11):849 - 857 (1994)
Abstract
The possible relationship between widespread unauthorized copying of microcomputer software (also known as software piracy) and level of moral judgment is examined through analysis of over 350 survey questionnaires that included the Defining Issues Test as a measure of moral development. It is hypothesized that the higher one''s level of moral judgment, the less likely that one will approve of or engage in unauthorized copying. Analysis of the data indicate a high level of tolerance toward unauthorized copying and limited support for the hypothesis. The most plausible explanation for these findings is that software copying is perceived as an issue of low moral intensity. This study calls into question the software industry''s strategy of concentrating exclusively on institutional compliance with copyright rules, rather than working to raise the perceived moral intensity about software piracy at the individual level. As long as the issue remains low in moral intensity, the industry cannot expect significant shifts in copying behaviors. Individuals must become more aware of and concerned about the nature and magnitude of harm to society and to the rightful copyright owners from unauthorized copying before their attitudes and behaviors come to reflect higher levels of moral judgment.DOI
10.1007/bf00871698
My notes
Similar books and articles
Shaping of moral intensity regarding software piracy: A comparison between thailand and U.s. Students. [REVIEW]Ranjan B. Kini, H. V. Ramakrishna & B. S. Vijayaraman - 2004 - Journal of Business Ethics 49 (1):91-104.
The Joint Moderating Impact of Moral Intensity and Moral Judgment on Consumer’s Use Intention of Pirated Software.Mei-Fang Chen, Ching-Ti Pan & Ming-Chuan Pan - 2009 - Journal of Business Ethics 90 (3):361 - 373.
The impact of national culture on software piracy.Bryan W. Husted - 2000 - Journal of Business Ethics 26 (3):197 - 211.
Student attitudes on software piracy and related issues of computer ethics.Robert M. Siegfried - 2004 - Ethics and Information Technology 6 (4):215-222.
The morality of software piracy: A cross-cultural analysis. [REVIEW]W. R. Swinyard, H. Rinne & A. Keng Kau - 1990 - Journal of Business Ethics 9 (8):655 - 664.
Situational determinants of software piracy: An equity theory perspective. [REVIEW]Richard S. Glass & Wallace A. Wood - 1996 - Journal of Business Ethics 15 (11):1189 - 1198.
Analytics
Added to PP
2009-01-28
Downloads
59 (#202,831)
6 months
2 (#298,943)
2009-01-28
Downloads
59 (#202,831)
6 months
2 (#298,943)
Historical graph of downloads
Citations of this work
The Quest to improve the human condition: The first 1 500 articles published in journal of business ethics. [REVIEW]Denis Collins - 2000 - Journal of Business Ethics 26 (1):1 - 73.
The Joint Moderating Impact of Moral Intensity and Moral Judgment on Consumer’s Use Intention of Pirated Software.Mei-Fang Chen, Ching-Ti Pan & Ming-Chuan Pan - 2009 - Journal of Business Ethics 90 (3):361 - 373.
The Joint Moderating Impact of Moral Intensity and Moral Judgment on Consumer’s Use Intention of Pirated Software.Mei-Fang Chen, Ching-Ti Pan & Ming-Chuan Pan - 2009 - Journal of Business Ethics 90 (3):361-373.
Ethical Decisions About Sharing Music Files in the P2P Environment.Rong-An Shang, Yu-Chen Chen & Pin-Cheng Chen - 2008 - Journal of Business Ethics 80 (2):349-365.
Counterfeit Luxuries: Does Moral Reasoning Strategy Influence Consumers’ Pursuit of Counterfeits?Jie Chen, Lefa Teng & Yonghai Liao - 2018 - Journal of Business Ethics 151 (1):249-264.
References found in this work
The Moral Judgment of the Child: Cooperation and the Devlopment of the Idea of Justice.Jean Piaget - 1932 - Routledge.
Moral Stages a Current Formulation and a Response to Critics.Lawrence Kohlberg, Charles G. Levine & Alexandra Hewer - 1983 - S Karger.
The social desirability response bias in ethics research.Donna M. Randall & Maria F. Fernandes - 1991 - Journal of Business Ethics 10 (11):805 - 817.