Moores, Nill and Rothenberger (2009)
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Source Details
Moores, Nill and Rothenberger (2009) | |
Title: | Knowledge of Software Piracy as an Antecedent to Reducing Pirating Behavior |
Author(s): | Moores, T. T., Nill, A., Rothenberger, M. A. |
Year: | 2009 |
Citation: | Moores, T. T., Nill, A., & Rothenberger, M. A. (2009). Knowledge of Software Piracy as an Antecedent to Reducing Pirating Behavior . Journal of Computer Information Systems, 50(1). |
Link(s): | Definitive , Open Access |
Key Related Studies: | |
Discipline: | |
Linked by: | Moores and Esichaikul (2011) |
About the Data | |
Data Description: | Dataset comprises 103 completed questionnaires, answered by business students at a large southwestern U.S. university. |
Data Type: | Primary data |
Secondary Data Sources: | |
Data Collection Methods: | |
Data Analysis Methods: | |
Industry(ies): | |
Country(ies): | |
Cross Country Study?: | No |
Comparative Study?: | No |
Literature review?: | No |
Government or policy study?: | No |
Time Period(s) of Collection: | |
Funder(s): |
Abstract
We set out to answer the question: Can legislative and educational outreach programs reduce the level of software piracy? Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, we hypothesize that knowledge of software piracy promoted by these campaigns will lead to increased awareness of the legal consequences of engaging in software piracy and the likelihood of being punished. These two constructs, in turn, will impact on one’s attitude towards software piracy, and hence, on the level of one’s pirating behavior. We test the model using a sample of U.S. business students and find strong support for the model, with an understanding of the number of jobs lost due to software piracy being the dominant factor. This suggests that decision makers in the software industry need to refocus educational outreach programs from stressing the illegality of copyright infringement to emphasizing the social consequences of such behavior.
Main Results of the Study
This article aims at empirically examining the question of whether people stop engaging in software piracy when they understand that software piracy is a crime and has harmful social and economic consequences. It shows that:
- The more people know about software piracy and the social, legal, and economic consequences of stealing software, the more they perceive the likelihood exists that installing illegal software will result in some form of punishment, and the greater the fear of the legal consequences for doing so.
- If someone believed software piracy was wrong, the ease with which software could be pirated would have no impact on their behavior.
- If someone understands the wider social impact of their selfish behavior they are more likely to develop a negative attitude towards software piracy.
Policy Implications as Stated By Author
- While current campaigns focus on the legality of the issue and brow-beat individuals into remembering that illegal copying is theft, none have highlighted an issue that is of great concern to all business students: their future careers. If worries over offshoring and the loss of entry-level positions has impacted on the psyche of business students, persuading someone not to pirate software because it may impact on their future job prospects is likely to be a powerful message.
- The authors do not suggest that further aggressive legislation is warranted; rather, it would appear the message has gotten through and further education on the existing laws may be the most effective next step.
- Anti-piracy campaigns using movie stars, pop singers, or sports stars would acquire the power of the voice of the advocate.
Coverage of Study
Datasets
Sample size: | 103 |
Level of aggregation: | University students |
Period of material under study: | Not stated |