A. Graham Peace

Software Piracy in the Workplace: A Model and Empirical Test

Theft of software and other intellectual property has become one of the most visible problems in computing today. This paper details the development and empirical validation of a model of software piracy by individuals in the workplace. The model was developed from the results of prior research into software piracy, and the reference disciplines of the theory of planned behavior, expected utility theory, and deterrence theory. A survey of 201 respondents was used to test the model. The results indicate that individual attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control are significant precursors to the intention to illegally copy software. In addition, punishment severity, punishment certainty, and software cost have direct effects on the individuals attitude toward software piracy, whereas punishment certainty has a significant effect on perceived behavioral control. Consequently, strategies to reduce software piracy should focus on these factors. The results add to a growing stream of information systems research into illegal software copying behavior and have significant implications for organizations and industry groups aiming to reduce software piracy.Theft of software and other intellectual property has become one of the most visible problems in computing today. This paper details the development and empirical validation of a model of software piracy by individuals in the workplace. The model was developed from the results of prior research into software piracy, and the reference disciplines of the theory of planned behavior, expected utility theory, and deterrence theory. A survey of 201 respondents was used to test the model. The results indicate that individual attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control are significant precursors to the intention to illegally copy software. In addition, punishment severity, punishment certainty, and software cost have direct effects on the individuals attitude toward software piracy, whereas punishment certainty has a significant effect on perceived behavioral control. Consequently, strategies to reduce software piracy should focus on these factors. The results add to a growing stream of information systems research into illegal software copying behavior and have significant implications for organizations and industry groups aiming to reduce software piracy.

Ethical Issues in eBusiness: A Proposal for Creating the eBusiness Principles

e Business seems to be the topic of conversation, wherever a businessperson turns today. Retailers small and large are creating web sites, and business-to-business ecommerce is expanding exponentially. In the ebusiness paradigm, employees regularly telecommute, cell phones are pervasive, and email is the preferred method of communication. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are revolutionizing the internal operations of the corporation, while customer relationship management (CRM) and supply chain management (SCM) applications are integrating partnerships with environmental entities. eBusiness success stories are touted in newspapers and airplane magazines, and Amazon.com is as well known as companies ten times as old. Despite some much publicized bumps in the road, the information age has arrived. However, there are long-term ethical and social implications of these business trends that may be overlooked, as they do not fit into the profit picture. In addition, ethical principles needed as guides in conducting ebusiness are lacking. This article

Balancing free speech and censorship: academia's response to the Internet

Many universities do not consider the topic of censorship important enough to address in a formal way---but the legal and ethical risks of neglecting this issue should not be ignored.

A Performance Evaluation Framework for a Public University Knowledge Management System

Measuring information technology (IT) implementation success has long been a challenge for information systems researchers and practitioners. The IT evaluation problem is exacerbated when assessing the specific performance of a knowledge management system (KMS), in part because the dependent variable must measure the construct of IT driven incremental enhancements to organizational knowledge and productivity. Historically, researchers have used many quantitative and qualitative variables to evaluate the performance of IT implementations, ranging from return on investment to quality of user decision-making. Academic institutions, such as universities, often have knowledge creation as a final goal, adding to the complexity of the KMS performance measurement challenge. This paper describes a planned, multi-phased, KMS implementation at a typical state university, and presents the theoretically-based, yet practitioner-oriented measures that will be applied to evaluate the ongoing success of the KMS, as it is deployed.

An Exploratory Study of Software Piracy in Jordan

This paper documents an exploratory study of software piracy in the developing country of Jordan. Piracy levels in the developing world have consistently ranked higher than in the industrialized nations, and this study finds that Jordan is no exception. Almost a quarter of those surveyed appeared to not understand the legal issues involved in piracy behavior. However, a majority did believe that copying software illegally is unethical. The roles of the government, NGOs and private industry in educating the public were also studied. The respondents believed that all three groups have a responsibility to increase public awareness of piracy issues, but the success of such efforts was seen as limited. The paper finishes with some suggestions on combating piracy in Jordan, including the implementation of a unified marketing strategy to raise public awareness of the issue.