Digital Piracy: Factors that Influence Attitude Toward Behavior

A new form of software piracy known as digital piracy has taken the spotlight. Lost revenues due to digital piracy could reach $5 billion by the end of 2005.Preventives and deterrents do not seem to be working – losses are increasing. This study examines factors that influence an individual’s attitude toward pirating digital material. The results of this study suggest that attitude toward digital pirating is influenced by beliefs about the outcome of behavior (cognitive beliefs), happiness and excitement (affective beliefs), age, the perceived importance of the issue, the influence of significant others (subjective norms), and machiavellianism. Given these results, measures can be developed which could alter attitudes toward digital piracy. Sulaiman Al-Rafee received his Ph.D. in Information Systems from the University of Arkansas in the USA, May, 2002. He is an assistant professor of Information Systems at the department of Quantitative Methods and Information Systems at the College of Business Administration, Kuwait. He is the MIS coordinator at the department, and has taught different MIS courses within the department. His reserch interests include: ethics, behavioral psychology, software and digital piracy, user acceptance of information technology, and cross-cultural studies. Timothy Paul Cronan, Professor and M.D. Matthews Chair in Information Systems, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas. Dr. Cronan received the D.B.A. from Louisiana Tech University and is an active member of the Decision Sciences Institute and The Associaton for Computing Machinery. He has served as Regional Vice President and on the Board of Directors of the Decision Sciences Institute and as President of the Southwest Region of the Institute. In addition, he has served as Associate Editor for MIS Quarterly. He is currently Director of Enterprise Systems and Director of the Master of Information Systems degree programs. His research interests include information systems ethical behavior, work groups, change management, expert systems, performance analysis and effectiveness, and end-user computing. Publications have appeared in MIS Quarterly, Decision Sciences, Journal of Business Ethics, Information and Management, OMEGA The International Journal of Management Science, The Journal of Management Information Systems, Communications of the ACM, Journal of Organizational and End User Computing, Database, Journal of Research on Computing in Education, Journal of Financial Research, as well as in other journals and Proceedings of various Conferences.     

A Behavioral Model of Digital Music Piracy

The increasing pervasiveness of the Internet, broadband connections, and the emergence of digital compression technologies have dramatically changed the face of digital music. Digitally compressed music files are essentially a perfect public economic good, and illegal copying of these files has increasingly become rampant. In this article, we present a study on the behavioral dynamics that impact the piracy of digital audio files and provide a contrast with software piracy. Our results indicate that the general ethical model of software piracy is broadly applicable to audio piracy. However, significant enough differences with software underscore the unique dynamics of audio piracy. We highlight practical implications that can help the recording industry to effectively combat piracy and provide future research directions.     

Predicting Unethical Behavior: A Comparison of the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Theory of Planned Behavior

This study is a comparison of the validity of theory of reasoned action and theory of planned behavior as applied to the area of moral behavior (i.e., illegal copying of software) using structural equation modeling. Data were collected from 181 university students on the various components of the theories and used to asses the influence of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control on the intention to make unauthorized software copies. Theory of planned behavior was found to be better than the theory of reasoned action in predicting unethical behavior. A modified version of the theory of planned behavior, with a causal path linking subjective norm to attitude, provided a significant improvement on model fit. The results indicated that perceived behavioral control is a better predictor of behavioral intention then attitude. The direct effect of subjective norm on behavioral intention was not significant, but the indirect effect through attitude was highly significant. Applicability of the theory of planned behavior for moral behavior and the implications for future research are discussed.     

Understanding Local Food Consumers: Theory of Planned Behavior and Segmentation Approach

Purpose: The objectives of this study were to examine the antecedents and consequence of consumer attitudes toward local food and to segment these consumers using their food-related lifestyle (FRL) attributes. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior, we proposed three factors to impact attitude toward local food (health consciousness, concern for the environment, and concern for local economies) along with subjective norm and perceived behavioral control to influence intentions to purchase local food.

Methodology: Data were collected from 502 local food consumers measuring the following: antecedents and consequence of attitude toward local food; FRL; demographic information.

Findings: Health consciousness, concern for the environment, and concern for local economies were found to be significant predictors of attitude toward local food. Attitude toward local food and subjective norm, but not perceived behavioral control, were found to have a significant effect on intention to purchase local food. Further, segmenting based on their FRL yielded four types of consumers (Impromptu Novelty Explorer, Uninvolved Connoisseur, Involved Information Seeker, and Apathetic Local Food Consumer). An ANOVA provided a snapshot of several demographic and psychographic differences between segments.     

Unethical and Fraudulent Financial Reporting: Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior

This research applies the theory of planned behavior to corporate managers’ decision making as it relates to fraudulent financial reporting. Specifically, we conducted two studies to examine the effects of attitude, subjective norm and perceived control on managers’ decisions to violate generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) in order to meet an earnings target and receive an annual bonus. The results suggest that the theory of planned behavior predicts whether managers’ decisions are ethical or unethical. These findings are relevant to corporate leaders who seek to improve ethical work climates of organizations and to many regulators, accountants, corporate governance officials and investors.     

A Model Integrating the Multidimensional Developmental Theory of Privacy and Theory of Planned Behavior to Examine Fabrication of Information Online

We investigate the antecedents behind online consumers' attempt to disguise their identities through fabrication. We first develop a general conceptual model that draws on two extant theoretical frameworks: (1) Laufer and Wolfe's Multidimensional Approach to Privacy, and (2) Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) with Perceived Moral Obligation. Next we conduct an empirical study using SEM to test the portion of the conceptual model based on the TPB framework. Results demonstrate that Attitudes, Perceived Behavioral Control, and Perceived Moral Obligation are significant drivers of fabrication, while Subjective Norms are not. Anonymity, one of the unique characteristics of the Internet compared to in-store environments, likely contributed to the intention to fabricate information. In the concluding section we discuss the implications of our empirical results, industry self-regulation and public policy considerations, and how future research can draw upon the conceptual Laufer and Wolfe framework, particularly the calculus of behavior construct, to further enrich our understanding of fabrication behavior on the Internet.     

基于计划行为理论的旅游者绿色消费行为研究

旅游是从惯常环境到非惯常环境的过程,在非惯常环境下,旅游者具有匿名化,道德约束松弛等特有特征,其绿色消费行为较传统情境下产生了较大差别。理论与实证分析表明,在非惯常环境下,主观规范变量和态度变量对目标绿色消费意愿产生直接影响,但感知行为控制却对其影响甚微;同时环境的异质化也带来了意愿与行为间的鸿沟。在吸收计划行为理论的基础上,本研究尝试建立非惯常环境下旅游者绿色消费意愿行为模型。     

Predicting the Use of Pirated Software: A Contingency Model Integrating Perceived Risk with the Theory of Planned Behavior

As software piracy continues to be a threat to the growth of national and global economies, understanding why people continue to use pirated software and learning how to discourage the use of pirated software are urgent and important issues. In addition to applying the theory of planned behavior (TPB) perspective to capture behavioral intention to use pirated software, this paper considers perceived risk as a salient belief influencing attitude and intention toward using pirated software. Four perceived risk components related to the use of pirated software (performance, social, prosecution and psychological risks) have been identified, measured and tested. Data were collected through an online survey of 305 participants. The results indicate that perceived prosecution risk has an impact on intention to use pirated software, and perceived psychological risk is a strong predictor of attitude toward using pirated software. In addition, attitude and perceived behavior control contribute significantly to the intended use of pirated software. However, the proposed direct relationship between subjective norm and intention to use pirated software is not supported. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Investigating Software Piracy in Jordan: An Extension of the Theory of Reasoned Action

Software piracy, the illegal and unauthorized duplication, sale, or distribution of software, is a widespread and costly phenomenon. According to Business Software Alliance (2008), over 41% of the PC software packages installed worldwide were unauthorized copies. Software piracy behavior has been investigated for more than 30 years. However, after a review of the relevant literature, there appears to be two voids in this literature: a lack of studies in non-Western countries and a scarcity of process studies. This study contributes to literature by developing a software piracy model to better understand the decision-making process that underlies this unethical behavior. The model was tested using data collected from a sample of 323 undergraduate business students. Consistent with the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), attitudes toward software piracy and subjective norms were significant predictors of intention to pirate software. Also, the results suggested that ethical ideology, public self-consciousness, and low self-control moderated the effect of these variables on intention to pirate software. The results have important practical implications for the software industry and governments hoping to curtail software piracy. Limitations of the study and recommendations for future studies are discussed as well.     

同属顾客干预顾客不当行为的影响机制研究——基于计划行为理论视角

文章基于计划行为理论视角,对在遭遇顾客不当行为情境下,同属顾客干预顾客不当行为的影响机制进行了探究。在深度访谈、调查问卷法基础上,研究发现:顾客不当行为的严重程度、同属顾客对顾客不当行为的感知可控性分别与同属顾客的干预意向存在正、负相关关系,同属顾客的干预意向与干预行为存在正相关关系。另外,同属顾客的感知实力不仅正向影响干预行动,还会调节干预意向和干预行为的关系;当同属顾客感知实力较低时,会减弱干预意向和干预行为的关系。     

The Determinants of Entrepreneurial Intention of Young Researchers: Combining the Theory of Planned Behavior with the Triple Helix Model

Although the theme of academic spin‐off has received increasing consideration in entrepreneurship literature, little attention has been devoted to identifying the factors that drive young researchers to set up ventures based on the results of their research. To identify the determinants of academic entrepreneurial intention (AEI), we tested a model on a sample of Italian researchers using structural equation modeling and integrating the Triple Helix Model with the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The findings highlight that all psychological variables of TPB are relevant in predicting AEI, whereas only some contextual and exogenous variables (namely, government and industrial/financial support) directly influence AEI.     

Ethics and Executive Coaching: An Agency Theory Approach

In recent years executive coaching has become an important management development practice in many organizations. Executive coaching is a partnership between a management level client and a coach hired by an organization to assist the executive in becoming a more effective and successful manager. While executive coaching has become a frequent and important practice in organizations, there has been relatively little serious consideration of the complex ethical issues that arise for persons and organizations. This study proposes that executive coaching involves an agency relation with specific moral duties that go beyond the usual standards of professional ethics. Agency theory, and in particular a focused understanding of the agency relationship, can provide a needed ethical grounding and basis for moral thinking about executive coaching.     

计划行为理论和中国消费者绿色消费行为

影响消费者绿色消费行为的因素包括消费者的认知和心理变量、社会文化因素、个人因素、自我效能、实施环境行为的便利或障碍程度等,本文基于计划行为理论整合了这些因素,以审视不同变量的相对影响程度,探究介于这些变量与绿色消费行为之间的中介变量,认为绿色消费行为是行为意图和感知行为控制的函数,行为意图依次取决于态度、主观规范和感知行为控制,这三种因素分别取决于信念、个人相对利益、社会相对利益和复杂性以及自我效能与便利条件。     

基于计划行为理论的农户安全农产品供给机理探析

农户的农产品供给行为直接关系到农产品质量安全,要从源头上解决农产品质量安全问题就必须认识和把握农户安全农产品的供给机理。文章基于计划行为理论,分析了影响农户安全农产品供给行为意向的行为态度、主观规范和控制认知,并结合目前农户的实际情况揭示了影响中国农户安全农产品供给行为的最终决定因素——预期收益、风险因素、制度环境、社会舆论和农户禀赋,在此基础上提出了以农户安全农产品供给为目标的政策建议。     

Creative Destruction and Destructive Creations: Environmental Ethics and Planned Obsolescence

Three decades ago, planned obsolescence was a widely discussed ethical issue in marketing classrooms. Planned obsolescence is topical again today because an increasing emphasis on continuous product development promotes shorter durables replacement and disposal cycles with troublesome environmental consequences. This paper offers explanations of why product obsolescence is practiced and why it works. It then examines the ethical responsibilities of product developers and corporate strategists and their differing responses to this problem. Pro-environment product design and marketing practices and innovative government policies may alleviate the problem over time. However, given the current lack of understanding about consumer replacement and disposal behavior, it is questionable as to whether these practices and policies will be sufficiently informed to be effective. Thus, marketing scholars have a significant opportunity to contribute to sustainable durables product development.     

Creative Destruction and Destructive Creations: Environmental Ethics and Planned Obsolescence

Three decades ago, planned obsolescence was a widely discussed ethical issue in marketing classrooms. Planned obsolescence is topical again today because an increasing emphasis on continuous product development promotes shorter durables replacement and disposal cycles with troublesome environmental consequences. This paper offers explanations of why product obsolescence is practiced and why it works. It then examines the ethical responsibilities of product developers and corporate strategists and their differing responses to this problem. Pro-environment product design and marketing practices and innovative government policies may alleviate the problem over time. However, given the current lack of understanding about consumer replacement and disposal behavior, it is questionable as to whether these practices and policies will be sufficiently informed to be effective. Thus, marketing scholars have a significant opportunity to contribute to sustainable durables product development.     

Relationship Quality and the Theory of Planned Behavior models of behavioral intentions and purchase behavior

Using real-life purchase behavior data of apparel and survey information, this study compares the Relationship Quality and the Theory of Planned Behavior models. The attitude towards the buying behavior, the subjective norm and perceived behavioral control (antecedents of the buying intention in the Theory of Planned Behavior) are better predictors of behavioral intentions than Relationship Quality. In both models intentions fully mediate the impact of attitudinal antecedents on behavior, both in terms of purchase incidence and purchase behavior (amount spent, number of visits, and types of products bought). Frequency and recency of prior buying behavior and, to a lesser extent, its monetary value, predict subsequent purchase incidence, above and beyond the impact of attitude and intention. Attitudinal antecedents of behavior significantly predict buying behavior, but they become insignificant when buying behavior is included in the model.