Abstract
Software piracy has become recognized as a major problem for the software industry and for business. One research approach that has provided a theoretical framework for studying software piracy has been to place the illegal copying of software within the domain of ethical decision making assumes that a person must be able to recognize software piracy as a moral issue. A person who fails to recognize a moral issue will fail to employ moral decision making schemata. There is substantial evidence that many individuals do not perceive software piracy to be an ethical problem. This paper applies social exchange theory, in particular equity theory, to predict the influence of situational factors on subjects' intentions to participate in software piracy. Consistent with the predictions of equity theory this study found that input and outcome situational variables significantly effect a person's intentions to commit software piracy.
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Richard S. Glass is an Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems at Bryant College in Smithfield RI. His current research interests include the ethical use of information technology, decision making, decision support systems and expert systems.
Wallace A. Wood is a Professor of Computer Information Systems at Bryant College in Smithfield RI. His current research interests include the ethical use of information technology and the effective use of information systems.
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Glass, R.S., Wood, W.A. Situational determinants of software piracy: An equity theory perspective. J Bus Ethics 15, 1189–1198 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00412817
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00412817