Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Softlifting: Exploring Determinants of Attitude

  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Softlifting, or the illegal duplication of copyrighted software by individuals for personal use, is a serious and costly problem for software developers and distributors. Understanding the factors that determine attitude toward softlifting is important in order to ascertain what motivates individuals to engage in the behavior. We examine a number of factors, including personal moral obligation (PMO), perceived usefulness, and awareness of the laws and regulations governing software acquisition and use, along with facets of personal self-identity that may play a role in the development of attitudes and therefore intentions regarding this behavior. These factors are examined across multiple settings expected to be pertinent to our survey respondents: home, work and school. Personal moral obligation and perceived usefulness are significant predictors of attitude across all settings. Past behavior is a significant predictor of intention across all settings, and a significant predictor of attitude in the home setting. We find evidence that awareness of the law causes a less favorable evaluation of softlifting in the school setting only, but has little effect in the home and work settings. As in previous studies, attitude is a significant predictor of intent. We do not find indications that one’s personal self-identity influences one’s attitude towards the behavior and the intention to perform it, except in the case of legal identity, where marginally significant effects are found in the work environment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ajzen, I.: 1985, ‚From Intentions to Actions: A Theory of Planned Behavior’, in J. Kuhl and J. Beckmann (eds.), Action Control – From Cognition to Behavior (Springer-Verlag, Berlin) pp. 11–39

  • Ajzen I. 1991, The Theory of Planned Behavior Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 179–211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ajzen I., M. Fishbein: 1980, Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior, (Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ)

    Google Scholar 

  • Athey T., R. Zmud: 1987, Computers and Information Systems, (Scott, Foresman and Company, Glenview, IL)

    Google Scholar 

  • Banerjee, D., T. Cronan, and T. W. Jones: 1998. ‚Modeling IT Ethics: A Study in Situational Ethics’, MIS Quarterly, March, 22(1), 31–60

  • Beck L., I. Ajzen: 1991, Predicting Dishonest Actions Using the Theory of Planned Behavior. Journal of Research in Personality, Vol. 25, pp. 285–301

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bommer M., C. Gratto, J. Gravander, M. Tuttle: 1987, A Behavioral Model of Ethical and Unethical Decision Making. Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 6, pp. 265–280

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Business Software Alliance (2004) First Annual BSA and IDC Piracy Study; http://www.bsa.or.jp/file/PiracyStudy_E.pdf

  • Chang M. K.: 1998, Predicting Unethical behavior: A Comparison of the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Theory of Planned Behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 17, pp. 1825–1834

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng H. K., R. R. Sims, H. Teegen: 1997, To Purchase or Pirate Software: An Empirical Study. Journal of Management Information Systems, Vol. 13, pp. 49–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Chin, W. W.: 1998. ‚The Partial Least Squares Approach for Structural Equation Modeling’, in G. A. Marcoulides (ed.), Modern Methods for Business Research (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ)

  • Christensen, A. L. and M.M. Eining: 1991, ‚Factors Influencing Software Piracy: Implications for Accountants’, Journal of Information Systems 5(1), 67–80

    Google Scholar 

  • Conner, K. R. and R. P. Rumelt: 1991, ‚Software Piracy: An Analysis of Protection Strategies’, Management Science, Feb., 37(2), 125–139

  • Davis, F. (1989). ‚Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology’, MIS Quarterly 13(3), 319–339

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, F. O.: 1993, ‚User Acceptance of Information Technology: System Charasteristics, User Perceptions and Behavioral Impacts’, International Journal of Man-Machine Studies 38, 475–487

  • Davis F., R. Bagozzi, P. Warshaw: 1989, User Acceptance of Computer Technology: A Comparison of Two Theoretical Models. Management Science, Vol. 35, pp. 982–1003

    Google Scholar 

  • Digital Divide Network Staff: 2004, Digital Divide Basics Fact Sheet, http://www.digitaldividenetwork.org/content/stories/index.cfm?key=168

  • Eining, M. M. and A. L. Christensen: 1991, ‚A Psycho-Social Model of Software Piracy: The Development and Test of a Model’, in R. Dejoie, G. Fowler, and D. Paradice (eds.), Ethical Issues in Information Systems (Boyd Fraser, Boston), pp. 182–187

  • Elm D., M. Nichols: 1993, An Investigation of the Moral Reasoning of Managers. Journal of Business Ethics 12, pp. 817–833

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fishbein M., I. Ajzen: 1975, Belief, Attitude, Intention, and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research, (Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA)

    Google Scholar 

  • Fredricks A. J., D. L. Dossett: 1983, Attitude-Behavior Relations: A Comparison of the Fishbein-Ajzen and the Bentler-Speckart Models Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 45, 501–512

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Givon M., V. Mahajan, E. Muller: 1995, Software Piracy: Estimation of Lost Sales and the Impact on Software Diffusion Journal of Marketing, Vol. 59(1), pp. 29–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glass R., W. Wood: 1996, Situational Determinants of Software Piracy: An Equity Theory Perspective Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 15, 1189–1198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gorsuch R. L., J. Ortberg: 1983, Moral Obligation and Attitudes: Their Relation to Behavioral Intentions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 44, pp. 1025–1028

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grasmick H. G., W. J. Scott: 1982, Tax Evasion and Mechanisms of Social Control: A Comparison with Grand and Petty Theft Journal of Economic Psychology, Vol. 2, pp. 213–230

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrington, S.: 1989, ‚Why People Copy Software and Create Computer Viruses: Individual Characteristics or Situational Factors’, Information Resource Management Journal 2(3), 28–37

  • Harrison D. A, P. P. Jr. Mykytyn, C. K. Riemenschneider: 1997, Executive Decisions About Adoption of Information Technology in Small Business: Theory and Empirical Tests, Information Systems Research 8, pp. 171–194

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hessing, D., H. Elfers and R. Weigel: 1988, ‚Exploring the Limits of Self-reports and Reasoned Action: An Investigation of the Psychology of Tax Evasion Behavior’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, March, 54, 405–413

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones T.: 1991, Ethical Decision Making by Individuals in Organizations: An Issues-Contingent Model. Academy of Management Review, Vol. 16, 366–395

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koen, C. and J. Im: 1997, ‚Software Piracy and Its Legal Implications’, Information and Management, January 31(5), 265–272

  • Logsdon, J., J. Thompson and R. Reid: 1994 ‚Software Piracy: Is It Related to Level of Moral Judgment?’, Journal of Business Ethics, November 13(11), 849–857

    Google Scholar 

  • Nunnally, J. C. and I. H. Bernstein: 1994. Psychometric theory, 3rd ed. (McGraw-Hill, New York)

  • Oz E.: 1990, The Attitudes of Managers-To-Be Toward Software Piracy. OR/MS Today, Vol. 17(4), pp. 24–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Peace, A. and D. Galletta: 1996, ‚Developing a Predictive Model of Software Piracy Behavior’, in Proceedings of the Seventeenth International Conference on Information Systems, Cleveland, OH, pp. 209–222

  • Robinson, R. and B. J. Reithel: 1994, ‚The Software Piracy Dilemma in Public Administration: A Survey of University Software Policy Enforcement’, Public Administration Quarterly, Winter 17(4), 485–498

  • Sambamurthy, V. and W. Chin: 1994, ‚The Effects of Group Attitudes toward Alternative GDSS Designs on the Decision-Making Performance of Computer-Supported Groups’, Decision Sciences, 25(2), 215–241

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheppard B. H., J. Hartwick, P. R. Warshaw: 1988, The Theory of Reasoned Action: A Meta-Analysis of Past Research with Recommendations for Modifications and Future Research, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 15, pp. 325–343

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shim, J., and G. Taylor: 1991. ‚A Comparative Study of Unauthorized Software Copying: Information Systems Faculty Members’ vs. Practicing Managers’ Perceptions’, in R. Dejoie, G. Fowler, and D. Paradice (eds.), Ethical Issues in Information Systems (Boyd Fraser, Boston)

  • Simpson P., D. Banerjee, C. Simpson: 1994, Softlifting: A Model of Motivating Factors, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 13, pp. 431–438

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sims, R., Cheng, H., and Teegen, H.: 1996, ‚Toward a Profile of Student Software Piraters’, Journal of Business Ethics, August 15(8), 839–849

    Google Scholar 

  • Snyder M.: 1974, Self-Monitoring of Expressive Behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 30,pp. 526–537

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Software Publishers Association: 1997, ‚New Consumer Survey Shows Almost 40% of American Homes Now Have Personal Computers’, http://www.spa.org/research/releases/consur97.htm, March 31

  • Solomon, S. and J. O’Brien: 1990, ‚The Effect of Demographic Factors on Attitudes Toward Software Piracy’, Journal of Computer Information Systems 30(3), 40–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Swinyard, W., H. Rinne and A. Kau: 1990, ‚The Morality of Software Piracy: A Cross-Cultural Analysis’, Journal of Business Ethics August 9(8), 655–664

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, G. and J. Shim: 1993, ‚A Comprehensive Examination of Attitudes toward Software Piracy among Business Professors and Executives’, Human Relations April, 46(4), 419–433

  • Taylor, S. and P. Todd: 1995, ‚Understanding Information Technology Usage: A Test of Competing Models’, Information Systems Research, June 6(2), 144–176

  • Taylor, S. and P. Todd: 1996, ‚Everything Old is New Again: Exploring the Role of Personal Norms in the Theory of Planned Behavior’, Working Paper

  • Thompson, R., C. Higgins and J. Howell: 1991, ‚Personal Computing: Toward a Conceptual Model of Utilization’, MIS Quarterly, March 15, 125–143

  • Thompson R., C. Higgins, J. Howell: 1994, Influence of Experience on Personal Computer Utilization: Testing a Conceptual Model Journal of Management Information Systems, Vol. 11(1), pp. 167–187

    Google Scholar 

  • Thong, J. and C. Yap: 1998, ‚Testing an Ethical Decision-Making Theory: The Case of Softlifting’, Journal of Management Information Systems, Summer 15(1) 213–237

    Google Scholar 

  • Triandis, H.: 1979, ‚Values, Attitudes, and Interpersonal Behavior’, in Nebraska Symposium on Motivation (University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE)

  • Weber J.: 1991, Adapting Kohlberg to Enhance the Assessment of Managers’ Moral Reasoning. Business Ethics Quarterly, Vol. 1, pp. 293–318

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the input of Barbara Marcolin, Wynne Chin and Peter Todd.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Texas-San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, U.S.A.

    Tim Goles

  2. State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, U.S.A.

    Bandula Jayatilaka

  3. University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX, U.S.A.

    Beena George

  4. George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, U.S.A.

    Linda Parsons

  5. Texas A & M University, 6300 Ocean Drive, Unit 5807, Corpus Christi, TX, 78412 , U.S.A.

    Valrie Chambers

  6. Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, U.S.A.

    David Taylor

  7. Houston, TX, U.S.A.

    Rebecca Brune

Authors
  1. Tim Goles
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Bandula Jayatilaka
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Beena George
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Linda Parsons
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Valrie Chambers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. David Taylor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Rebecca Brune
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Valrie Chambers.

Additional information

Dr. Tim Goles is an assistant Professor in the Information Systems Department of the University of Texas-San Antonio. He has numerous publications, most of which pertain to information systems.

Dr. Bandula Jayatilaka is an Assistant Professor in the School of Mangement in Binghamton University-SUNY. Most of his publications pertain to information systems.

Dr. Beena George is an Assistant Professor at the Cameron School of Business, University of St. Thomas, Houston, Most of her pblications pertain to information systems.

Dr. Linda Parsons is an Assistant Professor in the Accounting Department at George Mason University. Most of her publications pertain to accounting information systems and nonprofit organizations.

Dr. David S. Taylor is an Assitant Professor at Sam Houston State University. Most of his publications pertain to information systems.

Rebecca Brune has a strong accounting background; her work is predominantly in the information systems field.

Appendix A

Appendix A

The following definition of softlifting was provided to survey participants in the introduction of the survey:

The phrase “copying software” is intended to encompass these behaviors:

  • You purchase software and give copies to your friends, coworkers or other students.

  • Your friend, coworker or other student provides you a copy of software.

  • Your friend, coworker or other student allows you to copy software.

  • You copy software at home or at work or at school and install it on another machine.

“Copying software” does not include

  • the making of a single backup copy, or

  • the acquisition of shareware or freeware requiring no licensing or payment.

Measurement Items – 7-point Likert scales:

Past behavior

PB1   I have copied software in the past (very frequently to very infrequently).

PB2   I only use software that I purchase or is authorized for my use (strongly agree to strong disagree).

Perceived Usefulness (strongly agree to strongly disagree)

PU1    Copying software would be useful.

PU2    Copying software allows me to have more enjoyment out of my personal computer.

PU3    Copying software would allow me to get more value from my personal computer.

PU4    It is easier to obtain software for use by copying it than by purchasing it.

PU5    Overall, the advantages of copying software will outweigh the disadvantages.

PU6    Copying software would allow me to improve my performance.

Awareness of the Law (strongly certain to strongly uncertain)

AW1    Copying software is illegal.

AW2    Anyone copying software for personal use (that is, not reselling it for a profit) can be sued.

AW3    Anyone copying software for use (that is, not reselling it for a profit) can be jailed.

AW4    Anyone copying software for use (that is, not reselling it for a profit) can be fined.

Personal moral obligation (strongly agree to strongly disagree)

MO1    It is my obligation as a personal computer user not to copy software.

MO2    I would not feel guilty if I used copied software.

MO3    I would feel guilty if I copied software.

Risk-taking personal identity (strongly agree to strongly disagree)

RT1    I see myself as a risk taker.

RT2    I prefer to avoid taking unnecessary chances.

Legal personal identity (strongly agree to strongly disagree)

LG1I   see myself as someone who is law-abiding.

Technical personal identity (strongly agree to strongly disagree)

TE1    I see myself as someone who needs to have the latest version of software.

TE2    I see myself as someone who needs to be on the leading edge of technology.

TE3    With respect to computer software, for me having more is always better.

Attitude (strongly agree to strongly disagree)

AT1    Using copied software is a bad idea.

AT2    I dislike the idea of using copied software.

AT3    Using copied software is a wise idea.

Behavioral Intention (strongly agree to strongly disagree)

IN1    I do not intend to copy software in the future.

IN2    I do not plan to copy software within the next year.

IN3    If the need or opportunity arises within the next year, I plan to copy software.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Goles, T., Jayatilaka, B., George, B. et al. Softlifting: Exploring Determinants of Attitude. J Bus Ethics 77, 481–499 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-007-9361-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-007-9361-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation