Testing an Ethical Decision-Making Theory: The Case of Softlifting

:There is a lack of both theoretical and empirical research on the process of ethical decision making in the domain of information systems (IS). As a step in this direction, we describe and test a general ethical decision-making theory developed in the marketing discipline. We conducted a study on the ethical decision-making process of 243 entry-level IS professionals with regard to softlifting—that is, illegal copying of software for personal use. The results show support for the applicability of the tested ethical decision-making theory to the domain of IS, specifically in the context of softlifting. Entry-level IS professionals were found to use both deontological and teleological evaluations to arrive at an ethical judgment of a moral issue. Subsequently, moral intention to pursue softlifting behavior is primarily determined by the ethical judgment. These findings have implications for both research and practice.

• 저널Journal of Management Information Systems · 15(1) · 213–237
• 토픽Ethics in Business and Education · Information Systems and Management
• DOI10.1080/07421222.1998.11518203
• 저자James Y.L. Thong, C. T. Yap