Comparison of attitudes towards digital piracy between downloaders and non-downloaders

This study investigates the difference perspectives between downloaders and nondownloaders towards digital piracy by using multiple regression analysis. A number of implications for businesses will be discussed, suggestions for future research are reviewed and the main contributions of the study will also be delineated

Identifying entrepreneurs through risk taking behaviour: illegal downloading

Purpose – This paper is the first in a series which explores whether it is possible to use risk-taking activities as a way of identifying potential entrepreneurs. The research examines the motivations of individuals to engage in deviant consumer behaviour, in this case illegal downloading and the link between this behaviour and possible entrepreneurial characteristics. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology approach was of a quantitative nature using a 32-item questionnaire disseminated to 215 undergraduate students at a UK University. Findings – Although there was strong evidence of entrepreneurial traits existing across the participants, including risk taking propensity, no relationship could be found between risk taking propensity and illegal downloading. Reasons put forward for this findings were that the level of risk involved was too low to be identified as such by the downloaders, even though the nondownloaders were worried about being caught and therefore were not participating in it. Attitudes towards this misbehaviour changes when it is not for their own consumption and very few students participated in that activity. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited to a cohort of undergraduate students at only one University. This study begins to understand the potential link between misbehaviour and entrepreneurial traits. Originality/value – This paper examines the possible link between consumer misbehaviour, in this case illegal downloading and the display of entrepreneurial risk-taking characteristics. The implication of ‘consumer misbehaviour’ through illegal downloading being ‘entrepreneurial’ has, to our knowledge, not been previously tested and could be a useful and inexpensive way of identifying future entrepreneurs and consequently directing relevant support and training to the right people

Illegal games downloaders vs illegal movies downloaders??!! Both are still criminal!!

This study examines the difference perspectives between illegal games downloaders and illegal movie downloaders based on personal factors and social factors (T-Test analysis). A number of implications for businesses will be discussed, suggestions for future research are reviewed and the main contributions of the study will also be delineated

Consumer adoption of online music services: the influence of perceived risks and risk relief strategies

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to offer insights into what consumers are looking for when downloading music and what different consumer groups might look for in commercial online music services, based on their current level of music downloading, and their likelihood of purchasing music online in the near future. Design/methodology/approach - The literature review focused on the risk and adoption theories. Interviews were used to help derive variables used in the design of a questionnaire. A web survey of 211 samples was used as a data collection method for this study. Findings - The results suggest that performance and time-loss aspects of perceived risks are playing an important role, while social and psychological aspects of risks are of the least concern to consumers. Where different types of users are concerned, those with the most experience of downloading music are the least profitable segment to target. Non and Light downloaders, on the other hand, should be the focus of marketing activities, although their needs are different. Originality/value - This paper highlighted that different groups have different behaviours towards downloading music. The finding helps the online music providers to focus on and capture the new age downloaders

Sentencing, severity, and social norms: A rank-based model of contextual influence on judgments of crimes and punishments

Context effects have been shown to bias lay people's evaluations of the severity of crimes and punishments. To investigate the cognitive mechanisms behind these effects, we develop and apply a rank-based social norms approach to judgments of perceived crime seriousness and sentence appropriateness. In Study 1, we find that (a) people believe on average that 84% of people illegally download software more than they do themselves and (b) their judged severity of, and concern about, their own illegal software downloading is predicted not by its amount but by how this amount is believed (typically inaccurately) to rank within a social comparison distribution. Studies 2 and 3 find that the judged appropriateness of a given sentence length is highly dependent on the length of other sentences available in the decision-making context: The same objective sentence was judged as approximately four times stricter when it was the second longest sentence being considered than when it was the fifth longest. It is concluded that the same mechanisms that are used to judge the magnitude of psychophysical stimuli bias judgments about legal matters

How does Technology Influence Online Music Access and Use? A Taxonomy of Empirical Studies

Based on the literature, a taxonomy of empirical studies that investigate online music systems is discussed in this paper. The studies presented discuss a number of related issues such as music sharing, security technologies like digital rights management (DRM), and changing business models. Research into online music systems is inherently cross disciplinary, and two main groups (industry/users) are identified to classify the research. The PhD research that this paper is based on has a user focus, however it is important to explore related groups and issues in order to adequately investigate. Therefore the taxonomy presented in this paper is significant as it provides an informative base from which to conduct further empirical studies into online music systems. To put the taxonomy into context, details of a current ethnography of online music systems is discussed

Study on digital piracy of movies in Western Australia

This study investigates the personal and social factors influencing "illegal" downloading of movies from the Internet. The data analysis of 203 usable responses indicated three antecedents ("habits", "affect" and "facilitating conditions") have significant relationships with "attitude towards illegally downloading movies". Conversely, "moral judgement", "self efficacy" and "social factors" do not have significant influence towards "attitude towards illegally downloading movies". Additionally, internet usage, internet time spent and internet speed do not have significant influence to respondents' attitude towards illegally downloading movies to change the respondents' intention to download movie illegally in the future. Self-control theory, neutralization theory and theory of planned behaviour are used to explain some of the results. Findings derived from this study can provide useful practical implications for marketers, policy makers and internet gatekeeper to have a better understanding of down-loaders' behaviour and developed better anti-piracy measurements to reduce piracy rate in Australia. The major limitation in this study is the use of a convenience sample from a large university. Further research is needed with a random sample of down-loaders

A study on digital piracy of games in Western Australia

This study investigates the factors influencing "illegal" downloading of pirated games from the Internet. Specifically, it examines how personal factors and social factors influence on attitudes towards downloading pirated games. The analysis indicated the three antecedents, "self efficacy", "affect" and "moral judgement" have significant relationships with "attitudes toward downloading pirated games from the Internet". Conversely, "habits", "facilitating conditions" and "social factors" do not have significant influence towards "attitudes toward downloading pirated games from the Internet". Findings derived from this study can provide useful practical implications for marketers, policy makers and internet gatekeeper to have a better understanding of down-loaders' behaviour and help developed better anti-piracy measurement to reduce piracy rate in Australia

A model of key characteristics affecting consumer attitudes toward the usage of free legitimate ad-supported music download services.

Digital music file sharing has had a significant negative financial impact on the recorded music industry, causing multi-billion dollar losses over the past decade. In a world where file sharing is now an activity that can be carried out with ease, industry stakeholders are continuously looking for ways to profit from changing consumer behaviour. To date, literature has looked at why people illicitly download (e.g. motivations, ethical considerations), the financial impact of file sharing (e.g. lost revenue), legal approaches to combatting file sharing (e.g. what approaches work, if any), and new business models for paid services (e.g. price sensitivity, value propositions). Academic literature has thus far largely focused on how to eliminate file sharing and convert illicit downloaders to paid platforms, but has not examined the potential for converting illicit downloaders to a free legitimate, platform. This thesis is the first piece of academic literature to consider free legitimate adsupported music download services as a way of monetizing downloaders free consumption behaviour, specifically by identifying key service characteristics that influence consumers' attitudes toward using such services, and providing a rich contextual understanding of the perceived importance and value of such characteristics. A sequential mixed methods approach was used to explore this topic and develop and validate a conceptual model. The primary research stages consisted of in-depth interviews, group interviews, and an online survey. This thesis shows there is potential for mainstream consumer adoption of free legitimate ad-supported music download services, with the caveat that the services be as good as or better than those (free services) already used. Several characteristics were found to be important influencers of attitudes in this regard. Some characteristics were found to be very important (perception of a large enough music catalogue, freedom of use of downloaded files, delays caused by advertising not being perceived as excessive), some were found to be less important (ease of navigation/use, perceived trustworthiness of the service), and some were found to be not at all important (ability of the service to recommend music, social networking facilitation via the service). While this thesis identifies what an ideal service looks like for consumers, it also finds that tension exists in the economic relationship between consumer behaviour and ideals, and what industry is able to viably deliver in an ad-supported service. The structure and conditions of today's marketplace are such that the fundamental economic viability of free ad-supported music download services is brought into question, irrespective of whether such a service can meet consumers needs. While this thesis is specifically concerned with music download services, the model developed within it could be tested for other online content services such as streaming music or video, and video download services

The influence of parents versus peers on Generation Y internet ethical attitudes

We examine the role of parental style versus peer influence on Generation Y's attitudes towards online unethical activities using a survey of a matched parent-child sample. Results suggest that a protective parental style has the greatest impact on Generation Y's online ethical attitudes, while a strict discipline style has no significant influence. Peers are more influential, but not as influential as when there is agreement between parents and their children on a specific activity. Methodologically, the research highlights the necessity to measure family dyads and assess whether or not parents and their children's perceptions are the same