Software piracy and software security in business schools: an ethical perspective

Many business schools have become heavily dependent on microcomputers for educational purposes. That exposes them to a new type of ethical issue---the ramifications involved with unauthorized software copying by faculty, staff, and students. This article presents the results of a field survey on software piracy and software security in 241 member schools of the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The authors discuss some important findings concerning software security procedures and policies to reduce legal responsibilities for copyright infringements by faculty, staff and students. The article concludes with some recommendations for creating and sustaining an environment where conditions contributing to software piracy and security issues are minimized.