| Previous research studies on information ethics have addressed the issue of misuse of computer technology through the concepts of reasoned action and planned behavior. These studies are based on attitudes toward behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Current evidence from research indicates self-efficacy can be an important factor with the level of commitment and persistence in the attempt to influence human behavior. Since information ethics requires businesses to assess the ethical behavior of their employees and the security of their information systems, the primary focus of this research is to study the effect of self-efficacy on ethical conduct to computer technology.;Four ethical issues affect people in the age of information. These include privacy, accuracy, property or information ownership, and accessibility (Mason, 1986). The misuse of computers and its software has brought the attention of researchers to investigate ethical conduct related to computer use. In line with previous research suggestions, this study empirically examines the role demographic variables and computer self-efficacy variables of gender, age, professional orientation, religious commitment, education, stimulus to act factors, social/legal factors, personal gain factors and situational factors that affect ethical conduct as it relates to computing technology.;The survey responses were from 242 students attending a community college and a private university in the Southeastern part of the United States. The results indicated that religious commitment, professional orientation, and gender had no significant effect on ethical computer self-efficacy and ethical intention. Students who had not taken/taken part/or taken a computer law/ethics course and or business ethics course did not impart a difference in the mean ethics score. However, the education level, and age were found to have a significant effect on both ethical computer self-efficacy and ethical intention. Furthermore, the stimulus to act factors, and the social/legal factors were positively related to the propensity to pirate software. |
