Your practices or mine : software piracy and corruption in international business

This paper reports findings from a qualitative research study that investigated cross-cultural ethical dilemmas experienced by Australian managers operating in international Information Technology (IT) industry markets. Breaching of intellectual property rights or software piracy was reported as one of the most common ethical dilemmas for Australian managers operating in the IT industry. The unauthorised mass production of pirated software and inappropriate use of software by prospective customers emerged as a key concern and major ethical conflict for the study cohort. This paper explores how business managers operating in international markets effectively address the tensions of protecting their intellectual property rights while fostering positive relationships with their market clients.