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ISEDJ 5(31)

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ISEDJ 5(33)

Volume 5, Number 32

December 5, 2007

29 pages 2496 K bytes

Information Systems Ethics in Oman, South Korea, and the USA Thomas S. E. Hilton University of Wisconsin Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI 54701 USA Se Hyung (David) Oh University of Wisconsin Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI 54701 USA Husain Al-Lawati Central Bank of the Sultanate of Oman Oman

Abstract: A 30-item, three section IS ethics questionnaire was completed by a convenience sample of 520 bank employees, 129 in the western USA, 176 in the Sultanate of Oman, and 215 in the Republic of South Korea. Section 1 concerned employee use of employer IS resources for personal entertainment, section 2 concerned employee use of employer IS resources for personal gain or the gain of family or friends, and section 3 concerned employer monitoring of employee use of employer IS resources. ANOVA yielded statistically significant differences among the samples on 28 items in all three sections; 14 of these represented differing degrees of commitment but overall agreement on the ethicality of the behavior described; 12 represented actual disagreement as to whether a behavior was ethical or not. Of the 12 actual disagreements, 6 were in section 1 and concerned after-hours use of IS resources, 2 were in section 2 and concerned printing and storing personal documents, and 4 were in section 3 and concerned giving prior notice to employees when monitoring them. In sections 1 and 2, all three samples gave relatively conservative responses, favoring employer rights of ownership over employee rights of possession and use. In section 3, only the US sample answered conservatively; this section generated differences of the greatest magnitude among the three samples. The US sample was the most conservative on 25 items, the Omani sample was most conservative on 4 items; the South Korean sample was most conservative on only 1 item.

Keywords: information systems, ethics, international, Oman, South Korea, banking

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