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This study examines the factors that affect a country’s level of software piracy. In addition, we conducted a panel regression to assess the roles of 13 variables on software piracy rates in 77 countries. Since political and regulatory means typically play a direct role in controlling piracy, this study reviews the endogeneity of intellectual property protection to assess its mediatory role. It was found that economic development, trade, individualism, education, country freedom, regulatory protection, and computer penetration all significantly affected the level of software piracy within each country. Economic freedom, power distance, and high-tech export/import only influenced software piracy when mediated by regulatory protection. This paper has implications for the integration of macro and micro factors related to software piracy.

Employing the Gompertz model, this study examines diverse macro-level adoption factors influencing tablet PC diffusion in 43 countries. The results suggest that tablet PC is a complement to smartphone in early diffusion of smart device; lower tablet PC price contributes to tablet PC diffusion; and high levels of social network penetration and income are drivers of initial tablet PC diffusion. The country-level study also demonstrates the substitution nature of PC-tablet and PC-smartphone in the initial diffusion period of tablet PC.

Backyard TV receive-only antennas (TVROs) developed as an offshoot of cable technology and permitted households to act as miniature cable systems. This technology is the forerunner to a new era of medium- and high-powered direct broadcast satellite experiments that are stretching throughout the world. This study examines the demand for household TVROs by comparing a survey sample of 125 TVRO households to 250 non-TVRO households—all located in 121 rural counties in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. Data were collected regarding the reasons for purchasing dishes by the TVRO households and the sources of important information in the purchase decision. These data were contrasted with reasons given for not yet purchasing a dish by non-TVRO households and their sources of information about the technology. A discriminant model further identified those explanatory variables that successfully predicted whether a household would purchase a TVRO.