| Hunt and Vitell's (1986) ethical decision-making theory was used to frame the research. According to this theory, an individual considers various possible actions and consequences when he or she makes an ethical decision. Once various possible alternatives and consequences are considered, evaluations that take into account both values (deontological) and consequences (teleological) may take place. An ethical judgment results from deontological and/or teleological evaluations. The resulting ethical judgment is said to influence behavioral intention. Behavioral intention might also be directly influenced by teleological evaluation. Thus, behavioral intention may be consistent or inconsistent with ethical judgment.;Participants (n = 245) were undergraduate volunteers enrolled in courses in a Midwestern university. They were offered an incentive of ;Participants ranged in age from 17 to 34 years (m = 20). The majority were women (71%). Among these participants, the highest percentage (42.5%) had purchased counterfeits only once. Participants (80%) knew others who purchased counterfeits.;Data were analyzed using confirmatory factory analysis and structural equation modeling (AMOS 7.0). The proposed structural models fit the data adequately in both alternatives. All paths were significant. Participants followed the decision making steps outlined by Hunt and Vitell (1986) in both alternatives. There were no direct effects on behavioral intentions for either personal characteristics or social influences. Two product-related characteristics (i.e., physical appearance of a counterfeit and projecting image of a counterfeit) had direct effects on behavioral intentions.;The purpose of this research was to examine the extent of deontological, teleological evaluation, or both used in arriving at an ethical judgment concerning intention to purchase counterfeits. In addition, the effect of other variables (i.e., psychographic, product attributes, social influence) on intention to purchase a counterfeit product was investigated. |
