Washington, DC—(September 12, 2006)—Eighty-six percent of the managers (both hiring managers and supervisors) consider unethical and illegal downloading, file-sharing, and uploading attitudes and behaviors of their job candidates when making hiring decisions, according to a recent nationwide survey conducted by the Business Software Alliance (BSA).

“Higher education students should take note of these findings,” Diane Smiroldo, vice president of public affairs for BSA. “In preparing to enter the workforce, they need to know that illegal and unethical behaviors relating to illegal downloading and file-sharing pirated software can mean they may not get the job they want.”

The study, conducted by BusinessWeek Research Services, shows that if 29 percent of company hiring managers knew that a job applicant had lax attitudes toward illegal file-sharing in the work place, they “probably” or “definitely” would reject a job candidate.  If managers knew that a job applicant had improperly obtained or shared files in the past, 34 percent of managers report they would “probably” or “definitely” reject the candidate.

“In addition to the loss of a potential job, illegal file-sharers and downloaders should weigh the other costs to using pirated software,” adds Smiroldo. “Last year the U.S. lost nearly $7 billion as a result of software piracy and a higher piracy rate means fewer jobs for college graduates.”  

Graduates also should be aware of how important file-sharing behavior is after a candidate has been hired. For example, 72 percent of the managers report in the survey that, if an employee in their company was caught improperly obtaining or sharing copyrighted files at work, the person would experience significant consequences.

In fact, just over 60 percent of hiring managers and supervisors say the employee would be disciplined or reprimanded, and close to one in five reports the person would be fired (18 percent). Fourteen percent of hiring managers and 16 percent of supervisors report the person would be put on probation.

“Students need to know that they may be putting their future careers in jeopardy if they are illegally downloading copyrighted digital works. The consequences of illegal downloading and file-sharing may impact the hiring process, as well as increase the risks of infecting companies’ computers with spyware and viruses,” said Smiroldo.  

BSA launched “Define the Line” (www.definetheline.com), an awareness program designed to educate higher education students about using commercial software legally, respecting the intellectual property of copyrighted works and understanding the impact of software theft.

For a copy of the topline report from the BSA-BusinessWeek Research Services study, as well as previous student and academic surveys, and education resources, visit www.definetheline.com.

Methodology: The online survey was conducted within the United States between February 16 and March 10, 2006 among a nationwide cross section of 954 corporate managers who hire or supervise recent college graduates, and 523 people who graduated from college within the past five years. In theory, with probability samples of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the overall results have a sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points.

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About BSA
The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) is the foremost organization dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world.  BSA is the voice of the world's commercial software industry and its hardware partners before governments and in the international marketplace.  Its members represent one of the fastest growing industries in the world.  BSA programs foster technology innovation through education and policy initiatives that promote copyright protection, cyber security, trade and e-commerce.  BSA members include Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Avid, Bentley Systems, Borland, CNC Software/Mastercam, Internet Security Systems, McAfee, Microsoft, PTC, SolidWorks, Sybase, Symantec, The MathWorks, and UGS.

About BusinessWeek Research Services
BusinessWeek Research Services (BWRS) is the custom marketing research division of BusinessWeek.  This group of research experts conducts primary research studies for a wide range of clients, including technology, financial, and consulting firms, as well as leading advertising and PR agencies.  For more information about BWRS, contact Marc Scheer, Marc_Scheer@businessweek.com, or (212) 512-2298.

Contact Information
Diane Johnson
Four Leaf Public Relations LLC
(703) 391-2056
Diane@FourLeafPR.com

Suzanne Henry
Four Leaf Public Relations LLC
(434) 972-7278
Suzanne@FourLeafPR.com