Determinants of plagiarism in plagiarism behavior and their effects on total quality management in a multicultural study

Background and Purpose: Plagiarism is considered an epidemic and a complex problem faced by many students, lecturers and researchers at higher institutions across the globe. This study investigates the causal relationships between the predictors of Plagiarism on the one hand and the intention to plagiarize on the other. It also aims to study the roles of intention to plagiarize in plagiarism behavior and, consequently, the effects of plagiarism behavior on total quality management. Methodology: Seven hundred sixty-eight postgraduate students from Malaysian, Nigerian and Omani higher institutions voluntarily participated in this study following the quota sampling technique. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data gathered. Findings: The results suggested that the predictors of Plagiarism were positively and statistically correlated to the intention to plagiarize, while the intention to plagiarize was statistically correlated with plagiarism behavior. The analysis also indicated that plagiarism behavior was statistically and negatively correlated with total quality factors, namely continuous improvement, academic performance and work ability. Contributions: Overall, this study showed that plagiarism negatively affects the total quality management in higher institutions, thus requiring an urgent response from the institution's authority. Plagiarism has a variety of fatal consequences for the student as an individual and the institution at large. Keywords: Plagiarism behavior, Total Quality Management (TQM), multicultural context.