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Should I Keep a Secret? The Effects of Trade Secret Protection Procedures on Employees' Obligations to Protect Trade Secrets

Author:

David R. HannahAuthors Info & Claims

Organization Science, Volume 16, Issue 1

Pages 71 - 84

https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1040.0113

Published: 01 January 2005 Publication History

Abstract

Organizations' trade secrets (which can be chemical formulae, recipes, customer files, machinery designs, or many other types of information) are often valuable, enduring sources of competitive advantage. In this study, the influence of organizations' formal efforts to protect trade secrets on employees' beliefs about their obligations to protect those secrets was investigated. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered by means of survey interviews with 111 employees of two high-tech organizations. Employees' obligations were influenced by their levels of familiarity with, and their perceptions of the enforcement of, two types of trade secret protection procedures (TSPPs): trade secret access restriction procedures (ARs) and trade secret handling procedures (HPs). Employees' levels of familiarity with ARs were negatively related to their felt obligations to protect trade secrets, but the opposite was true for HPs: Employees' levels of familiarity with HPs were positively related to the obligations they felt to protect trade secrets. For both types of TSPPs, the relationship between familiarity and felt obligations was moderated by employees' perceptions of the degree to which the TSPPs were enforced.

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Cited By

Criscuolo PSalter ATer Wal A(2014)Going UndergroundOrganization Science10.1287/orsc.2013.085625:5(1287-1305)Online publication date: 1-Oct-2014
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1287/orsc.2013.0856
Alcácer JZhao M(2012)Local R&D Strategies and Multilocation FirmsManagement Science10.1287/mnsc.1110.145158:4(734-753)Online publication date: 1-Apr-2012
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1287/mnsc.1110.1451
Liu TChin K(2010)Development of audit system for intellectual property management excellenceExpert Systems with Applications: An International Journal10.1016/j.eswa.2009.12.05937:6(4504-4518)Online publication date: 1-Jun-2010
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.eswa.2009.12.059

Should I Keep a Secret? The Effects of Trade Secret Protection Procedures on Employees' Obligations to Protect Trade Secrets
1. Social and professional topics
  1. Computing / technology policy
    1. Commerce policy

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cover image Organization Science

Organization Science Volume 16, Issue 1

Jan. - Feb. 2005

99 pages

ISSN:1526-5455

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INFORMS

Linthicum, MD, United States

Publication History

Published: 01 January 2005

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Cited By

Criscuolo PSalter ATer Wal A(2014)Going UndergroundOrganization Science10.1287/orsc.2013.085625:5(1287-1305)Online publication date: 1-Oct-2014
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1287/orsc.2013.0856
Alcácer JZhao M(2012)Local R&D Strategies and Multilocation FirmsManagement Science10.1287/mnsc.1110.145158:4(734-753)Online publication date: 1-Apr-2012
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1287/mnsc.1110.1451
Liu TChin K(2010)Development of audit system for intellectual property management excellenceExpert Systems with Applications: An International Journal10.1016/j.eswa.2009.12.05937:6(4504-4518)Online publication date: 1-Jun-2010
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.eswa.2009.12.059

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