A Theory of Trade Secrets in Firms*

International Economic Review - Tập 43 Số 3 - Trang 831-855 - 2002
Ján Zábojník

Tóm tắt

This article provides a simple theoretical model of trade secrets in hierarchical firms. A crucial assumption is that each manager has access to trade secrets pertaining to his own hierarchical level as well as to all lower levels. The article explores some implications of this assumption for optimal degree of trade secrets accumulation and protection as well as for the wage structure in firms. In addition, the model implies that managers may have an incentive to overpay their subordinates and protect their firms’ trade secrets too much.

Từ khóa


Tài liệu tham khảo

10.1287/mnsc.31.2.163

Ballon I. C., 1998, Intellectual Property Magazine

10.1086/467507

10.1086/259291

10.2307/2297807

——— andV.Dvoracek ‘‘Why Do Multinationals in Poor Countries Pay High Wages? ‘’mimeo University of Illinois 1998.

1999, San Diego Union‐Tribune

10.1086/209948

Dickens W. T., 1987, Inter‐Industry Wage Differences and Industry Characteristics, Unemployment and the Structure of Labor Markets

10.1257/jep.5.1.61

10.1016/S1573-4463(99)30022-5

10.1162/003355399556287

10.2307/2297359

Raviv A., 1996, The Capital Budgeting Process: Incentives and Information, Journal of Finance, 51, 1139, 10.1111/j.1540-6261.1996.tb04065.x

10.2307/3003320

10.2307/1884180

10.1086/260834

10.1016/S0304-405X(96)00888-4

Krueger A., 1987, Reflections on the Inter‐Industry Wage Structure, Unemployment and the Structure of Labor Markets

10.1086/260835

Rosen S., 1981, Rank‐Order Tournaments as Optimum Labor Contracts, Journal of Political Economy, 89, 841, 10.1086/261010

Levin C. A., 1997, Economic Espionage Act: A Whole New Ball Game, New York Law Journal, 5

MacDonald G. M., 1982, A Market Theory of Job Assignment and Sequential Accumulation of Information, American Economic Review, 72, 1038

10.1086/261565

10.2307/1885488

10.2307/145508

Rajan R. G. andL.Zingales ‘‘The Firm as a Dedicated Hierarchy: A Theory of the Origin and Growth of Firms ‘’mimeo GSB University of Chicago 2000.

10.2307/3003456

10.1016/S0304-405X(97)00004-4

10.2307/1885325

Tyler C., 1997, The Enemy Within, Financial Times

10.2307/2555679

10.2307/2297707

Zuckerman M. J., 1996, Cybercrime Against Business Frequent, Costly, USA Today, 1A