Managerial secrecy and intellectual asset protection in SMEs: The role of institutional environment

Although secrecy is argued to play an important role in intellectual asset protection, the evidence suggests that the use of secrecy varies significantly across countries. This study contributes to the literature on intellectual property management in R&D firms by investigating aspects of the institutional environment that are most liable to promote managerial use of secrecy. Hypotheses were tested in a sample of 297 R&D biotechnology SMEs operating in 19 countries. Results suggest that the attributes of the institutional environment explain managerial use of secrecy. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.