Abstract
This dissertation comprises three distinct chapters, all centered on the critical phenomenon I term the “transparency dilemma.” This dilemma arises when firms are requested by regulators and stakeholders to reveal proprietary operational information to address externalities created by their business activities. In doing so, they risk losing vital intellectual property or damaging relationships with stakeholders who may benefit from keeping the information confidential. How do firms navigate this dilemma? In Chapter 1, I explore alternative strategies firms employ when disclosure threatens their intellectual property. By focusing on the trade secret provision in chemical disclosures within the hydraulic fracturing sector of the US oil industry, I demonstrate that firms opt for complementary assets over secrecy when public pressure for transparency intensifies. In Chapter 2, I investigate how the uneven distribution of external pressure across firms leads to idiosyncratic disparities between public and private firms in their disclosure decisions and chemical choices, consequently impacting directed technical change. In Chapter 3, I examine how firms utilize self-regulation within a multi-stakeholder initiative to manage conflicting stakeholder demands for transparency and the resulting effect on firms’ competitiveness when disclosure becomes mandatory.
Committee Chair
Nicholas S. Argyres Lamar Pierce
Committee Members
Seth Carnahan, Daniel W. Elfenbein, Aseem Kaul, Minyuan Zhao,
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Author's Department
Business Administration
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
Spring 5-15-2023
Language
English (en)
Recommended Citation
Tang, Xiaoli (Shirley), "The Transparency Dilemma: Competition, Innovation, and Organizational Performance with Corporate Transparency" (2023). Olin Business School Theses and Dissertations. 29.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.7936/nywc-zp90