Firm management of scientific information: An empirical update

The purpose of this paper is to extend and test a model proposed by McMillan and colleagues in 1995. That model posited that research-intensive firms that are more 'cooperative' or open in publishing their scientific findings will have higher research and development (R&D) productivity than more secretive firms. In addition, four possible predictors of this scientific information openness are proposed in lieu of two in the 1995 article. Our current effort includes an empirical examination of twenty pharmaceutical firms over thirteen years, and finds substantial support for many of the proposed relationships. In addition, interviews with field practitioners independently confirmed many of the findings. The managerial implications are also discussed.