Improving the effectiveness of nondisclosure agreements by strengthening concept learning

Intellectual property infringements rank among the top economic crimes, even though there are mechanisms in place to prevent their occurrence. One such mechanism are nondisclosure agreements, which, however, have been reported to fail in practice. This article argues that this may be overcome by strengthening employees’ concept learning. In an experiment, we investigated whether extended nondisclosure agreements, which provide the employee with detailed explanations and examples, lead to better recognition of trade secrets as compared to a standard nondisclosure agreement or no agreement at all. It was found that the extended nondisclosure agreement indeed increased participants’ ability to judge what falls under the trade secret law, whereas the standard nondisclosure agreement showed no such effect. Furthermore, the effects of the factors ‘Involvement’, ‘Specificity’, ‘Publicity’, and ‘Purpose’ on the identification of trade secrets could be proven experimentally. Employees’ judgments of whether an information represents a trade secret seem to rely on general cognitive processes. From this follows that concept learning could be integrated into systematic approaches for protecting intellectual property.     

Anticipatory anthropology and world peace: a view from 2050

Norman Geras has written a searing indictment of current first-world policies related to our roles in keeping the world peace and our abilities to respond to human rights violations. This paper is partly a response to Geras's book, The contract of mutual indifference: politics since the Holocaust. Thus, genocide is the peace issue I will discuss here. I will use Bosnia, because I have had two occasions to work there and have talked with Bosnians from all walks of life as well as the humanitarian agents there to help them. Second, the paper will define the character of a fully responsive anticipatory anthropology and I will sketch out the nature of some possible peace futures. A third main purpose of this paper is to contribute to the development of the social science of peace.     

Atypical workforce: raising the status of part-time employment-Canada

Part-time employment is a theme of major significance in political and corporate debate in the European Community. This article extends the debate to the Canadian experience and concludes that even with government intervention there has been no significant improvement in the status of part-time workers over the last decade.     

Arbitrage Possibilities in Conflict Situations

This paper argues for a new theoretical methodology that delivers best bet decision outcomes in contexts where issues are contested. Governed by the procedural parameters of such a Generalised Decision Assurance Methodology, a multi-criteria decision modelling approach is proposed that allows for the identification of arbitrage possibilities that emerge at the interface between conflicting sets of interests. Such possibilities are then exploited to secure a solution set that is maximally justifiable to both parties.     

Drowning among the lakeside fishing communities in Uganda: results of a community survey

The study aimed to determine the drowning burden in four Ugandan lakeside districts; the prevalence of life jacket use, and community knowledge and attitudes regarding water safety. Subjects were recruited as they disembarked from boats. A structured questionnaire was used for demographics, experience on water, details of incidents in water, and awareness of drowning prevention measures. Focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews were held. The study interviewed 544 participants; 81.1% male, 86.8% below 45 years, and 51.1% involved in the fishing industry. A quarter (26.1%) of the respondents were observed wearing life jackets as they disembarked. Participants who had been in a boat that nearly capsized (57.8%), or that actually capsized (21.7%), were no more likely to wear life jackets than those who had not had these experiences. Three quarters (73.2%) did not know how to call for rescue, and only 48.7% could swim. There drowning fatality rate in this community was 502 deaths per 100,000 population. Majority of drowning events occurred during transportation (51.7%) or fishing (39.0%). The most frequently mentioned factors were stormy weather and overloading. Drowning is a common threat to young adults in the fishing communities around Lake Victoria. Few preventive interventions are in place.     

Farmer organization,collective action and market access in Meso-America

Farmer organization and collective action are often seen as key factors in enhancing farmers’ access to markets. Often, too little attention is directed at (a) the most appropriate types of organization; (b) whether organization makes less or more sense in the case of producers of an undifferentiated commodity or a higher value product; (c) whether the public or private sector is best placed to support farmer organizations; and (d) the conditions necessary for ensuring their economic viability. Research in Mexico and Central America explored these issues for commodity maize and high value vegetables, respectively. The benefits of farmer organization are more evident in the vegetable sector, characterized by high transaction costs associated with market access. However, horticultural farmer organizations in Honduras and El Salvador include less than 5% of total horticultural producers. This is possibly due to farmer organizations’ limited business skills and non-replicable organizational models. There is less incentive for maize farmers to organize to access output markets as the transaction costs are relatively low. The benefits of maize farmer organization are clearer when it comes to accessing inputs such as credit, seed and fertilizer. Farmer organization is a critical factor in making markets work for the poor, but the role and timing of public and private investment in these organizations is poorly understood.