Sticky Fingers: Managing the Global Risk of Economic Espionage

Have you ever had to decide whether to pick up that juicy Tom Clancy book or that stale, but important business one? Steven Fink splits the difference and solves your problem with this book that is half spy story, half business advice. Sticky Fingers works best as a thriller. As business advice, the book highlights the basic issues for U.S. companies fighting economic espionage, but falls short of serving up a complete playbook. The devil, as always, is in the details, and the specifics of the book?s real-life cases sketch a more accurate picture of this particular devil than the generalized advice. If economic espionage is the elephant in the corner that your company has been pretending does not exist, we from getAbstract recommend Sticky Fingers as a starting point to finally taking action to protect yourself.

"Sticky Fingers" is a highly valuable contribution to the ranks of important, must-read business books that sheds much-needed light on the theft of company trade secrets. At a cost to U.S. businesses of more than $250 billion a year, it is no wonder the author calls economic espionage the single biggest business crisis in America today. Every executive and manager should read this book pronto and follow the author's sound advice on protecting their company's trade secrets. My company was a victim of economic espionage and believe me, it hurt! I wish our management had read this book and followed Fink's pragmatic advice on how companies can protect their trade secrets and reduce their risk of economic espionage.

Occasionally, an author's concluding remarks shed a great deal of light on what that author's purposes are. That is certainly true of this book. Consider this brief excerpt from the Afterword in which Fink observes: "Acts of terror [e.g. such as those which occurred on September 11th] notwithstanding, economic espionage remains one of the most serious threats to our national security since the Cold War. Therefore, we ought to have seasoned generals leading, and weathered soldiers fighting, the good battles that need to be fought." However, with all due respect to the F.B.I. and to legislation such as the Economic Espionage Act [EEA], "...you still need to be your own best defense against espionage with proper internal education, training, and procedures" and under no circumstances "delegate the crisis management work for your company to the government. It is too important." This brief excerpt helps to explain why this book can be so valuable to decision-makers in global organizations.Recent research studies have dentified issues of greatest concern to senior-level executives, following September 11th. The top five are mail processing (86%), travel (85%), protection of employees (79%), protection of infrastructure (75%), and risk assessment (71%). Obviously, there is widespread and quite legitimate concern about protecting human beings and physical property. However, as Fink eloquently explains, we must also be concerned about -- and take appropriate measures to protect -- information which is as important to the global economy as oxygen is to the human body. As events on September 11th clearly indicate, even a country with resources such as those possessed by the United States cannot totally defend itself and its people against terrorists acts. However, because the U.S.A. remains the world leader in research, development, new technology, products, and trade secrets, organizations within the U.S.A. are high-profile targets and "economic espionage spies are still going to come after [them] and that only increases [the] global risk of economic espionage." As previously indicated, Fink's book examines the nature and extent of that potential risk, suggesting all manner of strategies and tactics to anticipate and then prepare for, as well as respond to, economic espionage because it is "a business crisis and should be treated as such."Fink asserts that "Companies are under attack and at enormous risk every day. from the global threat of economic espionage, but the risk can and should be lowered and managed. Here's how." He organizes his material within two Sections and presents it in 29 interrelated chapters, followed by an Afterword in which he addresses the question, "EEA: Bear Trap or Mouse Trap?" To explain "here's how", he uses the largest economic espionage case ever tried in the United States -- Avery Dennison/Four Pillars -- from his vantage point as the lead crisis management expert for Avery Dennison. Fink guides his reader step-by-step thro

It is obvious from reading "Sticky Fingers" that the author knows his subject, inside and out. The book has been thoroughly researched and well documented with a couple of hundred source notes to back it up, including interviews with former and current Justice Department prosecutors and FBI agents, as well as many corporate executives. In addition, the author cites no less than three Avery Dennison attorneys who reviewed the manuscript for accuracy. People who plunk down good money for good books appreciate this kind of substantive research. Curiously, in the face of this rock-solid reporting there emerges a childishly cranky "reviewer" from Avery Dennison's Pasadena hometown. (Hmmm?) His - or her - bias seems simplistic and obvious. Having followed this particular case and the Avery Dennison company closely for many years, I have come across quite a few embarrassing incidents that the author might have included had he wanted - perhaps some discomfiting snafus involving the company's lawyers missing scheduled court dates, or company lawyers being publicly rebuked by the trial judge for having loose lips, or gaffes by self-doubting senior management and hyper-nervous internal PR flaks. Even though those incidents may have little to do with the important topic of Economic Espionage, it still might be interesting, if not amusing, if they became public one day. This could be a slippery slope for transparent individuals with personal agendas. Like the author's previous book on crisis management, "Sticky Fingers" is a book that belongs on every business bookshelf. Company executives and managers would be wise to read it and learn how to prevent the theft of their valuable trade secrets...before they wind up as victimized as the hapless Avery Dennison.

It is amazing to consider that corporate spies steal more than $250 billion a year from US companies. The writing here is excellent, making for a compelling read as author Fink uses the landmark Avery Dennison/Four Pillars case through out this book as a backdrop for understanding the damage a company spy can cause. After reading Sticky Fingers, I am much more cautious about the information I share outside the company, whether I'm at a tradeshow or in the elevator. This book will make you re-think what you say about your business, and who you share information with either at your company or outside company walls. Whether you're working in a corporate office or have your own company, this book is a must read!