HARRY Amieibi-ibama Harcourt1 DAMIAN-OKORO Inetimi Roseline2 GEORGE Gibson3
1, 2Department of Marketing, Faculty of Administration and Management
Rivers State University Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt
2roseline.damian-okoro@ust.edu.ng
3Department of Marketing, Faculty of Management Sciences
Ignatius Ajuru University of Education Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt, Rivers State
gibsin.george@iaue.edu.ng
Abstract
This article investigated how external environmental forces amplify the susceptibility of Nigerian oil and gas companies to industrial espionage; how the firms can strategically respond to the threats of espionage to birth positive organizational outcomes such as corporate resilience, competitive advantage, and sustainable performance. Drawing upon the Resource-Based View as its theoretical anchor, the article synthesized extant literature in strategic management, information security and organizational intelligence to unravel how firms can transform espionage threats into opportunities for adaptive growth. Literature revealed that industrial espionage in the form of cyber intrusion, insider collusion, data theft, and deceptive intelligence, significantly heightens both strategic and operational risks by undermining innovation, eroding trust, and distorting competitive decision-making. However, the article demonstrates that organizations equipped with integrated strategic response mechanisms including intelligence governance frameworks, cybersecurity architectures, counter-espionage procedures, and ethical intelligence systems can not only neutralize these threats but convert them into catalysts for resilience and sustained performance. The article concluded that effective strategic responses to industrial espionage birth positive organizational outcomes such as corporate resilience, competitive advantage, and sustainable performance. The article contributes to the growing discourse on strategic intelligence in emerging economies by reframing industrial espionage as a transformative force rather than a purely destructive one. It provides both theoretical and practical insights for corporate leaders, policymakers, and security strategists seeking to institutionalize intelligence governance and fortify organizational resilience within Nigeria’s volatile oil and gas ecosystem.
Keywords: industrial espionage, resource-based view, strategic response mechanism, corporate resilience, competitive advantage, Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.