Lasertech is a manufacturer of industrial lasers and has developed a new, patented technology that allows its customers to manufacture their products more precisely with a higher level of consistency and at a lower cost than they could previously. lasertech's executives believe that no rivals have a similar technology and that it would be very difficult for rivals to copy this technology since the benefits of the new technology can only be realized within lasertech's system, which includes processes that are protected by trade secrets, making it difficult for rivals to understand the relationship between the company's new technology and its competitive advantage. the inability of rivals to develop or acquire technology similar to that of lasertech is an illustration of