Competitive intelligence gathering and ethics: A field research

Abstract

Competitive intelligence gathering includes the aggregation of competitive information to facilitate strategic development and to gain a competitive advantage. In order to enhance competitiveness and survivability, companies must effectively gather and use strategic information about their competitors. However, companies are sometimes willing to carry out unethical intelligence gathering practices to collect such information in today's global competitive environment. This study presents the results of the field research of top managers' evaluations of unethical practices in competitive intelligence gathering, their reasons, and their potential effects. In this study, the challenges associated with unethical practices in competitive intelligence gathering are also discussed, and some possible solutions and suggestions for future researches are presented.