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Evaluate each of the following approaches that a business firm could use to gather information about competiti

Careful study of trade journals _____ Wiretapping the telephones of competitors _____ Posing as a potential customer to competitors _____ Getting loyal customers to put out a phone "request for proposal" soliciting competitors' bids _____ Buying competitors' products and taking them apart _____ Hiring management consultants who have worked for competitors _____ Rewarding competitors' employees for useful "tips" _____ Questioning competitors' customers and/or suppliers _____ Buying and analyzing competitors' garbage _____ Advertising and interviewing for nonexistent jobs _____ Taking public tours of competitors' facilities _____ Releasing false information about the company in order to confuse competitors. _____ Questioning competitors' technical people at trade shows and conferences _____ Hiring key people away from competitors _____ Analyzing competitors' labor union contracts _____ Having employees date persons who work for competitors _____ Studying aerial photographs of competitors' facilities

Public Comments

1. In general, and according to the article "The Ethics of Competitive Intelligence" ( http://mba.tuck.dartmouth.edu/pdf/2005-1-0095.pdf) "while most competitive intelligence practices are unregulated, experts in the field suggest that corporations use the “sniff test” to monitor their own behavior. This means asking oneself, “how would this look on the front page if it were to come to light?” If the answer is “bad,” then plans should be scrapped or altered" As an example, Procter & Gamble code of ethics states: "We collect competitive information through proper public or other lawful channels but do not use information that was obtained illegally or improperly by others, including hrough misrepresentation, invasion of property of privacy, or coercion.” Using common sense, I have answered the questions as follows: Wiretapping the telephones of competitors unethical Posing as a potential customer to competitors unethical Getting loyal customers to put out a phone "request for proposal" soliciting competitors' bids unethical Buying competitors' products and taking them apart Is this economically possible? Hiring management consultants who have worked for competitors Not a problem, as far as they do not reveal competitor's confidential information. Rewarding competitors' employees for useful "tips" Unethical Questioning competitors' customers and/or suppliers No problem with this, as far they don't reveal confidential information Buying and analyzing competitors' garbage "Dirty", but ethical and legal, if it comes from legal sources Advertising and interviewing for nonexistent jobs Unethical Taking public tours of competitors' facilities Ethical, if we do not hide our identity/affiliation Releasing false information about the company in order to confuse competitors. Unethical Questioning competitors' technical people at trade shows and conferences Ethical, as far as we do not hide our identity/affiliation Hiring key people away from competitors A common ethical practice. Note: this does not mean that we can benefit from their knowlege of privileged/confidential information they may have. Analyzing competitors' labor union contracts Ethical, if they are in the public domain Having employees date persons who work for competitors Unethical Studying aerial photographs of competitors' facilities Ethical, as long as the photogrphs are in the public domain
2. I THINK THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO INTERVIEW YOUR COMPETETOS CUSTOMERS AND SEE HOW YOU CAN BEAT THEN!NOT PHISICALLY!LOL