Emerging Industry Overview: Competitive Intelligence
Industry Snapshot
Loosely defined as the legal and ethical collection of information regarding the operations of rival corporations, the term "competitive intelligence" implies an almost academic quest for knowledge. In pursuit of competitive intelligence, analysts, librarians, and research specialists study documents and survey computer databases in an attempt to identify trends and help manufacturers produce safer and otherwise improved products. In some cases, competitive intelligence may more correctly be called "corporate espionage." This second application entails a variety of possibly illegal and largely unethical practices, such as foraging through trash cans, bribing employees, and wiretapping...