Abstract
Attempting to gain a competitive advantage is the nature of most business research. However, Industrial espionage is disallowed and frowned upon. Competitive Intelligence is considered to be a lesser evil of Industrial Espionage. This paper discusses the differences between the two and examines the Competitive Intelligence industry. Within the Competitive Intelligence industry there are guidelines on successful and ethical methods for data gathering. The following is a sample of industry topics and methodology.
Keywords: Industrial Espionage, Competitive Intelligence
