When a company is keeping tabs on its competitors through a competitive intelligence service, it’s important it considers the moral conduct of the company they hire. At ShiftCentral we support the code of ethics of the Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals and adhere to our own company policies. Our analysts are expected to adhere to all laws and corporate policies while gathering content. That includes not acquiring non-public information without proper authorization, engaging in any form of deception, using any type of eavesdropping device or compromising any system designed to secure or protect information.
Along with adhering to confidentiality or non-disclosure agreements, our analysts also follow The New York Times rule. If an analyst isn’t comfortable reading about something on the front page of The New York Times, they shouldn’t be engaging in that sort of competitive intelligence gathering.
We pride ourselves on the fact that our clients know we won’t engage in any gathering information practice that they wouldn’t want a competitor to engage in to gather information on them. It’s important for companies to play fair while still trying to leverage a competitive advantage and at the same time ensure the services they incorporate in their operations do the same.
This article was originally published on ShiftCentral, now part of LAC Group.
Mario Thériault
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