Corporate Espionage 1

[BubbaJ]

Is it ethical to request one of your staff members to contact another engineering firm (in the same field)under the false pretenses that they are a "potential client" (not the firm they are working for) in an effort to collect their marketing material?

I can only assume their next step would be to request a proposal for a bogus project to evaluate my fee structures.

In this particular case, the individual contacted me via email and indicated they worked for a "local contractor" and had projects coming up and were looking for firms to present the owner. Could I send marketing material, brochures and company information to the following address? (Which turned out to be the individual's home address.)

In the current market, it all sounded a bit too good to be true. Thanks to the beauty of the internet, I was able to make the connection between the requester and the competing firm before any information was exchanged.

 

[BJC]

How do you know his boss put him up to it?
he could have been collecting data for a different purpose. Maby he was going to apply for a job with your firm and wanted to collect information to be familiar with your company in the interview.
Maby he has a friend or relative who is a potential customer for your firm. You can't really make an ethical judgement without all the facts.

 

[BubbaJ]

When I asked for the person to call me so I could ask them about the "local contractor" they worked for and what their position or responsibilites were with the contractor, all communication from their end ceased.

Conclusions can be drawn.

 

[BJC]

"Conclusions can be drawn."
Yep. But not facts.

 

[BubbaJ]

I never said it was fact.

 

[hokie66]

Bubba,
They have gotten the message. Leave it alone.

 

[SomptingGuy]

Marketing material is designed to be public property. If it's not accessible by legal and ethical methods, it's not doing its job.

The line is crossed when fake quotations and benchmarks are sought.

- Steve

 

[hokie66]

That depends on what is being marketed. Consulting engineers usually target existing, previous, and potential clients. If anyone else wants marketing material, they have to ask for it. If the reason for requesting the material will not benefit the providing firm, as in BubbaJ's case, it would be silly to honor the request.

 

[rowingengineer]

according to this tread we all seem to have the same material thread784-267589, I wonder why that is?

Arguing with an engineer is like wrestling with a pig in mud. After a while you realize that they like it