Problem:
K-Mart sends one of it's employees to Wal-Mart to apply for a management position with the intent of researching their satellite-based, "Just-In-Time" merchandise inventory / delivery system. It's not a classified system and is built using off-the-shelf technology that's available to everyone. Is K-Mart ethical? Is it breaking the law? What is the employee's responsibility?
Second scenario: Company A unethically gathers competitive intelligence on another company, but never uses it. Company B ethically gathers competitive intelligence, but ruins the competitors reputation with the data collected. Is one scenario better or worse than the other? Why or why not?