Legal guidelines for the collection of information in the competitive intelligence process in South Africa

Abstract

Regardless of the complexity and uncertainty in any environment, information processing (a firm’s ability to adapt to existing market conditions) is largely dependent on its ability to process relevant market information effectively (Egelhoff 1982). The concept of intelligence as a process, has long been proposed as an effort to increase a firm’s competitiveness and its strategic planning process (Guyton 1962; Pearce 1971, Montgomery and Weinberg1979; Porter 1980). The collection of information for the purposes of enhancing a company’s competitiveness must however be done within the legal framework of the particular country involved. It is the purpose of this article to determine some legal guidelines for the collection of information within South Africa