"People are surprised when they discover how much information is available from publicly accessible sources," [John McGonagle] says. "If you're investigating a publicly held company, they have to file with the securities and Exchange Commission (sec). Private companies don't have to file with the sec, but information agencies like D&B may have data on them-although there's always a question about how reliable that information is."

"Competitive intelligence involves the legal and ethical collection of data, and the transformation of the raw data into information that can assist companies in making decisions," says John McGonagle, managing partner of The Helicon Group in Blandon, Pa., a consulting group that has worked for New Jersey clients.

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