What role do ethics play in competitor intelligence gathering?

Ethics are an important part of competitor intelligence gathering. James Bond and corporate espionage are often synonymous with competitor intelligence gathering. Competitors have performed illegal acts of theft all the way to digging in trash cans to gather information. Some of these practices may not be illegal; however, they can be unethical. Disguising people as employees, digging in the trash, etc. may not be illegal but they certainly can be unethical.