Michael Smolensky, is CEO of Lifeway Foods, Inc., based in Skokie, Ill. The company sells kefir, a cultured milk product popular in Smolensky's native Russia. In 1997, Smolensky, who had developed his own secret recipe, got a call from his supplier, saying: "Michael, someone is trying to steal your secrets." Smolensky discovered later that a prospective rival had called to ask the supplier for certain ingredients by their secret codes, known only to Smolensky and the supplier. The rival had picked them out of Lifeway's refuse. This is an example of:
A.
economic espionage.
B.
corporate curiosity.
C.
reasonable inquiry.
D.
industry standardization.
Answer: A