Introduction to Competitive Intelligence Analysis
Competitive Intelligence (CI) can be made up of such components as benchmarking, industry analysis, SWOT analysis, environmental scanning, technology forecasting, technology assessment, leadership profiles, core competency analysis, market forecasts, scenario analysis, and more. Though CI is more than technique, it integrates skilled data acquisition from primary and secondary sources with the appropriate analytical methodologies to piece together intelligence about current or future competitors; potential strategic partners; technology, market, social, or regulatory trends; or any other aspect of the business environment of concern to you.
CI can help you evaluate your competitors, their strategies, capabilities, how they view themselves and how they view you. CI is also instrumental to the due diligence process for evaluating potential acquisitions as well as for defending against hostile takeovers. Technology competitive intelligence helps evaluate technology transfer opportunities and helps you avoid being blindsided by technological advances outside of your industry.
The workshop opens with the foundations of Competitive Intelligence and how it can be utilized and for whom. You'll then learn data formulation and decision analysis, feeding into strategical implementation. The course will then address the values of the CI systems that can be obtained by management teams. Capping the course workshop off with the ethical responsibilities resulting from Competitive Intelligence activities and finally Defensive CI.
This workshop will open the doors to establishing your own in-house CI capability, conducting a specific business intelligence project, or building awareness and internal training. This workshop will host an array of the skills obtained by TEMI to assist you with competitive intelligence needs. The combination of our business, technical, and analytical expertise makes TEMI uniquely qualified to complete CI projects in a wide variety of industries and technologies.
CI can help you evaluate your competitors, their strategies, capabilities, how they view themselves and how they view you. CI is also instrumental to the due diligence process for evaluating potential acquisitions as well as for defending against hostile takeovers. Technology competitive intelligence helps evaluate technology transfer opportunities and helps you avoid being blindsided by technological advances outside of your industry.
The workshop opens with the foundations of Competitive Intelligence and how it can be utilized and for whom. You'll then learn data formulation and decision analysis, feeding into strategical implementation. The course will then address the values of the CI systems that can be obtained by management teams. Capping the course workshop off with the ethical responsibilities resulting from Competitive Intelligence activities and finally Defensive CI.
This workshop will open the doors to establishing your own in-house CI capability, conducting a specific business intelligence project, or building awareness and internal training. This workshop will host an array of the skills obtained by TEMI to assist you with competitive intelligence needs. The combination of our business, technical, and analytical expertise makes TEMI uniquely qualified to complete CI projects in a wide variety of industries and technologies.
Course Outline
I Introduction to competitive intelligence (CI)
A. What is CI?
B. What types of firms need it?
C. What disciplines are involved? D. What questions can it answer? E. The CI process overview:
1) Establishing CI needs
a) What do you need to know?
b) Who will make decisions using this intelligence?
c) What is the time frame?
2) Data Collection
3) Data Evaluation and Analysis
4) Reporting
F. Garnering management support
II Data Collection
A. Sources of information
1) Primary data
2) Secondary data
B. Surveillance techniques
1) Scanning
2) Monitoring
3) Tracking
C. Use of internal vs. external sources
D. Electronic Searching
1) Efficient database searching
2) Using the Internet
III Turning Data into Information
A. Data reduction and organization
B. Avoiding information overload
C. Blind spots and information gaps
IV Competitive Strategy - CI Connection
A. Assessing competitors' core competencies
B. Using CI to help develop business strategy
V Gaining Knowledge from Information
A. Inductive vs. deductive reasoning
B. Analysis and synthesis techniques
1) Extrapolation
2) Pattern recognition
3) Content analysis
4) Financial indicators and analysis
5) Decomposition techniques
6) Brainstorming and related techniques
7) Scenarios
8) Simulation and gaming
C. Misadventures in CI -- Misinterpreting the signals
VI CI Reporting
A. Making CI actionable -- adding value to the organization
B. Understanding the decision maker(s)
1) What does he/she need to know?
2) How does he/she like to receive and process information?
3) What media should be employed?
C. Distributing CI throughout the organization
VII Establishing and Managing a CI Capability
A. Garnering upper management support
B. The need for an internal CI champion
C. Centralized versus distributed CI systems
VIII Ethical and Legal Issues in CI
A. What is legal?
1) Overview of the Economic Espionage Act
B. What is ethical?
C. Establishing a professional code of conduct for CI activities
IX Defensive CI
A. What is CI?
B. What types of firms need it?
C. What disciplines are involved? D. What questions can it answer? E. The CI process overview:
1) Establishing CI needs
a) What do you need to know?
b) Who will make decisions using this intelligence?
c) What is the time frame?
2) Data Collection
3) Data Evaluation and Analysis
4) Reporting
F. Garnering management support
II Data Collection
A. Sources of information
1) Primary data
2) Secondary data
B. Surveillance techniques
1) Scanning
2) Monitoring
3) Tracking
C. Use of internal vs. external sources
D. Electronic Searching
1) Efficient database searching
2) Using the Internet
III Turning Data into Information
A. Data reduction and organization
B. Avoiding information overload
C. Blind spots and information gaps
IV Competitive Strategy - CI Connection
A. Assessing competitors' core competencies
B. Using CI to help develop business strategy
V Gaining Knowledge from Information
A. Inductive vs. deductive reasoning
B. Analysis and synthesis techniques
1) Extrapolation
2) Pattern recognition
3) Content analysis
4) Financial indicators and analysis
5) Decomposition techniques
6) Brainstorming and related techniques
7) Scenarios
8) Simulation and gaming
C. Misadventures in CI -- Misinterpreting the signals
VI CI Reporting
A. Making CI actionable -- adding value to the organization
B. Understanding the decision maker(s)
1) What does he/she need to know?
2) How does he/she like to receive and process information?
3) What media should be employed?
C. Distributing CI throughout the organization
VII Establishing and Managing a CI Capability
A. Garnering upper management support
B. The need for an internal CI champion
C. Centralized versus distributed CI systems
VIII Ethical and Legal Issues in CI
A. What is legal?
1) Overview of the Economic Espionage Act
B. What is ethical?
C. Establishing a professional code of conduct for CI activities
IX Defensive CI