Papers, Presentations & Videos

Abstract: Outlines the processes involved in competitive intelligence, and discusses what it is, how to do it and gives examples of what happens when companies fail to monitor their competitive environment effectively. Presents a case study, showing how the company that produced the pre-cursor to the Barbie doll failed to look at their business environment and how this led to the firm’s failure. Discusses what competitive intelligence is, and what it is not, and why it is important for businesses. Presents three models used to describe the competitive intelligence process and goes through the various steps involved in defining intelligence requirements and collecting, analyzing, communicating and utilizing competitive intelligence.
Download / Read full paper at Academia.edu.

Abstract: Discusses how AI is changing OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) searching – and gives guidelines for selecting AI tools and how to best use them with targeted prompts (prompt engineering). The article gives examples on how to get the best out of AI and drawbacks.
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Abstract: Global information is required to facilitate trade, international business expansion, research and for international comparisons. The amount of data available varies in what exists, its age and its accuracy. Information from one area may not be comparable with that from another. The global searcher needs to consider these points and why information may be findable, prior to searching. Anticipating such issues can aid the search approach – whether via a local search engine or by going directly to a range of websites holding relevant data. Global and national information can come from supranational bodies, governments, public and private sector organisations as well as specialist sites. Some information sources will require payment or a subscription to gain access.
Download / Read full paper at Academia.edu.

Abstract: The need to monitor competitor activity and anticipate competitive actions is a standard activity for most businesses. In order to succeed and grow, firms need to understand what rival firms are doing, and furthermore what is happening in the overall business environment. However unlike a manufacturing company, or a high-street retailer, or indeed many other businesses, obtaining intelligence on competitors is not so easy for professional service firms.
Footnotes: Explains the meaning of “competitive intelligence”, how it is collected, what isn’t competitive intelligence and the way in which CI will be applicable in the legal market.
Download / Read full paper at Researchgate.net

Competitive Intelligence professionals should not just focus on the obvious competitors but also anybody or any organisation that seeks to damage the corporation. Increasingly these come from outside the corporate world – activists, individuals and others with an animus against an industry, company or individuals within a company. Such “enemies” often hold a considerable level of detail on the target company and industry. Sometimes their hate can even be justifiable. However from a corporate perspective, watching these “watchers” is crucial to protect company interests. Download / Read this article at IMCI Magazine – Pages 47-51.

Note: This article was written as part of our column in IMCI Magazine and other articles, e.g. looking at corporate bias, OSINT vs HUMINT vs SOCMINT, etc. can be downloaded from the International Marketing & Competitive Intelligence Magazine website.

Introduction: Understanding the business environment is essential for successful marketing. The marketing research and strategic analysis industry’s very existence depends on this understanding, and as such, helps organisations to deal with what is going to happen in their environment. Despite the proliferation of information, we are all still seeking that elusive element – knowledge.

In order to cope with the vast amount of information available to them, companies tend to limit their focus to areas that management has defined as important for the organisation. This focus may have come from previous market or competitor research, projects, sales analyses, or other sources that are used by the organisation in its planning. As a result, projects can not only be repetitive, but also be influenced by the latest management fad or guru-led panacea.
Download / Read full paper at Researchgate.net.

Abstract: Business intelligence researchers, including competitive intelligence analysts and head-hunters use social networking tools such as LinkedIn as a way of finding contacts for interview. Such tools are a replacement for more traditional offline networking widening the potential pool of contacts to millions globally.

Social networking tools have become increasingly popular, especially with the growth of consumer sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Bebo and business sites like LinkedIn and Xing simplify the location of suitable interviewees for research projects. The willingness of people to provide detailed information via such sites facilitates the research process despite potential risks to their personal privacy.
Download / Read full paper at Academia.edu.

Abstract: Competitive Intelligence in the United Kingdom is steadily growing, yet the extent to which the country’s practitioners either understand or appreciate the full extent to which CI can improve their strategic decision making and business performance is debatable. By the uninitiated, CI in the UK is, at best, mistaken for market research, and at worst, referred to as spying. In this article, the authors present the UK situation, which has been determined through empirical research with practitioners, industry specialists, and consultants. Training course attendance alone confirms that there are at least 16,500 interested managers in the country. A conservative estimate based on the notion that each manager who has received formal training in CI, has told at least one other member in their workplace would double that figure to 33,000. The overwhelming conclusion is that CI is not only present in the UK but it is a vibrant, creative, exciting, and growing community.
Download / Read full paper at Researchgate.net.

• Analyzing Financial Statements – SCIP Online, Volume 1 Issue 2, 2001/2002. Many CI analysts have difficulties understanding financial statements even though such statements can be crucial when evaluating a competitor. Passing the numbers to a company accountant is one option, but the results may be a standard financial analysis, missing crucial clues to a competitor’s business. Ideally competitor analysts should do the work themselves.
• CI – Tactical Information or Strategic Wisdom – Paper published as part of the proceedings of the 1999 Online Information Conference. (Note: A variation on this paper was also presented at the SCIP Europe conference in 2000).
  Abstract: Strategic planning requires an ability to plan several years into the future – anything less is effectively a tactical decision taken to meet a current need. Competitive analyses that only use historical evidence of competitor activity based on the signals competitors give out to the market cannot meet this need for future planning – and as a result the information provided is essentially tactical rather than strategic. The pace of market change means that businesses that fail to use techniques to anticipate future situations are at risk. Such techniques include PEST analysis, Inferential Scanning and Scenario Analysis. The UK credit information industry provides an example of how industries can change within a few years.
• M&A Due Diligence and CI – Competitive Intelligence Magazine, Vol 6, May-June 2003, pp11-14. An article examining the role competitive intelligence can play when conducting due diligence prior to mergers and acquisitions.
• Competitive intelligence: How independent information professionals contribute to organisational success – Ellen Naylor & Arthur Weiss, Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 10/2010; 37(1):30 – 34. DOI:10.1002/bult.2010.1720370114
• Scenario Planning – Article published in Free Pint Online Newsletter, ISSN 1460-7239, Issue 135, (2003). Note: Some web-links in this article have disappeared since writing. The article summarises the scenario planning process, and includes background and examples.
• How Far Can Primary Research Go? – Competitive Intelligence Magazine, Vol 4, Nov-Dec 2001, pp18-21. (Reprinted as part of Competitive Intelligence Ethics – Navigating the Gray Zone, Competitive Intelligence Foundation Topics in CI, Volume 1; publisher: SCIP, 2006; ISBN 0-9771825-0-9.)
• Competitive Intelligence on a small budget – Article published in 1999 in Competia Online Magazine. Note: Some web-links in this article have disappeared since writing. The article provides ideas and advice on creating a competitive intelligence programme for small organisations or where the budget for CI is minimal.
• SWOT & PEST Analysis: A brief guide – Unpublished white paper giving a guide to carrying out effective SWOT and PEST (PESTLE/STEEP) analyses.