Competitive Intelligence

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Competitive IntelligenceforInternet Researchers

• Knowledge Navigators
• info_at_navigating.info

Competitive Intelligence PMRS - 10 January 2002
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Agenda

• Overview
• Collection
• Industries
• Companies
• People
• News
• Government
• Analysis
• Current awareness tools

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What is Competitive Intelligence?

• Competitive Intelligence is processed
  information about your business environment that
  enables more informed decision-making by
  identifying threats, developments and
  opportunities.
• Basic background information that can be used as
  a basis for evaluating new information.
• Current recent information relating to current
  situations and events.

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Information vs Intelligence

• Information
• Raw, unprocessed
• Fact or collection of facts
• Must be checked for accuracy, grouped with other
  facts and interpreted to uncover underlying
  causes, circumstances and truths

• Intelligence
• Interpretation of information
• Results from information processing
• Requires knowledge of external factors affecting
  a business
• Predictive

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Intelligence is NOT spying

• Espionage is spying. Companies that practice
  industrial espionage are vulnerable to bad
  publicity and/or legal action.
• 80 to 90 per cent of what decision-makers need to
  know about the external operating environment can
  be obtained ethically and legally.
• Grey zone includes myriad activities that defy
  definition, border on the illegal or don't feel
  right.
• Establish and promote clear ethical guidelines.

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Three CI Disciplines

• Competitor Intelligence
• Market Intelligence
• Technical Intelligence

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Intelligence Cycle Five Stages

• Direction
• Starts at the top
• Collection
• Develop a plan
• Processing
• Analysis is essential
• Production
• Choose the right format
• Dissemination
• When, and to whom?

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Direction

• Statement of the Intelligence Problem
• Most important of the intelligence needs
• Priority Intelligence Needs
• Those that are necessary for action

• What decision needs to be made?
• Why does this decision need to be made?
• When does this decision need to be made?
• Who is making this decision?
• How will this intelligence be used?

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Collection

• Industries
• Companies
• People
• Governments

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Top Search Engines
3.3 B
1 B
2 B
.5B
1.5 B
2.5 B
3 B
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Collection Plan
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Industry Profile Template

• Industry Status
• SIC/NAICS Codes
• Environment
• Top Companies
• Professional Associations
• Trade Periodicals/Journals

• Unions
• Products
• Service
• Customers
• Areas of Growth
• New Technologies
• Industry Trends

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Company Profile Template

• General Information
• Relationships
• Competitive Environment
• Personnel
• Goals and Strategies

• Financial Information
• Products and Services
• Market
• Technology Issues
• Capabilities
• Threats

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Public Companies

• SEDAR EDGAR
• 10K Wizard
• EDGAR Online
• Investor Sites
• CompanyResearch.com
• Stockhouse.com
• AdviceforInvestors.com
• WSRN.com
• Analyst Sites
• Multex

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Private Companies

• Company website
• News releases
• News stories
• Suppliers/distributors
• Watchdogs/gripe sites
• Unions
• Activists
• .Sucks
• Subsidiaries are like private companies

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Small Pond Theory

• To whom is this company important?
• What are local sources of information?
• Newspaper
• Library
• Real Estate Office
• Chamber of Commerce
• Civic Administration

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Universal Electric Power Co.

• US needs more electricity
• Universal Electric Power in Akron, Ohio has
  invented new technology
• UEP generating systems produce low-cost
  electricity
• Thousands of sites exist where the UEP system can
  provide cheap power

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People

• Telephone
• Addresses
• Email
• Postal codes
• Reverse lookups
• Biography databases
• Genealogy sites
• Alumni
• Career ads

• Use modifiers to find experts
• bear expert
• arthritis speaker
• gmo conference
• Beware of stylistic inconsistencies

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Personality Profile Template

• Name/nicknames
• Date place of birth
• Company/position
• Responsibilities
• Salary
• Education
• Languages
• Medical history
• Business philosophy

• Personality traits
• Foreign travel
• Relationships
• Employment record
• Significant activities
• Qualifications
• Reputation/awards
• Track record
• Your assessment

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Peoplefinding Services

• SuperPages
• http//www.superpages.com/
• Anywho
• http//www.anywho.com/
• Canada411
• http//www.canada411.sympatico.ca/
• Canada-Infobel (Infospace)
• http//www.infospace.com/info.infobel/canada.htm
• Looksmart
• http//www.looksmart.com/
• WorldPages
• http//search.worldpages.com

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News Services

• Internet News
• Headlines Only
• Shallow Archives
• Current News
• Expensive
• Archive News
• Many libraries offer free access
• Some pay-per-view

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Finding Government Gold

• United States
• FedWorld
• USGovSearch
• FirstGov
• NTIS
• Thomas
• GovResearch Center
• EDGAR

• Canada
• Canada Site
• Strategis
• Connecting Canadians
• Contracts Canada
• PARL
• NRC/CISTI
• SEDAR

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Analysis

• Analysis is the process of predicting the future
  by reviewing the past and present, and
  recommending certain actions based on this review

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Analysis

• Analysis consists of four distinct steps
• Examine
• Assess
• Interpret
• Fusion

• Risk-taking
• Two views
• Academic research looks at past
• CI analysis looks at future
• Conclusions designed to be acted upon
• So-what test

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Analysis

• Not just bean counting
• Context, meaning
• Not simply regurgitating info
• What are implications for decision-making
• Not one-dimensional
• Insights
• Conclusions

• Identify trends
• Identify mysteries
• Disciplined thinking
• Involves reflection
• Looking for big picture
• Search for meaning
• Identifies complex relationships
• Understand cause and effect

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Management Profiling

• Determines the impact that decision-makers will
  have on their company in a given situation
• Uses personality profiles to assess
  decision-makers based on the subject's
  background, current behavior and internal
  influences

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Management Profiling

• Background how did he or she act in the past?
  What stands out?
• Internal influences what is the corporate
  culture?
• Current behaviour how does the decision-maker
  make decisions?

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SWOT Analysis

• Strengths your competitor's strengths are a
  threat to your company
• Weaknesses opportunities for your company
• Opportunities threats to your company
• Threats opportunities for your company

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When to Quit

• Patterns appear
• Start to see repetition
• Critical questions answered
• Budget
• Degree of certainty established
• Timeframe (1/3, 2/3 rule)

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Current Awareness Services

• Website Watchers
• Mind-it
• TrackEngine
• Profusion Alerts
• Web Clippers
• WebClipping
• CyberScan

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Summary

• Direction comes from the top
• Use rigorous collection plan
• Work from templates
• Use the right tool
• Take calculated risks - This is what I think it
  means.