Title: AIAA Delta Forum 2002
1AIAA Delta Forum 2002 Using the Web for
Competitive Intelligence Gathering by J. Rocker
G.J. Roncaglia (AIAA Paper 2002-0282) Presented
by JoAnne Rocker NASA Scientific and Technical
Information Program Office Langley Research
Center
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Topics for Discussion
What Competitive Intelligence is and is not Why
It is Important Benefits of doing CI Using the
Web for CI
Rocker, AIAA Paper 2002-0282, Jan 2002
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What is Competitive Intelligence
- Sometimes referred to as corporate or business
intelligence - Intelligence about market trends, competitor
strategies, government policies, laws, domestic
and global events, etc. - Purpose is to help make strategic decisions
Collect
Rocker, AIAA Paper 2002-0282, Jan 2002
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What Competitive Intelligence Is NOT
- Common misconception
- - Espionage or spying
- Economic Espionage Act of 1996
- - Made it illegal to steal or "appropriate"
proprietary information with penalties of up to
15 years in prison and fines up to 10 million - Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals
(SCIP) - - Defines CI as, "the legal collection and
analysis of information
regarding the capabilities,
vulnerabilities, and intentions of business
competitors,
conducted by using information databases and
other
"open sources" and through ethical inquiry
(http//www.scip.org/) - Experts estimate
- - 95 of the information desired for CI purposes
is publicly available
(Source Competitive Intelligence Magazine,
v.3(1), pp.37-40
Rocker, AIAA Paper 2002-0282, Jan 2002
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Why is Competitive Intelligence Important
- Competitive playing field has changed over time
- Global marketplace forces companies to find new
ways to differentiate themselves from a larger
pool of competitors - Economic superiority is based on technological
innovation and knowledge industries - Staying competitive means staying informed of
what is going on in marketplace, customer
demands, federal regulations, laws, and other
external factors
Rocker, AIAA Paper 2002-0282, Jan 2002
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Why is Competitive Intelligence Important
(continued)
- CI takes the guesswork out of making decision
- Anne Selgas, director of corporate intelligence
for Eastman Kodak, says, "companies that don't
use competitive intelligence are running blind - CI gives corporate decision-makers the insight
and knowledge to make decisions based upon
intelligence versus assumptions about marketplace
trends - CI process provides businesses with an objective
intelligence source - not guesswork
(Source Network World, v.15(45), p.42, 1988)
Rocker, AIAA Paper 2002-0282, Jan 2002
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Examples of CI
CI is feedback about
- Potential alliances for joint ventures, licensing
and partnerships - Potential merger and/or acquisition targets
- Customer needs and wants
- Competitor existence, pricing, products/services,
marketing strategy, production - Evaluations for offensive/defensive marketplace
tactics - Marketplace trends
- Predicting technology readiness
- Regulatory activities by government, others
(Source Competitive Intelligence Review,
v.9(2), 10-16, 1998)
Rocker, AIAA Paper 2002-0282, Jan 2002
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Who does CI in a Company
- Most companies do some kind of CI activity ad
hoc basis, project-based, or continuous program
for gathering intelligence - CI departments found in one or more departments
- - Mergers acquisitions
- - Corporate strategy
- - Market strategy or market research
- - Pricing and yield management
- Business development
Rocker, AIAA Paper 2002-0282, Jan 2002
(Source Competitive Intelligence Magazine,
3(2), pp.17-20, 2000)
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Benefits of CI
- Increase chances of success
- - Avoid surprises
- - Identify threats and opportunities
- - Gain competitive advantage by decreasing
reaction time - - Improve planning
- - Improve understanding of ones own company
- Financial Return on Investment (ROI)
- - Robert Flynn,former CEO of NutraSweet, says
that CI was "worth up to 50 million per year to
his company
(Source Competitive Intelligence. New York The
Conference Board, 1988
Rocker, AIAA Paper 2002-0282, Jan 2002
(Source Network World, v.15(45), p.42, 1988)
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Internet Increases CI Accessibility
- Internet and web-enabled technologies have
changed the way companies do business - E-business initiatives allow innovative ways to
interact with customers and market new products
and services - - Internet levels the competitive playing field
small companies can compete with larger companies
by using the Internet to establish market niches - As companies use the Internet as a business tool,
more information is available on the web for CI
purposes websites, news services, etc. this
information is retrieved, filtered and analyzed
to perform the CI process - More CI web-enabled tools and services exist
today than ever before and the market is growing
for these CI products
Rocker, AIAA Paper 2002-0282, Jan 2002
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Using the Web for CI
Sources
- Chatrooms, Listservs and newsgroups
- Company websites
- Consultants specializing in CI
- Internet search engines
- Local, government, and state websites
- News services
- Subscription services
- Universities
-
Rocker, AIAA Paper 2002-0282, Jan 2002
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Using the Web for CI
Rocker, AIAA Paper 2002-0282, Jan 2002
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Using the Web for CI
Examples of CI resources available on web
Rocker, AIAA Paper 2002-0282, Jan 2002
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Internet Sources for CI
- Hoovers Online service (Directory information)
- - Company profiles and financial information are
available from 12 million public and private
companies from over 300 industries
(http//www.hoovers.com/)
Rocker, AIAA Paper 2002-0282, Jan 2002
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Internet Sources for CI
- Chatrooms, Listservs, and Newsgroups
- Discussion groups cover the gamut of interests
and what people say in these virtual spaces can
be relevant to companies - - Employees discussing their work may reveal
useful details about their companies and their
technologies - - Customers may complain about the service they
received from a certain company and the quality
of the product. These sites can be monitored for
relevant information
Rocker, AIAA Paper 2002-0282, Jan 2002
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Internet Sources for CI
- Catalist is a site that has cataloged all the
public LISTSERV lists on the Internet
(http//www.lsoft.com/lists/listref.html)
Rocker, AIAA Paper 2002-0282, Jan 2002
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Internet Sources for CI
- The government is the largest producer of free
information in the U.S. - Firstgov
- - Official government portal to government
information, services, and online transactions
its search engine searches across all government
websites, making it easier to find government
information (http//www.firstgov.gov/) - U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission website
provides Company financial data
(http//www.sec.gov/) - U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website can be
used to search for patents and trademark
information (http//www.uspto.gov/) - Library of Congress Thomas site searches
Congressional legislation and proceedings dating
back to the 1700s (http//thomas.loc.gov)
Rocker, AIAA Paper 2002-0282, Jan 2002
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Internet Sources for CI
- Scientific and technical research information is
also available from government agency websites
(citations, full-text documents, fact sheets,
etc.) - DoDs Defense Technical Information Center
(http//www.dtic.mil/) - DOEs Office of Science and Technology
Information and Resources (http//www.osti.gov/) - NIHs National Library of Medicines MedlinePlus
(http//www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/)
Rocker, AIAA Paper 2002-0282, Jan 2002
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Internet Sources for CI
- NASA Scientific and Technical Information
Program Office (http//www.sti.nasa.gov/)
Rocker, AIAA Paper 2002-0282, Jan 2002
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Internet Sources for CI
- NASAs Technical Reports Server
(http//techreports.larc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/NTRS)
Rocker, AIAA Paper 2002-0282, Jan 2002
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Internet Sources for CI
Subscription Services
Database providers are often useful sites to use
because of they offer access multidisciplinary
information sources through an integrated user
interface, thus making it easier to find
information on a wide variety of topics
- Lexis-Nexis
- - Offers online databases covering legal
information, news sources, company and financial
information, and public records
(http//www.lexis-nexis.com/) - Dialog Corporation
- - Access to suite of web-based products provides
access to business, engineering, medical, news,
and technology information (http//www.dialog.com/
)
Rocker, AIAA Paper 2002-0282, Jan 2002
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Conclusions
- CI is available via legal and ethical means not
spying - CI is critical factor in companys success
strategic planning and return on investment (ROI) - Internet and web-based products can enhance CI
data collection - Advantages and disadvantages of relying on free
versus fee information for CI - Companies should capitalize on the accessibility
of CI and incorporate CI into strategic planning
activities - Failure to utilize CI will result in missed
opportunities and/or unwelcome surprises
Rocker, AIAA Paper 2002-0282, Jan 2002