Comments for Competitive Intelligence

Comment on Benchmarking Study - Achieving Competitive Intelligence Power by Don McDowell

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:43:32 +0000

Sorry, but I consider Eric’s post (June 12) to be naive. Intelligence always was and remains a tool to support decision making ultimately right at the top. If the route there is in any way inhibted by interim executives with their own responsibilities and, thus, preferences then those at the topc don’t always get the intelligence product in its original form.

No, I am not a purist; merely a long-term practitioner who has seen all too often decision-makers being mislead or misinformed by the mid-level functionaries who - for their own (often right and proper) reason - put a spin on the intelligence picture.

The best and most consistent success I have had (or been instrumental in fostering) has been when the intelligence support group has direct access to the top via, say, a deputy CEO or somesuch position … not through an individual division head.

None of this diminishes the support capabilities of the intelligence group to help the entire organization; rather it avoids vested interest coming into play as the product climbs the organizational ladder.

Comment on Benchmarking Study - Achieving Competitive Intelligence Power by Eric

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:42:04 +0000

I respectfully disagree with the previous post. Even if a CI function is positioned within the marketing group it can still gain a high degree of visibility. It all depends on the groups ability to reach out across functions and provide value-added CI to non-commercial teams (i.e. R&D, Legal, Mfg., Finance) within the organization. This enables the CI group to have a company-wide network and ultimately gain exposure in front of senior managament where you are able to communicate strategic implications/recommendations based upon competitive analysis–our time to shine!!

Just one CI pratitioner’s thoughts…………

Comment on The Sure-Fire Way to Create Your Competitive Advantage by Chris

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 23:30:39 +0000

How does this appoach of happy employees and happy customers extend out to the untapped marketplace? I’m not taking anything away from customer retention, but how does this competitive advantage manifest itself in the prospecting, lead generation and sales environment?

No doubt the ideas above have some positive merit, though.

Comment on Benchmarking Study - Achieving Competitive Intelligence Power by Chris

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 23:24:08 +0000

Competitive intelligence methodology can provide great dividends if the initiative receives proper sponsorship. In my experience, the key determinant of a successful CI program is the status of the department head. If the program has executive sponsorship and a strategic direction, the company benefits. But, too many CI people are under the direction of the Marketing department and often tucked away with some brand of market research. They become order takers.

In one of my recent posts, I describe the importance of providing the CI initiatives with strategic support and guidance. (http://primaryintelligence.blogspot.com/2007/03/be-consultant-not-waitress.html)

I would enjoy a comment on the insights. If I have it all backwards, I’d be interested in hearing why.

Thanks for the post. Keep up the good work.

Comment on SCIP Board of Directors: Proactive Worldwide President Nominated by Competitive Intelligence » SCIP Board of Directors: Proactive Worldwide President Elected

Mon, 11 Dec 2006 13:46:14 +0000

[…] Mr. David J. Kalinowski, President and COO of Proactive Worldwide, Inc., has won a seat on the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) board of directors for a three-year term starting in 2007. A member of SCIP since 1990, Mr. Kalinowski received the Catalyst Award from SCIP in 2005 for service to the profession. Mr. Kalinowski has 16 years of experience in the competitive intelligence industry and has authored several articles on BI topics — several for CI Magazine — and frequently shares his knowledge through dynamic presentations about BI techniques and methodologies, as well as counter-intelligence, with a wide range of audiences. More about Mr. Kalinowski’s background can be found in the article about his nomination. […]

Comment on SCIP Board of Directors: Proactive Worldwide President Nominated by Srikanto Muthuchidambaram

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 17:10:10 +0000

I’m voting “straight Practitioner”:

# Paulo Franklin, Embraer
# Martha Gleason, Blue Cross Blue Shield
# Scott Leeb , McGraw Hill
# Herman Milligan, Wells Fargo & Co.

Comment on Consumers Attitude Towards Business Intelligence And Data Mining by JRB Technology

Fri, 10 Nov 2006 14:39:56 +0000

Consumers Attitude Towards Business Intelligence And Data Mining…

Business intelligence is a broad category of applications and technologies for gathering, providing access to, and analyzing data for the purpose of helping enterprise users make better business decisions. Some companies are making high end artificial…

Comment on SCIP Board of Directors: Proactive Worldwide President Nominated by Anonymous

Tue, 07 Nov 2006 13:17:03 +0000

What about the other candidates. I’ll be interested to see who gets on this time. I didn’t vote for David for a simple reason: in his reasons for wanting to get elected he ignored issues such as the need for SCIP to recognise the international dimension.

There are two international candidates standing - from Israel and Brazil. If SCIP is to become a truely international organisation then both should get elected - but I doubt that they will. Why - because SCIP sees itself as a US organisation with US norms and US ways of doing things.

Perhaps this is why so many people hate the US - because US intelligence stinks. If it didn’t then we wouldn’t now have the mess in Iraq that we have. And half of US SCIP members are ex-government intelligence. So they impose the same methods on business that have been seen to fail in Iraq.

What is needed is to give non-US people a greater say!

Comment on Competitive Intelligence on a Shoestring - Inc.com by Ian Graham

Thu, 28 Sep 2006 00:29:53 +0000

The article on Inc.com by Jan Gardner is an excellent resource and extremely useful to mid and large size enterprise that have the resources to draw on multiple employees, subject matter experts and cultivate relationships with key experts (Security analysts, Associations and Journalists). If you are an entrepreneur or embryonic start-up the amount of time, capital and people you can commit to CI ais very limited. This would be the case for companies in the pre-seed and seed stage of the corporate lifecycle.

I authored an article on Entrepreneur.com also titled “Competitive Intelligence on a shoestring” that is geared more toward the embryonic start-up whose needs and means are very different than those of a more established company. Therefore the whole CI process is usually done in a matter of days or a couple of weeks at most. In the start-up environment competitive intelligence is quite literally on a shoestring out of necessity.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/marketing/marketresearch/article79512.html

Comment on Picture of Competitive Intelligence in the Media by Albert Cruywagen

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 20:48:35 +0000

It is sad that the very secrecy and confidentiality needed for effective intelligence work, gave rise to unintelligent gossip and the psychosis of romantic adventure by which the intelligence profession (especially in its government-sponsored form) is often characterised.
The popular imagery of Hollywood spies who are equally handy with cars, women and pistols is doing great injustice to the calling of determined members of intelligence components who are painstakingly and efficiently serving their companies.
There are many jokes in circulation attempting to vilify honest competitive intelligence professionals.
Take note - only the amateurs and uninitiated are laughing…