What Competitive Intelligence

Is And Is Not

Dr. Ahmed Nassar

Summer 2011

1. CI Is

CI Is Not

Spying or espionage.

 Information

that

has



been analyzed to the

Spying implies illegal

or unethical activities.

point where you can

make a decision.

While spying does take

place, it is a rare activity.



Corporations do not

want to find themselves

in court, nor do they

want to upset

shareholders.

Dr. Ahmed Nassar

2. CI Is

CI Is Not

A tool to alert

A crystal ball. There is





management to early

no such thing as a true

warning of both threats

and opportunities.

forecasting tool.

Intelligence gives



corporations good

approximations of

reality, near- and long-

term. It does not

predict the future.

Dr. Ahmed Nassar

3. CI Is

CI Is Not

A means to deliver





reasonable

assessments.

Database search.

Database searches offer

just that — data.



CI offers

approximations and

best views of the

market and the

competition. It is not a

peek at the rival's

financial books.



They do not replace

human beings who

need to make decisions

by examining the data

and applying their

common sense,

experience, analytical

tools, and intuition.

Dr. Ahmed Nassar

4. CI Is

CI Is Not

CI can

mean



many

things to many people.





A research scientist

sees it as competitor's

new R&D initiatives.

The Internet is not a

deliverer of intelligence.

It is a communications

vehicle.

You can find hints at



competitive strategy,

A salesperson considers



but also rumors.

it an insight on pricing.

Its reach is great, but

A senior manager sees





you need to sift, sort,

it as a long-term view

on markets & rivals.

and be selective on its

content.

Dr. Ahmed Nassar

5. CI Is

CI Is Not

A way for companies to

improve their bottom

line.

Paper info.





Paper

info

does

not



deliver intelligence.



Companies, such as

NutraSweet, have

attributed many

millions of dollars in

earned revenue to their



Face-to-face discussions

are most effective to

convey CI information.

intelligence usage.

Dr. Ahmed Nassar

6. CI Is

CI Is Not

A way of life, a process



It’s not

smart

a

job

for one



for everyone in the

company — not just

the strategic planning

or marketing staff.

CI

person,

as

he/she cannot do it all !



It is a process by which



critical information is

available for anyone

The CI specialist keeps

management informed

and ensures that others

in the organization

become trained in ways

who needs it and their

to apply this tool within

ability to use it.

each of their SBUs.

Dr. Ahmed Nassar

7. CI Is

CI Is Not



Part of all best-in-class

companies.



High-quality, best-in-

class corporations

apply CI consistently.

Dr. Ahmed Nassar



CI is not an invention

of the 20th century.



CI has been around as

long as business itself.



CI may have operated

under a different name

or under no name at

all, but it was always

present.

8. CI Is

CI Is Not

Software.



The best-in-class



intelligence efforts

receive their direction



and impetus from the

Software does not yield

intelligence nor truly

analyze it.

CEO.





While the CEO may

not run the program,

he dedicates budget

and personnel and

promotes its use.

It collects, contrasts, and

compares.

True analysis is a process



of people reviewing and

making sense of the

information.

Dr. Ahmed Nassar

9. CI Is

CI Is Not

 A news story. Media

Seeing outside yourself.



Companies that

successfully apply CI

gain an ability to see

outside themselves.

reports may contain

interesting CI info, but

they are very broad and

CI more often than not



triggers new innovative

ideas and products.

are not timely enough

for managers concerned

with specific competitive

issues.

Dr. Ahmed Nassar

10. CI Is

CI Is Not

Both short- and long-

A spreadsheet (Excel).





terms. A company can

use CI for many

immediate decisions: e.g.

Spreadsheets give some

quantifiable result.



How to price a product

or place an ad.



The same set of data can

also be used to decide on

Numbers only address

one aspect of the problem.

Other aspects are

qualitative. They include

management thinking,

long-term product

development or market

marketing strategy, and

ability to innovate.

positioning.

Dr. Ahmed Nassar

Thank You Very Much

Dr. Ahmed Nassar