In competitive markets the quality of the competitive strategy is now as important as the customer strategy in determining customer performance. All strategies require information and competitive strategies are no exception. As a result there is an existing and growing requirement for competitive intelligence. This book shows how to collect and analyze competitive intelligence, including the use of electronic resources, as part of a competitive strategy. Contents......Page 8 Preface......Page 12 1. Competition......Page 17 2. Intelligence......Page 28 3. The Development of Competitive Intelligence......Page 40 4. Framework for Competitive Analysis......Page 49 5. Overview of the Sources of Intelligence......Page 66 6. Secondary Sources of Intelligence......Page 72 7. Intelligence on the Internet......Page 90 8. Primary Intelligence Collection Techniques......Page 102 9. Market Research as a Source of Competitive Intelligence......Page 125 10. Analysis - Filling the Gaps and Stretching the Data......Page 131 11. Verifying Intelligence......Page 139 12. Competitive Intelligence Resources......Page 146 13. The Intelligence Briefing......Page 163 14. Controlling the Intelligence Collection Process......Page 171 15. Legal Factors and Ethical Guidelines......Page 176 16. Processing and Distributing Intelligence......Page 186 17. Measuring the Effectiveness of Competitive Intelligence......Page 196 18. Counter-Intelligence......Page 200 19. Deception and Misinformation......Page 231 Appendix: The Competitive Intelligence Checklist......Page 0 Further Reading......Page 245 Index......Page 247 To beat your competitors you must know exactly what they are doing. It is impossible to put together a successful competitive strategy if you are unsure what your competitors are doing, what they plan to do or even who your competitors really are. As markets evolve even more rapidly and companies adapt their plans much faster, the demand for competitive intelligence has spiralled. Christopher West, an expert in the field, shows you how to collect, analyse and use competitive intelligence from a variety of sources, including the internet, and change your competitive strategy accordingly. All good strategies must be based on sound information, and as competition intensifies throughout the world the quality of competitive strategy has become as important as customer strategy in determining company performance. As a result there is an existing and growing requirement for competitive intelligence. This book shows the legal and ethical methods that can be used to collect and analyse the competitive intelligence required for sound competitive strategies. Chris West. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 229-230) And Index.
