COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE
"Competitive Intelligence is 1. Information that has been analyzed to the point where you can make a decision; 2. A tool to alert management to early recognition of both threats and opportunities; 3. A means t deliver reasonable assessments. CI offers approximations of the market and competition. It is not a peek at a rival’s financial books. Reasonable assessments are what modern entrepreneurs need and want on a regular basis; 4. A way of life, a process. If a company uses CI the way it should be used, it becomes everyone’s job-not just the strategic planning or marketing staff’s. It is a process by which critical information is available to those who need it. Competitive Intelligence Is not… 1. Spying. Spying implies illegal or unethical activities. It is a rare activity, since most corporations do not want to find themselves in court or to upset shareholders; 2. A crystal ball. CI gives corporations good approximations of reality, short and long term. It does not predict the future; 3. Database search. Databases offer just that-data. They do not massage or analyze the data in any way. They certainly don’t replace human beings, who make decisions by examining the data and applying their common sense, experience, and intuition; 4. A job for one smart person. A CEO may appoint one person as the CI ringmaster, but one person cannot do it all. At best, the ringmaster can keep management informed and ensure that others become trained to apply this tool within their business units."
Fonte: Dess, Gregory G.; Lumpkin, G. T. (2003), Strategic Management: Creating Competitive Advantage, McGraw-Hill Higher Education, p. 43
