Mining For Strategic Competitive Intelligence

The textbook at hand aims to provide an introduction to the use of automated methods for gathering strategic competitive intelligence. Hereby, the text does not describe a singleton research discipline in its own right, such as machine learning or Web mining. It rather contemplates an application scenario, namely the gathering of knowledge that appears of paramount importance to organizations, e.g., companies and corporations. To this end, the book first summarizes the range of research disciplines that contribute to addressing the issue, extracting from each those grains that are of utmost relevance to the depicted application scope. Moreover, the book presents systems that put these techniques to practical use (e.g., reputation monitoring platforms) and takes an inductive approach to define the gestalt of mining for competitive strategic intelligence by selecting major use cases that are laid out and explained in detail. These pieces form the first part of the book. Each of those use cases is backed by a number of research papers, some of which are contained in its largely original version in the second part of the monograph.

Market Intelligence provides an overview of the most important tools and concepts relevant to intelligence analysis for strategic decision making. The book's focus is not only on competitors, but also on customers, suppliers, and a range of other stakeholders. It gives the reader tools used to analyze both micro and macro factors in the organization's environment to predict future outcomes better and to improve decision making. The field of competitive intelligence is studied by a diverse research community. Contributions to this field are made to aid States - on a national, regional, and local level - as well as to aid the military, non-profit organizations, and private companies. These contributions are mostly done in isolation, even though all these fields of study have much in common. The authors draw from these various fields and provide the essential insights to aid management thinking.

The textbook at hand aims to provide an introduction to the use of automated methods for gathering strategic competitive intelligence. Hereby, the text does not describe a singleton research discipline in its own right, such as machine learning or Web mining. It rather contemplates an application scenario, namely the gathering of knowledge that appears of paramount importance to organizations, e.g., companies and corporations. To this end, the book first summarizes the range of research disciplines that contribute to addressing the issue, extracting from each those grains that are of utmost relevance to the depicted application scope. Moreover, the book presents systems that put these techniques to practical use (e.g., reputation monitoring platforms) and takes an inductive approach to define the gestalt of mining for competitive strategic intelligence by selecting major use cases that are laid out and explained in detail. These pieces form the first part of the book. Each of those use cases is backed by a number of research papers, some of which are contained in its largely original version in the second part of the monograph.

The Holy Grail for most organisations is the successful attainment, and retention, of inimitable competitive advantage. This book addresses the question of how to leverage the unique intangible assets of an organisation: its explicit, implicit, acquired and derived knowledge. The refreshingly innovative concept of Intelligence-Based Competitive Advantage© is one which will eclipse the cost-driven and resource-reduction attitudes most prevalent in the first decade of this century. Tomorrow’s organisation will need to derive IBCA© through the expert execution of bespoke competitive intelligence practice, unique analytical processes, pioneering competitive strategy formulation, and timely execution of all three, if they are to succeed. This volume consists of insights from Competitive Intelligence practices at both country and organisational level, Competitive Analysis processes within the firm and within challenging sector and economic environments and Competitive Strategy formulation in profit, non-profit, real and virtual world contexts. It is essential reading for anybody wishing to gain a formal understanding of the practical and intellectual challenges which will face organisations in the future as they strive to achieve strategic foresight and Intelligence-Based Competitive Advantage. This book was originally published as two special issues of the Journal of Strategic Marketing.

For specialists and nonspecialists alike, this perceptive selection of the newest and up and coming tools and techniques of competitive intelligence, offering a well balanced combination of theory and practice. It shows how advances in computers and technology have accelerated progress in CI management, and the ways in which CI has affected (and been affected by) all major business functions and processes. It explores applications to organizations of various sizes and types, in both the public and private sectors. Editors Fleisher and Blenkhorn link leading-edge research in CI to advances in current practice, and balance pragmatic against conceptual concerns. Analysts, strategists and organizational decision makers at higher levels will find the book especially valuable, as they seek to make sense of the business environment and assess their organizations' evolving, dynamic places in it. The pace of change in today's global, competitive economy is greater than at any time in recorded history. Thus, as never before, companies need better tools for business and competitive analysis. The book surveys applications of CI that are critical to business processes, such as mergers and acquisitions, and to evolving industries, such as biotechnology. They focus on how push and pull Internet technologies affect data gathering and analysis and how CI can be managerially assessed using multiple evaluative approaches, unavailable until now in the public domain. They then turn to the future, and lay out some startling yet plausible viewpoints on what the next frontiers of competitive intelligence will be and how organizations can and must ready themselves for them.

Tested-in-the-trenches competitive intelligence techniques used at today's top companies This book brings together the best thinking and practices in competitive intelligence (CI) currently being used at many of today's most successful companies. Featuring contributions from leading industry executives, it covers CI strategies across a wide range of business functions, including marketing and sales, market research and forecasting, product development, and teams. The only book on the subject offering a comprehensive view of CI, from the CEO down to the tactical CI team Numerous case studies vividly illustrating cutting-edge CI techniques in action

A practical introduction to the necessity of competitive intelligence for smarter business decisions-from a leading CI expert and speaker In Competitive Intelligence Advantage, Seena Sharp, founder of one of the first Competitive Intelligence firms in the US, provides her expert analysis on the issues and benefits of CI for today's businesses. CI is critical for making smarter business decisions and reducing risks when formulating strategies, leading to more profits and fewer mistakes. This is a practical guide that explains what CI is, why data is not intelligence, why competitor intelligence is a weak sibling to competitive intelligence, when to use it, how to find the most useful information and turn it into actual intelligence, and how to present findings in the most convincing manner. Importantly, Sharp argues that businesses would benefit from shifting their perspective on CI from viewing it as a cost to viewing it as an investment that saves money and provides immediate value. Author Seena Sharp is a noted CI expert who established Sharp Market Intelligence in 1979 Addresses all the most common myths and misconceptions about CI Includes more than sixty examples of when to use CI Completely explains the ins and outs of CI, and why your company will act faster and more aggressively with CI Competitive intelligence is a management tool that is misunderstood and underestimated, yet results in numerous benefits. If you are a senior level executive or operate a business-and you aren't tapping the power of CI to improve your decision making-you are missing a potent advantage.

"Physics and Modeling of Tera- and Nano-Devices" is a compilation of papers by well-respected researchers working in the field of physics and modeling of novel electronic and optoelectronic devices. The topics covered include devices based on carbon nanotubes, generation and detection of terahertz radiation in semiconductor structures including terahertz plasma oscillations and instabilities, terahertz photomixing in semiconductor heterostructures, spin and microwave-induced phenomena in low-dimensional systems, and various computational aspects of device modeling. Researchers as well as graduate and postgraduate students working in this field will benefit from reading this book.