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Tuesday, November 24, 2009 VOLUME 1 ISSUE 11  
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CI Authors: Babette Bensoussan and Craig Fleisher.


Strategic and Competitive Analysis: Methods and Techniques for Analyzing Business Competition
by Craig S. Fleisher and Babette Bensoussan, 2003, Prentice Hall; 450 pages.


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Summary: Analysis is one of the hardest steps in CI and is often performed poorly. Analysts use the tools they are comfortable with, rather that using the analytical tools that match the specific intelligence requirements of the project at hand. In their book Strategic and Competitive Analysis, Babetter Bensoussan and Craig Fleisher show how to use 24 different analytical menthods. Here they talk about how they developed the book and its target audience.

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What motivated you to write this book?

We were both aware that analysis is one of the hardest steps to undertake in CI and is often performed poorly. Analysts tend to constantly use the set of tools they are most familiar with rather than using the analytical tools appropriate for differing intelligence or strategic requirements. This book assists analysts with the great diversity of methods and techniques available for analyzing business competition. We then set out to show how to use 24 different analytical methods.

The 24 methods are classified into five technique categories:
 
1. Strategic:
  • BCG growth/share portfolio matrix.
  • GE business screen matrix.
  • Industry analysis.
  • Strategic group analysis.
  • SWOT.
  • Value chain analysis.

2. Competitive and customer:

  • Blindspot analysis.
  • Competitor analysis.
  • Customer segmentation analysis.
  • Customer value analysis.
  • Functional capability and resource analysis.
  • Management profiling.
3. Environmental:
  • Issue analysis.
  • Macro-environmental (STEEP) analysis.
  • Scenario analysis.
  • Stakeholder analysis.
4. Evolutionary: 
  • Experience curve analysis.
  • Growth vector analysis.
  • Patent analysis.
  • Product life cycle analysis.
  • S-curve (technology life cycle) analysis.
5. Financial: 
  • Financial ratio and statement analysis.
  • Strategic funds programming.

What did you find hard or easy to convey?

The hardest step for us was shifting through more than 180 different analytical techniques that we follow and choosing which ones to include in the book. The key message we have tried to convey is that there is no easy way or mythical spring for doing good analysis. This book cannot overcome:
  • A lack of quality data.
  • Decision makers’ unwillingness to consider the results of effective analysis.
  • A lack of analytical proclivities that define an outstanding analyst.

Good analysis comes from practice and experience.


What are the main sections CI practitioners will find most interesting in your book?

"Strategic and Competitive Analysis" provides some unique aspects for CI practitioners which include two dozen of the most common and popular business analysis models in one easy location. Normally executives and students would have to go to multiple sources to locate each model as many authors have written a book focusing on a particular model or pet theoretical approach. Here, for the first time, we define the most commonly used models and explain them in one book.
  • An evaluation of every model using FAROUT© which is an evaluation process for identifying the ease of use, practicality, and usefulness of each analytical model. This is the first time that FAROUT© has been introduced to the market actually attached to the analysis models. The FAROUT© process allows analysts or decision-makers to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each technique.
  • An easy to use, consistent format for each chapter that provides the reader with a template to understand faster how to apply these techniques.
  • Both the so-called classic strategy techniques such as portfolio and value chain analysis, and some of the newer popular techniques such as scenario analysis and functional capability and resource analysis.
  • External techniques that address the environments and industries in which the organization competes, and the techniques for focusing internally on the organization’s activities.
  • References to more comprehensive treatments of the techniques for those who want to investigate them in greater depth.

Who would benefit most from using this book?

From reader feedback, we have found the audience for this book to be surprisingly wide ranging:
  • The inexperienced to the experienced CI practitioner.
  • Business and marketing consultants.
  • Students studying a business degree.
  • Anyone who is rusty on analytical techniques.
  • Those who need to train others in the methods they use.
  • Those who need to assess the variety and quality of their analytical processes.
Are you planning an encore?

Yes, in fact, we are. This time we are planning to do a more "advanced" methods book with an additional 24 techniques. Our first book is predominantly focused on the more well-known methods of analysis. However in our preparation for this book, we knew there were several well known advanced methods that needed to be addressed. We are looking to pull methods like win-loss analysis, war-gaming, and SERVO (Strategy, Environment, Resources, Values, and Organization) together in this second book. It will also complement traditional strategic management textbooks by providing a much more thorough treatment of advanced analysis tools and techniques.

 

Background:
 
Babette Bensoussan is director of The MindShifts Group, an Australian globally networked organization specializing in strategic planning, business and competitive intelligence, and strategic marketing in the Australasian region. Babette is the vice-president for SCIP Australia, and received the SCIP Fellows award in 1996. She has published articles on strategic planning, CI, and strategic marketing, and is a visiting lecturer at the Sydney Graduate School of Management. Her hobbies include reading, travel, languages and metaphysics. Babette can be reached at babette@mindshifts.com.au.
 
Dr. Craig Fleisher is the Odette Chair in Research, and professor of business strategy and entrepreneurship, University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Craig was elected the first Canadian SCIP fellow in 2001, is co-editor of SCIP’s new academic journal (Journal of Competitive Intelligence and Management), and has been a regular top-rated speaker on CI topics. The author of numerous CI articles and books, his ‘Controversies in Competitive Intelligence’ book is due for release in 2002. Craig has taught undergraduate, MBA and executive development courses in managing CI, benchmarking, e-business, public affairs management, and strategy at over 15 universities in Australasia, EU, and the Americas. On the personal side, he is a long-time Detroit sports clubs fan, a former Olympic-class weight-lifter, and enjoys traveling overseas with his family. Craig can be reached at Fleisher@canada.com.


Copyright 2002 Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals.

SCIP.online, volume 1 number 11, June 18,2002.

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