Friday, February 10, 2012 VOLUME 1 ISSUE 19   HOME The gathering and internal dissemination of CI. Jane Marin, University of Strathclyde, Scotland. jane.marin@zg.tel.hr Editor’s note: In July SCIP.online readers responded to a survey conducted by a SCIP student member, Jane Marin, in support of her thesis research for a MSc in Information and Library Studies from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. The thesis was concerned with four key questions: What is competitive intelligence and where does it come from? Who collects CI and how? How is CI disseminated? Who are the users of CI and how is this usage evaluated? The report compared answers to these questions based on a literature review, online questionnaire, and follow up interviews. This article is a summary of her research findings. What is competitive intelligence and where does it come from? All but four of the survey participants listed news providers as a source of CI. However, CI literature does not place as much emphasis on news providers as it does on primary information sources, such as employees, senior management, competitors, clients and suppliers, which all featured less prominently in the survey results (see Table 1). The next top three sources (corporate web sites, trade publications and competitors’ annual reports), though mentioned in the literature, were not stressed as much as the respondents noted. The follow-up questionnaire, however, asked participants to rank the various sources they had indicated on the original survey form. These results were more consistent with the literature and seem to indicate that the primary sources of CI are more valued although access to them presents more challenges than secondary sources. Table 1:Who or what are the sources of CI you gather? Who collects competitive intelligence and how? Few survey respondents worked in a CI group that was a distinct entity. The majority of the organizations (59%) located their CI function in the marketing department. The literature, the survey, and follow-up questionnaire results all showed an increasing reliance on the collection of CI secondary source information using technological tools that enable real-time access to fresh data or information sources. Both the survey and the literature noted the absence or under-representation of librarians in CI work (see Table 2).  Table 2:What position do you hold? How is CI disseminated? Both the literature review and the primary research found that the dissemination of CI is more and more reliant on technology. In the survey, e-mail was the most frequently used vehicle for distributing reports, newsletters, or news items about competitors. Follow-up questionnaire responses also confirmed that e-mail was most useful in time-sensitive cases though not necessarily the “best” vehicle. The literature suggested that corporate portals might offer organizations a more efficient system for integrating their information and knowledge resources. Companies seem to be more adept at integrating the technological vehicles used in capturing and distributing information, including competitor related forms of it, and customizing delivery or presentation to specific user needs. Table 3: What are the vehicles used for distributing CI in your organization? The research highlighted some of the limitations of intranet technologies presently in use, especially in terms of content management challenges (e.g. to prevent information overload or distrust by users of stale or outdated information) or access (usually restricted to certain users for security purposes). Some of these limitations may help to explain the less prominent use of intranets for distributing CI (see Table 3). Some follow-up questionnaire responses indicated that intranets were effective for CI dissemination but could not be relied upon because of infrastructure issues that prevented everyone from having access to the content. Who are the users of CI and how is this usage evaluated? Managers, marketing, and sales staff are the main users of CI (see Table 4). Evaluation of CI usage is not a straightforward activity as it is difficult to quantify. A great deal has been written about why corporations should engage in CI activities. These writings emphasize the potential, even necessary, benefits this would have on their standing in their respective industry or sector. However, there is not much scientific evaluation of these assertions. The survey and follow-up interviews both confirmed that few organizations have any mechanisms in place to measure the value of CI. Some have undertaken activities towards evaluating usage of the CI they gathered and distributed. Table 4: which employees have access to or are main users of CI?   Recommended areas for further investigation It is difficult to put an easily quantified value on information (CI included), or on its effectiveness or benefit. More detailed analysis is needed to compare corporate portals with other IT alternatives from a cost-benefit perspective before the theoretical and intuitive benefits of portals can be proven. This dissertation research was based on the assumption that CI falls under the information science field. Instead, it was uncovered through the research process that CI activity is moving towards the broader academic ‘umbrella’ of knowledge management. The reason for the lack of visible involvement of librarians in CI work became clearer during the research process. Though well skilled in information retrieval methods, analysis of the data and information retrieved is not an inherent specialty of librarians who are, stereotypically, perhaps not as adept at networking and people contact as their colleagues in the marketing and sales departments. Several follow-up survey participants indicated desire for increased involvement of librarians in the collection of secondary CI resources. Background: Jane Marin was awarded her MSc in Information and Library Studies, with Distinction, from the University of Strathclyde in October. She is working with the International Federation of the Red Cross in Geneva through December, conducting a user needs analysis and preparation of a proposal to update the organization’s intranet and make it available as an extranet to 80 field offices and 178 member Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies. In her free time, Jane is editing her thesis for publishing and actively seeking new opportunities to put into practice recently honed information retrieval and research skills. For more detailed information, contact the author. Copyright 2002 Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals SCIP.online, volume 1 number 19, November 8, 2002. [PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION] There are no letters available. [POST]

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