Scenarios, strategic early warning, and Strategic Flexibility.
Strategy and Planning Intelligence
by M. Raynor, Wayne Rosenkranz
Scenarios free strategic planners from the need to try and predict a single future, and instead make it possible to rationally and carefully bound the range of possible futures in which an organization might have to compete. Scenarios linked to effective strategic early warning also constitute a way to future-proof existing strategy through examination of strategic direction in the context of an emerging world.
By combining the power of scenario-based planning with insights from the emerging field of real options, Strategic Flexibility is a rare and unique advance in strategic planning tools. In their session, Wayne and Michael will illustrate the power of scenarios and Strategic Flexibility using numerous real-world examples taken from a wide range of industries. Their case discussion of Excite@Home will revisit the turbulence and excitement of the dot-com era to illuminate in detail how these ideas can be applied.
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Diggin' deep online to profile an executive: part 1.
by David Carpe
When it comes to profiling executives – and people in general - you’ve really got to pause up front and make a clear choice between the deep ocean or the big blue sky. With the Internet and a few hundred dollars in hand, there is almost no limit to what you might uncover about any individual. In the first of a two-part article, I’ve included some very popular areas of interest within traditional profiles, as well as other ideas that have come up in the past. This section contains some broad topical areas of interest followed by a set of relevant resources and possible approaches to using such resources.
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Information flow in organizations.
Intelligence Dissemination and KM,
by David Kalinowski
For years, experts in the CI community have made claims that approximately 80% of the information one wants to know about a competitor or market resides within their own organization. While many believe this to be true, most CI managers without an established process for information sharing or a consistent method to build internal human source networks have a “yeah, right” response to this assertion.
The failure of a business to share information among departments often translates into the possession of partial or flawed information resulting in flawed conclusions or decisions. Regular information flow is critical to the overall success of a business intelligence function and increases the value a BI group contributes to the company overall. A steady flow of information within an organization requires the development of an internal network. Using effective and proven techniques can smooth the road to a practical flow of information across multiple departments.
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The seven deadly sins of business war games, part 2.
by Mark Chussil
With business war games, strategists rapidly uncover opportunities and threats that they otherwise would not have seen. They credit war games with directly boosting their bottom lines. Part 1 (issue 31) covered the first three deadly sins of business war games. Part 2 contains the remaining sins that you should avoid as you select and deploy your own business war games.
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The jig-saw puzzle of product development.
Sales and Marketing Intelligence
by Diane Ray
Competitive intelligence plays a strong role at almost every juncture of new product development(NPD). Explore the role CI plays in developing big picture NPD frameworks and in driving an increased understanding of product development and product improvement opportunities. Assess where your organization stands on effectively marrying CI and NPD and walk away with tools for improving your CI contribution.
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Finding the needle in a stack of needles.
by Bob Stewart
In this edition, the focus is on government regulation – something that affects virtually all industries worldwide.
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Managing the message: communicating CI.
Intelligence Dissemination and KM
by Michael Sperger
What does practicing CI have in common with designing software, selling houses, and running for political office? To be successful in any of these domains, you have to be able to communicate effectively with your end customers. Corporate CI practitioner Michael Sperger shares his experiences and techniques in applying effective communication techniques to the CI function. This Symposium session is a must-see for any CI professional who wants to bring their practice to a new level of effectiveness.
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SCIP' s bi-annual salary survey.
SCIP is now conducting a salary survey for CI professionals that will provide another benchmark report on staff and budgets. As a SCIP member you can contribute to this ongoing survey by logging on to this link. The survey will ask 41 questions, and will take about 10 minutes to complete. SCIP will send all participants a complimentary salary survey report via email as soon as the analysis is done. Non-participants will pay US$100 for this report.
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CI in advertising and branding.
Sales and Marketing Intelligence
by Chuck Husak
At its best, CI in advertising and branding begins with CI in product development. Otherwise, CI is simply taking an existing product and “re-positioning” it to reflect a strategically appealing difference. In addition to how a product is advertised, CI can affect where a product is advertised and how it is distributed to its audience. At the SCIP Summer Symposium, we’ll look at many examples of CI in action -- in an effort to expand the group’s perspectives on how and when to use CI to its full marketing potential.
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Ten rules for writing effective web content.
by Gerry McGovern
Writing for the Web is not the same as writing for print. People read differently on the Web. They scan read—jumping quickly from one piece of content to the next. People are much more action-orientated on the Web. They get online to get something done. Words should always be driving actions. Here are 10 rules for writing effective web content.
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FYI: new and notable.
by Bonnie Hohhof
Google Hacks hits NYT best seller list.
SCIP chapter meetings.
Internet resources.
- Search engines: news and updates.
- Internet sites with information you can use.
- New products.
- Searching reviews and tips.
- General readings of interest.
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