Competitive Intelligence Case Study Blue Sin Technology Tim needs to based his next move around follow

w a competitive intelligence structure based around the Key Information Question and long term, assist in putting in place a framework to provide continual monitoring of the marketplace, competitors, & industry. The overall steps for any competitive intelligence project are: - Identification of the KIQ/KIT - Planning - Collection of Data - Analysis - Disseminate Information The Key Information Question (KIQ) has already been identified what is the current baseline picture of the competitive environment however Tim needs to carefully engage in the planning process to ensure stakeholders needs, timings are met. Firstly he would need to identify who are the key stakeholders whom this information will be used by and what decision will be made. This is critical to the overall success of this CI project to ensure everyone is aligned with the outcomes / deliverables and also serves to discover who the main areas whom will help / require additional management during the process. From the information provided by Janet, there is a variety of opinions within the company ranging from Marketing, R & D, Sales and finally the CEO and the Board however the report should be focused on delivering options to the CEO, and finally the Board. These are the ultimate decision makers regarding the strategy of the company. It is extremely important to develop a Competitive Intelligence Champion within the company, whether it is Janet or the CEO, ideally a combination of the two and the analysis/options need to be presented by this individual. Outside consultants can provide feedback / run workshops and develop the analysis; however the ultimate message needs to come internally for maximum effect. A key success factor to enable this is to undertake intensive workshops with various groups around BlueSin such as Marketing, R & D and Sales. This has the added benefit of involving departments within the company, and allowing them to develop ownership of the resulting presentation. These departments will have valuable competitive information, but this must be examined with other sources to ensure bias is limited as much as possible. The planning process is critical to ensure that all stakeholders are engaged across the whole this process, make potential issues visible and sign off as easy as possible Next, Tim and the CI Team needs to begin the collection process by collecting data from within and outside the firm, then classifying this data and ensuring its stored in an easily referenced intranet for analysis to be completed on (well leave the technical specifications of how to store this data out of this recommendation).

The range of data Tim will focus on will include: Literature / Research / Annual Papers / Websites Internal Sources e.g. Strategy Papers, CEO talks Industry Observers e.g. Journals, Academics Industry Participants e.g. Customers, Suppliers, Distributors, Competitors, Internal interviews

The next part of the process is selecting the analytical tool to give insight into the Key Intelligence Question (KIQ) asked by the executive team developing a baseline picture of the industry / market. Given the KIQ is developing an overall baseline of the industry, the Industry Analysis (Nine Forces) would be best placed to provide options to the CEO / Board on BlueSins strategic issues. The Nine Forces Analysis can assist in developing in firms positioning strategy by matching a firms strength and weaknesses within the current environment (Business & Competitive Analysis Fleisher Bensoussan) BlueSin have been lazy and slightly arrogant in their view of the market, and missed the dynamic shift that has occurred with the smaller competitors and the Nine Forces Analysis will allow BlueSin to critically develop a competitive baseline in the Telecom OEM industry. It is absolutely critical that the analytical method and choice for completing this baseline is sound, to ensure it can handle the detractors / criticism that often derails strategy meeting A good analytical framework has saved my bacon - Babette Bensoussan MGSM Competitive Intelligence Lecture 28th July The final step is the dissemination of the Competitive information to the Board / CEO in order to provide them with options to take action in regards to their strategy moving forward. This information needs to be most likely be an Executive Brief of 2 pages providing a summarized view of the detailed analysis completed.

I believe Tim will have addressed Janets need to have an effective competitive baseline with stakeholder alignment in a short time.