The Methods of Selecting and Assessing Potential Consumers Used of by Competitive Intelligence

Abstract

Competitive intelligence has not been known recently. Such processes as industrial or commercial espionage are known much more. The actions, which are used in order to be protected from the mentioned influence, are as follows: making the lists of commercial secrets, official regulations, protection of corporal and informative data and other currently used tools. The competitive intelligence, which plays an especially important part in the context of globalization, is considered to be more significant with developing technologies (Blenkhorn, 2005). In any institution strategic decisions are made by executives at the highest level. According to the Doctor of Science at Pittsburgh University John E. Prescott, the executives of the highest level with no reaction to rivals actions are not forgiven (Prescott, 2004).So it is possible to characterize the first potential clients who might buy the services provided by competitive intelligence. Large international corporations could become such customers. On one side, such corporations have two alternatives of their choice, they are: buying competitive intelligence service from independent companies providing professional services or establish an internal detachment of competitive intelligence as a separate element or as an element working inside the detachment which has already been acting. Anyway it is clear that a lot of preparations are necessary working with large corporations to prove the advantages of the services provided by competitive intelligence (Fleisher, 2001). The available experience is one of the main arguments which could be presented by specialists of competitive intelligence. There are not many institutions preparing trained specialists in the field of competitive intelligence which would currently work. So mostly such specialists having got university degrees in economics, law, management, administration or other fields also having attended special training courses are experienced at working in special operational or secret services. Miller names the experience which specialists of competitive intelligence had got in military and governmental intelligence also working in detachments of analysis of information as an evidence of their available qualification (Miller. 2004). Later on due to the efforts made by the Association of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (ACIP) and some scientists the new professional direction also such profession as a specialist off competitive intelligence appeared. The experience of national intelligence services proves the importance of collecting and analysis of systemic information provided by intelligence for business (ACIP, 2011). Nevertheless it is necessary to remark that the main aim of business is getting profit so it is necessary to adapt the methods used by intelligence services for business goals. Providing security does not play the main part in this case. (SCIP, 2011).

http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.22.2.316