Justify the need for competitive intelligence. Thesis: Competitive intelligence: features of its implementation by modern Russian enterprises

Competitive intelligence - a marketing tool for studying the competitive environment, which is a targeted collection of information about competitors for making management decisions on further strategy and tactics of doing business.

The concept of competition is a scheme of external factors of influence that carry both prospects and threats to business. Therefore, the concept of competitive intelligence should be extended not only to existing companies that sell similar products or services, but also to possible future competitors, and also partly to suppliers and customers.

Information about counterparties can become a significant competitive advantage, and the extraction of insider information is a separate marketing task.

The purpose of competitive intelligence is only the actual extraction of information, and not its analysis. Analysis is present only as a tool for extracting the necessary information from indirect data.

The tasks of competitive intelligence are an auxiliary information function of supplementing marketing analysis for the purposes of strategic management.

At the same time, it is always taken into account that counteracting a competitor is preferable to copying it, because the "outrun" strategy is more profitable in the long run than the "catch up" strategy. In addition, we must remember that each ruble taken from a competitor, in contrast to income from the development of unoccupied niches, brings not only extra income, but also takes away the income of a competitor, which weakens him in the competition. And competitive intelligence is aimed, most often, at strengthening the negative tendencies of a competitor, while the rest of marketing is looking for new niches.

In some activities, the commercial collection of information about companies is an integral part of the business process, for example, in marketing, journalism, consulting and recruiting.

Objectives of competitive intelligence:

Determination of the true strategy of competitors to adjust their own strategy. True strategy rarely aligns with the mission of the company. Understanding the direction of a competitor's trend line makes it possible to determine how successful competition will be in this field of activity in the future. Perhaps the project should be accelerated in the direction of the competitor's movement in order to occupy this field first, or perhaps one should not start a certain project, but use resources to occupy another market niche.
Determining the potential of competitors (about their strengths and weaknesses) to adjust their own strategy. A company can do one thing and only one thing really well. Like it or not, the buyer believes it. So knowing what your competitors are really doing well is a warning against competing in that field and deciding to move your efforts in another direction. Knowledge of weaknesses is essential to discredit a competitor, especially if it is presented to them as a competitive advantage.
Determination of organizational, financial, technical and other ways to provide competitive advantages for the purposes of possible copying or neutralization. The way business is carried out can constitute a significant competitive advantage. Parts of a set of measures or tools that make the production of a product or service cheaper or better are most often copied, depreciating this very advantage. The list of these solutions is quite extensive and is called the common word "technology".
Assessment of the total market capacity through the sum of competitors' shares to assess the state of the industry by changing dynamics. A change in the overall market capacity allows us to understand the correctness of our own actions: if the market capacity grows, and our sales volume remains unchanged, then something is being done wrong, and competitors are potentially winning our market share. If the market capacity is reduced, and the volume of sales is unchanged, then it is growing in relative volume and we are doing everything right. The easiest way to determine the guaranteed market capacity based on the fact of the total sales of all market participants.
Evaluation of the degree of profitability of the terms of cooperation with certain suppliers and buyers. Knowledge of the terms of supply and sales helps to correctly determine their own field of bargaining with both. This is the most popular subject of competitive intelligence and exists, in one form or another, in every company.

Tasks of competitive intelligence:

Competitive intelligence most often solves the problem of finding out very specific indicators and circumstances, most often in the form of instructions from the management "to find out - how can they? Why can they, but we can't?" ours, in three shifts without days off, by the forces of illegal emigrants, thus reducing the share of overhead costs in the price in various ways.

Identifying a competitor's main unique selling proposition. In the head of the consumer, one, or at most two, associations of the trademark and the quality that defines it are fixed. If Windows is the most feature rich system, then competing in this field will require colossal financial resources. The USP can be partially neutralized by adding a second one, which is an inherent drawback, for example, “constantly hangs”, or by opposing quality in another plane - “Linux is a free operating system”. The USP is not always widely known - it may not coincide with the declared one. Windows USP is a wide range of compatible applications, provided by its monopoly position in the market.Finding out the real USP is the subject of competitive intelligence.
Defining a competitor's pricing policy. The most common marketing tool is monitoring competitor prices. The subject of intelligence is not a price list, but a table of discount coefficients for it. In the field of b2b, this is most often classified information, carefully camouflaged with a system of individual discounts and bonuses. The smaller the client market, the more difficult it is to find out the prices, the more unique they are for each of the clients. Competitive intelligence is especially important when participating in tenders.
Defining methods to promote activities or products. The distribution method, the sales organization, can be copied, and the main and additional distribution channels can be "beaten off". The most successful schemes for remuneration of sales representatives, systems of discounts and rewards, little-known distribution channels, new markets, the prospects of which have been proven with the funds of the marketing department of competitors - all this is a subject of interest.
Determining the line of development of a competitor. What direction is the competitor developing most actively and why, is it worth fighting with him in this field, what will he easily “surrender”, and what will he fight for “until the last bullet” - everything you need to know when planning your own development strategy. Perhaps you are just about to get into PIN vending machines, at which time staff has already been recruited in the same department of the largest Internet provider in your area. Does it make sense to fight?
Definition of a circle of real competitive advantages. Knowing your competitor's strengths allows you to at least, allows you to avoid stupidity when discrediting a competitor, directing efforts to obvious advantages. They should nobly agree and exalt and improve the more important, from your point of view, benefits of cooperation.
Determination of the range of significant shortcomings of a competitor. This knowledge, which is especially unknown to clients, impresses them when it is voiced. In addition, a competitor's weakness, especially if it is inherent, is a field for development and promotion of one's own advantage. "We have a shorter queue" - a classic parry of a small company against a large one.
Determination of the circle and conditions of cooperation of contractors-suppliers of a competitor. Knowledge of prices, deferred payment, the amount of commodity lending, and similar conditions for cooperation makes it possible to achieve conditions for oneself no worse than those of competitors, or, at least, determines the edge of competitive opportunities
Determination of the circle and conditions of cooperation of counterparties-buyers of a competitor. The same is true for clients. Buyers often, if not always, exaggerate the merits of doing business with your competitors in order to get what they want, not what they can.
Determination of the circle and conditions of cooperation of counterparties of the competitor's service. Suppliers that serve competitors' businesses, such as transport companies that provide communications, provide rentals, affect the overall level of costs. Surely among them there are very successful solutions that you yourself did not expect.
Determination of a group of key counterparties of a competitor. Knowledge of a competitor's key customer group is essential when planning your own sales. Usually they "do not encroach" on them, because this is a war not for life but for death. But if the war suddenly broke out, this knowledge will also help to strike the strongest blow.
Identification of the key persons of the competitor organization and their real status. It happens that the director of the company decides little, and the fifty-fifth deputy influences the policy of the company. The definition of top personnel can help predict the future policy of a competitor, based on psychological characteristics, helps to better understand the boundaries of a competitor's possible actions. The impact on "agents of influence" is sometimes technically simpler and more effective than on the management of a competing company.
Identification of external key support figures and the degree of their connection. Identification of personalities, supporting the competitor and providing him with administrative, financial and other resources, allows you to know the limits of the competitor's capabilities and makes it possible to weaken or even destroy these ties. It even happens that everything "rests" on them, it is enough to quarrel them for the complete destruction of a competitor. To do this, it is necessary to know the nature of this connection. The most stable ties are family ties, backed up by mutual financial obligations.
Determination of sources of current financing of a competitor. The source of initial capital and development funds - bank loans, private loans, own investments - determines the margin of financial stability of a competitor and, as a rule, clarifies the previous paragraph.
Assessment of the prospects for investment financial resources of a competitor. The ability to attract additional loans, loans, and investments determines the financial capabilities of a competitor, which makes it possible to predict its development. The possibility or impossibility of borrowing money on time can decide the outcome of both the battle and the entire war.
Determining the structure of income by type of activity or product. Determining the amount and structure of revenue allows you to judge the stability, priorities and main "food area" of a competitor. If the main income of a consulting firm comes from auditing services, it can afford to promote legal reference systems both at dumping prices, and calmly part with this direction in the future.
Determination of the cost structure by types of activities and products. The cost structure allows you to judge how the competitor manages its own resources, and, taking into account the previous paragraph, compare them with your own, determine the amount of profitability of the activity and each of the competitor's products. Competitor pricing is easy to predict with this information. A competitor's high fixed costs can seriously knock him down in a price war.
Determining the profitability of activities or products. The performance of products allows for comparative analysis to improve their own performance, and also shows the limits of competition. With a profitability of 15%, the competitor has the same discount threshold - then you know that he will work at a loss.
Determination of the mechanism and structure of creating added value in the context of the enterprise's economy. Knowing the nature and location of added value, you can easily predict what a competitor will fight hardest for, where you can do him the most damage if necessary. For example, the main income of many enterprises in the West is the "inflated" exchange growth of the enterprise's shares on the stock market, and not at all the profit of activity.
Determination of the structure of business processes for creating added value in the context of procedural implementation. Where and at what moment the greatest added value arises allows us to judge what the competitor will "hold on to", what is well organized, and where its weak points are. You may easily be sold an oil refinery, but not gas stations. It must be remembered that in business, unprofitable sites become unprofitable much more easily than profitable ones.
Definition of technical development plans for the activity or product. The detection of technical innovations, commonly referred to as industrial espionage, allows either copying or countering their introduction to the market. It is the theft of technical solutions, technologies and inventions that is most often called competitive intelligence.

Classification of competitive intelligence methods:

1. Direct and indirect

1.1. Direct methods for obtaining information of direct interest are called. For example, obtaining the volume of sales from the quarterly report of a joint-stock company published in the media is a direct method.

1.2. Indirect A method is a method of calculating an indicator of interest from others related to it. Most competitive intelligence methods are indirect because indirect data is more readily available. For example, the value of real profit is easily extracted from the official cash flow statement, because revenue data is most often reliable, and expenses can be determined based on common sense, calculating the required organizational resources and their market value.

In lies, a sense of proportion must be strictly observed. All contacts are best made with a tired intonation in your voice. Lazily slow speech makes it possible to hide interest and time for reflection if you are asked a question to which you have not thought out the answer.

2. Surveillance and infiltration

2.1. outdoor called observation without contact with representatives of a competitor, as they say, at a distance. Any method that uses contacts with members of a competing organization is associated with an invasion of it. You can’t see much from a distance, so most competitive intelligence methods involve obtaining information from employees of a competitor’s company under some plausible pretext, more or less common in ordinary business life.

2.2. Penetration it is better, of course, to carry out not by the forces of your staff, but by the forces involved from the employees of consulting companies that provide such services, or acquaintances, friends and relatives, at worst. In especially serious cases - preferably residents from another city.

Competitive intelligence techniques:

A list of fundamentally possible methods and techniques is given below without description, since they are so diverse and their number is so large that an entire chapter can be devoted to each of them. Therefore, in order to save printing space, the detailed description has been omitted.

1. Collection of information from open sources

Open sources - print media, the Internet, various professional meetings, industry reports, reports submitted to government bodies that are not commercial secrets. The larger the object of competitive intelligence, the more information about it in open sources.

1.2. Visiting exhibitions, industry conferences and seminars

1.3. Estimation of volume, structure and cost of advertising expenses

1.4. Collection and analysis of financial reports

1.5. Collection and analysis of industry marketing reports

2. Collection of non-public information

The less known the competitor, the less information about him in open sources. Most often, you have to look for information in the immediate vicinity of a competitor or directly from him. Here a lot depends on the artistry of the "scout". The ability to inspire confidence, provoke not the best feelings, vanity, in the first place, provides more than half of the success.

2.1. General customer survey

2.2. General Supplier Survey

2.3. Collecting information from former employees

2.4. Collecting information from applicants

2.5. Gathering information from other competitors

2.6. Incomplete trial purchase

2.7. Completed trial purchase

2.8. Organization of an attempt to cooperate or cooperate on one's own behalf

2.9. Organization of an attempt to cooperate under the guise of a potential supplier

2.10. Organization of an attempt to cooperate under the guise of a service provider

2.11. Competitor survey under the guise of marketing research

2.12. Provocation of a competitor’s employee with a targeted question on an Internet forum

2.13. Collecting information under the guise of an applicant

2.14. Organization and maintenance of acquaintance with a competitor’s employee from a third party

2.15. Using anonymous Internet dating with an employee of a competing organization

Starting from this point, the implementation of techniques makes sense if "at stake" are very, very significant amounts. Only interests worth millions of "non-Russian" rubles can justify spending several thousand dollars.

2.16. Organization of cooperation under the guise of a service provider on behalf of a third company

2.17. Organization of a merger attempt on its own behalf

2.18. Organization of an investment attempt (full or partial purchase of a competitor's business) from a third party

Methods, starting from paragraph 19, violate both the Laws "On Commercial Secrets", "On Banking", "On Police", "On Public Service", and the Criminal Code in terms of invasion of privacy, illegal entry into the premises, illegal access to information systems, abuse of power, illegal business activities, as well as more serious crimes related to recruitment - blackmail, threat of violence, bribery. Therefore, these methods are given for cognitive and informational purposes, as well as the organization of counteraction and their use is strongly discouraged.

2.19. Use of connections in public authorities

2.20. Use of connections in law enforcement

2.21. Use of connections in a criminal environment

2.22. Using connections in banking

2.23. Copying competitor information system data

2.24. Penetration into the information system of a competitor

2.25. Use of technical means of audio, video surveillance

2.26. Recruitment of competitor personnel

2.27. The introduction of its personnel into the structure of a competitor

2.28. External monitoring of contacts of key persons of a competitor organization

2.29. Using an Existing Sexual Object of a Competitor Employee as a Source of Information

2.30. Organization of sexual contact of an employee of a competing organization with the subsequent use of the object as an informant

It should be noted that in order to recognize information as reliable, it is necessary to match it from two or three different sources.

There is a well-known expression: whoever owns the information owns the world. Having reliable information about a partner, competitor, and upcoming changes in the market is extremely important for any business, which is why business structure owners create competitive intelligence

Essence and functions of competitive intelligence

Competitive (commercial, business) intelligence (eng. Competitive Intelligence, abbr. CI) - collection and processing of data from various sources carried out within the framework of the law and in compliance with ethical standards to develop management decisions in order to increase the competitiveness of a commercial organization, also a structural unit of an enterprise, performing these functions.

According to an independent expert Heinrich Lemke, the competitive intelligence service must be clearly separated from the enterprise security service, since the scope and objects of the company's commercial intelligence development are exclusively external risks, opportunities and threats that affect the company's ability to achieve its strategic goals. The risks and opportunities explored by an organization's business intelligence system are of a purely market nature and are more related to future market conditions and market conditions that should develop in the future, that is, at the time horizon of the company's (future) planned business goals and deferred from the current state for some time period. At the same time, the sphere of activity and objects of research of the security service, as a rule, are external and internal risks and threats to the current activities of the company, which are of a criminal nature and violate the normal daily activities of the company. Another area of active development of the security service is the activity of the competitive environment, associated with unfair competition and directly encroaching on the normal operation of the company, as well as the loyalty and integrity of partners, employees and other participants that affect the business activity of the company.

The following functions of competitive intelligence can be distinguished:

Studying the activities of competitors and the competitive environment;
- checking the reliability of business partners;
- collection of information on the Internet and media monitoring;
- research and evaluation of markets or entire regions (together with other departments, for example, marketing);
- forecasting changes in the market situation and the actions of competitors;
- identification of new or potential competitors;
- assistance to management in the process of adopting the positive experience of other companies;
- assisting specialists from other departments in assessing the prospects for acquiring or opening a new business;
- obtaining information legally and analysis of new technologies, products or processes that may significantly affect the company's business;
- Identification of weaknesses of competitors;
- together with the security service, identify potential sources of leakage of confidential information within the company.

What is the main purpose of this type of activity as competitive intelligence

helps to understand Dmitry Zolotukhin, independent business intelligence expert: “In my opinion, the goals of competitive intelligence differ from the direction of application of efforts - management, marketing, PR, HR, etc. My understanding of the strategic purpose of competitive intelligence is to ensure a constant alignment between a company's current strategy (often once and for all), the actions by which it is implemented, and the state of constantly changing outside world. This means that decision makers in the company must be provided with relevant, reliable and timely data on the position of the company in relation to the external environment at any time.

So, the essence of competitive intelligence is the collection and analysis of information that is useful for the business of the company for which this commercial intelligence service works. In fact, business intelligence has the same tasks as the state intelligence service - to identify the danger or, on the contrary, the prospect, evaluate the information and notify management of the results, or take action themselves, if possible.

Business intelligence and industrial espionage

Although according to many people, competitive intelligence and industrial espionage are identical, in reality they are not. After all, despite the fact that the goals of these activities often coincide (extraction of the most complete and reliable information about the activities of competitors), their methods differ.

Industrial espionage is a form of unfair competition in which illegal receipt, use, disclosure of information constituting a commercial, official or other legally protected secret is carried out in order to obtain advantages in business activities, as well as to obtain material benefits. That is, industrial espionage as a type of activity is based on the acquisition and subsequent use of commercial or official secrets. This is the difference between competitive intelligence and industrial espionage: competitive intelligence is an activity within the legal field, and industrial spies “work” outside this field. As Yevgeny Yushchuk confirms in his book Competitive Intelligence: Marketing Risks and Opportunities: “In real life, the line between competitive intelligence and industrial espionage depends on the skill of the one who conducts it, not to conflict with the criminal code ...”

Specialists in the field of industrial espionage mainly use methods such as: bribery or blackmail of persons with access to classified information; theft of various media with information of interest; the introduction of an agent into a competing company in order to obtain information that is a commercial or banking secret; implementation of illegal access to commercially significant information using technical means (telephone lines tapping, illegal penetration into computer networks, etc.). These acts violate a huge number of articles of the criminal code, primarily article 231 "Illegal collection for the purpose of use or use of information constituting commercial or banking secrets."

To put it simply, the unlawful act “industrial espionage” is directed against the object “commercial secret” (the main thing is to obtain the necessary information), while various rights and interests of individuals and legal entities may be violated, such as: the right to security (threats), the right on privacy (blackmail), copyright, the right to confidentiality of information. In light of this, it is necessary to define the concept of "trade secret", but there is a slight difficulty: in various legislative acts, wordings are given that differ from each other. Volodymyr Ivashchenko in his article “Basic Methods for Investigating Illegal Collections and Disclosing Commercial Secrets” analyzed them and made the following conclusions: a trade secret is characterized by such a set of features: information is secret, unknown and not easily accessible to persons who usually deal with the type of information to which it refers; due to the fact that it is secret, it has commercial value. He gives such a concept of a trade secret - this is information that is useful and is not generally known to the public. It has a real or commercial value from which profit can be made and for the protection of which the owner takes measures in all spheres of life and activity. Thus, we can say that the activity of industrial espionage is aimed at obtaining information that is not publicly available and is protected by law.

Meanwhile, unlike adepts of industrial espionage, business intelligence officers mainly use open sources of information from the media, the Internet, analysis of rating agencies, etc. In the West, those involved in commercial intelligence have long understood that the only way to work long and effectively is to be "friends with the law." Roughly speaking, commercial intelligence officers can use all methods and means of collecting and processing information that do not contradict the law. The main weapon of competitive intelligence is high-quality collection, systematization and, most importantly, analysis of information, and not surveillance, bribery and illegal hacking. And this is not surprising: even for state intelligence services, at the present stage, the collection of information from open sources is paramount. For example, at the end of the 20th century, the US CIA published data, according to which 85% of all information about the USSR in Langley was obtained from open and completely legal sources - Soviet newspapers and magazines, atlases and reference books, analysis of speeches by Soviet leaders on radio and television, documents of conferences, symposiums, plenums and congresses. The last Soviet government itself translated into 100 languages of the world and replicated for public attention in millions of copies. To analyze this entire “sea” of information, thousands of analysts of completely peaceful professions worked at the CIA: economists, geographers, sociologists, psychologists, linguists, ethnographers, statisticians, cybernetics, and even gerontologists. But then there was no Internet.

In order to more accurately understand the role of open sources in commercial intelligence, we again turned to Dmitry Zolotukhin for a comment: “According to the majority of experts in the information and analytical field, part of the information that can be obtained using only open sources is 90-95%. By “open sources”, competitive intelligence specialists mean absolutely every opportunity to obtain the necessary information that does not require actions that directly violate the law or generally accepted ethical standards for doing business (the latter is usually fraught with reputational risks that will be much more tangible than the information result obtained). In my personal opinion, the situation is complicated by the fact that, often, the remaining 5% contain the very zest that makes up the company's competitive advantage in the market. Therefore, competitive intelligence techniques are used first to collect these 95% of information, in order to then take advantage of often the only opportunity to ask the question, the answer to which will “complete the mosaic”.

It would seem that if 90% of information can be “obtained” using open sources, then analysis is paramount in competitive intelligence. The expert clarifies: “Probably, one can say so, because the amount of available and accessible data is increasing every day and it is necessary to have effective work algorithms in order to manage large-scale information flows, clear them of “information garbage” and find “gold grains” strategically. important information.

However, on the other hand, it's like asking: "Does the car have wheels?" Of course, because without them she would not be able to go. But she will also not be able to move normally without an engine or steering wheel. Most likely, we need to talk about an integrated approach. Moreover, in the current conditions of limited resources, a competitive scout should be "... both a Swiss, a reaper, and a player on the pipe."

Regarding the use of new methods in intelligence, Dmitry Zolotukhin noted that it is already quite difficult to come up with something new in business intelligence. A set of methods and techniques is only being refined, in the conditions of the requirements of the new time. At the moment, he and a colleague are writing a book about extracting information from communication. No one has written about this before, although the idea is far from new.

Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that, given the development of the information component of society, analysts will increasingly supplant the "James Bonds" in state intelligence, and even more so in commercial intelligence. The very same competitive intelligence (however, as, unfortunately, and industrial espionage) will exist as long as entrepreneurial activity will exist, because as Samuel Butler said, “All commerce is an attempt to foresee the future.” And competitive intelligence is a service that is designed to foresee the future.

This article is devoted to the practical application of competitive intelligence technologies and tools on the Internet. In the course of the study, the classification of information search tools on the Internet, which can be applied in order to increase the competitiveness of various organizations, is considered in detail. As a result of a detailed analysis, the main tools of competitive intelligence on the Internet are identified and their distribution by groups is given. The correct selection of such tools contributes to the formation of a universal system that allows not only to assess the competitiveness of an organization at the current moment, but also to obtain an adequate assessment of the position of competing organizations in the market. In addition, such a system allows you to respond in a timely manner to rapidly changing operating conditions. Thus, a competitive intelligence system using the Internet should be tuned to the specifics of the company's activities, and should also include flexible search mechanisms, prompt data delivery, and qualitative information assessment.

information

Internet

business intelligence

competitive intelligence

competition

competitiveness

1. Averchenkov V.I. Monitoring and system analysis of information on the Internet: monograph [electronic resource] / V.I. Averchenkov, S.M. Roshchin. - 2nd ed., stereotype. – M.: FLINTA, 2011. – 160 p.

2. Bogomolova I.P. Analysis of the formation of the category of competitiveness as a factor in the market superiority of economic objects // Marketing in Russia and abroad. - 2013. - No. 1. - C. 25.

3. Vasyukova S.A. Economic intelligence and counterintelligence - elements of a modern market economy // Scientific session of MEPhI. - 2010. - V.3. - S. 177-178.

4. Martic A. Through knowledge - to the stars // Management of the company. - 2001. - No. 5. - http://management.web-standart.net/ article0$id!13211.htm.

5. LotusSoftware from IBM offers a new solution for knowledge management systems. – http://www.ibm.com/ru/news/nfolder/ 31_10_01_02.html (request date 04/20/2015).

6. Divnenko Z.A., Maslov D.G. Analysis of the categories “competition” and “competitive intelligence” as enhancing factors of enterprises’ competitiveness / Z.A. Divnenko, D.G. Maslov // Models, systems, networks in economics, technology, nature and society. - 2015. - No. 1 (13). – C. 8–12.

Modern needs for business intelligence and counterintelligence, ensuring specific aspects of business security have led to the development of an entire industry. New economic relations in Russia force the participants in this turbulent process to form effective development strategies.

Basically, useful intelligence information is obtained from secret sources, but in practice this is far from the case. Sometimes up to 95% of information can be gleaned from open sources, you just need to properly organize their study.

As in any other activity, the effectiveness of economic (competitive) intelligence is determined according to the "cost-effect" scheme. For reconnaissance, three types of effect can be named:

1) profit;

2) cost savings;

3) prevention of material and moral damage.

Sometimes, at low cost and high efficiency, significant results can be achieved, preventing financial and moral losses of the enterprise. You can give an example of how, by paying about $500 and spending only three weeks, the security officers of an American enterprise prevented losses in the amount of $450,000. In a certificate prepared by employees after the reconnaissance, a recommendation was made to refuse cooperation with a company that offered a seemingly profitable deal, for the following reasons:

The firm exists only half a year;

Registered at a “purchased” legal address, where many other companies are registered;

The management of the company used to be engaged in a completely different kind of activity and suffered significant losses;

The firm has never entered into the proposed deals before;

The staff consists of only two people and occupies a rather modest office in a small town, etc. .

The system of competitive intelligence of an enterprise gives a kind of multiplicative effect, combining the interests of ensuring the economic security of an enterprise with the solution of marketing issues, since an effective economic policy of an enterprise is developed on its basis.

Information is the most expensive commodity in the world. States create official structures in order to ensure the timely receipt and storage of information, enterprises feel the need for modern information analysis technologies, constant updating of security software and maximum integration of the entire system for analyzing, processing and applying constantly updated information of various kinds.

The level of competitiveness of an enterprise is largely ensured by a well-organized system for collecting business information, which forms the basis for making managerial decisions, strategic planning, marketing research and PR campaigns.

Competitive intelligence is the most important tool for minimizing risks and ensuring profits, since in a certain sense it is an “early warning” system about the intentions of competitors, possible turns and changes in the market, and the possible results of the impact of political technologies on entrepreneurial activity.

A great help for an effective system for increasing the competitiveness of an organization is the creation of a single integrated data bank using modern computer technologies, where all information from open and confidential sources is accumulated.

Due to the rapid development of the global Internet and the strengthening of its influence on the activities of enterprises and organizations, the increase in the number of information resources, it is competitive intelligence on the Internet that has become the most important function of modern management and the main condition for the dynamic development of business.

Knowledge of the principles of competitive intelligence on the Internet and the practical application of special search engines are necessary in the work of any enterprise.

The existing means of searching for information on the Internet can be divided into several groups:

Catalogs;

Information retrieval systems;

Metasearch systems;

Monitoring and content analysis systems;

Extractors of objects, events and facts;

Knowledge management systems (DataMining, TextMining);

Specialized competitive intelligence systems.

The catalog is a hierarchical system that provides information classification. Catalogs do not work with indexes, but with descriptions of Internet resources. They are filled with Webmasters or special editors who view the information resources of the Web. A typical example of using the catalog is the need to find a group of information resources on the Internet on a certain insufficiently narrow topic, for example, sites that provide contact information for organizations. The most developed directories today are Yahoo!, OpenDirectory, Yandex.

An information retrieval system (IPS) is a system that selects, indexes, and searches for information based on an index. Search engines should be used when it is required to find information on specific topics or to ensure complete coverage of resources. An example of the use of information retrieval systems in the search may be the requirements to find the site of a particular organization or give an answer to a question. The leading ISs are Google, Yandex, MSN and others.

Metasearch engines are add-ons for search engines and electronic catalogs that do not have their own database (index) and, when searching for a user's search prescription, independently form queries for several external search tools, and then analyze the results and issue a list of links in the order determined by the ratio response ratings across multiple search engines at once.

The most significant metasearch engines are MetaCrawler and MetaBot.ru. Their main advantage lies in the ability to send queries entered into them to other systems, and then summarize the results. This guarantees the "objectivity" and "completeness" of the results obtained, however, given the differences in approaches to the processing of terms by different systems, the result may not always be relevant to the query. Metasearch engines are most effective at the initial stages of information search. They help localize search tools that contain information about the information the user is looking for.

Monitoring and content analysis systems provide regular search and "download" of information on given topics and from given sites, as well as analysis of the content of the received documents. Such systems generally have a developed query language, which allows you to significantly detail and specify queries in comparison with conventional search engines. Also, such systems store in their databases the full texts of source documents, which ensures the safety of these documents in time and the possibility of their processing and content analysis both in the current time and in the future. A significant advantage of such systems is that complex queries, consisting of tens or hundreds of search words and expressions, once compiled by a subject matter analyst, can be stored as a cataloged query or rubric and later called automatically or manually from the stored list for analysis. search or content analysis.

If monitoring systems can extract known objects put on monitoring from the information flow, then extractors of objects, events and facts are able to extract previously unknown objects, events or facts from the information flow that correspond to a certain predefined type.

Knowledge management systems are designed to automatically analyze and find relationships between documents, people and information throughout an organization.

Knowledge management is understood as a set of strategies and processes for identifying, acquiring, disseminating, using, controlling and sharing the knowledge necessary to ensure the competitiveness of an organization.

These systems are able to identify new knowledge and patterns. For example, the system can independently, without human intervention, draw a conclusion about the fact of acquaintance between people, based on the data available in the system about their graduation from the same school and the same class in the same locality. Examples of knowledge management systems are KnowledgeDiscoverySystem and SharePointPortalServer.

Specialized systems for competitive intelligence may include one or more of the search tools listed above, specially "sharpened" for these specific tasks. In addition, the needs of competitive intelligence suggest as information sources, in addition to full-text documents from the Internet, also databases available on the Web, own documents, tables and databases belonging to the structure, as well as formalized and non-formalized documents and databases obtained from other sources. .

Specialized systems include systems that search for:

Files (for example, FileSearch.ru, Files.ru;

News in electronic media (for example, Yandex News, moreover);

Goods in certain types of stores (book or computer) (for example, Yandex Goods, Torg.ru);

People (for example, People on the Web, Russia White Pages, Yahoo! PeopleSearch;

Information in music archives (for example, MP3Search);

Pictures (for example, Yandex Pictures, Google Image Search);

In catalogs of regional resources (for example, Yandex Regions, Bryansk Weblist of Emel, etc.).

After analyzing the main competitive intelligence tools on the Internet, the following groups can be distinguished:

1. Mention tracking tools (Google Alerts, SocialMention, Marketing Grader).

3. Keyword analysis and monitoring (Competitive Research & Keyword Research Gadget, Google Keyword Planner, Monitor Backlinks, SEMRush, SpyFu, The Search Monitor, iSpionage).

6. Checking the link mass, backlinks and likbilding (Majestic SEO, Ontolo, LinkProspector, OpenSiteExplorer).

7. Universal tools (SimplyMeasured).

Properly selected competitive intelligence tools on the Internet form a universal system that will allow the company's management to quickly respond to changes in the market situation, assess risks and opportunities, predict them and, as a result, make the right management decisions.

The main purpose of competitive intelligence systems is to provide information support for the transition from traditional intuitive decision-making based on insufficient information to management based on reliable forecasts and knowledge.

According to the information processing cycle in the classical scheme of the information intelligence cycle, the system we are considering must independently or with the participation of the operator provide:

Choice of topics and areas of intelligence interest (target designation);

Selection of information sources (websites, blogs, forums, etc.);

Automatic search and download of information in the specified areas of monitoring and specified sources according to the planned schedule (planning and data collection);

Processing the collected data and turning it into information;

Content analysis and synthesis of information - its transformation into knowledge;

Timely delivery of information to end users.

Of course, a competitive intelligence system that uses the Internet as one of the sources of information should be adjusted to the specifics of the company's activities, and should also include an appropriate classification, flexible search mechanisms, prompt delivery of data and qualitative assessment of information.

Recently, the arsenal of competitive intelligence methods has been significantly enriched, which makes it possible, if necessary, to conduct a comprehensive comparative analysis of performance indicators and business processes with the selected competitor in order to improve the work of the management company. Information about the results of other people's applied and fundamental research allows you to save your own effort and money and focus all your attention on production and marketing. The further development of the scientific and technological process, the increase in the flow of patents and the tightening of competition as a “war of all against all” makes the development of a competitive intelligence system more and more relevant.

Modern approaches to the study of the essence and methods of competition are embodied in new concepts of strategic management, when various ways of achieving market leadership are developed and put into practice. These aspects of competition theory may be of interest to Russian companies that are at the stage of strengthening their positions in the global and regional markets.

Reviewers:

Vinnichek L.B., Doctor of Economics, Professor, Head. department "Organization and informatization of production", Penza State Agricultural Academy, Penza;

Khrustalev B.B., Doctor of Economics, Professor, Head. Department of Economics, Organization and Management of Production, Penza State University of Architecture and Construction, Penza.

Bibliographic link

Maslov D.G., Tuskov A.A., Divnenko Z.A., Yudina E.S. COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE ON THE INTERNET: TECHNOLOGIES AND INFORMATION SEARCH TOOLS // Fundamental Research. - 2015. - No. 5-3. – P. 631-634;
URL: http://fundamental-research.ru/ru/article/view?id=38312 (date of access: 02/18/2019). We bring to your attention the journals published by the publishing house "Academy of Natural History"

Before talking about competitive intelligence, it is necessary to define business intelligence. It is necessary to formally separate the terms "business intelligence" (business intelligence) and "competitive intelligence". The subject of business intelligence is the external environment of the enterprise - the business and political environment, legislation, the distribution of spheres of influence, including competitors. The subject of competitive intelligence are real and potential competitors.

business intelligence

business intelligence- continuous collection, analysis and transfer of information about competitors, the surrounding business environment, and personalities to the intended purpose within the enterprise. The purpose of business intelligence is obtaining competitive advantages due to the information received when making managerial decisions. Business intelligence has two directions:strategic(or macroeconomic) and operational(or microeconomic) intelligence. Strategic business intelligence is the collection and analysis of information about processes in the economy, politics, and technology. Operational business intelligence is the collection of information for making managerial decisions on the current problems of the enterprise.

The work of the business intelligence service can be divided into two components:

systematic collection of information, for example, on market conditions, macro- and microeconomic trends, new products, etc.;
fulfillment of special one-time requests in the interests of individual services: analytical reviews, information search in the media, financial assessments of other enterprises, economic indicators, etc.

According to the current legislation, it is illegal to collect information about a private person. The collection of information about a private person is possible only with his consent, the collection of information about the company is not prohibited.

Competitive intelligence

Competitive intelligence— collection and analysis of information about competitors and the business competitive environment in order to form and achieve competitive advantages by using the resulting knowledge to make effective and high-quality strategic and important tactical business decisions. In the materials of the International Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (eng. SocietyofCompetitiveIntelligence- SCIP) provides the following definition of "competitive intelligence". This is a legitimate way to collect and analyze information that allows you to judge the capabilities, intentions, vulnerabilities of business competitors. The information is collected using ethically prepared sources and research.

The Russian Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals formulates this concept as follows. This is a new strategic initiative at , targeting everything in the business world that matters to the company's ability to compete. In the course of competitive intelligence, they study not only competitors (direct, indirect and potential), but also customers - dealers and distributors, technologies, products, as well as the business environment. The purpose of competitive intelligence is a deep understanding of the business as a whole and its individual parts.

Competitive intelligence is a purposeful, continuous system for collecting, processing, analyzing competitive information and using the obtained objective information about the business environment, as well as about resources, vulnerabilities, and intentions of competitors. It operates within the framework of existing legislation and ethical standards, is aimed at minimizing possible risks, obtaining advantages in business organization and additional profit. As you can see, here the emphasis is on obtaining information about competitors within the legal framework.

Competitive intelligence includes the entire scope of covert activities for the collection, analysis, storage and use of confidential information, the use of which brings economic benefits. Such an interpretation means that this type of activity combines all possible ways of obtaining information about competitors (including those that violate the principles of fair competition).

Competitive intelligence is the lawful gathering of information about competitors, and is distinct from industrial espionage. The difference is that information sources for competitive intelligence are always “open” and publicly available, although not all of them are published or put on public display. Key unpublished sources include anyone who has been in contact with a competitor. This includes the organization's own employees, customers and suppliers, as well as competitors themselves and experts in the desired business area. Competitive intelligence must be carried out within the framework of the current legislation in compliance with ethical standards (as opposed to industrial espionage). The collected targeted information about competitors can be both open to all interested users and be confidential. According to various estimates of experts involved in the collection of competitive information, 80-95% necessary information is open and publicly available. Therefore, the use of illegal and unethical methods of collecting information in competitive intelligence is not necessary.

Competitive intelligence can be considered as part of knowledge management, which includes information from the external environment of the enterprise and about this external environment.

One of the key sources for obtaining competitive information is the company conducting the research itself. Internal sources: sales representatives who are in constant contact with customers and can find out what competitors are doing; development and analytics staff able to discover new patents or read about new research in newspapers related to competitor development; Purchasing staff who are able to learn something from a supplier who also serves a competitor.

Secondary sources of information: Internet, corporate websites, reports and reviews provided for conferences.

Objectives of competitive intelligence:

1. Determination of the true strategy of competitors to adjust their own strategy. The true strategy relatively rarely coincides with the strategy that is formulated in the mission of the enterprise. Knowing this information will allow him to determine the appropriateness of using it in the future.

2. Determining the potential of competitors (their strengths and weaknesses) to adjust their own strategy. Knowing what your competitors are really doing well warns against competing with them in that direction and suggests making a decision to shift efforts in another direction. Information about the weaknesses of a competitor is necessary to discredit him, especially if this is presented as a competitive advantage.

3. Determination of organizational, financial, technical and other ways to provide competitive advantages for the purposes of possible copying or neutralization. The use of new technology to produce higher quality products at lower cost can be a significant competitive advantage. This technology is most often amenable to copying and replication, due to which the specified competitive advantage can be depreciated (neutralized).

4. Evaluation of the total market capacity through the sum of the shares of competitors to assess the state of the industry. A change in the overall market capacity allows us to understand the correctness of our own actions: if the market capacity grows, and the company's sales volume remains unchanged, then something is being done inefficiently and competitors are potentially winning our share of the target market. If the market capacity is reduced, and the volume of sales has not changed, then in relative terms it is growing and the company is doing everything right. The easiest way to determine guaranteed market capacity is to sum up the actual sales volumes of all market participants.

5. Evaluation of the degree of profitability of the terms of cooperation with certain suppliers and buyers. Knowledge of the terms of supply or sales helps to reliably determine one's own place in the system of market relations with resource suppliers. Thus, the main goal of competitive intelligence is to obtain as a result certain types of competitive advantages over competitors. At the same time, it should always be taken into account that counteracting a competitor is preferable to copying its advantages, since the strategy of “getting ahead” in the long term is much more economically profitable than the strategy of “catching up”.

6. Creation of favorable conditions so that those accepted become optimally structured, based on a more complete knowledge of their business, industry, market, business environment and competitive environment.

The goals of creating a competitive intelligence service:

early identification of hidden and obvious threats to the organization from competitors;
search for new opportunities;
shaping and strengthening.

Tasks of competitive intelligence:

identification of competitors' products with unique consumer properties;
establishing a price policy implemented by a competitor (this is especially important when competitors participate in open tenders);
determination of methods for promoting goods to the market (distribution methods, sales organization can be copied, and the main and additional sales channels can be conquered). The most successful schemes for remuneration of sales representatives, systems of discounts and rewards, little-known distribution channels, new markets, the prospects of which have been proven with the funds of the marketing department of competitors - all this is a subject of special interest;
determination of the list of the most significant shortcomings of a competitor. (This information can serve as the basis for promoting one's own advantages based on the use of opposition technique.);
establishing the conditions for cooperation between competitors and resource suppliers (knowledge of price levels, payment deferrals, the amount of commodity lending and other conditions of cooperation will make it possible to achieve conditions for oneself no worse than those of competitors);
establishing the structure of a permanent client base (customers) and the conditions for cooperation with them (this information is the basis for developing measures at the enterprise to attract buyers to its side);
identification of sources of current financing of a competitor. The scale of use reflects the margin of financial stability of a competitor;
determination of the level of profitability of certain types of activities or goods. The effectiveness of competitors' activities allows you to conduct a comparative analysis to improve your own performance, and also shows the limits of competition.
identification of long-term plans for the technical development of competitors. identification of new technical solutions, technologies and inventions (allows either to copy them or resist their appearance on the target market).

Tasks of the competitive intelligence service:

collection of information about competitors (their market shares, strategies, plans, interactions with partners, suppliers, consumers) on a regular basis;
analysis of the flow of collected data;
timely informing persons in the company who make management decisions;
improving the organization of relations with partners;
ensuring access to information for all employees who have permission to do so.

The principles of organizing a competitive intelligence system according to the opinion of a prominent American specialist in the field of competitive intelligence W. Platt:

target orientation. Clear and unambiguous setting of goals for collecting and analyzing information in competitive intelligence;
completeness. The need to collect the necessary information from any sources available to a specialist:
reliability. Determining the degree of reliability of the received intelligence information;
predictability. Ability to identify development trends.

According to V.V. Tsarev, this list of principles must be supplemented with the following:

permanence: competitive intelligence should be carried out on an ongoing basis, which will allow creating a data bank on programs, activities implemented by one or another competitor from the strategic group;
variability: Competitive intelligence specialists must identify various changes taking place among the main competitors, as well as in the macro environment;
reasonable sufficiency: the volume of collected diverse information should not be excessive, the collection of so-called non-targeted information should be minimized;
commonality: the use of equally clear terminological apparatus;
availability: use of all available information sources, including for rechecking information, disclosing the content of the data received, comparing them with data from previous years or other companies;
knowability: establishing the causes and consequences of the phenomena under study;
taking into account features: taking into account national, social, environmental and other features;
offensiveness: response decisions made by the enterprise to programs implemented by competitors, activities should be predominantly offensive in nature;
timeliness: targeted information about the main competitors should be provided to the management of the enterprise and leading managers in a timely manner;
diminishing value (utility): This refers to the phenomenon of falling over time in the value (relevance) of the collected information about competitors. Therefore, it must be constantly updated.

Organization of the work of the competitive intelligence service:

operational - preparation of a brief reference on a specific
competitor
long-term — preparation and implementation of a full cycle of research;
situational - search for a solution to a specific problem;
analytical - analysis of the received data.

A competitor study can be structured as follows:

collection in their databases of all available information about a competitor;
clarification from a competitor (calling) data on the services provided, products sold and the conditions for their sale, the availability of a license and the type of equipment used;
identification of competitors' customers (possibly by telephone directories), determination of their industry affiliation;
finding out the opinion of customers about the work of a competitor (calling, talking with customers of a competitor);
visiting a competitor's office under the pretext of purchasing services. After the visit, the collected information is analyzed (about the size of the company, its capabilities).

Competitive intelligence is a marketing tool for studying the competitive environment, which is a targeted collection of information about competitors for making management decisions on further business strategy and tactics.

The concept of competition is a scheme of external factors of influence that carry both prospects and threats to business.

Therefore, the concept of competitive intelligence should be extended not only to existing companies that sell similar products or services, but also to possible future competitors, and also partly to suppliers and customers.

Information about counterparties can become a significant competitive advantage, and the extraction of insider information is a separate marketing task.

The tasks of competitive intelligence are an auxiliary information function of supplementing marketing analysis for the purposes of strategic management.

In some activities, the commercial collection of information about companies is an integral part of the business process, for example, in marketing, journalism, consulting and recruiting.

Objectives of competitive intelligence:

Determination of the true strategy of competitors to adjust their own strategy

True strategy rarely aligns with the mission of the company. Understanding the direction of a competitor's trend line makes it possible to determine how successful competition will be in this field of activity in the future. Perhaps the project should be accelerated in the direction of the competitor's movement in order to occupy this field first, or perhaps one should not start a certain project, but use resources to occupy another market niche.

Determining the potential of competitors (about their strengths and weaknesses) to adjust their own strategy

A company can do one thing and only one thing really well. Like it or not, the buyer believes it. So knowing what your competitors are really doing well is a warning against competing in that field and deciding to move your efforts in another direction. Knowledge of weaknesses is essential to discredit a competitor, especially if it is presented to them as a competitive advantage.

Determination of organizational, financial, technical and other ways to provide competitive advantages for the purposes of possible copying or neutralization.

The way business is carried out can constitute a significant competitive advantage. Parts of a set of measures or tools that make the production of a product or service cheaper or better are most often copied, depreciating this very advantage. The list of these solutions is quite extensive and is called the common word "technology".

Assessment of the total market capacity through the sum of competitors' shares to assess the state of the industry by changing dynamics

A change in the overall market capacity allows us to understand the correctness of our own actions: if the market capacity grows, and our sales volume remains unchanged, then something is being done wrong, and competitors are potentially winning our market share. If the market capacity is reduced, and the volume of sales is unchanged, then it is growing in relative volume and we are doing everything right. The easiest way to determine the guaranteed market capacity based on the fact of the total sales of all market participants.

Assessment of the degree of profitability of the terms of cooperation with certain suppliers and buyers

Knowledge of the terms of supply and sales helps to correctly determine their own field of bargaining with both. This is the most popular subject of competitive intelligence and exists, in one form or another, in every company.

Tasks of competitive intelligence:

Identifying a Competitor's Key Unique Selling Proposition

In the head of the consumer, one, or at most two, associations of the trademark and the quality that defines it are fixed. If Windows is the most feature rich system, then competing in this field will require colossal financial resources. The USP can be partially neutralized by adding a second one, which is an inherent drawback, for example, “constantly hangs”, or by opposing quality in another plane - “Linux is a free operating system”. The USP is not always widely known - it may not coincide with the declared one. Windows USP is a wide range of compatible applications, provided by its monopoly position in the market.Finding out the real USP is the subject of competitive intelligence.

Determination of the competitor's pricing policy

The most common marketing tool is monitoring competitor prices. The subject of intelligence is not a price list, but a table of discount coefficients for it. In the field of b2b, this is most often classified information, carefully camouflaged with a system of individual discounts and bonuses. The smaller the client market, the more difficult it is to find out the prices, the more unique they are for each of the clients. Competitive intelligence is especially important when participating in tenders.

Determining how to promote activities or products

The distribution method, the sales organization, can be copied, and the main and additional distribution channels can be "beaten off". The most successful schemes for remuneration of sales representatives, systems of discounts and rewards, little-known distribution channels, new markets, the prospects of which have been proven with the funds of the marketing department of competitors - all this is a subject of interest.

Determining the line of development of a competitor

What direction is the competitor developing most actively and why, is it worth fighting with him in this field, what will he easily “surrender”, and what will he fight for “until the last bullet” - everything you need to know when planning your own development strategy. Perhaps you are just about to get into PIN vending machines, at which time staff has already been recruited in the same department of the largest Internet provider in your area. Does it make sense to fight?

Determining the range of real competitive advantages

Knowing the strengths of a competitor allows, at least, to avoid stupidity in discrediting a competitor, directing efforts to obvious advantages. They should nobly agree and exalt and improve the more important, from your point of view, benefits of cooperation.

Determining the range of significant shortcomings of a competitor

This knowledge, which is especially unknown to clients, impresses them when it is voiced. In addition, a competitor's weakness, especially if it is inherent, is a field for development and promotion of one's own advantage. "We have a shorter queue" - a classic parry of a small company against a large one.

Determination of the circle and conditions of cooperation of contractors-suppliers of a competitor

Knowledge of prices, deferred payment, the amount of commodity lending, and similar conditions for cooperation makes it possible to achieve conditions for oneself no worse than those of competitors, or, at least, determines the edge of competitive opportunities

Determination of the circle and conditions of cooperation of counterparties-buyers of a competitor

The same is true for clients. Buyers often, if not always, exaggerate the merits of doing business with your competitors in order to get what they want, not what they can.

Determining the range and conditions of cooperation of counterparties of the competitor's service

Suppliers that serve competitors' businesses, such as transport companies that provide communications, provide rentals, affect the overall level of costs. Surely among them there are very successful solutions that you yourself did not expect.

Determination of a group of key counterparties of a competitor

Knowledge of a competitor's key customer group is essential when planning your own sales. Usually they "do not encroach" on them, because this is a war not for life but for death. But if the war suddenly broke out, this knowledge will also help to strike the strongest blow.

Identification of key persons of the competitor organization and their real status

It happens that the director of the company decides little, and the fifty-fifth deputy influences the policy of the company. The definition of top personnel can help predict the future policy of a competitor, based on psychological characteristics, helps to better understand the boundaries of a competitor's possible actions. The impact on "agents of influence" is sometimes technically simpler and more effective than on the management of a competing company.

Identification of external key supporters and the degree of their connection

Identification of personalities, supporting the competitor and providing him with administrative, financial and other resources, allows you to know the limits of the competitor's capabilities and makes it possible to weaken or even destroy these ties. It even happens that everything "rests" on them, it is enough to quarrel them for the complete destruction of a competitor. To do this, it is necessary to know the nature of this connection. The most stable ties are family ties, backed up by mutual financial obligations.

Determination of sources of current financing of a competitor

The source of initial capital and development funds - bank loans, private loans, own investments - determines the margin of financial stability of a competitor and, as a rule, clarifies the previous paragraph.

Assessment of the prospects for investment financial resources of a competitor

The ability to attract additional loans, loans, and investments determines the financial capabilities of a competitor, which makes it possible to predict its development. The possibility or impossibility of borrowing money on time can decide the outcome of both the battle and the entire war.

Determining the structure of income by type of activity or product

Determining the amount and structure of revenue allows you to judge the stability, priorities and main "food area" of a competitor. If the main income of a consulting firm comes from auditing services, it can afford to promote legal reference systems both at dumping prices, and calmly part with this direction in the future.

Determining the cost structure by activity and product

The cost structure allows you to judge how the competitor manages its own resources, and, taking into account the previous paragraph, compare them with your own, determine the amount of profitability of the activity and each of the competitor's products. Competitor pricing is easy to predict with this information. A competitor's high fixed costs can seriously knock him down in a price war.

Determining the profitability of activities or products

The performance of products allows for comparative analysis to improve their own performance, and also shows the limits of competition. With a profitability of 15%, the competitor has the same discount threshold - then you know that he will work at a loss.

Determination of the mechanism and structure of creating added value in the context of the enterprise's economy

Knowing the nature and location of added value, you can easily predict what a competitor will fight hardest for, where you can do him the most damage if necessary. For example, the main income of many enterprises in the West is the "inflated" exchange growth of the enterprise's shares on the stock market, and not at all the profit of activity.

Determination of the structure of business processes for creating added value in the context of procedural implementation

Where and at what moment the greatest added value arises allows us to judge what the competitor will "hold on to", what is well organized, and where its weak points are. You may easily be sold an oil refinery, but not gas stations. It must be remembered that in business, unprofitable sites become unprofitable much more easily than profitable ones.

Definition of technical development plans for the activity or product

The detection of technical innovations, commonly referred to as industrial espionage, allows either copying or countering their introduction to the market. It is the theft of technical solutions, technologies and inventions that is most often called competitive intelligence.

Classification of methods:

Direct and indirect

Direct methods are called methods of obtaining information of direct interest. For example, obtaining the volume of sales from the quarterly report of a joint-stock company published in the media is a direct method.

An indirect method is a method of calculating an indicator of interest from others related to it. Most competitive intelligence methods are indirect because indirect data is more readily available.

For example, the value of real profit is easily extracted from the official cash flow statement, because revenue data is most often reliable, and expenses can be determined based on common sense, calculating the required organizational resources and their market value.

Surveillance and infiltration

Surveillance is called outdoor without contact with representatives of a competitor, as they say, at a distance. Any method that uses contacts with members of a competing organization is associated with an invasion of it. You can’t see much from a distance, so most competitive intelligence methods involve obtaining information from employees of a competitor’s company under some plausible pretext, more or less common in ordinary business life. It is better, of course, to carry out penetration not by the forces of your own staff, but by the forces involved from the employees of consulting companies that provide such services, or acquaintances, friends and relatives, at worst. In especially serious cases - preferably residents from another city.

In lies, a sense of proportion must be strictly observed.

All contacts are best made with a tired intonation in your voice. Lazily slow speech makes it possible to hide interest and time for reflection if you are asked a question to which you have not thought out the answer.

Competitive intelligence techniques:

Collection of information from open sources

Collection of non-public information

The less known the competitor, the less information about him in open sources. Most often, you have to look for information in the immediate vicinity of a competitor or directly from him.

Here a lot depends on the artistry of the "scout". The ability to inspire confidence, provoke not the best feelings, vanity, in the first place, provides more than half of the success.

Therefore, these methods are given for cognitive and informational purposes, as well as the organization of counteraction and their use is strongly discouraged.

It should be noted that in order to recognize information as reliable, it is necessary to match it from two or three different sources.

Portal for the student. Self-training

Objectives of competitive intelligence:

Tasks of competitive intelligence:

Classification of competitive intelligence methods:

Competitive intelligence techniques:

Essence and functions of competitive intelligence

What is the main purpose of this type of activity as competitive intelligence

Business intelligence and industrial espionage

Bibliographic link

business intelligence

Competitive intelligence

Objectives of competitive intelligence:

The goals of creating a competitive intelligence service:

Tasks of competitive intelligence:

Tasks of the competitive intelligence service:

Organization of the work of the competitive intelligence service:

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