"It is a pro-active information process that conducts to better decision taken, either strategic or operational. It is a systematic process that aims on discovering the forces around businesses, minimize risk and conduct decision taker to act in advance as well as protect generated knowledge. This informational process is compounded by data collect and data ethical search stage, newsletter and formal and informal information (either in the macro environment or the competitive environment of each company), filtered and integrated analysis as well as their respective dissemination. Competitive Intelligence process has its origins relied upon methods used by government intelligence bodies that basically aimed on identifying and evaluating information linked to national defense. Such tools were adapted to business reality and to the new world order. The following techniques were incorporated into this informational process by: (1) the Information Science, mainly regarding managing of formal information; (2) the Information Technology, emphasizing tools of network management and data mining; and (3) Administration, represented by the areas of strategy, marketing and management."(ABRAIC) In practice, Competitive Intelligence’s objectives are of answering the questions over strategy and marketing positioning towards competitiveness environment: who are your direct and indirect competitors? Which are their current and future strategies? What are their weaknesses and strengthens (SWOT analysis)? Which is their marketing positioning (Marketing 4 Ps)? Which way market I am involved in is going? Which positioning my company has to chose each time (defense? Attack?)? Which strategies need to be taken in order to anticipate competitors` actions? To be protected from the investigation of competitors, Counter-Intelligence plays the role in this game.
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