Responding to the needs of market researchers, business analysts, CI professionals, and other decision makers who understand online technology, Vibert provides a series of problem-driven, analytical frameworks to help them make better sense—and use—of the vast amounts of information now available and easily accessed on the Internet. Organizational decision makers, forced to understand complex competitive environments, have two important aids; analytical tools and information sources. To be truly effective, these tools must be used in concert. Vibert's book focuses on these tools and their usages. In doing so it provides ways for organizational decision makers to protect their own operations as they seek to gain better knowledge of their competitors. Analysts, market researchers, corporate trainers, CI professionals, and others in decision-making capacities, in industries enabled by the Internet, will see quickly how well the content of Vibert's book fits what they do day-to-day. Academics and other teachers will find that the book challenges the traditional case method style of teaching by showing how real-time analysis can be brought into the classroom, the corporate training suite, and other places where information and knowledge are transmitted. Vibert maintains that real-time teaching or training depends on the use of library resources—and the world's largest library is the Internet. Unfortunately, the net has grown so large so fast that stakeholders lack ways to organize the vast quantities of information available there. It is these ways, these tools and resources, that Vibert provides in his discussion of question-driven analytical frameworks, the core of his book.

The Holy Grail for most organisations is the successful attainment, and retention, of inimitable competitive advantage. This book addresses the question of how to leverage the unique intangible assets of an organisation: its explicit, implicit, acquired and derived knowledge. The refreshingly innovative concept of Intelligence-Based Competitive Advantage© is one which will eclipse the cost-driven and resource-reduction attitudes most prevalent in the first decade of this century. Tomorrow’s organisation will need to derive IBCA© through the expert execution of bespoke competitive intelligence practice, unique analytical processes, pioneering competitive strategy formulation, and timely execution of all three, if they are to succeed. This volume consists of insights from Competitive Intelligence practices at both country and organisational level, Competitive Analysis processes within the firm and within challenging sector and economic environments and Competitive Strategy formulation in profit, non-profit, real and virtual world contexts. It is essential reading for anybody wishing to gain a formal understanding of the practical and intellectual challenges which will face organisations in the future as they strive to achieve strategic foresight and Intelligence-Based Competitive Advantage. This book was originally published as two special issues of the Journal of Strategic Marketing.

Chosen for their clear, direct relevance to scholars and practitioners in the volatile field of competitive intelligence, the 24 issues evaluated here represent the cutting edge of CI's most pressing concerns. Current, scholarly, pragmatic, and among the first of its kind, this book presents the heart of the field in a way that even the relatively uninitiated can grasp and quickly apply. The authors cover the latest technological advances and their relation to the tools most valued by CI professionals. They also show that despite its enormous range of possibilities, CI has limits. Navigating the ever-changing organizational and marketplace environments is difficult. A key debate involves what should and shouldn't be done to maximize the beneficial power of CI. Fleisher, Blenkhorn, and the book's contributors present the crucial points of this debate. This book is perfect for practitioners seeking guidance, but also as a supplemental text for students in such courses as marketing strategy and planning, business-to-business marketing, and competitive intelligence itself.

There is very little material available that provides practical, hands-on assistance for the CI professional who is providing CI to one client—his or her employer—and who constitutes the largest single group of CI practitioners in existence. This book meets that need by serving as a desk reference for CI managers to help them understand their own circumstances and determine what works best for them. Competitive intelligence (CI) is now becoming a mature profession. With that maturation comes the need to develop and understand the how's and why's of managing CI, as distinguished from understanding how CI works. There is very little material available that provides practical, hands-on assistance for the CI professional who is providing CI to one client—his or her employer—and who constitutes the largest single group of CI practitioners in existence. This book meets that need by serving as a desk reference for CI managers to help them understand their own circumstances and determine what works best for them. In addition to providing hints on diagnosing individual situations, many forms and checklists that the manager can use immediately are included.

For 21st-century entrepreneurs, this book provides the practical guidance they need to overcome the often intimidating challenges of starting, organizing, and running a new business effectively and efficiently. The economic downturn has many individuals considering going into business for themselves, rather than relying on an employer for their income. Unfortunately, according to data from the Small Business Administration, the odds of long-term success are against them: 69 percent of businesses do not last past seven years and 56 percent fail in less than four. This book provides entrepreneurs with a comprehensive guide to the resources they need or will likely want to consult when starting a small business—and in order to stay profitable over the long run. The Entrepreneur's Information Sourcebook: Charting the Path to Small Business Success, Second Edition provides the expert guidance and up-to-date print and web resources an entrepreneur may need to make his business thrive and grow, from inception and information gathering, to raising capital, to marketing methods and human resource concerns. Nearly half of the resources in this newly updated book are new, and the essays have also been updated to reflect current business practices. This book is an essential tool that provides quick and easy access to the information every small business owner needs.

Market Intelligence provides an overview of the most important tools and concepts relevant to intelligence analysis for strategic decision making. The book's focus is not only on competitors, but also on customers, suppliers, and a range of other stakeholders. It gives the reader tools used to analyze both micro and macro factors in the organization's environment to predict future outcomes better and to improve decision making. The field of competitive intelligence is studied by a diverse research community. Contributions to this field are made to aid States - on a national, regional, and local level - as well as to aid the military, non-profit organizations, and private companies. These contributions are mostly done in isolation, even though all these fields of study have much in common. The authors draw from these various fields and provide the essential insights to aid management thinking.

Written by an in-the-trenches practitioner, this step-by-step guide shows you how to implement a successful Web analytics strategy. Web analytics expert Avinash Kaushik, in his thought-provoking style, debunks leading myths and leads you on a path to gaining actionable insights from your analytics efforts. Discover how to move beyond clickstream analysis, why qualitative data should be your focus, and more insights and techniques that will help you develop a customer-centric mindset without sacrificing your company’s bottom line. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.