Competitor Analysis (Page 6 of 6) in pdf

Competitor Analysis Page 6

So Who's Doing It?

As disciplines, CI and CA originated in the USA, and most of the new ideas and

supporting technologies are coming from there. 'The UK and Europe are lagging behind in

terms of the numbers of companies actively engaged in analysing their rivals', explains

Annemarie Jago, EMEA Knowledge Manager and CI professional for Arthur Andersen.

'Most companies are still just waking up to the many justifications for putting resources

into Competitive Intelligence. SCIP has a lot of members from the pharmaceutical and

telecommunication industries, but representation in the IT sector is growing.' Annemarie

feels this trend will continue: 'With business becoming ever more competitive and global,

companies are recognising that in order to gain and maintain competitive advantage, they

must understand what their competitors are doing and formulate a strategy that exploits

their rivals' weaknesses and compensates for their strengths.'

The Final Word...

No literature on CI or CA is complete without reference to the words of Sun Tzu, the great

Chinese military strategist of the 5

Century BC. His pearls of wisdom on the art of war

have been adopted universally by business people seeking supremacy over competitors.

'If you are ignorant of both your enemy and yourself, then you are a fool and certain to be

defeated in battle. If you know yourself, but not the enemy, for every battle won, you will

suffer a loss. If you know your enemy and yourself, you will win every battle.'

For Further Information:

Tel: +44 (0)1689 873636; Fax: +44 (0)1689 878070

E-mail:

For further information about SCIP, please contact the SCIP Office, 15 Greycoat Place,

London SW1P 1SB, tel: 0171 233 3646, website:

Pel House, 35 Station Square, Petts Wood, Kent, BR5 1LZ, United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)1689 873636 Email:

Web:

Competitor Analysis Page 6