Running head: BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE� � PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT �1� �� BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE� � PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT �2� ��
Business Intelligence
OPS/GM571 International Operations Management
November 11, 2010
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Business Intelligence
Businesses are always seeking a means of obtaining and maintaining an advantage over the competition. Some businesses such as retailers might choose to visit the competition to check prices, products, or services (Di Serio, 2010.) Other businesses use the processes of competitive intelligence to gain the information necessary to remain competitive. "Competitive advantage is defined as the process of developing actionable foresight regarding competitive dynamics and non-market factors that can be used to enhance competitive advantage." (Prescott, Ph.D., 1999, p. 42.)
Competitive intelligence is a process intended to provide actionable information for managers. To be useful the information needs to be available on a timely basis to be useful to managers as old information is of limited utility.
English: Yellowfin Business Intelligence Corporate...
Rail Business Intelligence
English: Street sign for Wal*Mart Drive, south of ...One of the functions of competitive intelligence is to provide proposal management professionals information data to create competitive responses to requests for proposals and other commercial activities (Prescott, Ph. D., 1999, p. 37.) Competitive intelligence allows senior managers to make informed decisions about matters such as research and development, marketing, and investing. The changing business environment and the pace of technological development means that executives can no longer afford to make decisions strictly on instinct or intuition (Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals, 2010.)
The act of gathering competitive intelligence is the process of monitoring the competitive environment for the purpose of decision support operations. Competitive intelligence gathering is legal because the majority of the information can be obtained by examining published information sources, conducting interviews, and other legal and ethical methods (Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals, 2010.) Competitive intelligence gathering can be as simple...