16th. of October 2003 Competitive Intelligence in Spain: the best practices experience Verite Business Intelligence Conference Alessandro Comai BSc in engineering, MBA, Ph.D candidate ESADE -

16 October 2003© Alessandro Comai – Verite Business Intelligence ConferencePágina 2/11 Index Introduction  Purpose and Objective of the study Survey overview  Sample and methodology Main findings  6 key findings Comparisons  Spanish Best Practise vs Catalan Multinationals Conclusions Bibliography

16 October 2003© Alessandro Comai – Verite Business Intelligence ConferencePágina 3/11 Introduction  What is the type of Competitive Intelligence (CI) System that Spanish best practise apply?  No study at the moment  Objective 1: understand best practise (BP) CI program  Objective 2: build a comparative model of best practice  Objective 3: provide relevant clues for other Spanish companies

16 October 2003© Alessandro Comai – Verite Business Intelligence ConferencePágina 4/11 Survey Overview 1/2 Sample and methodology  Sources to identify a potential group: personal contacts and SCIP directory  Selection of the criterias: –knowledge regarding competitive intelligence –age of the firm’s CI unit > 2 years –number of full time or equivalent staff > 1 person  9 best practice were founded and surveyed  Web-questionnaire with 30 questions (5 points scale rate)  Period March-April 2003

16 October 2003© Alessandro Comai – Verite Business Intelligence ConferencePágina 5/11 Survey Overview 2/2 Sample divided per industries: Chemical Pharmaceutical Wood and Furniture Metal and Industrial Telecommunication Others

16 October 2003© Alessandro Comai – Verite Business Intelligence ConferencePágina 6/11 Main findings 1/3 Key finding 1: Focus and clients  Main objects: competitor (>4.22). Product and market-sector come after (>3.56)  Main needs: strategic planning (>4.67)  Main clients: strategic planning and marketing directors (4.22) Key finding 2: Position  Main position: centralized model (66,7%)  Main CI group: full-time employees (>50%)

16 October 2003© Alessandro Comai – Verite Business Intelligence ConferencePágina 7/11 Main findings 2/3 Key finding 3: Sources value and frequency  Main sources used: Internet, physical document subscription and on-line information Main sources (value): “External networks”, external reports and internet  Information retrieved: competitors, product, environmental and market/sector (>4.00) Key finding 4: Analysis models  Main analysis model: SWOT and benchmarking (>4.00)  Other 5 analysis model are used frequently ( )  Main objective: serve strategic planning process by understand the competition  Key role in the info analysis process (100%)  Key role in the strategic planning process

16 October 2003© Alessandro Comai – Verite Business Intelligence ConferencePágina 8/11 Main findings 3/3 Key finding 5: Information Technology  Main repository system: specific data base and/or intranet based  Main communication vehicle: intranet and s (>4.56)  88,9% of BPs have a CI web page Key finding 6: Process and protocols  Main activity developed: CI cycle  General benefit are evaluated by using formal and informal methods  Protocols are not yet well developed

16 October 2003© Alessandro Comai – Verite Business Intelligence ConferencePágina 9/11 Comparisons Best practice  Strategic orientation  Marketing and technology  67,7% centralized unit  Extensive analysis models used  External contacts before Internet  100% have a CI web  Formal CI distribution system Catalan Multinationals (*)  Strategic and Tactical orientation  Marketing focused  33,3% centralized and 50% part of the department  Product comparison comes first  Internet before external contacts  31,2% have a CI Web (*) This study was carried out by Joaquín Tena Millán and Alessandro Comai simultaneously to the development of the Best Practice survey. The study was based on 156 multinationals based in Catalonia Both:  Use a Systematic process  The Competitor is the main object of study  Internet is the main source  BBDD, IT and s are well exploited  CI Protocols are in development

16 October 2003© Alessandro Comai – Verite Business Intelligence ConferencePágina 10/11 Main findings Conclusion  No standard framework  Companies in the same sectors tend to have some similarity  Balance between digital and hard information  The use of IT could have a positive impact to the unit centralization  Secondary activities are not yet exploited

16 October 2003© Alessandro Comai – Verite Business Intelligence ConferencePágina 11/11 Bibliography Best practice survey can be obtained soon from PUZZLE magazine:  Extensive Spanish Bibliography can be obtained from: 