2023/2024
Competitive Intelligence
Type:
Mago-Lego
Delivered by:
Department of Educational Programmes
When:
2 module
Open to:
students of all HSE University campuses
Instructors:
Jonathan Larry Calof
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
3
Contact hours:
32
Course Syllabus
Abstract
The course is delivered to master students of The National Research University Higher School of Economics. The course length is 114 academic hours in total of which 32 hours are class room hours for lectures and seminars and 82 hours are devoted to self-study. The course introduces concepts and approaches to competitive intelligence/market insight as well as anticipatory systems. The course provides a solid foundation of theoretical and practical competitive intelligence strategies and processes as a way to enable both strategic and tactical decisions including innovation, Research and Development new market selection, and more. Several examples of decisions assisted by competitive intelligence for private sector, government, and non-government organizations are provided that demonstrate how open source information can be harnessed to better understand the external environment.Pre-requisites: ∙ Basics of Micro & Macroeconomics ∙ Basics of Business Finance
Learning Objectives
- Training in using various market insight techniques for both corporate and government settings
- Development of an appreciation for the importance of competitive intelligence and related disciplines for strategic decision-making
- Training in early warning and profiling methodologies
Expected Learning Outcomes
- Skills in assessing different information types and designing information collection plans
- Understanding of the role of market insight (intelligence, foresight and analytics) for innovation
- Understanding the organizational (including structure. Processes and cultural) requirements for competitive intelligence
Course Contents
- Class 1. Introduction to CI/MIAssignment (to be emailed five days before our first class) Fill in the CIQ questionnaire and send it to jcalof@hse.ru and obondarenko@hse.ru. Also email us the answer to the following question: What do you think competitive intelligence is. HAND IN – EMAIL FIVE DAYS BEFORE THE START OF CLASS to jcalof@hse.ru and obondarenko@hse.ru
- Class 2. Information collection
- Classes 3 and 4. Designing CI/MI projectsAssignment: To be emailed to at jcalof@hse.ru and obondarenko@hse.ru one day before class 3. Based on our discussions in classes 1 and 2 and after doing the readings for today’s class - come up with an intelligence/insight idea– this will involve filling in a Form A from the intelligence exercise). Be as thorough as you can be on the form and do not worry about making mistakes as it is not being markets. Form A 1. Description of the insight topic including what insights the decision maker is trying to develop. 2. How forward looking do you have to be 3. The decision/action that would be taken with the insight 4. Hypothesis – If you had to guess know what you think your conclusions would be on #1 5. Who is the decision maker 6. For the decision that is being made (#3) how does the organization determine that the decision was successful (and I do not mean because they made it). How does the decision maker measure success, what is their desired outcome from the decision for which the form A is being developed.
- Classes 5 and 6. Analysis
- Class 7. Organizing for competitive intelligenceAssignment before the class. Add two new questions to the Calof CI evaluation questionnaire and send them to jcalof@hse.ru and obondarenko@hse.ru before noon the day of this class. Explain when you send it in what element of CI you are measuring and how you would evaluate the organizations answer to the question.
- Class 8. The future of CI within an anticipatory system and course wrap up
Assessment Elements
- ExamWritten exam (60 minutes multiple choice and open-ended questions exam).
- Group projectGroups can demonstrate their knowledge of the CI process through the completion of an intelligence project. There will be three options you can choose between: 1. Competitor KIT for example. profile a competitor to predict their likely next moves and impact on your organization. 2. Customer KIT for example Develop personas on potential customers-profile customer, identify appropriate customers. 3. Regulatory KIT, for example predict emerging government policy (at least six months in advance) using timelining and develop an appropriate strategy around it. Other intelligence topics can be proposed by each group but must be approved by the Professor. These terms will be discussed in class 2. The project must be done in groups (4-5). With the intelligence report being no longer than 20 pages (excluding appendixes and graphics) with minimum 1" margins and a font no smaller than Times New Roman 12. If you have an existing group for projects, let me know after class one, The project has several components to it that will be marked. 1. From the intelligence exercise document, completed forms B, C and D will be required identifying the information you will be gathering and from where. If interviews are going to be done, interview scripts/outlines should be submitted. If you will be searching online for the information a search strategy should be provided. 10 marks for this component. These should be discussed with the professor and are due one week before the last class. 2. The intelligence report 30 marks due one week after our last class. The report should have the following components (each will be evaluated) 1. The statement of requirements and collection plan - What is the nature of the decision to be supported, how will CI assist, preliminary/working hypothesis, and a breakdown of the requirements and a detailed collection source plan. These are the forms with explanation. 2. The project plan - How will the project be managed and carried out by the team members. This will include duties, tasks and assignments within the group and a clear indication as to why the assignments are being made. 3. Collection activity results - This document will summarize by source domain the results of your collection process. Source evaluation and validation should be clearly indicated. 4. Analysis - Demonstration of appropriate techniques to derive underlying meaning from the collection results and hypothesis testing. 5. Intelligence - Findings, options, and recommendations. 6. Communication – Grammar, readability, appropriate use of terms.
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Competitive intelligence research : an investigation of trends in the literature. (2015). Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.CAD9C914
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Calof, J. (2014). Evaluating the Impact and Value of Competitive Intelligence From The users Perspective - The Case of the National Research Council’s Technical Intelligence Unit. Journal of Intelligence Studies in Business, 4(3), 79–90. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=bsu&AN=116533255
- Calof, J., Mirabeau, L., & Richards, G. (2015). Towards an environmental awareness model integrating formal and informal mechanisms - Lessons learned from the Demise of Nortel. Journal of Intelligence Studies in Business, 5(1), 57–69. https://doi.org/10.37380/jisib.v5i1.112
- Jonathan, C., Gregory, R., & Jack, S. (2015). Foresight, Competitive Intelligence and Business Analytics — Tools for Making Industrial Programmes More Efficient. Форсайт, 9(1 (eng)).