UK CIF - UK Competitive Intelligence Forum

Tapping into Social Media for Effective Competitive Intelligence

Social media is on the rise. The large and growing number of users they attract claim to offer a rich pool of insights from key opinion leaders about your company, your competitors and your industry. There are a growing number of social media monitoring tools. SCIP’s Board Member and practitioner, August Jackson, claims that by understanding the culture and platforms empowers CI professionals to unearth deep and surprising insights. Case study-based critical success factors from four leading authorities will kick start the collective learning about tapping into social media for Effective Competitive Intelligence. Notable learning points will include:

Social media: a means to an end or an end in itself
Critical success factors in leveraging social media in CI
Navigating the social media monitoring tool landscape: choosing between DIY and full service monitoring tools
Crowd sourcing-based debate and knowledge sharing to evaluate what’s next for you

As ever, there will be the opportunity for light refreshment and to engage with peers and practitioners warmly.

Panellists

Beth Elliott has over 11 years competitive intelligence experience within the pharmaceutical and biotech space working with one of the world’s leading CI firms. Over the course of those 11 years, she has managed ~200 projects. In addition to project related work, Beth has trained over 150 senior staff in Competitive Awareness, Elicitation Techniques and Trade Show Quarterbacking as well as setting up CI divisions in small to medium pharmaceuticals companies. Over the past 18 months, Beth has been conducting various studies into social media usage and competitive intelligence.

Catriona Oldershaw is UK Managing Director of Synthesio (www.synthesio.com) – a multilingual social media monitoring provider which offers a blend of technology and human analysis to provide actionable insights to brands based on the voice of their customers online. Catriona works closely with key clients including Nissan, Johnson & Johnson, Carlsberg, Accor and Microsoft, on global listening and competitor benchmarking projects. An award-winning marketer, she has 15 years experience managing integrated marketing projects and is a regular speaker on social CRM and the opportunities for brands to develop two-way conversations with their customers via social media.

Arthur Weiss is a managing partner and founder of AWARE, a consultancy specialising in competitive and marketing intelligence, with services including research and analysis, training and CI strategy consultancy. As well as being a specialist in Competitive Intelligence, he is also a popular speaker. He has written numerous articles and papers that have been published in a variety of journals. Current professional interests include the role of social media in business, new techniques for finding intelligence and the influence of national culture on CI. Arthur has been quoted and recognised in the Financial Times, the Guardian, Inc. Management Today, Marketing, Information Today and other similar publications. He is a Chartered Marketer with the UK Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Cormac Heron is a Director and one half of Bright Beehive along with Nick O’Doherty, an organisation which helps business succeeds with social media. Before Bright Beehive, Cormac worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers as a Social Media / Web 2.0 Project Manager. Cormac has been using social media since before it got its name. Back in 2000 he became manager for the Knowhere Guide which was arguably the Facebook of its day. The Knowhere Guide is, and was, the largest user generated content guide for the UK and Ireland so when it comes to online communities Cormac knows a fair deal. There are things he will not share on the web, but not much. He sees the world of competitive intelligence going hand in hand with social media. Cormac also plays a mean banjo.

Resources

30 Useful Social Media Monitoring Tools
DIY B2B Social Media Intelligence, August Jackson
Social Media Around the World, 2011, InSites


	The Panel Debate Tapping into Social Media for Effective CI.pdf	55 Kb
	Usefulness of Social Media CI (ValueNotes).pdf	275 Kb

The Art of Inference - Case Study-based Approach to Understanding the Changing Bigger Picture

Both the fresh faced as well as the more experienced practitioner may face a business culture that only relies on facts. If it is not written down, it’s not to be believed. Previous networking events have made reference to how 'data' gets turned into 'information' which in turn turns into 'intelligence'. The podium challenges that with the 'art of inference', defined as being aware of anomalies, a unique set of events and discontinuities that creates a pattern which is the essence of inference. Creating insight into change requires dealing with the new, the new with no history and no experts.

Richard Shearing of Williams Inferences Services aims to ensure participants benefit from:

Understanding the 'what' and 'process' behind 'inferential scanning', the search for the unintended message
The importance of alternative sources without trends and experts
Case studies focused on how companies have focused on gaining an early warning into new patterns of change that saw them anticipate and profit from a changing world

As ever, there will be the opportunity for light refreshment and to engage with peers and practitioners warmly.

Presenter

Richard Shearing is the European Partner for Williams Inferences Services, an American business intelligence provider for the last 40 years. Its particular expertise is in providing clients with insights into changes in human and market behaviour based on anomalies and inference. The on-going challenge is to assist clients typically from investment banks and hedge funds in appreciating the difference between data, information, intelligence and knowledge. Richard is able to apply his experience from a career path started in the military, followed by various management consultancy roles in the National Health Service, Central and Local Government then both large and small companies in a range of industry sectors. Richard was an active founding member of SCIP in Europe.


	Art of Inference (Williams).pdf	4840 Kb
	The Art of Inference (SCIP CIM).pdf	1258 Kb

Professional Effectiveness and Personal Improvement as a CI Practitioner

Have you ever wondered what will happen next to you in your CI career? Have you ever wondered how you can make that next move? Have you ever thought about how you can prepare yourself so that when that opportunity comes, you are confident enough to say "yes, I'm ready"? Just as a business has to set out a plan for the future, work out its objectives and then craft a strategy which will enable it to achieve its objectives. We have to do exactly the same thing if we want to make things happen for us rather than have things happen to us.

CI practitioners are a distinct breed of expert, frequently working across boundaries and outside of any normal understanding of functional structures. We are typically self motivated, particularly good at keeping balls in the air and usually revelling in the erratic and sporadic nature of our daily task. This can all bring its own problems of course, in that the lack of routine sometimes means we begin to neglect our own development needs and there is a danger that we could stagnate. Trouble is, nobody else really understands us so they don't know what to suggest either? As with many other speciality roles, it is up to us to make our future happen.

For the event we are going to address some of these issues and hopefully get you thinking about your career and how to put yourself in the driving seat to manage your progress. We have four excellent panellists who will present to you their perspective on four different areas of the CI role, around which discussion is guaranteed to take place.

They are:

Martin Ainsworth will talk about "Improving your Technical Skills" and will encourage you to examine just what tools and techniques you typically use in your CI work. He will encourage us to question whether we are using those out of comfort and familiarity, or because we simply have not bothered to learn anything new in the last 10 years.

Mary Banks, will look at "Improving your Influencing Skills". As you progress in an organisation, having technical expertise is not enough; you need to demonstrate an ability to communicate and influence others. We all have a preferred 'style' which will impact how others see us, and how willing they are to be influenced by us. This session will give you some insights into your own style, how that may differ from others and how to 'flex' your approach to be more successful. Important insights for life outside of work as well as in the office!

Andrew Cosgrove, practitioner ex-Mars and ex-McKinsey, will address one of the problems facing many CI practitioners, "Living the Life of a Lone Wolf". Andrew will discuss the necessity of building trusted relationships with key stakeholders and why it is essential to agree what a CI unit will not do in order to focus slim resources.

Andrew Beurschgens, practitioner Orange, will pass on his experience as well as hints and tips for "Exploiting Dysfunctional Attributes". We are not suggesting that CI practitioners should be behaving badly within their firms, far from it. Andrew will look at how to capitalise on the freedom we have to cross boundaries and how you can make that work for you in terms of the exposure you can secure, with decision makers you would not normally gain access to.

Attendees will be able to benefit from:

the wisdom of the audience regarding your professional development and take control of your own professional development
a personalised action list to enhance your position
a literature table offering a wide range of take home material.

About the Panellists

Sheila Wright (Panel Chair) is a Reader of Competitive Intelligence and Marketing Strategy at De Montfort University, Leicester. She is by far one of the most qualified authorities on the discipline's application reinforced by her past elected role on SCIP's Board, her numerous articles and workshops on CI as well as front-line practitioner experience.

Martin Ainsworth has worked in both the public and private sectors including strategic management consultancy, investment banking and specialised financial services. He has managed and delivered services across a range of disciplines including Business Information, Knowledge Management, Information Technology and Market Data. He contends that CI builds on the foundations of KIM to deliver analytical tools that are fast, factual and actionable. He also delivers training in the UK on behalf of the Institute for Competitive Intelligence in Germany.

Mary Banks has been a successful independent HR consultant for 6 years, specialising in leadership development, performance management, cultural differences and change management. Her client list includes: GE, Royal & Sun Alliance, Aljazeera, Louis Dreyfus, Astra Zeneca, and Genworth. She is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Andrew Cosgrove is an alumni of the Fuld-Gilad-Herring Academy of Competitive Intelligence. Currently an independent consultant, Andrew has 12 years experience using CI to improve senior level decision making at Mars, Incorporated and McKinsey & Company in Europe, Asia and the U.S. He has an MBA from London Business School.

Andrew Beurschgens is practitioner at Orange and one of the Committee Members of the recently formed SCIP UK Affiliate, the UK Competitive Intelligence Forum. He is a recipient of the Catalyst Award for his volunteer services to the profession.

What is available for download from this event are both the panellists' presentations as well as some of the literature that was accompanying the event.


	Book Store (SCIP).pdf	37 Kb
	Factsheet Appreciative Intelligence driven Future based Strategies (Rodenberg).p	243 Kb
	Professional Effectiveness Personal Improvement Debate (Panellists).pdf	1514 Kb
	Starting a CI Function (SCIP).pdf	265 Kb
	TKA Knowledge Value Chain (TKA).pdf	214 Kb
	Webinar Archive Order Form (SCIP).pdf	38 Kb
	What Will You Do Different Next (CIM).pdf	649 Kb

Critical Success Factors of Primary Networks at a Multinational Company

Responding to overwhelming feedback (up to 88%) from CI professionals, Reckitt Benckiser's Safi Ghauri took the audience through the findings of his own research exploring the factors that influence the flow of competitive information within multinational companies. The audience will benefit from Safi's review of existing literature and primary interviews with a number of practitioners.

Safi's presentation addresses one of the themes present in the Process and Technology Track, with attendees being able to leverage:

* The factors that effect the flow of competitive information
* The steps needed to implement an internal competition/information network
* The best way to obtain internal buy-in for the CI department

About the Presenter

Safi works as a Global Business Intelligence Analyst at Reckitt Benckiser, providing strategic support and competitive analysis to top management and global marketing. Prior to this position, Safi spent 5 years with BOC Gases in various roles including Planning and Research Specialist, Competition Analyst and a Business Analyst. Reckitt Benckiser is a FTSE 100 firm with sales of £6.5 billion in 2008, with brands such as Finish, Vanish, Airwick, Dettol, Strepsils, Nurofen, Veet, Harpic and Cillit Bang.

Safi has an MA in Marketing Management from Birmingham City University, a Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing from Kingston University and the Marketers' Forum along with an undergraduate degree in Business Information Technology from Kingston University. He is an Associate Member of the CIM (ACIM), and a SCIP member.

It is recommended to download the accompanying notes document to be read in association with the graphic-laden presentation.


	Critical Success Factors of Primary Networks at a Multinational Company (Reckitt	1118 Kb
	Critical Success Factors of Primary Networks at a Multinational Company Notes (R	110 Kb
	Summary Feedback to CSFs Primary Networks at a Multinational Company (Reckitt Be	200 Kb

Bottom Line Intelligence - How to Increase Your Intelligence ROI

The literature from SCIP and other sources is full of information about the 'how to' of intelligence - tools, techniques and sources. But what about the 'why to?' During this recession, nearly everyone is being asked to do more with less. Intelligence and other knowledge professionals typically receive less special scrutiny and are being asked to provide greater evidence that their work is directly creating value for the organisation. In this session, we'll explore how you can best prepare for this conversation.

Based on 3 years worth of study, Tim has found that there is a great similarity among the problems and 'points of pain' expressed by intelligence practitioners with ½ of these problems having to do with concerns about creating ROI and/or successfully communicating with clients and senior management that ROI is being created.

Tim will present some of these findings, given some ideas about how to narrow the gap between intelligence and value and show some tools to help you achieve this. Webinar participants will obtain an understanding of

The Knowledge Value Chain Scorecard^TM, offering more than 60 recommendations for improving the operational value of your intelligence initiatives
The Enterprise Risk MatrixTM, which broadens the strategic value of intelligence by linking it directly to the risk profile and strategies of your organisation
How to obtain other free and low cost resources to guide and assist you

Tim promises there will be something here for everyone, the intelligence producer, the intelligence manager and the intelligence user.

About the Presenter

Tim Powell is the founder and President of the Knowledge Agency^®, an information, training and consulting firm. He is described as a leader in the fields of competitive intelligence and knowledge management. He has advised the management teams of around 100 organisations, including Abbott Laboratories, American Express, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Sony, the US Navy and Xerox. Tim has served SCIP in various leadership capacities over two decades, most recently chairing SCIP's Council of Fellows. Tim has also authored 3 books on business information, including 'Analysing Your Competition™' (1992) and 'The Knowledge Value Chain^© Workbook™ (2008). He co-authored the 1^st SCIP-sponsored benchmark study of intelligence best practices, entitled 'Enhancing Sales and Marketing Effectiveness through Competitive Intelligence™' (1998) with Cynthia Allgaier. He holds BA and MBA degrees from Yale University.


	Bottom-Line Intelligence (Knowledge Agency)	2528 Kb
	ROI Bottom Line Intelligence (CIM).pdf	1155 Kb
	Value Driven Intelligence (Knowledge Agency).	455 Kb

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