Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Foreword -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- PART I: STEPS TOWARDS MORE EFFECTIVE COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE: Understanding the competitive landscape and the contributing to better decision-making -- 1 Competitor Intelligence is Not Enough! -- Competitor intelligence -- Competitive intelligence -- CI is not limited to competitive issues - the role of cooperative intelligence -- What should this discipline be called? -- Conclusions -- 2 How is CI being Conducted and How Should it be Performed? -- How is it being done? -- How it should be done -- Conclusions -- 3 How do Companies Compete? -- Competition in economic theory -- Porter's three axes of competition -- 'Five forces' model -- Conclusions -- 4 Key Internal Business Drivers -- Critical success factors -- Resources -- Business processes -- Alliances -- Conclusions -- 5 Key External Business Drivers -- Social and cultural drivers -- Technological drivers -- Economic drivers -- Environmental drivers -- Political, regulatory and legal drivers -- Conclusions -- 6 For Goodness' Sake! - Legal and Ethical Aspects of CI -- Illicit means of gathering intelligence -- The United States Industrial Espionage Act 1996 -- The SCIP Code of Ethics -- Does the SCIP code work? -- Conclusions -- PART II: COLLECTING DATA -- 7 Commencing the CI Quest - Planning and Initial Data Gathering -- Planning -- Data collection -- Where to find the data sought - the golden rule of research -- The research framework -- Tabling a hypothesis -- Striving for excellence in research -- Qualities of excellent researchers -- Researcher self-development -- Management support for researchers is essential -- Conclusions -- 8 Understanding Sectors -- Demand features -- Organization of supply -- Sources for studying sectors -- Conclusions -- 9 Refining the Search.

Handling initial research results -- Competing hypothesis analysis -- Linchpin analysis -- Knowing when to stop -- Conclusions -- 10 Systematic Sources - Regular Corporate Document Filings -- Unlimited and limited liability -- Legal forms for carrying on business -- Companies -- Standards of filing enforcement -- Conclusions -- 11 Systematic Sources - 'One-off' Corporate Filings -- Time limits for filing and company's own public domain registers -- Prospectuses for public offers of securities -- Listed companies -- Circulars -- Shareholder data -- Patents -- Trade marks -- Land -- Ships and aircraft -- Other regulatory filings -- Conclusions -- 12 Foreign Sources -- Overseas sectoral research -- Researching foreign companies -- US company research -- Conclusions -- 13 Human Source Intelligence -- Planning interviews -- Who is to be approached? -- Approach by email -- Persuading people to be interviewed -- Handling rejection -- Conducting the interview -- Recording the interview -- Keeping in contact with interviewees -- A warning regarding being accused of anti-competitive conduct -- Conclusions -- 14 Observing a Company -- Corporate external communication -- Trade show CI -- Company visits -- Conclusions -- 15 Creative Sources and Methods and the Craft of Analysis -- Creative data gathering -- Creative ways of solving problems -- Analysis -- Conclusions -- PART III: TURNING RAW DATA INTO FINISHED INTELLIGENCE: Analysis and presentation -- 16 Figuring Out the Numbers - Structure and Content of Company Accounts -- Balance sheet -- Profit and loss account -- Cash flow statement -- Notes to the accounts -- 17 Running the Numbers - Understanding Financial Statements -- The twin objectives of companies -- Accounting policies -- Ratio analysis -- Financial and performance ratios -- Interest cover and dividend cover -- Profit margins.

Returns on investment -- Conclusions -- 18 Interpreting the Non-financial Sections of Company Accounts -- Auditors' report -- Directors' report -- Chairman's statement -- Other reports -- 19 Assessing Information Quality -- Data quality hierarchy -- Source criticism -- Misinformation and disinformation -- Conclusions -- 20 Describing Companies -- Corporate description checklist -- Corporate culture -- Role and status of individuals within a company and their interrelationships -- Conclusions -- 21 Comparing and Positioning Companies -- Identifying competitors -- Benchmarking -- Gap analysis -- Conjoint analysis -- Win-loss analysis -- Conclusions -- 22 What does the Future Hold? -- Forecasting techniques -- Alternative futures -- Technology forecasting -- Gauging future competitor moves -- Conclusions -- 23 The End Crowns All - Disseminating Competitive Intelligence -- Content accuracy and credibility -- Means and styles of communication -- Conclusions -- 24 Intelligence Countersteps -- Strong security does not entail unreasonable secrecy and refusal to communicate -- Operational Security model -- Physical security -- Paper and electronic documents -- Employees -- External partners -- External activities and dissemination of information -- Conclusions -- PART IV: APPENDICES -- I: CI Resources -- II: CI Terminology -- III: Accounting Terminology -- IV: US/UK Accounting Terms -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- W -- V -- X -- Y -- Z.