Competitor Intelligence: Turning Analysis into Success

Competitor Intelligence Turning Analysis into Success David Hussey and Per Jenster The seminal work of Michael Porter in the 1980s provided a conceptual basis to competitor analysis which has stood the test of time. The emphasis of his work, and of many books by other authors which followed it, has been on the why and what of competitor analysis. David Hussey and Per Jenster's book moves beyond this to the problems faced by organizations in applying the concepts at a practical level. It shows how real companies can use competitor intelligence and analysis in real situations. Three major strands are drawn out by this book, which shows how to:
* obtain competitor information in a legitimate way
* analyze information so that competitors can be better understood, and strategic options explored
* develop ways of achieving competitive advantage which may move the organization ahead of others in the industry
This book provides a comprehensive guide for marketing and planning practitioners, managers and management consultants, to enable them to improve the competitor information and intelligence available to their organizations, and to use it to gain advantages over the competition. The book goes beyond the broad concepts, and gives practical advice on how to obtain and use the necessary information, offers various analytical techniques and approaches, and shows how to develop strategies for both attack and defence. It includes numerous cameo examples, a case history of how an organization undertook competitor analysis in an industry with little coherent published information, worked examples of many of the methods suggested, as well as a number of case studies of various industry situations. The text builds on a sound conceptual foundation, and draws heavily on the authors' practical experience.

David Hussey is a well-known international authority on strategic management, with experience as both a practitioner and a consultant to major companies from many industries. He was 18 years with Harbridge House (14 years as Managing Director of Harbridge Consulting Group Ltd). He is author or editor of 24 books on strategy or management development. One of the founders of the Strategic Planning Society, and a director of the Japan Strategic Management Institute, he is currently visiting professor in strategic management at Nottingham Business School. He is editor of the Journal of Strategic Change. His current interests include the development of practical strategic analysis methods, and improvements to the process of implementing strategic decisions. Per V. Jenster is Research Professor at the Copenhagen Business School, Denmark, and Associated Director of Company Programs at the Center for Industrial Management and Industrial Development, Lausanne, Switzerland. He was previously Professor at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), where he was Director of IMD's Managing Industrial Market Strategy programme. He holds a Cand.Oecon from the University of Aarhus (Denmark) and a PhD in Strategic Management and Information Systems from the University of Pittsburgh. He is author of six textbooks dealing with strategic management and industrial marketing, and numerous articles and case studies within the strategy and marketing area. His research interests lie in outsourcing and facility management by industrial firms and supply chain management. Dr Jenster's consulting work extends from firms in high technology industries to food processors and consumer goods manufacturers, and he serves on the board of a number of major business organizations.