Chosen for their clear, direct relevance to scholars and practitioners in the volatile field of competitive intelligence, the 24 issues evaluated here represent the cutting edge of CI's most pressing concerns. Current, scholarly, pragmatic, and among the first of its kind, this book presents the heart of the field in a way that even the relatively uninitiated can grasp and quickly apply.

The authors cover the latest technological advances and their relation to the tools most valued by CI professionals. They also show that despite its enormous range of possibilities, CI has limits. Navigating the ever-changing organizational and marketplace environments is difficult. A key debate involves what should and shouldn't be done to maximize the beneficial power of CI. Fleisher, Blenkhorn, and the book's contributors present the crucial points of this debate. This book is perfect for practitioners seeking guidance, but also as a supplemental text for students in such courses as marketing strategy and planning, business-to-business marketing, and competitive intelligence itself.

Competitive intelligence (CI) is the practice of gathering and analyzing information about competitors in order to gain an edge in the marketplace or by shoring up one's own company's defenses prior to an anticipated assault. The stakes are even higher in a global environment, where the potential risks and rewards are amplified. This volume explores emerging trends that affect and influence CI today, such as the impact of digital commerce, the effects of interest groups, and new laws governing the practice of CI across borders. This book illustrates how CI is conducted around the world and highlights the ways in which practicing CI globally is fundamentally different from doing so in a static, one-country context. The authors offer fresh insights and recommendations for CI specialists, strategic planners and executives, marketers and product developers, and anyone studying competition and strategy. Competitive intelligence (CI) is the practice of gathering and analyzing information about competitors in order to gain an edge in the marketplace (for example, by anticipating their next moves and beating them to the punch) or by shoring up one's own company's defenses prior to an anticipated assault. The stakes are even higher in a global environment, where the potential risks and rewards are amplified. This volume explores emerging trends that affect and influence CI today, such as the impact of digital commerce (which enhances the speed with which products and services can be delivered around the world, as well as the speed with which competitors can surprise you), the effects of interest groups (such as those advocating environmental protections, which can tilt the playing fields), and new laws governing the practice of CI across borders. In this book, contributions from researchers, scholars, and practitioners specializing in competitive intelligence reveal the most current practices in the field. In-depth analysis of emerging approaches to CI in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia, and in industries across the spectrum from pharmaceuticals to automotive supply chains, highlight the ways in which practicing CI globally is fundamentally different from doing so in a static, one-country context. The authors offer fresh insights and recommendations for CI specialists, strategic planners and executives, marketers and product developers, and anyone studying competition and strategy.

"When the next generation of public affairs practitioners look back to the beginning of the twenty first century they will recognise the 'Handbook of Public Affairs' as the cornerstone text on which global practice came to be based" - Tom Spencer, Executive Director, European Centre for Public Affairs "Excelling in the practice of corporate public affairs in the 21st Century will necessitate bringing together two competencies: possessing a solid professional foundation base don time-tested principles, and having the ability to reach beyond the basics by adapting the best current thinking, practices, and models available. Professionals can enhance both competencies by reading the Handbook of Public Affairs"- Brian Hawkinson, Director Center for Public Affairs Management/Public Affairs Council Washington "Understanding the imperatives of stakeholders and special interest groups in the public domain is of increasing importance to leaders in both business and politics. However, knowing how to influence these imperatives, and design communications to proactively affect change, is a well sought-after commodity. Public affairs professionals not only understand these dynamics, but constantly strive to ensure continuous improvement in the counsel they provide and in the results they deliver. As more and more people in business, government, NGO and not-for-profit sectors are seeking out the services of public affairs practitioners, this Handbook will help readers gain a better appreciation for strategies and tactics that comprise successful public affairs campaigns'"- Chris Benedetti, President, Public Affairs Association of Canada "The Handbook is a landmark development in the field of Public Affairs, bringing together in a single volume contributions from key academics and practitioners in the field. It offers a comprehensive overview of the field for the first time and is an essential reference book to underpin practice, teaching and research in the discipline'"- Professor Andrew Lock, Leeds University Business School 'The Handbook of Public Affairs is a comprehensive guide to best knowledge and practices in the field. Everyone from business school deans to chief executive officers to seasoned public affairs executives can find information in the Handbook of Public Affairs to help them achieve their reputation- and public policy-related goals'"- Douglas G. Pinkham, President, Public Affairs Council "For years, there has been a glaring lack of substantive academic literature to underpin the development of the public affairs profession. Throughout his distinguished career, Craig Fleisher has made a vast contribution to filling that void. In the Handbook of Public Affairs, Craig and his co-editor Phil Harris, have brought together the best minds in the field from around the globe to create a text that will surely support the development of new programs and new careers for the public affairs practitioners of tomorrow'"-Randall Pearce, General Manager Ipsos Mackay Public Affairs, Sydney"The Handbook of Public Affairs will be a valuable resource for the growing number of public affairs practitioners who seek to balance an appreciation of the global evolution of their profession with the hands-on reality of applying core concepts and theories to their organisation s management practices"- Alexis Lindsay, Director, The Centre for Corporate Public Affairs (Australia) Public Affairs and particularly government relations//lobbying, have evolved in recent years from a tactic adopted by organizations to amend occasional legislation to become a managerial strategy to achieve competitive advantage. At the fore-front of research and practice in Public Affairs, this Handbook draws upon the expertise of leading figures in the field to provide a comprehensive overview of a huge growth area in organisations' strategic thinking. Articles evoke pan-national experience and are organised into four sections to help readers navigate issues and draw comparisons. Sections cover: - investigation into the development and meaning of Public Affairs - the management and practice of Public Affairs within organisations - global case studies - an overview of scholarly developments."

For specialists and nonspecialists alike, this perceptive selection of the newest and up and coming tools and techniques of competitive intelligence, offering a well balanced combination of theory and practice. It shows how advances in computers and technology have accelerated progress in CI management, and the ways in which CI has affected (and been affected by) all major business functions and processes. It explores applications to organizations of various sizes and types, in both the public and private sectors. Editors Fleisher and Blenkhorn link leading-edge research in CI to advances in current practice, and balance pragmatic against conceptual concerns. Analysts, strategists and organizational decision makers at higher levels will find the book especially valuable, as they seek to make sense of the business environment and assess their organizations' evolving, dynamic places in it.

The pace of change in today's global, competitive economy is greater than at any time in recorded history. Thus, as never before, companies need better tools for business and competitive analysis. The book surveys applications of CI that are critical to business processes, such as mergers and acquisitions, and to evolving industries, such as biotechnology. They focus on how push and pull Internet technologies affect data gathering and analysis and how CI can be managerially assessed using multiple evaluative approaches, unavailable until now in the public domain. They then turn to the future, and lay out some startling yet plausible viewpoints on what the next frontiers of competitive intelligence will be and how organizations can and must ready themselves for them.