Peer Review

Competitive Intelligence Dictionary

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Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: This "dictionary" contains terms that one encounters when conducting competitive intelligence activities, also know as business intelligence. In addition to the definition of each term, links are provided to additional information, or in some instances, actual cases to demonstrate the concept. It is essentially a list of hyperlinked terms (linked to terse definitions).
Type of Material:: Reference (online dictionary)
Recommended Uses:: As a reference tool for looking up terms regarding competitive intelligence.
Technical Requirements:: Standard internet browser.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: The goal of this web site is to introduce potential clients to the use of competitive intelligence and help those clients to improve their performance by making better decisions through the application of solid intelligence on their markets and competitors.
Target Student Population:: The target audience of this site is a potential corporate customer but this information could be used by any senior undergraduate or graduate student in management specifically strategic management
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: A basic business strategy class or strategic marketing class is recommended but not required.

Rating:
Strengths:: This is an interesting site. It does help to define many of the terms or buzz words used in the strategic management field. The Intelligence Organizer, another section of the site, is also very interesting as it shows the user the types of information that must be collected based upon the type of decision that is being made.
Concerns:: In order to understand what the competitive intelligence dictionary is all about, the user should read the background information on the company so that the purpose of the information is clear.The biggest problem is that while many of definitions refer to Cases (which they imply are available on the site) and to Competitive Intelligence Success stories, I was unable to find either. Also, there is worry about the existence of some bias in definitions from the corporate parent that is sponsoring the dictionary (Fuld). Is this a selling tool for Fuld & Co. services? If so, this should be stated up front so that the student is disabused of the notion that this is a definitive source of industry-agreed-upon terms.

Rating:
Strengths:: This module would be a useful supplement to the field of strategic management and specifically to the process of gathering information about the external environment.
Concerns:: Some terms could be broken down. For example, is a definition of strategic intelligence useful if there is no definition of strategy. Is tactical intelligence different from tactics? I do not know because strategy and tactic are not defined in this document.

Rating:
Strengths:: The Web site is easy to use and is well presented.
Concerns:: One important item: The definitions sometimes have links to cases (good) and examples (very good), but not enough of the definitions have these elements. ALL definitions should have at least one example from the real world. Additionally, there should be a scholarly (if possible) source cited (maybe more than one) for each definition. This is NOT the case, and it detracts from the readability of the site--makes it look more like it fills a corporate purpose than acts as a public service resource.

Other Issues and Comments:: More terms could be included in the dictionary. It seems overly narrow and oriented towards the Fuld view of competitive intelligence, but can they be blamed them for this? Maybe not. They ARE, after, a for-profit entity.
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