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Title:
Internet Business Intelligence: How to build a big company system on a small company budget
Review:
'Internet Business Intelligence' surveys online business information
and how to use this intelligence for competitive advantage. The
intended audience is small and medium-sized company owners and
managers, consultants, entrepreneurs, information professionals, sales
and marketing executives with much of the material being scalable for
larger enterprises.
David Vine takes a systematic and thorough approach to the subject by
firstly defining business intelligence (BI) encompassing competitive
intelligence (CI). Any notion that CI is an unethical, illegal
activity is dispelled by the Society of Competitive Intelligence
Professionals (SCIP) <http://www.scip.com> code of ethics. SCIP
demonstrates that in fact CI uses legally obtained information, making
deductions where data cannot be ascertained to complete the picture.
The author recommends Jerry Millers book 'Millennium Intelligence' for
further study of CI.
There are several benefits of establishing an Internet Business
Intelligence System (IBIS). The book details in particular the
positive contributions for key management and departments within a
company. The case studies build on this foundation by proving the
importance for a company to reach critical business intelligence
before their competitors.
A pragmatic guide in setting up the IBIS follows. Questions such as
what sort of information is needed and what is the most valuable
competitor data are raised. The decision making process concerning
the framework and the software and hardware required are dealt with in
depth. Anticipating the diversity of his audience the author
helpfully offers less exorbitant software options alongside the
utopian IBIS system.
In the information professional's role as 'gatherer', a methodology
for searching and collating data is described along with relevant
intelligence sources (for example newsgroups, resources on the
internet and CD-ROMs). The effective organisation of the information
coupled with analysis leads to the generation of knowledge. This
intelligence only becomes true 'business intelligence' when it is
communicated to the enquirer enabling them to take smart decisions.
The psychological aspects in selecting business intelligence staff and
understanding users, strategic and tactical management techniques and
review of state-of-the-art technology combine to form valuable
background knowledge.
The author has assembled in this book a compact guide to building a
business intelligence system with a manual for general research
technique. The net result is a practical means of finding
information, converting this into strategic choices and decisive
action for a competitive edge.
Free Pint Reviewer:
Jan Whittington has participated in the information industry for 12
years, primarily the fields of finance and engineering. Currently
operating as information manager at venture capitalist Advent
International PLC, she has held information posts at Westdeutsche
Landesbank and WS Atkins PLC. One of her focus areas is the benefits
of information management and research in both the office environment
and voluntary local community projects.
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