Competitive Intelligence Program (CIP) or in language known as Competitive Intelligence (CI) which is a science of understanding systems and analysis related to information data from various sources of information, where several variables become one piece of information that can give a fairly convincing impression because it is very systematic but its distribution in intelligence matters is very broad, starting from the conditions of production, consumption and also opportunism in the business scope which can be said to be a strategic object for companies that apply the Competitive Intelligence Program (CIP) model.
In the business world itself, the Competitive Intelligence Program (CIP) is very broad in scope, not only in one analysis, but almost all of the analysis in it includes marketing conditions, competitors and production conditions related to the distribution process, which includes studying internal and external aspects with the hope of can be competitive.
The Competitive Intelligence Program (CIP) is one of the analyzes for making a decision because in a business our focus is not only focused on internal problems but the external environment is also a benchmark, in the Competitive Intelligence Program (CIP) it provides insight where we also hope for information. that is collected for analysis into a way to make these decisions, this is the basis if a program can intelligence will provide more benefits in decisions, of course it needs an initial signal that becomes an analysis to be able to focus on the goals of the company itself.
The Competitive Intelligence Program (CIP) is also believed to be an initial analysis that functions as a business hypothesis, now CIP is also part of a SWOT analysis but focuses more on opportunist analysts, where analyzing competitors is the main thing in conducting business activities, the most difficult thing is overcoming business problems If competitors can’t do it well, it will have an impact on the company’s condition that does not concretely survive in the market. On the other hand, the Competitive Intelligence Program (CIP) will be the deadliest weapon if the analysis is right on target because this refers to competitiveness which leads to aspects of production quality which are expected to be an option.
In the business world, every company competes with its competitors, and to win this competition they must collect as much information as possible. The information obtained is then processed to produce conclusions about the advantages, weaknesses, and strategies that can be done to win the competition. And to be able to do this requires a system called the Competitive Intelligence Program or CIP.
Competitive Intelligence is also known as corporate intelligence, this is the ability of a company to collect information, and analyze that information. Ability to collect information about customers, competitors, market conditions and situations that are useful for gaining an edge in business competition. Corporate intelligence helps companies understand consumers or customers, understand their competitors, and see opportunities and identify threats to the company. This information from the processing of corporate intelligence helps the company in operating the company effectively and efficiently.
How Competitive Intelligence Works
Currently, modern companies, especially those with large sizes, have a Competitive Intelligence Program, which can be in the form of a separate division, or included in another division, generally in the marketing division. In its implementation, this section of corporate intelligence collects information from various sources. Companies collect information from their customers to determine the level of customer satisfaction, and understand what customers want from a product. Information can also be collected from various news on the internet, newspapers, and television. They also often conduct surveys to obtain certain data that is useful for product development, as well as to formulate marketing strategies.
Competitive intelligence can mean different things in different parts of the company. For example, top management views competitive intelligence in the perspective of developing corporate strategy. For the research department, competitive intelligence is useful for creating better products. Meanwhile, for the marketing department, it is useful to formulate an effective marketing strategy to market products. But in general, Corporate intelligence aims to help make the right decisions.
Types of Competitive Intelligence
There are two types of competitive intelligence, namely tactical competitive intelligence, which is corporate intelligence that is more short-term oriented, for example efforts to capture market share in the current quarter, efforts to increase revenue in the current period, and other short-term issues. Second, Strategic Competitive Intelligence, namely Competitive Intelligence which focuses on long-term issues, such as identification of long-term risks, product development roadmaps, investments to increase production in the long term, and others.
Competitive Intelligence and Industrial Espionage
Competitive Intelligence and industrial espionage have something in common, namely that they both collect information, and process information for the benefit of the company. The difference is that competitive intelligence is carried out using legal, ethical, and law-free means. Competitive Intelligence Programs (CIP) are usually carried out overtly. In contrast to industrial espionage, which tends to use unethical, illegal, and unlawful methods. Due to its unethical and illegal nature, industrial espionage is carried out in secret.
Competitor Analysis Mechanism in Competitive Intelligence
Future Objective
It is a strategy to address all risks that may occur in the future based on an Objective view, including:
– Comparison of company goals with competitors’ goals
– The priority to be carried out includes anything
– What attitude is suitable for dealing with risks in the future
Current Strategy
It is a strategy that is currently being implemented, including:
– What is the current strategy
– Has the current strategy changed the structure of the competition?
Capabilities
Is a measurement of the company’s ability, including:
– What are the company’s strengths and weaknesses?
– Comparison of the company’s strengths and weaknesses with competitors
Responses
It is a conclusion from the three strategies above, including:
– What might competitors do in the future?
– How is the relationship with competitors changing
– How is the target advantage compared to competitors
Use of Competitive Intelligence Program
The results of the analysis and synthesis of all information obtained using CIP will be useful and assist in making company production decisions, especially regarding the following matters:
– Consumer Taste (Consumers Taste)
– Consumer needs (Consumption Needs)
– Consumer Choice (Preference)
– Consumer desire (Desire)
– Consumer Purchases (Purchase)
– Consumer interest (Interest)
– Consumer Opinion (Opinion)
– Consumer Habits