Warroom Guide to Competitive Intelligence: Amazon.co.uk: Steven M. Shaker, Mark Gembicki: Books

Product Description

This is the first definitive, in-the-trenches guide to bring proven government intelligence tactics onto the corporate battlefiled. Helping companies turn information into intelligence, and then use this knowledge strategically, Shaker and Gembicki offer crucial advice for every business person on how to collect, analyze, and disseminate vital information to key decision-makers. And in a proactive strike, "The Warroom Guide to Competitive Intelligence" tells organizations how to set up their own "WarRoom", in order to gather and protect vital information to give them that competitive edge.

From the Author

Reviews made by prominent individuals and organizations
"Shaker and Gembicki’s new book The WarRoom Guide to Competitive Intelligence is outstanding! Decision makers do not want to be overwhelmed with facts and data. They want to be informed with actionable intelligence. This book describes how competitive intelligence is used to help decision makers see looming dangers or new opportunities at the earliest possible moment in plenty of time to make the necessary course correction, because in the end, you must act."

by Ava Harth Youngblood President of the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals and former director of competitive intelligence at Amoco

"The war room and opposition research techniques pioneered by Shaker and Gembicki will be of immense help to the managers of political and advocacy campaigns. The WarRoom Guide to Competitive Intelligence is a must read for current and aspiring strategists."

by Ed Rollins Political Strategist, author of Bare Nuckles and Back Rooms, and President of Ed Rollins International

"The WarRoom Guide to Competitive Intelligence will help you win in business, politics or any other organizational struggle. Face it! Finding, using and acting on appropriate information in a timely fashion has become one of the greatest challenges confronting decision makers. This guide provides the reader with strategies and structures for using information wisely and shrewdly in a global environment that creates new competitors, challenges and crises on a daily basis."

by Howard Teicher Public Policy and High Technology Consultant, author of Twin Pillars to Desert Storm, and former Senior Director for Political-Military Affairs at the National Security Council

"...their book offers valuable guidance in two areas largely ignored by other writers in this field -- extracting intelligence from industry conferences and mining the Web. There is also a useful chapter on how to protect the 'keys to the kingdom' -- the trade secrets or knowledge assets you don't want others to uncover. VERDICT: ...one for the serious CI buff."

by Institute of Directors

"WarRoom Research provides a carefully worked-out technique for face-to-face intelligence gathering...including a 'quarterback' Competitive Intelligence professional who plans and guides the team in collection opportunities..."

by Advance Magazine

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

Consultant Blatantly Advertises His Wares! 19 Mar 1999

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

Based on the reviews of this book here at Amazon, I bought it and eagerly awaited learning how to improve one aspect of my job...competitive intelligence. However, I was sorely disappointed by what this book contains.

I hate it when a consultant book serves mainly to advertise the services of its writer(s) and their firm. This one openly talks about the firm and vaguely describes the clients they have served, but it is so light in content that I found it a waste of time. I skimmed through the first five chapters saying "where's the beef?" Finally got to what I got would be an interesting one on the "Quarterbacking" technique only to be treated to a high level and nearly useless discussion of this technique that requires the WarRoom consultants to really make function.

I finally gave up after the chapter describing how to use Web-based search engines. If I didn't know how to do that, I never would have found the book in the first place!

To be truly useful to me, this book needed to provide more practical guidance on how to set up and manage a systematic intelligence gathering process, how to present the data to senior management in a way that influences decisions, and how much I should expect to budget for a decent program. In the end, I felt all they were trying to do was sell me time from their own firm.

Caveat Emptor with this one!

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Excellent overview of competitive intelligence processes. 22 Mar 1999

Excellent description of competitive intelligence: its rationale, nature,tools and techniques. Includes a discussion of how warrooms enhance the competitive intelligence process. There are several useful case studies. The discussion of the Quarterback technique was especially good, along with instructions on how to build a competitive intelligence organization. The detailed bibliography is useful for gathering additional information on the topic.

Great! Use it for any organizational intelligence struggle. 16 Mar 1999

"The WarRoom Guide to Competitive Intelligence" will help you win in business, politics or any other organizational struggle. Face it! Finding, using and acting on appropriate information in a timely fashion has become one of the greatest challenges confronting decision makers. This guide provides the reader with strategies and structures for using information wisely and shrewdly in a global environment that creates new competitors, challenges and crises on a daily basis.