At the same time, however, it's difficult to evaluate the credibility of this information. Shocked, the company immediately turned itself upside down trying to figure out how the competition managed to win such a contract. After our analysts made a few telephone calls, we discovered that the announcement was premature and in the end false. That announcement remains on databases throughout the world even today. Information from 50,000, not 5 feet.
All intelligence is local.
Vital intelligence does not begin at Reuters or Dow Jones. News of layoffs begins in the town nearest the factory, not on Wall Street. New technology enhancements are heard first in the suburb where the company's data processing center is located, not necessarily in Silicon Valley. Think about how corporations really operate. Although companies are national or international in scope, they all have a home base and employ local people.