Determining key intelligence topics for Old Mutual (S.A.)
Du Toit, P. Jacques (2006-12)
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Making sense of the competitive environment has become an essential condition for organisational survival and growth. The nature of the competitive environment has evolved to a state that all companies in an industry have more or less the same access to information. It is the companies that translate that information into actionable intelligence that will have the best chance of a competitive advantage. However, few organisations have the resources to study every aspect of the competitive environment. Prioritisation is required to ensure that only those aspects of the competitive environment that will really contribute to the performance of a company are studied. Translating information into intelligence requires both a process and a focus.
This study was used to derive a conceptual competitive intelligence process model to guide the operations of Old Mutual’s Competitive Intelligence (CI) function. The conceptual model presented is based on a literature study and details the required steps in translating available information into actionable intelligence. The literature study firstly defines the concept of competitive intelligence. Secondly, it describes the conceptual model. Finally, the literature study describes in more detail the first phase of the intelligence process, i.e. the identification of intelligence needs of the organisation, and the translation of those needs into topics that can be prioritised and operationalised for collection and analysis by the CI function. This process is referred to as the Key Intelligence Topics (KITs) process. The identification of needs was done by means of an empirical study and entailed personal interviews with members of the senior management team of Old Mutual. The most significant need identified in the interviews is for forward-looking analysis of industry trends and competitor strategies. The products of these analyses should suggest potential actions to the recipients or users.
The interviews and business documentation on strategic and tactical initiatives were used to determine the key intelligence needs of Old Mutual. The process and framework of interpreting the intelligence needs into prioritised KITs is described in Chapter 4. However, on Old Mutual’s request, specifics pertaining to strategic initiatives and intelligence requirements derived from the empirical study have not been documented in this study.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Om sin te maak van die mededingende omgewing het ‘n noodsaaklike voorwaarde vir ‘n maatskappy se oorlewing en groei geword. Die aard van die mededingende omgewing het ontwikkel tot ‘n vlak waar al die maatskappye in ‘n industrie merendeels toegang tot dieselfde inligting het. Dit is slegs dié maatskappye wat beskikbare informasie kan omskakel in bruikbare intelligensie wat die beste kans op ‘n mededingende voordeel sal hê. Nogtans, weinig maatskappye het die beskikbare hulpbronne om elke aspek van die mededingende omgewing te kan bestudeer. Prioritisering word dus benodig om te verseker dat slegs die aspekte van die mededingende omgewing wat werklik ‘n bydrae sal lewer tot die welslae van die maatskappy, bestudeer sal word. Omskakeling van informasie na intelligensie benodig beide ‘n proses en ‘n fokus.
Hierdie studie dien om ‘n konseptuele prosesmodel van mededingende intelligensie af te lei vir die gebruik in die Mededingende Intelligensie (MI) afdeling van Ou Mutual. Die voorgestelde model is gebaseer op ‘n literatuurstudie en beskryf die nodige stappe om beskikbare informasie om te skakel in bruikbare intelligensie. Eerstens beskryf die literatuurstudie die konsep van mededingende intelligensie. Tweedens beskryf dit die konseptuele prosesmodel. Laastens beskryf die literatuurstudie die eerste fase van die intelligensieproses in meer besonderhede, d.i. die identifisering van intelligensiebehoeftes van die maatskappy en die verwerking van daardie behoeftes tot onderwerpe wat geprioritiseer en in werking gestel kan word vir insameling en ontleding van informasie deur die MI afdeling. Dié omskakelingsproses is bekend as die “Key Intelligence Topics (KITs)”-proses.
Die identifisering van behoeftes is deur middel van ‘n empiriese studie verkry, en behels die voer van persoonlike onderhoude met lede van die senior bestuurspan van Ou Mutual. Gedurende die onderhoude was die behoefte aan toekomsgerigte ontledings van industrieneigings en mededingerstrategieë geïdentifiseer as die grootste huidige tekorte. Voorts moet die ontledings voorgestelde optredes aan die ontvangers van die intelligensie bied.
Die onderhoude, tesame met strategiese en taktiese dokumentasie, is gebruik om die sleutel intelligensiebehoeftes van Ou Mutual te bepaal. Die proses en raamwerk om die intelligensie behoeftes te vertolk in geprioritiseerde KITs word beskryf in Hoofstuk 4. Op versoek van Ou Mutual is spesifieke inligting soos deur die empiriese studie afgelei en met betrekking tot Ou Mutual se strategieë en intelligensiebehoeftes nie weergegee in hierdie studie nie.
Please refer to this item in SUNScholar by using the following persistent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/85167