To be defeated is forgivable, to be surprised is
not:
Competitive Intelligence at
Final thesis Management & Organization; Business Development, University of Groningen
Amsterdam, 22nd of November, 2006 Author: Alexander Hamilon of Silvertonhill Student number: S1197916
Supervisors University: Dr. Ir. M.C. Achterkamp
Dr. J.L. Miedema
Supervisors TNT: Mr. K. de Wit-Hammer Mr. C. Cassar
The author is responsible for the contents of the thesis; the authorship of the thesis rests with the author
CONTENT Preface………. i Management summary………vi 1 Introduction to TNT ... 9 1.1 TNT N.V. ...9 1.1.1 History ...9 1.1.2 Structure ...10 1.2 TNT Express...10 1.2.1 History ...10 1.2.2 Services...10 1.2.3 Strategy ...11
1.2.4 Customer and Market Intelligence (CMI) ...12
1.2.5 Customer Intelligence: ...13
1.2.6 Market Intelligence: ...13
1.2.7 Competitor Intelligence...13
1.2.8 Strategic Insights...13
2 Background and problem context: ... 15
2.1 Management question:...15
2.2 Problem Owner: ...16
2.3 Diagnostic goal and research question: ...17
2.4 Development goal and main research question: ...18
2.5 Research boundaries and conditions: ...19
3 Research approach: DOV Model ... 20
4 Methodology ... 22
5 Theoretical Framework: ... 24
5.1 What is Competitive Intelligence? ...24
5.2 Levels of Competitive Intelligence: ...25
5.3 The Competitive Intelligence process ...26
5.3.1 Assess Intelligence Needs ...28
5.3.2 Monitoring & Observing...28
5.3.3 Collecting from Internal and External Sources of Information ...29
5.3.4 Structuring & Elimination: From Data to Information and Knowledge:...29
5.3.5 Analyzing & Production: from information and knowledge to Intelligence and action ...31
5.3.6 Dissemination...31
5.3.7 Storing & utilization...31
5.3.8 Feedback ...32
6 The Diagnostic phase... 33
6.1 Academic view on ideal Structure and Process...33
6.1.1 Project-Focused Research Structure ...34
6.1.2 Issue-Focused Research Structure...36
6.1.3 Decision-Focused Research Structure ...38
6.1.4 Process coinciding with Decision-focused structure...40
6.1.5 What does this mean for CMI: ...47
6.2 Benchmark Study ...49
6.2.1 Cases ...49
6.2.2 Surveys ...56
6.2.3 What does this mean for CMI...63
6.3 Customer view ...66
6.3.2 What does this mean for CMI? ...67
6.4 Diagnostic phase conclusion (Integration of all viewpoints) ...67
7 Internal view and current situation ... 70
7.1 Output elements of CMI ...70
7.2 Interview results ...70
7.2.1 CMI internal process and structure...70
7.2.2 Intelligence process of CMI ...70
7.2.3 Structure ...70
7.3 Conclusion...71
8 GAP analyses and recommendations... 71
8.1 Short term recommendations...71
8.2 Medium term recommendations ...71
8.3 Long term recommendations...71
References ... 72
Reflection... 75 Appendix... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Preface
In front of you lies my final thesis which is written in order to graduate in Management and Organization, Business Development at the Rijksuniversiteit
Groningen. Enclosed research was executed in the Customer and Market Intelligence (CMI) department of TNT Express.
I spent six month at TNT in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, working in close
collaboration with the department. Competitive Intelligence was something I had to further deepen my knowledge and understanding of. The first few weeks were therefore spent understanding Competitive Intelligence in general and how it is carried out within CMI. From this initial orientation stage I formulated the research objective and finalized the research.
By means of this preface I would like to thank a few people who have made it possible for me to graduate with this research. First of all I would like to thank Marjolein Achterkamp who guided me smoothly through the process of my research and Mr. Miedema for acting as second assessor. Second of all I would like to thank everybody within the CMI department for letting me do research in their department and for supporting me. Two persons in particular were important to me, Ken de Wit Hammer and Charles Cassar. They both put a lot of time and effort in helping me with anything I needed to finalize the research. Finally, I would like to thank my parents who have made it possible for me to go to university in the first place and for “sponsoring” me during the six years I have needed to graduate.
Alexander Hamilton of Silvertonhill
Management Summary
The Customer and Market Intelligence department of TNT Express located in Hoofddorp came to me with the following management questions.
When the underlying problem of the initial management question surfaced after a few interviews with the problem owners, CMI management, it became apparent that the process of CMI was to become subject of research. Important in this research was to look at how CMI could enhance its Competitive Intelligence process so that the output would be more actionable and focused on the needs of customers. The following diagnostic Research objective was formulated:
By looking at the competitive intelligence structure and process in a multi form way I was able to list specific requirements for an Competitive Intelligence process
specified to CMI after which I have identified possible optimization possibilities by analyzing the gap between the ideal and actual structure and process of CMI.
Structure Classified Process Classified
This list of requirements was benchmarked against the actual situation at CMI. A thorough research into the CI processes of each sub department of CMI was executed by interviewing all employees. Thereafter I was able to answer the main research objective:
Explanations on each recommendation is available in the full version of the thesis
Short term recommendations
Who are our customers? What do they need? How often do they want to make use of our services? Does our current service add value to our customers and how should CMI be structured to respond efficiently and effectively?
Gain insight as to how an ideal Competitive Intelligence structure and coinciding process should look like according to academic literature, external benchmarking, and according to customer expectations and needs.
What are the design requirements for an ideal Competitive Intelligence structure and process for CMI at TNT Express?
Provide TNT CMI with recommendations on how to optimize itself in line with the ideal and desired CI process and structure as modeled in the previous phase.
Classified
Medium term recommendations
Classified
Long term recommendations
Introduction:
Companies have changed dramatically in the last two decades. Whereas in the early years companies were only competing nationally, had little competition, and demand for their products and services seemed infinite, nowadays competition is fierce, boundaries have disappeared and demand is limited. Many companies survived in the past even though they did not have a clear sense of where they were going, since the resource pool seemed unlimited. But today resource allocations are much different and competition is often fierce for the scarce resources that exist. Most markets have matured and market share is only gained at the cost of the share of others.
In the late 80s and beginning of the 90s many companies started struggling for survival and since then it has become increasingly apparent to managers that the ultimate test of strategic success is that of the performance of their company relative to competition. Many companies have found out in the hard way that business is first and foremost about competition; about winners and losers in the market place. Hammer and Champy (1993) describe the “new” business reality in the following way:
“Three forces, separately and in combination, are driving today’s companies deeper and deeper into territory that most of their executives and managers find frighteningly unfamiliar. We call these forces the three Cs: Customers, Competition and Change. Their names are hardly new, but the characteristics of the three Cs are remarkably different from what they were in the past”.
The pace of technological development and the growth of global trade mean that today's business environment changes more quickly than ever before. Executives can no longer afford to rely on instinct or intuition when making strategic business
decisions. In many industries, the consequence of making one wrong decision may be to see the company go out of business.
Since the recognition of the fact that survival in the market place can only be sustainable by outperforming competition, companies have started to gather forms of intelligence.
Research shows that competitive intelligence increases management's strategic planning comfort level (SCIP website). Research also shows that companies with well-established Competitive Intelligence programs enjoy greater earnings per share than companies in the same industry without Competitive Intelligence programs. Moreover, "In a recession, competitive intelligence can pay off big," reported Business Week magazine in its Nov 26, 2001 issue. Among the findings in a March 2002 Trendsetter Barometer survey from PricewaterhouseCoopers: Fast-growth CEOs who rated competitor information as being either "very" or "critically" important grew revenues by 14.2 %, versus 11.8% for all others - a 20% faster rate. Significantly, those placing a premium on competitor information are outperforming their peers on sustained revenue growth, gross margins, and a number of other key performance measures.
The increase use and penetration of competitive intelligence can among other things be deducted from the fact that the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) has grown substantially the last decade. Only 50 members were active in
1980 when SCIP was set up and nowadays over 7500 people are actively member of SCIP. This growth can be explained: According to McGonagle and M. Vella (1999: p2) companies should be using CI when faced with one or more of the following threats:
Competition, both actual and potential, is increasing from firms based outside of the home region or country.
Competition is intensifying from firms outside the industry’s traditional technology and regulatory boundaries.
Consumers and customers have become increasingly sophisticated and knowledgeable, demanding more information from firms and more openly comparing products, services, and sources.
Changes now occur almost continuously in the nature and variety of the products and services you must offer to continue to stay competitive, much less to improve your competitive position.
Significant changes have recently occurred or are expected to occur in the ownership or senior management of key firms in your industry, which may bring in new operating, strategic, or marketing philosophies, capital infusions, or strategic alliances.
The very nature of competition you face is itself changing. An example of this is the shift from competition based on brand recognition or unique product or service characteristics to competition based on the product or service as a commodity, which largely turns on issues of price and delivery.
Kahanar (1996: p28-31) also adds:
The increase in speed of the business Information overload
Influence of political factors Speed of technological changes
One can confidently say that these threats are common in most businesses and therefore one can conclude that for most companies Competitive Intelligence is very useful and relevant in order to cope with these threats. That is also why most of the top 500 Fortune companies are actively involved in Competitive Intelligence
1 Introduction to TNT
This first chapter of my thesis will be an introduction to TNT N.V. and TNT Express in particular, after which I will introduce the Customer and Market Intelligence
department at the global head office of TNT Express where the main focus will lie for this research.
1.1 TNT N.V.
TNT is a world leading provider of express delivery services and mail services and is publicly listed on the stock exchanges of Amsterdam and New York Tokyo and Frankfurt. TNT operates in more than 200 countries and employs over 128,000 people. For 2005 the company reported € 10.1 billion in revenues (€ 13.6 billion including Logistics) (annual report 2005).
1.1.1 History
In 1799 the national Dutch postal service PTT (Staatsbedrijf der Posterijen, Telegrafie en Telefonie) was founded. The company was granted a monopoly on collection and delivery of mail in the Netherlands that lasted for almost 200 years. In 1989 it became a private company called Royal PTT Nederland NV (KPN), which consisted of PTT Post (mail services) and PTT Telecom (telecommunications). In 1996 KPN announced that it was going to make a public bid for TNT. Together, TNT and PTT Post embarked on a new era. Important steps were taken toward the integration of the business activities of TNT and PTT Post.
TNT's roots are in Australia. In 1946, Ken Thomas started his own company - Thomas Nationwide Transport - with a fleet consisting of a single truck. In less than half a century, his company grew into a global enterprise, even operating its own fleet of aircraft. Much of the growth came from take-overs and interests acquired in other companies. In 1961, TNT was listed on the Sydney stock exchange.
On Monday 29 June 1998, TNT Post Group separated from KPN. Since that date, TPG stock was listed independently on the stock exchanges of Amsterdam. Since May 2002, Royal PTT Post, one of the two major brands of the mail, express and logistics company TPG, changed its name to Royal TPG Post. TPG was informed that Her Majesty the Queen had granted TPG's Mail division the right to continue to use the title ‘Royal’ with its new name. PTT Post was granted this title two years earlier on the occasion of its 200th anniversary and many of its employees find pride in this royal status.
On 29 September 2004, TPG agreed to repurchase 20.7 million TPG shares from the State of the Netherlands and since the 14th of January 2005 TPG operates globally under the brand TNT for all its activities.
In September 2006, TNT announced the sale of the logistics division to the Apollo management group. With the sale of that division TNT can now focus more on its core business, the delivery of post, parcels and freight.
1.1.2 Structure
Fig 1.1 source: TNT website
1.2 TNT Express
This section introduces TNT Express, one of the two divisions of TNT N.V. CMI is the Customer and Market Intelligence department for TNT Express.
1.2.1 History
Established in 1946, TNT Express is now a global integrator and offers a range of unique international express delivery services between more than two hundred countries. TNT Express is the leading provider of business to business express delivery services which means it provides on-demand time-definite and day-certain door to door delivery services for documents, parcels and freight.
TNT Express employs more than 48,000 people and has a fleet of 43 jet freighter aircraft together with 19,000 road vehicles organized by a worldwide network of nearly 900 company owned depots. Its annual revenue for 2005 was 5.3 billion Euros.
TNT Express defines ‘express’ as an on-demand integrated service that provides customers with:
• Time or day definite delivery
• Door-to-door collection and delivery facilities • International customs clearance
• Full track and trace visibility • Proof of delivery
• Round the clock support 1.2.2 Services
TNT has distinguished three categories for its Express services: international, domestic and special services. The International and Domestic Services have standardized procedures and the goods are processed through TNT’s network services. Special services deals with all orders that need special treatment or that can not be processed through the normal network.
International and domestic services:
• 9:00 Express offers time guaranteed international express delivery before 9:00 am on the next or earliest possible business day in major cities worldwide.
• 12:00 Express offers time guaranteed international express delivery before 12:00 noon on the next or earliest possible business day in major cities worldwide.
• Global Express offers express delivery before end of local business hours on the next or earliest possible day in over 200 countries worldwide.
• Economy Express offers day definite, economical delivery for less urgent shipments to most destinations worldwide.
Furthermore TNT Express can offer Express Import for international import shipments from 92 countries for delivery by 9:00 Express, 12:00 Express, Global Express and Economy Express services.
Special Services
• Time Critical Services: collection outside standard hours, deliveries on Sundays and public holidays.
• Freight Services: door-to-door and door-to-airport capabilities for urgent airfreight shipments to global destinations and full load and part load road transportation throughout Europe for shipments over 3000 kilos.
• Special Handling Services: safe and secure service for the shipment of hazardous, fragile or high value goods.
• Storapart & Distribution Services: a global Forward Stock Location (FSL) capability regardless of number of items to be stocked. Goods delivered within two hours with repair and return options.
• Outsourced Services: specialist archiving and mailroom management and a range of transportation services for the financial services and banking
institutions, as well as providing customs brokerage services. 1.2.3 Strategy
It is TNT Express’ strategic intent to be the leader in day and time certain, door-to-door transport, focusing on business-to-business customers, with the widest
geographical coverage. In order to achieve this goal TNT Express has developed the following strategic objectives:
• Be the number 1 in Europe.
• Establish China as its second home market. • Become number 1 in key emerging markets. • Be the number 1 in Australia.
• Become number 1 in Special Services.
• Achieve a sustainable Return on Sales of 10% by the year 2007. These objectives relate directly to the purpose of the existence of CMI and are very important for this research as they influence CMI’ objectives, processes and define the output needs of its customers.
1.2.4 Customer and Market Intelligence (CMI)
At the end of 2004, the department of Customer and Market Intelligence at TNT Express was formed. The former departments of Quality Development and Business Intelligence were taken as a basis and were completed with a new branch, Market intelligence, into what we now know as the Customer and Market Intelligence department (CMI).
In order to keep up with the fierce competition, an internal department had to be set up that monitored all movements of the competition, the needs and expectations of the customers and changes and opportunities in markets. It was decided to divide CMI into three branches, namely Customer Intelligence, Market Intelligence, and Competitor Intelligence so that each branch could focus on one particular form of intelligence.
The main priority was to increase capacity, have a more structured way of gathering, analyzing and providing insights, and to have a more balanced mix of internal and external intelligence. This, because more focus had to be put on strategic opportunities. Later, the sub department of Strategic Insights was added to grasp the synergies between the three branches and develop strategic opportunities generated from these synergies.
The responsibility of CMI lies in the hand of Viviane Reichert who until October 2006 reported directly to Marie Christine Lombard, the CEO of TNT Express. Until that date there was no general manager of strategic marketing at TNT. That function was shared between Viviane Reichert, Emma Cook and Andrew Huestis as depicted in the organization chart. As of mid October that function will be fulfilled by Jan Willem Breen
Fig 1.2 Source: TNT: Organizational chart Strategic Marketing
CMI
Viviane Reichert
Evelien van Rath P.A. Strategic insights Ken De Wit-Hammer Competitor Intelligence Martijn Legemaat Customer intelligence Danielle de Kluijver Market intelligence Charles Cassar Strategic Marketing Strategic Pricing Emma Cook TNT Express Board Marie Christine Lombard Product management and development Emma Cook Marketing and communication Andrew Huestis
1.2.5 Customer Intelligence:
The customer Intelligence department is managed by Danielle de Kluijver who is assisted by Julie Hotchkin. The Customer Intelligence department works mainly independently from the rest of the CMI department. There is little interaction
between Customer Intelligence and the other sub departments because the activities do not overlap in most cases.
The role of this team it to provide regular quantitative and qualitative customer intelligence into the organization by capitalizing on the existing programmes,
maximizing their awareness and improving the tactical and strategic corrective action process. Based on the EFQM feedback, this team will investigate the feasibility to introduce 'best in class' comparisons and develop a process for systematically capturing 'lost trader' feedback.
1.2.6 Market Intelligence:
Martijn Legemaat is the manager of Market Intelligence. He reports directly to Vivian Reichert, manager of CMI and will be supported by Marie Mangin as off September 2006. He works closely with Ken de Witt Hamer and Charles Cassar.
The market Intelligence department is mainly responsible for monitoring
developments on the market place concerning TNT Express and is based on four pillars:
• Market research reports • Market research framework • Market information
• Market research professionals and news 1.2.7 Competitor Intelligence
The role of the Competitor Intelligence departments is to review with business units and divisional functions the specific requirements for competitor intelligence and to develop the processes and/or tools that will enable the proactive provision of targeted (daily, weekly, monthly) competitor intelligence. The Competitor
Intelligence department is primarily responsible for monitoring all movements of competitors, identifying possible new competitors and the proactive and reactive provision of targeted competitor intelligence in line with the requirement of its customers. Furthermore the responsibility of this department is the roll-out and promotion of the new tools available via the intranet to access and search for competitor information
Charles Cassar is the manager of this department and is assisted by Anne Babirye. Charles reports directly to Viviane Reichert, manager of CMI, and works closely with Ken de Witt Hamer of Strategic Insights and Martijn Legemaat of Market Intelligence. 1.2.8 Strategic Insights
The strategic Insight department is managed by Ken de Witt-Hamer. He is assisted by Joao Beringel who works on the Strategic Marketing Database (SMD).
The strategic Insights department is only being in existence since the beginning of 2006. One of the main objectives of this department is to provide strategic insights based on the output of the three sub departments of CMI. This implies generating actionable strategic intelligence based on the analyses of information and
forecasting.
Furthermore the role of this team is the development of a division-wide marketing database capability that will enhance the organization’s understanding of the express market potential and enable the identification of specific and geographically defined target industries and customers for provision into the sales channel, the Super Marketing Database.
2 Background and problem context:
As was mentioned in the introduction of CMI, the department was set up for TNT Express to be able to keep up with the fierce competition. CMI was to monitor all movements of the competition, the needs and expectations of the customers and changes and opportunities in markets.
At the time of the setup of CMI nobody really knew how to create such a department in the most efficient and effective way. The whole department had to be created from scratch. There was no clear goal or strategy set. Also the difficulty was that two of the sub departments, Customer and Market Intelligence, were more developed than the other two, namely Competitor Intelligence and the Strategic Insights. This meant that the latter two had some catching up to do before their output would be at the level of the more developed sub departments.
Despite the startup problems, the department was very active and successful in raising awareness for the department under its potential customers. Members of the CMI team went to the Business Units to promote the department and to assemble the requirements of the customers. After a while, many divisions and business units of TNT around the world made use of the CMI department. The CMI department was warmly welcomed because there was a great need for the information gathered by CMI. Many requests were made and quickly the department became an important focal point of the organization.
Unfortunately the great demand means that the current way of working isn’t sufficient nor efficient enough anymore. The department finds it challenging to keep up with the demand and there is no clear way of prioritizing requests. The danger lies in the fact that customers don’t get exactly what they ask for or don’t get it in time, which could result in missing out on potential opportunities for TNT Express. The long term regular outputs, such as the Market Trend report and the Competitor Bulletin are of good quality. The Competitor Bulletin is already established and is being evaluated. The Bulletin is very well read and the feedback is positive. The Market Trends report on the other hand is still in the development phase. The first pilot has just been distributed.
A customer satisfaction survey was sent to all business units and divisions that make use of the department. The overall assessment was positive. Also at the quarterly CMI–Business Units meeting in Düsseldorf last September, the majority of the participants were positive about the cooperation with CMI. Though, they also had suggestions for improvement.
2.1 Management question:
The initial management questions were:
Who are our customers? What do they need? How often do they want to make use of our services? Does our current service add value to our customers and how should CMI be structured to respond efficiently and effectively?
I have had the opportunity to talk to the management of CMI on a regular basis which gave me a better understanding of the current situation and the reasons behind the initial management questions.
One can conclude that CMI is still in the development phase and is looking for improvements in its output, processes and structure. There is also a need to get a better understanding of who their actual customers are, what they want and when they want it to be able to adapt the CMI process and structure to their needs and expectations in the best possible way. More specifically, at the moment the process is constructed in such a way that intelligence is being produced on a continual basis, but there is uncertainty about whether it fulfills the need of the customers. Also, the three branches within CMI collect and report information separately and most of the information is information on a tactical level. There is no concrete systemized way of collecting and valuing this information. Is the information provided by CMI actually as important to its customers as CMI thinks? Does the information add value to the customers and ultimately to the business as a whole? These and other questions need to be answered if CMI wants to progress and provide a better service.
CMI is also looking to integrate the information gathered by the three branches to provide not only tactical insight but also strategic insight. The integration of the output of the three branches should give CMI the possibility to give strategic meaning to the information and proactively provide the board and the managing directors of business units around the world with valuable strategic insights. The objective of this insight would be to understand markets, draw actionable conclusions and identify opportunities for growth.
Other than that CMI wants to increase the adoption of its strategic insights. A disciplined process for helping internal customers express needs in terms of decisions should allow CMI to address those needs in a more relevant and timely manner. 2.2 Problem Owner:
A problem is an undesired difference between the existing and the preferred situation (De Leeuw, 2000: 280). According to De Leeuw (2000: 281), three different forms of problems can be distinguished: perception problems, goal problems and reality problems. Perception problems are problems that can be resolved (in the view of the researcher) by changing the perception of the problem owner. A goal problem is a problem that arises when the problem owner sets unrealistic, unattainable goals and can only be resolved if the goals are redefined. A reality problem on the other hand can not be solved by changing the perception nor goals of the person experiencing the problem, but by changing the reality itself. The latter is a controllable problem for the problem owner and for the researcher.
The problem stated above is a reality problem; the continual challenge to keep up with the increased demand resulted in the management asking to asses the current processes and structure at CMI. There is uncertainty whether the current Competitive Intelligence process and structure at CMI is optimal to be able to deliver intelligence that fulfills the needs and expectations of the customers.
The problem owner is the management of the department CMI. The managers of the department have put their heads together and have looked critically at their current situation. This makes the management the problem owner and not other individuals in the organization.
One could also argue that it is a management problem as defined by De Leeuw (2000: 289). A management problem is a problem of the management whereby the management is of the opinion that a system is subject for improvement. This does not have to mean that this opinion is also shared by the researcher. In fact, after a thorough diagnosis the researcher might come to the conclusion that the problem differs from the management problem and needs a different approach.
Therefore I am setting two goals for this research. Firstly, I will set a diagnostic goal for the first part of my research whereby I will critically look at the current situation in the CMI department, do a thorough literature study and get an overview of the customers and their view on the current situation. Secondly I will set a development goal whereby I will propose a model based on the outcome of the diagnosis and the management question.
2.3 Diagnostic goal and research question:
The diagnostic goal is set to get a multiform overview on the Competitive Intelligence gathering business in general and on CMI’ competitive intelligence process in particular. In order for me to asses the CMI department of TNT and recommend a design that fulfills the diagnostic goal of this research I need to get an internal and a external view on the current situation by interviewing employees and customers of CMI, I need to benchmark the department against similar Intelligence departments and I need to know what is written in the academic literature about Competitive Intelligence. The combination of all sources will provide me with enough information to see potential optimization opportunities for CMI.
The diagnostic research question following out of this goal is:
Sub Questions:
1. What does the academic literature tell us about Competitive Intelligence and more specific about the competitive intelligence process? What variables make up the Competitive Intelligence process?
2. How would an ideal Competitive process look like according to academic literature?
3. How should an Intelligence department be structured supporting this ideal process according to academic literature?
4. How do other companies structure and organize their intelligence department?
5. How do CMI professionals at TNT see an ideal CI process and structure? 6. Who are the customers of the CMI department of TNT Express?
7. How do customers of TNT’ CMI see an ideal CI process and structure?
Gain insight as to how an ideal Competitive Intelligence structure and coinciding process should look like according to academic literature, external benchmarking, and according to customer expectations and needs.
What are the design requirements for an ideal Competitive Intelligence structure and process for CMI at TNT Express?
The answers to the first three questions will provide me with information on what intelligence and more specific on what competitive intelligence actually is, and will give me insights on how an effective and efficient intelligence process should look like according to academic literature. The answer to the fourth question will provide me with valuable information on how other company’s structure and organize their CMI or equivalent department. The objective is not to go into a thorough competitor analysis on this matter, but to get a broad understanding of how other companies cope with intelligence matters. The answer of the fifth question will be a thorough investigation into how the professionals of the current CMI department would like the CMI department to be structured and what process they think would be optimal to maximize and optimize their output. Finally, the last two questions look into the customer side of things. The output of the two questions should give me an objective view on who the customers are, what they want and how they see an ideal CMI department that fulfills their intelligence needs. Altogether, the answers to these questions should make me able to answer the main diagnostic question and provide me with enough information to set up a list of requirements for the design of the ideal CMI process and structure in the design phase.
The research approach of the diagnostic phase can be modeled in the following way:
Fig 2.1 Research Approach
After the diagnostic phase a more specified model can be developed that answers the initial management question, but is also based on a thorough investigation
2.4 Development goal and main research question:
Provide TNT CMI with recommendations on how to optimize itself in line with the ideal and desired CI process and structure as modeled in the previous phase.
Academic / literature view Design requirements for the modeling of an optimized TNT CMI department Customer view, demands and needs Benchmark study Ideal CMI process and structure based on a multiform view
The goal is twofold. Firstly CMI is looking to optimize its structure which ideally should enhance information and knowledge sharing within CMI and between CMI and other parts of the organization, especially the Business Units world wide. Secondly the goal is to optimize the formal CI process. With optimize is meant a more systemized efficient and effective way of dealing with requests that is on the one hand inline with what the customers need and expect, and on the other hand inline with what the current CMI department is realistically capable of.
The research question following out of the main development goal is:
Sub questions:
1. How is CMI currently structured
2. What CI processes are currently in place?
3. How do the customers perceive the current output of CMI?
4. What are the differences between the desired and actual situation 5. How can CMI address these differences and reduce the gap? 2.5 Research boundaries and conditions:
Product boundaries:
The research is focused on the department of Customer and Market Intelligence for TNT in Hoofddorp, consisting of Customer Intelligence, Market Intelligence, Competitor Intelligence and Strategic Insights.
The research will involve all current and possible customers which will mean that the 8 business units of TNT Express around the world will be taken into account as well. Unfortunately it will not be possible to visit them. Therefore, telephone interviews and surveys will be used to get information from them. The focus will lie on TNT Express
The implementation of the design will not be conducted by me as an intern. Therefore I will limit myself to the diagnostic and the design phase of the research.
Process boundaries:
The duration of the research is 6 month, from the 5th of April 2006 until the 5th of October 2006.
How can CMI, based on the outcome of the diagnosis, optimize itself so that the gap between the desired and actual CI structure and process is reduced?
3 Research approach: DOV Model
The DOV model of De Leeuw (1996) will be used in this research as a guideline. It is an ideal model to get from a problem situation to a design that deals with that problem in an effective way. DOV stands for Diagnose, Ontwerp and Verandering which is Dutch for Diagnosis, Design and Change.
The first phase is the diagnostic phase. In this phase the problem situation is transformed into a management problem which is controllable and researchable. This is done by looking to the problem in a multiform way. After analyzing and assessing the outcome one can get a better understanding of what the underlying problem actually is. This will make it possible to form a main research goal.
The second phase is to get from the main goal to a design. A design is a model of a (realizable) system in the future that produces a desired outcome (De Leeuw, 1996: 192). Only in the most technical form of a design, the design will start from scratch. In Business, most designs will be re-designs. A design must be relevant and valid, which means that it must be realizable and practical and it must connect to the initial management problem. Once a direction is chosen for the design, one can start the actual design. The design must meet the needs of the design requirement that are set up after the diagnostic phase.
After the design phase the actual change of the current undesired system will take place. In my research I will not get to this phase. I will propose a design and come with recommendations based on the gap analysis between the current and desired process and structure, but the possible implementation will be left to the management of CMI.
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The schematic overview of the Research Approach following the DOV model
Diagnostic research question
Main research question
Figure 3.1: DOV model, A.C.J. De leeuw, 1996:182
Recommendations Current process and structure
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Academic / literature view Design requirements for the modeling of an optimized TNT CMI department Customer view, demands and needs Benchmark Study Ideal CMI process and structure based on a multiform view Gap analysis between real and designed process4 Methodology
In this research I have made use of different methods to gather the necessary information. For the theoretical framework I have only made use of theories from academic literature. It is a short theoretical overview of the CI process according to academics. In the remainder of this research I have used this process as a
framework, a way of looking at the problem and a way to focus my research.
In the diagnostic phase of the research I have decided to get a multiform overview of the “ideal” process, if there is any, in order to compare it with the current process in place at TNT. The theoretical framework is used as reference.
Four viewpoints on the “ideal” CI process are described in great detail. The first way of looking at the process is through the eyes of academics. I have further deepened the academic view on the CI process, by gathering information on every step within the process. This provided me with insights into what academics perceive to be an ideal process and structure. In fact, it is the theoretical framework explained in more detail and focused on what is ideal for any company, not TNT in particular.
The second way of looking at the ideal CI process and structure is through the eyes of other companies. In other words, it is the practical side of things. To get an idea about how companies perceive an ideal CI process and structure to be, I have made use of two cases and three surveys. The two cases are examples of well known companies who were one of the first ones acknowledging the importance of competitive intelligence. They have climbed the learning curve and by means of these cases I have tried to explain what they have learned and why they have changed there CI process and structure in a certain way. I have chosen these two cases because they were at my disposal and provided me with enough and valid information on both the CI process and structure. Both companies are also comparable in size and structure to TNT.
The surveys which I have used are from three respected and well known Competitive Intelligence Associations. Almost all Fortune 500 companies have links with these associations. The surveys they have developed were on Competitive Intelligence in general but provided me with as much as necessary information to cover all steps of the CI process. It is a statistical overview. I have made use of these surveys because it was the only way for me to get a valid and detailed view on the practical side of the CI process.
The third way of looking at the CI process and structure is through the eyes of CMI’s customers. Since they are the end users of the competitive intelligence and very much involved in the process, their opinion is crucial as the CI process and structure must be in line with what they want. The customers of CMI are scattered throughout the company which means that they are all around the world. The only way for me to reach them was through a survey. I would have liked to interview some important customers, but I didn’t have enough resources to do this.
The fourth and final way of looking at the process and structure is through the eyes of CMI’s employees. They are experienced and have ideas about how the process and structure should be. In the end, they have to execute any changes which I might recommend. Their input is vital for a successful implementation. The team is
a detailed overview of their ideas. During the same interviews I have also gone into the current situation. Desk research and observation were two other methods which I have used to detail the current CI process and structure. In the end this enabled me to benchmark the so called ideal situation with the current situation.
5 Theoretical Framework:
When the underlying problem of the initial management question surfaced it became apparent that the process of CMI was to become subject of research. In this chapter I will describe my findings in the academic literature on this process. The objective is to create a literature framework that will help me focus in the remaining of this research. The framework should function as a guide in the diagnosis phase. It should able me to know where to look and what to ask to assess what the ideal and current process and structure is.
To understand the function of the CMI department at TNT Express, one must know what Competitive Intelligence is. I will start this chapter by explaining what is meant when referring to Competitive Intelligence after which I will explain the different levels of Competitive Intelligence. Subsequently I will introduce the Competitive Intelligence process.
5.1 What is Competitive Intelligence?
There are some differences in opinion when defining Competitive Intelligence. It was and still is variously called competitive intelligence, business intelligence, corporate intelligence, competitive information, commercial intelligence, and so on. Most have settled on the term Competitive Intelligence. Following are some different definitions of CI:
“…to provide information about the appropriate organizational environments, to identify threats and opportunities, to avoid (unpleasant) surprises, to improve planning, to raise the probability of “good” decisions being made, to reduce both organizational and personal risks, or at least to better evaluate risk reward options and forecasts.” (Barndt jr., 1994: p3)
“…is the provision of information for the purpose of strategy forming and realization. It is the process of defining, collecting, analyzing and communicating relevant information for strategic purposes.” (Könings, 1994)
“…an analytical process that transforms disaggregated competitor, industry, and market data into actionable strategic knowledge about the competitor’s capabilities, intentions, performance and position; and is the end product, or output from that process (Bernhardt, 1994)
All authors agree on two overall facets when talking about Competitive Intelligence. First is the use of public sources to develop data (raw facts) on competition,
industries and the market environment. Second is the transformation, by analysis, of those data into actionable information (usable results) for strategic and or tactical purposes. The notion of actionable information is essential in the context of
competitive intelligence. The ultimate goal of each intelligence process should be to facilitate decision-making that leads to action (Sawka, 1996; Prescott, 1995; Barndt, 1994)
5.2 Levels of Competitive Intelligence:
Competitive intelligence encompasses all the elements that correspond to the company’s business information needs. The most typical approach is to divide competitive intelligence into strategic intelligence, competitor intelligence, market intelligence and customer intelligence. There is also a difference in what decision-level each form of intelligence targets. Strategic intelligence has the broadest scope of intelligence covering the whole external environment of the company. According to McGonagle & Vella (1999) and Bernhardt (1994) there is also a difference in focus of time. When put in a matrix the following hierarchy occurs:
Competitive Intelligence
Past Present Future
Figure 5.1 Intelligence levels
Strategic intelligence is competitive intelligence provided in support of strategic,
as distinguished from tactical, decision making. This means providing the highest levels of management information on the competitive, economic, and political environment in which companies operate now and in which they will operate in the future, based on information and knowledge from the past and present in
combination with future forecasts (Prescott, 1998; Francis, 1997; McGonagle & Vella, 1999)
Competitor intelligence is the use of public sources to locate and develop data
that are then transformed into intelligence about competitors, their capabilities, current activities, plans, and intentions (Barndt, 1994: p23)
Who are our competitors right now? Who are our potential competitors? How do our competitors see themselves? How do they see us? What markets or geographic areas will (or will not) be tapped by our competitors in the future? These and many more questions need to be answered by Competitor Intelligence.
Strategic level Tactical level Operational level Le ve ls Focus Strategic Intelligence Competitor Intelligence Market Intelligence Customer Intelligence
Market intelligence is intelligence developed on the very current activities in the
marketplace (McGonagle & Vella, 1999: p6). Focusing on only competitor intelligence won’t give a complete picture of the current market position and it will make it
impossible to maximize to the full extend all opportunities arising in the market because without market intelligence a company does not know which position it takes in the market place, where competitors are and where the opportunities lie in the market (Bernhardt, 1994). Market Intelligence mainly focuses on the present situation. The primary customers of market intelligence are usually marketing departments and the sales force. They mostly demand tactical and operational information, but market intelligence can also contribute in a great extend to the strategic-decision making process.
Customer intelligence helps companies build and grow more profitable
relationships with customers. It focuses on gathering and analyzing information about customers to deliver a better customer experience and to increase customer yield (Harvey, 2000a). Customer Intelligence is a proactive, IT enabled, outward-looking form of customer knowledge management. It is becoming a necessary competence as firms move from product-oriented to customer-oriented business models and as customer relationships increasingly take place via electronic channels (Fleisher, Blenkhorn, 2001).
Furthermore there are other forms of intelligence activities like Technical
Intelligence, legal Intelligence, and Merger & Acquisition Intelligence. These activities are not represented within TNT and are therefore not included in the scope of this research.
5.3 The Competitive Intelligence process
In every organization using intelligence for its decision-making process, an organizational mechanism should be in place to collect, evaluate and deliver
intelligence. Many companies though, don’t have such a mechanism which makes it nearly impossible to deliver credible and actionable intelligence (Bernhardt, 1994). The Competitive Intelligence community has learned a lot from State and Military Intelligence Agencies. These Agencies were the first ones acknowledging the
importance of good intelligence. For them Intelligence made it possible to act before anything harmful would happen. It needed to be future oriented information,
information that would reliably predict future events and make it possible to act upon. In order for them to effectively attain this kind of information they developed a process consisting of five phases:
Figure 5.2 The Intelligence process (CIA in Bernhardt, 1994)
Since then many scholars have further developed this process. Bernhardt (1994) based his model on this process of the CIA and adapted it to businesses. He includes need determination in the “planning and directing” phase.
Planning and Direction (or tasking)
Collecting Processing Analysis and
Kahanar (1996) describes only four phases in his book: planning and direction, collecting, analysis and dissemination. He also includes needs determination into the planning and direction phase.
One of the more complete models is provided by Lackman et al (2000) integrating user identification, needs assessment and a feedback mechanism into the model. It is important for the literature framework to know that all scholars agree on the basis of the process, consisting of the original five phases completed with a need assessment and feedback phase. This is the reason why I have chosen this process to base my further research on.
I have combined all models (CIA; Bernhardt: Kahanar; Lackman et al; and McGonagle & Vella) because this provides the most complete and comprehensive view on the competitive intelligence process of TNT’s CMI.
To further increase the comprehensiveness I have decided to let the combined process consist of more phases than the original ones because I have split up some of the original phases. The Competitive Intelligence process that I will use in this research consists of 8 phases: a user identification phase, a needs assessment phase, a monitoring and observing phase, a collecting phase, a structuring phase, an analysis phase, a disseminating phase and a storing & feedback phase. I will briefly explain every step of the cycle. In the diagnostic phase of the research I will go into more detail on the process and explain the implications for CMI when assessing the different approaches for this process.
Figure 5.3 the Competitive Intelligence process
5.3.1 Assess Intelligence Needs
Because there is so much data, it is vital that some boundaries or frameworks are put on the CI activity so as to focus on the most important areas of interest. All too often the intelligence provider produces a buffet of information, leaving the
bewildered user to somehow select something, rather than a focused intelligence menu that is aligned with the user’s needs and priorities (Brandt, 1994: p 31). There needs to be a statement about what it is really needed and why. It is a critical
component that is sometimes overlooked and yet is the key to success or failure of the intelligence function (Lackman et al, 2000: p18), so therefore before any data or information is collected, the strategically relevant needs of all intelligence users must be articulated (Bernhardt, 1994).
5.3.2 Monitoring & Observing
Needs assessment Observing & Monitoring Collecting from external & internal sources Structuring & Elimination Analyzing & Production Dissemination Storing Utilization & Feedback The Intelligence Cycle
Numerous sources need to be continuously monitored in order to find the appropriate material. Monitoring can be seen as continuous surveillance of formal and informal sources, whereas the actual collection calls for a more specified need. On the other hand, active monitoring is also likely to create new needs (Lackman et al, 2000). 5.3.3 Collecting from Internal and External Sources of Information In this Phase the CI professionals must distinguish sources and chose the most relevant ones. There are many sources of information. From some of these sources, information is actively sought and for others it is accidentally found. Again, it is important to properly align user needs with information constantly flowing into the process from numerous sources (Lackman et al, 2000). Intelligence professionals estimate that researchers can access 80 to 90 percent of the information needed for a given intelligence project through publicly-available channels
(www.combsinc.com).
Competitive Intelligence departments must be aware that most intelligence that managers require already exists inside the firm. The problem according to Bernhardt (1994) is that, generally, there is no formal mechanism in place to leverage internal information sources. Examples are managers and staff from Engineering, Finance, HR, Manufacturing, Marketing, R&D, and Sales. They can all contribute in terms of valuable competitive intelligence. It is a key function of the Competitive Intelligence activity to harness the power and add value to the capabilities of these knowledge assets (Bernhardt, 1994: p 19).
5.3.4 Structuring & Elimination: From Data to Information and Knowledge: The next two steps of the intelligence process will be explained with the help of the Intelligence Pyramid from Rodenburg (2004). He defines five steps from raw data to concrete actions (see figure 5.4)
In short, Rodenberg (2004) explains in his book that to get to Competitive
Intelligence, collected data must be filtered and structured into information which then must be analyzed, synthesized, and shared for it to become knowledge. These are the steps that have to be taken in this phase of the Intelligence cycle. The next phase, the analyzing phase, consists of combining, interpreting and using the knowledge and information for predicting future scenarios. This is the point where knowledge becomes intelligence. What turns knowledge into intelligence is
processing it into forecasts and utilizing it in future oriented decision making (McGonagle & Vella 1999, p9). This process is visualized in the pyramid.
s STRATEGIC IMPACT & DECISION MAKING INTELLIGENCE KNOWLEDGE INFORMATION DATA Tacit Quantitative Strategic Tactical Explicit External Internal Qualitative ACTION Towards sustainable and profitable growth Recommending Packaging Disseminating Communication Implementing Assessing Increasing value
Figure 5.4 The Intelligence Pyramid (Rodenberg Tillman & Associates, 2004) Filtering Bringing order Structuring Sharing Synthesizing Analyzing Insight Combining Interpreting Fore sighting
Rodenberg distinguishes Quantitative from Qualitative data at the data level, Internal from External information at the information level, Explicit from Tacit knowledge at the knowledge level and Tactical from Strategic intelligence at the intelligence level. A CI professional can take different routes through the model to get from data to intelligence: e.g. quantitative data can be obtained from the external environment transformed into explicit knowledge to support strategic decision making. There is not one right way.
5.3.5 Analyzing & Production: from information and knowledge to Intelligence and action
The challenge for Intelligence professionals is to create actionable intelligence. Many Competitive Intelligence professionals stress that the analysis of competitive
information remains the most important part of any intelligence work. Researchers utilize a variety of tools to analyze competitive intelligence data and transform it into usable information.
Examples of analytical tools are Competitor Profiling, SWOT analyses, Win/Loss Analyses, War gaming, Scenario Planning, Market share analyses and many others. In the end the purpose of intelligence is to put the fragments of information into a coherent puzzle, a picture of the forthcoming future (Kahanar, 1996: p20-21). The essential notion, again, is that information is turned into something that can be acted upon. Bernhardt (1994) thinks of the end product of the intelligence process,
intelligence, as: “the lifeblood of strategy” and argues that a strategy without intelligence is not strategy, it is merely guessing.
5.3.6 Dissemination
Dissemination is the next step in the Intelligence process, and involves the
communication, or delivery of the finished intelligence product to policymakers. The role of the dissemination phase is to ensure that the right people receive the right intelligence at the right time (Bernhardt, 1994). Dissemination is an extremely significant part of the intelligence process as the basis of the entire function may erode if the intelligence product is delivered too late or badly understood.
Most important in this phase is that the needs of the intended audience should match the content of competitive intelligence reports and the method by which it is
communicated (Marketing Research Board, Research 2004). 5.3.7 Storing & utilization
The processed and communicated intelligence needs to be adequately stored. The role of modern technology is increasingly important in storing intelligence. It is
essential to guarantee that intelligence is easily available for further reference. In the storing phase, it is also essential to consider safety issues so that valuable
intelligence is not openly available for unintended users. Not everybody needs to know about the intelligence behind strategic issues.
Utilization of the intelligence will lead to new needs (Prescott, 2001). Gilad (1989) identifies five basic targets for utilization: identifying new business opportunities,
sharing ideas, improving the organization’s ability to anticipate surprises, improving manager’s analytical skills and integrating diverse ideas.
Effectiveness of the utilization phase is highly dependent on the successful
implementation of the earlier phases. First, if the needs are not carefully determined, the usefulness of the intelligence is clearly low. Second, if not thoroughly analyzed, the gathered information might not meet the requirements of the decision makers. Finally, if intelligence is disseminated too late it is not likely to lead to correct actions.
5.3.8 Feedback
There should be a feedback mechanism in every good intelligence program in order to learn from the decisions that have been made in the past. It means having an overview of those things that have lead to the decisions being made in relation with the expectations of those decisions (Rodenberg, 2004).
6 The Diagnostic phase
This chapter will give a multiform view on an ideal Competitive Intelligence process and structure for TNT Express, starting with the Academic view, the benchmark overview, and finally the customer view. 6.1 Academic view on ideal Structure and Process
In this chapter, the academic view on an ideal competitive intelligence process will be elaborated. According to the Market Research Executive Board (MREB) there are three approaches for a CI department like CMI to arrange its CI process: a Project-Focussed, an Issue-Project-Focussed, or a Decision-Focussed research approach.
The three models introduced below are the result of the integration of each of these approaches with the Intelligence Cycle, and Rodenberg’s Intelligence Pyramid. I saw the opportunity to merge these theories into a model that could explain in a
comprehensive way the processes supporting the different research approaches which an Intelligence department could apply. The underlying thought is that depending on which focus a CI department chooses, the process will change and different assessments/steps need to be made.
Competitive Intelligence is often too broad or too narrow. Getting it just right is very difficult and is one of the main struggles of CI departments, CMI at TNT Express included. Furthermore, intelligence is lost in the translation from the researcher to the customer and in many cases the customer has no or limited ownership. The main challenge for a CI department is to overcome these problems by getting it just right to the right people at the right time.
Academic / literature view
Design requirements for the modeling of an optimized TNT CMI department Customer view, demands and needs Competitor benchmarki ng Ideal CMI process and structure based on a multiform Decision-Focused Research Structure Issue-Focused Research Structure Project-Focused Research Structure
No customer buy-in Full Customer buy-in Info / data
provision
Intelligence provision
6.1.1 Project-Focused Research Structure
The first approach would be for CMI to focus on projects (depicted below). This approach implies that CMI would focus its research around individual projects
without or limitedly looking at the broader picture. Typically this means that CMI will be fulfilling ad hoc requests and the output will mainly be (actionable) information instead of intelligence and tightly defined around tactical questions. This approach has one big advantage, customers will easily adopt the intelligence with little translation or support from CMI.
The project-focused research approach starts with the individual requests or project. Depending on the requests the researcher assesses which sources need to be tapped and collects the data. This data is then transformed into actionable information. In most cases this is sufficient to fulfil the requests. After communicating the results, the researcher’s responsibility stops. In fact this is the simplest form of producing intelligence.
The problem is that the Project-Focus approach only looks at individual requests and overlooks the bigger picture. Lots of valuable information is lost and the CI
department tends to become an information source instead of an intelligence provider. The full potential of the CI department is underestimated when restricting the research activities to this approach.
Impact INTELLIGENCE KNOWLEDGE INFORMATION DATA Tacit Quantitativ Strategic Tactical Explicit External Internal Qualitative Increasing value Decisions made by customer
Collecting From Data to intelligence Communicating Project/ Request Research collects data and information to address the business’s request. Decision ambiguity: Insight application in business decisions is beyond the purview of the Research
Data is transformed into tailored actionable
information, but not always into Intelligence, needing relatively little translation because the customer is involved from the beginning.
Schematic overview of an Project-Focused Research Structure
Decisions/ Actions
Figure 6.1.1 Integration of the Intelligence Cycle, the MREB framework for research and Rodenberg’s intelligence pyramid
6.1.2 Issue-Focused Research Structure
The second approach would be for CMI to focus on issues. This is an approach where CMI would try to identify key issues in the business where it could focus its research on. The primary reason to use this approach would be to ensure that the research portfolio is hovering over the highest-return research needs of the business. The output is broader and more strategic in nature. To make it more actionable for the customers, CMI would firstly need to analyze and interpret the information and secondly translate it to the customers for them to be able to understand and act upon it.
The Issue-focussed Research approach starts by looking at the most important business issues. These are determined on base of regular meetings and interviews with higher management and other main decision makers within the company as well as by monitoring the environment on important and relevant shifts that might
directly or indirectly impact the company. A broad scope of information sources is then covered to gather data and information on the issues. The researchers then have to transform all data into intelligence after which it must be translated and communicated in the best possible way for the business to understand the relevance and the possible implication for the company. The output is mainly in the form of reports or newsletters and spread to a broad audience. What is actually done with the intelligence is often beyond the purview of the researcher.
The advantage of this approach is that because of the scope lots of important topics are covered and the CI department can feed its customers proactively with
intelligence on issues that were determined by higher management and the CI department together. Effort and time is only put in the highest return issues for the company as a whole instead of in individual requests that might only be of relevance for a small audience. This approach also gives the CI department the opportunity to automate and systemize its output around these issues.
The down side of the Issue-Focussed approach is that in focussing on high return issues only, needs of many customers will not be fulfilled or only partially. Also the breadth of the intelligence output will make it less actionable. The intelligence will be lost in the translation from the researcher to the customer and the ownership of the customer in the process will be limited. Important issues will be covered but the issues might not always relate to specific needs and decisions to be made. Therefore, the CI department might forgo its objective which is to provide its customers with actionable intelligence. Subsequently, big reports on broad issues are not well read.
Impact INTELLIGENCE KNOWLEDGE INFORMATION DATA Tacit Quantitative Strategic Tactical Explicit External Internal Qualitative Increasing value Monitoring / collecting From Data to intelligence Translating/ communicating Insights produced by CMI
Research expands the scope of its
information resources to ensure it can individually address the business’s issues
Decision ambiguity: Insight application in business decisions is often beyond the purview of the Research The breadth of
information output requires significant translation for the
business to understand its relevance
Decisions made by customer Schematic overview of an Issue-Focused Research Structure
Business Issues
Decisions/ Actions
Figure 6.1.2 Integration of the Intelligence Cycle, the MREB framework for research and Rodenberg’s intelligence pyramid
