"Know your enemy," wrote the ancient Chinese warrior Sun Tzu. As one of the authors in this volume reminds readers, knowledge about the enemy is a helpful way to see the field of competitive intelligence (CI). This easy-to-read book is aimed at strategic managers and CI practitioners, and its goal is to supplement the relative lack of published work that specifically addresses CI in an international context. The editors, who are Canadian professors, have gathered contributions from industry professionals and academics. Despite the volume's Canadian-centric authorship, its focus is global, so it offers useful analysis for managers who need to make the leap from domestic to international CI.
The first three sections address the process, environment, and management of CI. The fourth section discusses the variety of CI practices in select countries to explain the differences in and complexities of performing CI in a multi-country context. A theme that runs throughout the book is the importance of formalizing the CI function: Successfully competitive companies are those that implement learning and knowledge-sharing systems in a formalized way throughout the organization. The concluding chapter outlines the editors' views on the evolution of global CI. They expect it to grow in importance, and also believe it will become increasingly difficult as competition in the world market continues.
Co-editor Blenkhorn is a professor of marketing at the School of Business and Economics, Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. Fleisher is a professor of business strategy and entrepreneurship at Odette School of Business, University of Windsor, Ontario. He is also executive co-editor of the Journal of Competitive Intelligence and Management.—Cynthia D. Churchwell