AUTHOR

Avner Barnea
Competitive Intelligence Lecturer
MBA program of the Ono Academic College, Israel

Blast from the Past: Link Analysis a Tool for Competitive

L building networks
interconnected objects through
various relationships to discover
of providing another way to communicate
knowledge, similar to the social process
(the interaction between people).
receive information that can be viewed in
multiple contexts. The link analysis
solution has to process information
patterns and trends. Its main tasks are Almost any information item can be within these diverse contexts while
to find and link together information associated within one or more applying each individual change to all
from various sources, and to adequately contexts. A tool capable of building up contexts. Creating links between these
represent and estimate the relevance of the context of one item in combination different contexts gives an added value to
this information. with other relevant resources can the intelligence picture.
Developed during the last 15-20 significantly contribute to During the link analysis process, links
years, link analysis has been applied to understanding the “big picture.” should be distinguished by type,
various fields, including mathematics, The competitive intelligence team applying color, thickness or textual
social sciences and computer science. collects and obtains information from a labels. Together with overall relationship
This analysis has recently attracted wide variety of sources. The link visualization of the links and their
wider attention for its applicability to analysis system should manage sources, this supports intelligence
law enforcement and intelligence information in any digital form including efforts by showing the type and the
investigations (international terrorism, e-mail, a key source of incoming relevance of the resources and links.
illegal money flows), fraud detection competitive information. Internal Visualization is also a proven way to
(banking, insurance), Web analysis database information relating to people, transfer knowledge between team
(search engines, marketing), companies, and technologies should associates. Visual mapping of gathered
telecommunications (routers, traffic, also be accessible for inclusion into this information improves the ability to
connectivity), and competitive system as should external information communicate knowledge and
intelligence. linked to other related internal understanding of relationships and
Link analysis can also mine and resources. textual phrasing.
analyze competitor site links in Information received from primary The contribution of competitive
extensive detail. Analysis results are sources provides high quality input to intelligence is measured by its ability to
displayed as a graph of linked objects the competitive intelligence process. create meaningful knowledge.
that support various object The competitive intelligence team Information has to be integrated into a
manipulation and drill-down should be able to quickly add it into the picture which will facilitate intelligence
operations.The visual output of link repository, preferably without knowledge development. This process
analysis facilitates better understanding additional processing. This primary can be strongly supported by link
of the hidden structure of investigating source information can then be analysis systems which analyze diverse
data, and helps quickly isolate patterns combined with other information, resources as well as trace hidden
for additional investigation. analyzed for context, and links created relationships.
Links between contextual maps can between individual items.

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 For example, the competitive intelligence knowledge when the team that supports intelligence analysis and
intelligence team collects information needs precise information, has to rely the development of recommendations
on companies operating in a on assessments, and creates that can improve company
marketplace and then analyzes the recommendations for action. In another performance.
cross ownership of those companies. example, when profiling a key person
Basic link analysis software can create a the team should be able to review his About the Author:
context map from the information. This past or present holdings in varied Avner Barnea, former senior member of
network displays the ownership links companies or his connection to other the Israeli Intelligence Community, holds an
between the company and its owners to business activities. MA from the Hebrew University of
other companies, and can represent Competitive intelligence teams are Jerusalem and the Top Executive Program
other attributes like percentage of under permanent pressure to conduct in Marketing Management from the Tel
ownership. analysis and create recommendations to Aviv University Graduate School of
Finding relations based on similarities internal customers in a timely manner. Business Administration. Avner is a guest
can be useful when looking into the Systems that allow them to efficiently lecturer on CI at the Hebrew University of
history of strategic cooperation compose reports based on linked and Jerusalem Business School and at the
between competitors, for example organized information can provide Business School of the Academic Studies
when you are evaluating potential significant added value. It is difficult to Division of the College of Management.
collaboration regarding participation in conduct the complicated process of Currently he is also a lecturer on
a tender offer. Finding similarities inference without the ability to Competitive Intelligence at the MB A
through comparisons based on combine contexts and contents, and program of the Ono Academic College,
companies’ past activities and links trace hidden and visible information Israel.
significant contributes to competitive links. Link analysis is an analytical tool

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