Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research

Erbil Polytechnic University

Erbil Administrative Technical College

Department: Technical Business Management

Stage: 4 - B

Business Intelligence
Strategic intelligence

Supervisor:
Mr. Ismael Mahmood

Prepare:

Sarwar Saman

2022-2023
 Table of Contents
Introduction..........................................................................................................................................1
Definition and Tasks of Strategic Intelligence.....................................................................................2
Importance of Strategic Intelligence....................................................................................................3
Types of Strategic Intelligence.............................................................................................................4
Process of Strategic Intelligence..........................................................................................................4
Conclusion............................................................................................................................................6
References............................................................................................................................................7
 Introduction
Strategic intelligence is the systematic process of gathering, analyzing, and disseminating
information that is relevant to an organization's decision-making process. The goal of strategic
intelligence is to provide organizations with a competitive advantage by helping them to make
informed decisions based on an understanding of their environment, including the competitive
landscape, market trends, political developments, and other relevant factors.

The importance of strategic intelligence cannot be overstated, as it enables organizations to respond

proactively to changing circumstances, anticipate challenges, and capitalize on opportunities. It also
provides organizations with a deeper understanding of their environment, which helps them to
develop and implement more effective strategies.

The objectives of strategic intelligence are to provide organizations with the information they need
to make informed decisions, to reduce uncertainty and risk, and to enhance their ability to compete
in an ever-changing environment. This is achieved by collecting and analyzing data from a variety
of sources, including primary research, secondary research, and intelligence from a range of
stakeholders, such as employees, customers, suppliers, and industry experts.

In summary, strategic intelligence is a critical component of modern organizations that helps them
to make informed decisions, mitigate risk, and achieve their objectives. It is a complex and ongoing
process that requires expertise, resources, and a commitment to continuous learning and
improvement.

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 Definition and Tasks of Strategic Intelligence

Competitive Intelligence (CI) is often defined as knowledge and foreknowledge about the external
operating environment of the organization. The purpose of CI is to facilitate proactive decision
making by producing the needed business information into actionable form and making it available
at the right time. The orientation and utilization of CI is tactical and to some extent strategic. The CI
time horizon focuses on present events and, to some extent, on past and future events as well. Some
CI processes are designed to serve the strategic level, while some focus on operative monitoring or
both. Strategic Intelligence is a type of Competitive Intelligence produced for strategic purposes.
Customers of SI include individuals involved in strategic decision-making. From the process
perspective, Strategic Intelligence can be seen as a part of Competitive Intelligence as it is also a
systematic and continuous process with a purpose to facilitate decision-making with needed and
timely intelligence input delivered in actionable form.

The major difference between SI and CI is that SI actions focus strictly on supporting strategic
decision-making by monitoring aspects with strategic significance.

Users of SI are primarily individuals involved in strategy development. Additionally,

a SI time horizon is broad and the focus is on all significant events: past, present and future
events (Figure 2). In short, Strategic Intelligence can be defined as: “A systematic and continuous
process of producing needed intelligence of strategic value in an actionable form to
facilitate long-term decision-making”.

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Strategic Intelligence has to be highly need based. Here, need refers to content needs as well as
communication needs of the content (format, timeliness etc.). Typically, the higher the strategic
analysis level, the more interactive the intelligence communication and the less information
quantity are required. Some typical, content related strategic intelligence needs include:
• Impact-analysis/so-what analysis: how does a certain phenomenon affect the company’s
business
• Business driver analysis: what are the main driving forces affecting the business environment
• Scenarios with probable outcomes/long range views of battlefield developments
• In-depth competitor and key-customer analyses instead of company profiles
• Bird’s eye view of the business environment: overall battlefield illustrations
• Relevant macro issue and trend analysis and their impact
• Analysis of critical strategic themes

Importance of Strategic Intelligence

Strategic intelligence is an essential tool for organizations to maintain a competitive advantage and
make informed decisions. Some of the key reasons why strategic intelligence is important include:

1. Improved decision-making: Strategic intelligence provides organizations with the

information they need to make informed decisions and anticipate changes in their
environment. By understanding market trends, competitor strategies, and other relevant
factors, organizations can make more informed decisions that lead to better outcomes.

2. Mitigation of risk: Strategic intelligence helps organizations to identify potential risks and
challenges, allowing them to prepare and mitigate those risks effectively.

3. Competitive advantage: Strategic intelligence provides organizations with an understanding

of the competitive landscape, which can help them to identify new opportunities, develop
innovative strategies, and stay ahead of the competition.

4. Adaptability: Strategic intelligence enables organizations to respond proactively to changes

in their environment, which is particularly important in today's fast-paced business world.

5. Improved planning: Strategic intelligence helps organizations to develop more effective

plans and strategies by providing them with a comprehensive understanding of their
environment.
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 Types of Strategic Intelligence

There are several different types of strategic intelligence, including:

1. Competitive Intelligence: This type of intelligence focuses on understanding a company's

competitors, including their strengths and weaknesses, strategies, and market positioning.

2. Market Intelligence: This type of intelligence focuses on understanding market trends,

consumer behavior, and the market environment in which a company operates.

3. Political Intelligence: This type of intelligence focuses on understanding the political

environment, including government regulations and policies that may impact a company's
operations.

4. Economic Intelligence: This type of intelligence focuses on understanding the economic

environment, including economic indicators, market trends, and the state of the economy.

5. Environmental Intelligence: This type of intelligence focuses on understanding the external

environment, including factors such as technological advancements, demographic shifts, and
social and cultural changes.

Process of Strategic Intelligence

The process of strategic intelligence involves several key steps, including planning, collection,
analysis, dissemination, and feedback.

A. Planning: The first step in the process of strategic intelligence is planning. This involves
identifying the information that is needed to support decision-making, determining the sources of
information, and establishing a plan for collecting and analyzing the data.

B. Collection: The second step in the process of strategic intelligence is collection. This involves
gathering information from a variety of sources, such as primary research, secondary research, and

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intelligence from stakeholders. The information collected can be in the form of data, reports, or
other relevant materials.

C. Analysis: The third step in the process of strategic intelligence is analysis. This involves
evaluating the information that has been collected, synthesizing it into useful insights, and
identifying trends and patterns. The goal of analysis is to convert raw information into actionable
intelligence that can be used to support decision-making.

D. Dissemination: The fourth step in the process of strategic intelligence is dissemination. This
involves communicating the insights and recommendations generated by the analysis to
stakeholders within the organization. The goal of dissemination is to ensure that the intelligence is
used effectively to support decision-making.

E. Feedback: The final step in the process of strategic intelligence is feedback. This involves
evaluating the effectiveness of the intelligence process, including the quality of the information
collected, the accuracy of the analysis, and the usefulness of the insights generated. The goal of
feedback is to continuously improve the quality and effectiveness of the intelligence process.

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 Conclusion
In conclusion, Strategic Intelligence is a systematic and continuous process of producing needed
information of strategic value to support decision-making. It is an essential tool for organizations to
maintain a competitive advantage and make informed decisions by providing information on
competitors, market trends, political and economic environment, and external factors. The process
of Strategic Intelligence includes planning, collection, analysis, dissemination, and feedback. There
are various types of Strategic Intelligence, including Competitive Intelligence, Market Intelligence,
Political Intelligence, Economic Intelligence, and Environmental Intelligence. By understanding
these key elements of Strategic Intelligence, organizations can use it as a powerful tool to improve
decision-making, mitigate risk, gain competitive advantage, adapt to changes, and improve their
planning.

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 References

Reference:

1. Porter, M. E. (1998). Clusters and the new economics of competition. Harvard

Business Review, 76(6), 77-90.
2. Hamel, G. (1991). Competition for competence and inter-partner learning within
international strategic alliances. Strategic Management Journal, 12(S1), 83-103.
3. Barney, J. B. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of
Management, 17(1), 99-120.
4. Wu, D. Y. (2005). The role of strategic intelligence in supporting dynamic
capabilities. Strategic Management Journal, 26(5), 463-478.
5. Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., & Hoskisson, R. E. (2007). Strategic management:
competitiveness and globalization. Cengage Learning.