Strategic Intelligence for the Future 1

Preface

Since the Public Economic Intelligence Policy (PPIE) was established in France, there have been a number of conferences, and research groups, as well as the introduction of training reference bases, including publications on the subject. However, a look at its track record shows that since the enthusiasm of its beginnings, routine has prevailed and competitive intelligence has been drawn toward concerns relating to security, leaving behind the notions of foresight, strategy, and geopolitical understanding of business, and of the institutions that they export or not.

In a world currently undergoing complete reconfiguration, where in 10 years’ time France will no longer be the sixth world power, there is a need to reconsider our vision of the reality. We need to “change our way of thinking”, and to no longer analyze the information we find easy to obtain (as is the case today) with references of the past.

We need to re-discover competitive intelligence. The objective of this book is to put competitive intelligence into a modern context of information, as well as of its strategic exploitation. We can no longer afford to remain naïve and must move from the passiveness of theory to action. Acting is, of course, applying the methods and tools of intelligence and competitive intelligence to our understanding of the business environment. But it is also about using this mix to thoroughly immerse ourselves in the methods used by our competitors to better fight on the international ...