Dr. Sheila Wright

De Montfort University, United Kingdom

Abstract

This Workshop will instruct delegates on the tools and techniques of competitor analysis and competitor profiling. Delegates will begin to understand the distinction between functional, relevant and value added competitive intelligence (VACI) and how critical success factors can be used to design the entire CI effort. Tools such as the competitor profile matrix worksheet (CPMW), competitor profile matrix overview (CPMO) and competitor profile response matrix commentary (CPRMC) will be applied. A check list of items typically contained in a quality competitor profile will be provided as well as useful templates which facilitate the capture of ‘free’ information from staff.

Key topics

• Learn how to apply proven competitor analysis and profiling techniques
• Learn how to integrate this into the decision making process
• Understand how to distinguish between functional, relevant and value-added CI against the measure of the firm's critical success factors

Speaker profiles

Dr. Craig S. Fleisher is Chief Learning Officer of Aurora WDC, Wisconsin, USA and a member of the graduate faculty at Tampere University of Technology, Finland and Università della Svizzera italiana (Switzerland). He has been President of the Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP), Chair of the Competitive Intelligence Foundation, Editor of the Journal of Competitive Intelligence & Management, and is a SCIP Meritorious Award winner and Fellow. A former MBA director, dean, and endowed university research chair holder, he is/has been a member of university faculties in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, UK and USA. Author of over 100 articles and ten books including the foundational publications in competitive analysis, he has helped many leading multinationals improve their CI processes. He has facilitated workshops or keynoted meetings in over forty countries, supervised dozens of graduate theses, and is a regular recipient of executive and graduate teaching awards.

Dr. Sheila Wright’s experience covers corporate, consulting and educational assignments in UK, Turkey, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, France, South Africa, Spain, UAE and the USA.  She regularly contributes to conferences and events where her views on Competitive Intelligence and Insight Management (CI&IM) are particularly valued.  She has delivered in-house seminars on CI&IM to a number of commercial, public and educational organisations, including the invited guests of the Chairman of Abu Dhabi University.  Evaluating the competitive landscape, competitor behaviour and assessing the impact this can have on strategic decision making is her particular area of expertise, which she also teaches on MSc, MA and MBA programmes at De Montfort University, UK.  Sheila has been responsible for the introduction, and improvement, of CI&IM practice at several firms, notably, two blue-chip UK companies, a mid-sized UK/US agribusiness conglomerate, a UK civil engineering firm, a global automobile manufacturer and a US investment management firm. 

Dr. Craig S. Fleisher

Aurora WDC, USA