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What is Competitive Intelligence?
Competitive Intelligence (also called Business Intelligence) is information obtained ethically and legally that is used to gain an advantage in commerce. A broader definition of competitive intelligence is the action of defining, gathering, analyzing, and distributing information about products, customers, competitors and any aspect of the business environment needed to support executives and managers in making strategic decisions for an organization.

Books
Competitive Intelligence Advantage: how to minimize risk, avoid surprises, and grow your business in a changing world. Seena Sharp. 2009. (658.472 SHA)

Analysis Without Paralysis: 10 tools to make better strategic decisions. Babette E. Bensoussan. 2009. (658.401 BEN)

A Cautionary Tale
The Big Lie : spying, scandal, and ethical collapse at Hewlett-Packard Anthony Bianco. 2010. (338.7 BIA)

Websites
Online resources are a great way to keep up with industry trends and events.
Business Source Complete
Yahoo! Finance
ReferenceUSA
Intelligence Tools
Provided below are a list of resources you can use to research your chosen industry, find out who your competitors are, and
Business Source Complete
Detailed company profiles, country economic reports, and articles on every aspect of business and management from over 11,000 sources including business magazines, scholarly business journals, and newsletters.
ALT Tag for Image
The SEC’s EDGAR, the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system, provides free public access to corporate information, allowing you to quickly research a company’s financial information and operations by reviewing registration statements, prospectuses and periodic reports filed on Forms 10-K and 10-Q. You also can find information about recent corporate events reported on Form 8-K but that a company does not have to disclose to investors.
ReferenceUSA
Directory information on nearly 12 million U.S. businesses. Includes small, private businesses, franchisees, and sales locations of larger companies. Ideal for compiling contact lists.