Competitive intelligence technique:

Competitive intelligence is the process of enhancing marketplace competitiveness through a greater, yet legal and ethical, understanding of a firm's competitors and the competitive environment by analyzing rivals' moves. Competitive intelligence allows companies to anticipate market developments rather than merely react to them. One of the most obvious features of Internet, especially when used with major search engines, is its ability to reveal large quantities of non-standardized information. To avoid information overload it is necessary to focus on specific sites, companies, products etc. This is not difficult in CI, where much information gathering is done by company or product name. Evaluating data is a further problem. Many of the clues which librarians have traditionally used to identify quality information, such as affiliation of the author, reputation of the publisher or journal, are absent from Internet.

Each specific item must be evaluated from the point of view of the context where it was found, and also in relation to other information on the same subject, either from Internet or from a database, periodical etc. Information from a source generally considered of good quality, which coincides with what is learnt from other sources, can be considered accurate. Final verification depends on somebody going out into the field and confirming the information via observation or personal contact.

How to acquire information step by step:

Ask questions: If you come across or are offered competitive information and believe that it may be confidential or proprietary ask questions to find out how the information was obtained, or why it was made available.

Be ethical: How would you or your business react if you found out that your competitors were receiving the kind of information that you acquired?

Breaking the law has consequences: Breaking the law can also result in adverse publicity to your company. Think about how you'd feel if your actions were publicly disclosed on the front page of a newspaper.

Regardless of what method you use to collect competitive intelligence, if you have any question as to the legality of your activity, err on the side of caution and chose another method!

Why organizations are moved to Business Intelligence:

Business intelligence and the development of an intelligent learning organization represent a popular trend in many public and private sector organizations.

Intelligence is the ability to learn, to understand or to deal with new or trying situations; the skilled use of reason; the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one's environment or to think abstractly.

Business intelligence involves the integration of core information with relevant contextual information to detect significant events and illuminate cloudy issues. It includes the ability to monitor business trends, to evolve and adapt quickly as situations change and to make intelligent business decisions on uncertain judgments and contradictory information. If organizations are moving into business intelligence scenarios as a major initiative, they must understand the need for and value of a high-quality data resource.

Organizational knowledge is information that is of significance to the organization, is combined with experience and understanding and is retained. It is information in context with respect to understanding what is relevant and significant to business issues. It is analysis, reflection and synthesis about what information means to the business and how it can be used to advantage.

The quality of the total data resource in most public and private sector organizations is low by reason of its disparity. A low-quality disparate data resource cannot provide high-quality information and cannot adequately support business intelligence. All data must be inventoried, understood and integrated within common data architecture to adequately support a business for better performance achievements.

So the organizations are want to move BI platform for better business results and high quality of data maintaining for future generation.

Why Analytical Business Decisions Suck

Scenario: Dude, we gotta write lengthy calculations on the market region, and freakishly analyze each segment, make the greatest decisions in our industry. We’ll be kings. Yay!

It’s what those self-described-holier-than-thou “business experts” have warped our minds:

>Do lengthy research!
>Write detailed marketing plans!
>Understand your target market in extreme detail!
>Do market studies in every freakin’ region in the freakin’ nation!
The Nerdiest Analytical SOB = Bad Business People

In business, people ask themselves something similar to the following:
Will my XYZ product sell?
Should I hire this Applicant Jimmy?
What products need more of our R&D dollars?
What regional markets should I attack?
What partners will help us most in developing service ABC?
Using the shoddy advice of those “business experts,” most people tend to attack similar business questions by going all-logical on its
The Vicious Analytical Cycle, and How It Sucks
1.Analyze the corporate strategy of a particular competitor.
2.Thinks he’s almost done, but not quite.
3.Analyze the market acceptance of Product B in Region G.
4.Thinks he’s almost done, but not quite.
5.Analyze the customer acquisition costs of Product B like a crazy mofo.
6.Thinks he’s almost done, but not quite.
(Cycle repeats.)
Stuck in the seemingly never-ending cycle, Manager Jimmy goes through paralysis analysis — thinking he constantly needs just “this much more” info before he thinks he can make a decision.
Result: He experiences “paralysis-analysis” — then when the whole process emotionally drains him, he concludes the idea sucks without even testing how the real-world responds to it.

Theory of Distributed Virtual Management

Gone were the days of pre classical approches and also theories like scientific, administrative, quantitive management etc. With the change in time there had been a change in techiniques too. These days Business administration had came a long way from Theory of mordern approch and with the change in technology, no longer will be the need of physical business premisis.
With the increase in freelance professionals and development of technology it seems to be a reality and immiginations of management of employees who are working at their home with comfort and pace of time individually but virtually connected to their formal and informal groups by managers who are also working from the comfort of their home and pace of time but virtually connected to their business premisis are just revolutionary.

In past it is proved that librilisation of employment will result better for an organisation and world is once again waiting for an ultimate librilisation in the field of management.

A Message From Warren E. Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

You probably know that I don't make stock recommendations. However, I have three thoughts regarding your personal expenditures that can save you real money. I'm suggesting that you call on the services of three subsidiaries of Berkshire: GEICO, Borsheim's and Berkshire Hathaway Life Insurance Company of Nebraska (BHLN).
I estimate that about 40% of all auto drivers in the country can save money by insuring with GEICO. The figure is not 100% because insurers differ in their underwriting judgments, with some favoring drivers who live in certain geographical areas and work in certain occupations more than GEICO does. I believe, however, that GEICO more frequently offers the low price than does any other national carrier selling insurance to all comers.

Fine jewelry, watches and giftware will almost certainly cost you less at Borsheim's. I've looked at the figures for all publicly-owned jewelry companies and the contrast with Borsheim's is startling. Our one-store operation, with its huge volume, enables us to operate with costs that are fully 15-20 percentage points below those incurred by our competitors. We pass the benefits of this low-cost structure along to our customers.

Every year Borsheim's sends out thousands of selections to customers who want a long-distance opportunity to inspect what it offers and decide which, if any, item they'd like to purchase. We do a huge amount of business in this low-key way, which allows the shopper to conveniently see the exceptional values that we offer.

Finally, BHLN sells annuity products directly over the internet at its website Like GEICO and Borsheim's, BHLN maintains a low cost structure and, thus, can offer savings to many customers. By visiting the web-site, you can evaluate the specific products, get quotes and actually make a purchase. Check to see whether one or more of the products meet your financial planning needs.

Arcelor Mittal increases European flat carbon steel prices

Rotterdam/Luxembourg, February 13, 2007 - Arcelor Mittal announces an average price increase of 5% on its flat carbon products for general industry sales in Europe in the context of a favourable overall market environment. Arcelor Mittal will also launch a unified and modified price list of extras for qualities and dimensions as part of the ongoing commercial integration of its European flat carbon steel division. The price increase and the new price list will be applicable as of April 1, 2007.

About Arcelor Mittal

Arcelor Mittal is the world's number one steel company, with 330,000 employees in more than 60 countries. The company brings together the world's number one and number two steel companies, Arcelor and Mittal Steel.

Arcelor Mittal is the leader in all major global markets, including automotive, construction, household appliances and packaging, with leading R&D and technology, supplies of raw materials and outstanding distribution networks. An industrial presence in 27 European, Asian, African and American countries exposes the company to all the key steel markets, from emerging to mature, positions it will be looking to develop in the high-growth Chinese and Indian markets.

Arcelor Mittal key pro forma financials for the first nine months of 2006 show combined revenues of USD 65.4 billions, with approximate production capacity of 130 million tonnes a year, representing around 10 per cent of world steel output.

Arcelor Mittal is currently listed under the legal entity Mittal Steel NV on the stock exchanges of New York (MT), Amsterdam (MT), Paris (MTP), Brussels (MTBL), Luxembourg (MT) and on the Spanish stock exchanges of Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid (MTS) and Valencia.