Causes of competitive analysis failure: Understanding and responding to problems at the individual level.

It ought to be a fairly safe assumption that a CI analyst would want to perform the analysis task and execute their responsibilities successfully over time. Such competencies should come with added experience on the job, as should the ability to reduce the risk of failure by diagnosing potential pitfalls. This paper presents a) a unique four-level hierarchical model of analysis failure, b) ten key continua of competitive analysis skills which we believe an analyst has to master before they can consider themselves to be truly competent in their work, c) a discussion on the paucity of high quality teaching of these skills, and d) presents eight guiding principles which a firm should consider in an attempt to improve individual performance and reduce the potential for analysis failure. Our purpose in identifying the possibility and causes of analytical failure is that we believe much can be learned by managers and practitioners from studying failures. This learning can ultimately contribute towards creating a more successful analysis function which can only be beneficial to all concerned

The role of insight teams in integrating diverse marketing information management techniques.

The full text version attached to this file is the authors final version. The final definitive publishers version can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/03090560810877187The purpose of this article is to address the viability of planning and executing the integration of four, often independent marketing information management techniques: competitive intelligence (CI), customer relationship management (CRM), data mining (DM) and market research (MR). A longitudinal, exploratory and descriptive case study is reported upon, covering a three year period during a critical development phase of a medium-size, national employer association which sought to improve the quality of marketing-based insights to its strategic planning capability as well as improve economic outcomes. A multi-year roadmap is presented and a key finding was that it is possible to achieve profitable and capability enhancing integration of diverse marketing information management techniques. Successful integration and the use of a highly focused cross functional team generated better market strategies and bottom line benefits. There are very few case studies published that demonstrate the successful evolution and integration of CI, CRM, DM and MR into the enterprise's strategy-making process. The unique element of this example was that it was achieved within the context of a medium-sized, national, not-for-profit employer association

Empirical study of competitive intelligence practice: Evidence from UK retail banking.

Winner of Best Paper in Track Prize sponsored by European Journal of MarketingThis paper presents the findings of an empirical study of the major UK retail banks, the purpose of which was to investigate, not only how they operate their competitive intelligence gathering activities, but the degree to which they “buy-in” to the information sharing attitude. The findings were applied to a best practice model which provides a clear picture of the current status of CI in these establishments and the attitudes of senior managers toward such activity. Recommendations are made on the improvements which would be required for the sector to be considered effective and efficient operators of CI practice

The marketing analyst’s continuum positioning approach to developing pragmatic insight.

Marketing and competitive analysis (MCA) has been part of the curriculum for marketing students and practitioner certification courses for many decades in post-secondary institutions. The implicit assumption that such knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs), or competencies, can be taught, often goes unchallenged. Even after years of rigorous, mainly classroom-based preparation, marketing graduates themselves, and their employers, frequently report that they are not adequately prepared for the MCA task. This situation has led the authors to investigate the question of whether pragmatism in MCA can actually be taught. A new conceptualization is suggested, to help address this situation, one which has been successfully applied in both corporate and graduate MCA development and training programmes. Based on a positioning approach conducted within ten continua, the conceptualisation suggests that MCAs must learn to consider and integrate their insights about these elements within the ongoing conduct of their work. Success in knowing where to emphasize their efforts, knowledge and resources along these continua can potentially lead to improved analysis outcomes. The paper discusses the extant problems in MCA and its instruction, the ten continua, and reports on further research currently being conducted by the authors to empirically examine the framework

Setting the standards for the professionalisation of competitive intelligence practice.

This paper identifies the five commonly accepted and applied standards required for a particular activity to be termed as a legitimate profession. The background to the use of standards to denote professionalism is identified and discussed. These are then applied to the current situation enjoyed by today's CI profession in a corporate environment. CI is measured against each of the five standards and is awarded a pass on one, a bare pass on one other, and a fail against the remaining three. A comprehensive list of recommendations makes it quite clear what employers, practitioners and scholars are now required to do to at least meet, and then exceed the five standards. It is suggested that without a concentrated and continuing effort, CI and CI practitioners will find it increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to secure equal status with the well established, traditional professions, already resident in a corporate environment

Characteristics of competitive intelligence practice in R&D driven firms: Evidence from the UK pharmaceutical industry.

The greatest proportion of Competitive Intelligence (CI) practice in the pharmaceutical industry is located within the R&D function (Halliday et al 1992). This paper reports on the results of an empirical study into the infrastructure of competitive intelligence practice within the industry. The study analyses and reports on the results from data and views gathered via questionnaire which addressed the questions of attitudes towards CI, methods of gathering CI, practitioner background, and problem areas

Clinical use of amyloid-positron emission tomography neuroimaging: Practical and bioethical considerations

Until recently, estimation of β-amyloid plaque density as a key element for identifying Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology as the cause of cognitive impairment was only possible at autopsy. Now with amyloid-positron emission tomography (amyloid-PET) neuroimaging, this AD hallmark can be detected antemortem. Practitioners and patients need to better understand potential diagnostic benefits and limitations of amyloid-PET and the complex practical, ethical, and social implications surrounding this new technology. To complement the practical considerations, Eli Lilly and Company sponsored a Bioethics Advisory Board to discuss ethical issues that might arise from clinical use of amyloid-PET neuroimaging with patients being evaluated for causes of cognitive decline. To best address the multifaceted issues associated with amyloid-PET neuroimaging, we recommend this technology be used only by experienced imaging and treating physicians in appropriately selected patients and only in the context of a comprehensive clinical evaluation with adequate explanations before and after the scan

Global patient outcomes after elective surgery: prospective cohort study in 27 low-, middle- and high-income countries.

BACKGROUND: As global initiatives increase patient access to surgical treatments, there remains a need to understand the adverse effects of surgery and define appropriate levels of perioperative care. METHODS: We designed a prospective international 7-day cohort study of outcomes following elective adult inpatient surgery in 27 countries. The primary outcome was in-hospital complications. Secondary outcomes were death following a complication (failure to rescue) and death in hospital. Process measures were admission to critical care immediately after surgery or to treat a complication and duration of hospital stay. A single definition of critical care was used for all countries. RESULTS: A total of 474 hospitals in 19 high-, 7 middle- and 1 low-income country were included in the primary analysis. Data included 44 814 patients with a median hospital stay of 4 (range 2-7) days. A total of 7508 patients (16.8%) developed one or more postoperative complication and 207 died (0.5%). The overall mortality among patients who developed complications was 2.8%. Mortality following complications ranged from 2.4% for pulmonary embolism to 43.9% for cardiac arrest. A total of 4360 (9.7%) patients were admitted to a critical care unit as routine immediately after surgery, of whom 2198 (50.4%) developed a complication, with 105 (2.4%) deaths. A total of 1233 patients (16.4%) were admitted to a critical care unit to treat complications, with 119 (9.7%) deaths. Despite lower baseline risk, outcomes were similar in low- and middle-income compared with high-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Poor patient outcomes are common after inpatient surgery. Global initiatives to increase access to surgical treatments should also address the need for safe perioperative care. STUDY REGISTRATION: ISRCTN5181700

Quantitative 18F-AV1451 Brain Tau PET Imaging in Cognitively Normal Older Adults, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Alzheimer's Disease Patients

Recent developments of tau Positron Emission Tomography (PET) allows assessment of regional neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) deposition in human brain. Among the tau PET molecular probes, 18F-AV1451 is characterized by high selectivity for pathologic tau aggregates over amyloid plaques, limited non-specific binding in white and gray matter, and confined off-target binding. The objectives of the study are (1) to quantitatively characterize regional brain tau deposition measured by 18F-AV1451 PET in cognitively normal older adults (CN), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and AD participants; (2) to evaluate the correlations between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers or Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and 18F-AV1451 PET standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR); and (3) to evaluate the partial volume effects on 18F-AV1451 brain uptake.Methods: The study included total 115 participants (CN = 49, MCI = 58, and AD = 8) from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Preprocessed 18F-AV1451 PET images, structural MRIs, and demographic and clinical assessments were downloaded from the ADNI database. A reblurred Van Cittertiteration method was used for voxelwise partial volume correction (PVC) on PET images. Structural MRIs were used for PET spatial normalization and region of interest (ROI) definition in standard space. The parametric images of 18F-AV1451 SUVR relative to cerebellum were calculated. The ROI SUVR measurements from PVC and non-PVC SUVR images were compared. The correlation between ROI 18F-AV1451 SUVR and the measurements of MMSE, CSF total tau (t-tau), and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) were also assessed.Results:18F-AV1451 prominently specific binding was found in the amygdala, entorhinal cortex, parahippocampus, fusiform, posterior cingulate, temporal, parietal, and frontal brain regions. Most regional SUVRs showed significantly higher uptake of 18F-AV1451 in AD than MCI and CN participants. SUVRs of small regions like amygdala, entorhinal cortex and parahippocampus were statistically improved by PVC in all groups (p < 0.01). Although there was an increasing tendency of 18F-AV-1451 SUVRs in MCI group compared with CN group, no significant difference of 18F-AV1451 deposition was found between CN and MCI brains with or without PVC (p > 0.05). Declined MMSE score was observed with increasing 18F-AV1451 binding in amygdala, entorhinal cortex, parahippocampus, and fusiform. CSF p-tau was positively correlated with 18F-AV1451 deposition. PVC improved the results of 18F-AV-1451 tau deposition and correlation studies in small brain regions.Conclusion: The typical deposition of 18F-AV1451 tau PET imaging in AD brain was found in amygdala, entorhinal cortex, fusiform and parahippocampus, and these regions were strongly associated with cognitive impairment and CSF biomarkers. Although more deposition was observed in MCI group, the 18F-AV-1451 PET imaging could not differentiate the MCI patients from CN population. More tau deposition related to decreased MMSE score and increased level of CSF p-tau, especially in ROIs of amygdala, entorhinal cortex and parahippocampus. PVC did improve the results of tau deposition and correlation studies in small brain regions and suggest to be routinely used in 18F-AV1451 tau PET quantification