| Description |
1 online resource (xii, 236 pages) |
| Physical Medium |
polychrome |
| Description |
text file |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 205-209) and index. |
| Contents |
Cover; Copyright; Table of Contents; First Words; Introduction; PART 1; Introduction; Defining the Service Business; Foundations for Analysis; How Services Competition Differs; The Broad Spectrum of Competitive Forces; Why Undertake CI in Services?; A Word About Words; References; Chapter 2: Customer-Origin Competition; The True Arena of Competition; The Role of Prior Relationships; Competition from Alternates and Substitutes; Competing Against a Lack of Action; Reluctance to Change as Competition; The Do-It-Yourself Phenomenon; Too Much Competition; Bad Experiences; The Need for Education. |
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Location as Perceptual CompetitionMarket Cooperation; Tackling Customer-Origin Competition; References; Competition Checklist; Key Points to Remember; Chapter 3: A Matter of Influence; Spotting Centers of Influence; Decision by Committee; Delegation as a Competitive Barrier; Recognizing the Role of Gatekeepers; Managing Multiple Influencers; Tackling Influencer Competition; Competition Checklist; Key Points to Remember; Chapter 4: When Uncle Sam Is a Competitor; Undercutting the Private Sector; Siphoning Off Opportunities; More Than the Federal Government; Hidden Competition. |
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A Question of Favoritism?Crossing Borders; Indirect Competition; Tackling Uncle Sam as a Competitor; References; Competition Checklist; Key Points to Remember; Chapter 5: Traditional Competitors; Providers Versus Competitors; Full or Partial Competitors; Issues of Visibility; Imitators Versus Competitors; Absentees and Exclusivities; New Market Entrants; When Foes Are Friends, Too; Elements of Traditional Competition; Tackling Traditional Competitors; Competition Checklist; Key Points to Remember; Chapter 6: An Inside Job; Location as a Competitive Disadvantage. |
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Organizational Structure as Competitive BarrierA Matter of Culture; The Impact of Client Interaction; The Threat of Adamancy; Competing Against Staff Departures; Creating Competition with Too Much Change; Competition from Internal Saboteurs; Clashes of Ego; Tackling Inside Competition; References; Competition Checklist; Key Points to Remember; Chapter 7: Left-Field Competition; Sudden Changes in Demand; Financial Fluctuations; Wanting It All, Wanting It Now; The Tentacles of Technology; Labor and Labor Costs; Per-Capita Competition; Rationalization as Competition; Hidden Competition. |
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CommoditizationReferences; Competition Checklist; Key Points to Remember; PART 2; Chapter 8: Where Are They?; Just What Is Your Industry Sector?; Finding High-Profile Competitors; Finding Low-Profile Competition; Finding Hidden Competition; Public Faces, Private Lives; Customer and Influencer Competition; Government Source Competition; About Where Competitors Are; How to Use the CI You Gather; Finding Your Competition; Chapter 9: What's Their Strategy?; Positioning Tactics; Mission and Vision Statements Can Be Revealing; The Branding Impetus; The Business of Differentiation. |
| Summary |
Focusing specifically on the competitive information needs of service-oriented firms, this book illuminates the many forms of competition in service businesses, identifies the most effective information resources for competitive intelligence, and provides a practical framework for identifying and studying competitors in order to gain competitive advantage. Explained are unique challenges and techniques for tackling traditional competitors, uncovering hidden and left-field competition, discovering and tracking competitor strategies, looking for financial intelligence, and looking for intel. |
| Local Note |
eBooks on EBSCOhost EBSCO eBook Subscription Academic Collection - North America |
| Subject |
Service industries.
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Service industries. |
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Business intelligence.
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Business intelligence. |
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Strategic planning.
|
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Strategic planning. |
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Competition.
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Competition. |
| Genre/Form |
Electronic books.
|
| Other Form: |
Print version: Sawyer, Deborah C., 1953- Smart services. Medford, N.J. : Information Today, Inc., ©2002 0910965560 (DLC) 2001054762 (OCoLC)48221471 |
| ISBN |
1573879843 (electronic book) |
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9781573879842 (electronic book) |
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9781937290740 (electronic book) |
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1937290743 (electronic book) |
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9781937290757 (electronic book) |
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1937290751 (electronic book) |
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0910965560 |
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9780910965569 |
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