Competitive Intelligence Manual for Marketing Practitioners by David Lithwick and Marta Michniewicz-Cocev PMRS Press is excited to announce the release of an important new book, Competitive Intelligence Manual for Marketing Practitioners. There are few Canadian books on Competitive Intelligence (CI) available but while they describe what CI is and why it is valuable, there is no Canadian book that tells you how to use CI, or even how to collect and manage CI information. Competitive Intelligence Manual for Marketing Practitioners fills this gap. The manual was created as a result of countless requests made to the authors David Lithwick and Marta Cocev in the many courses they teach each year and from clients with whom they work, and with the support of the PMRS Board who recognized that members would find this a valuable resource. It covers CI from, how to apply CI, to, how to avoid CI information being gathered on your company by your competitors. Whether you are a research buyer who has been asked to investigate the use of competitive intelligence in your company or you are a user of information who needs to understand your marketplace in greater detail, this is the book for you. And, if you are like me, you will be interested to understand how CI and marketing research can complement each other providing additional insights on the marketplace in which you compete. Let me take you on a short "virtual tour" of Competitive Intelligence Manual for Marketing Practitioners. A quick way to get a sense of the topics covered by this manual is by taking a look at the table of contents. The first thing you will notice is how much detail is contained in the chapter headings. Why is that important? These headings give you an at-a-glance ability to find out the information you require, and this allows you to make your own choice where you want to start in using this manual. And, whether you are a novice or an experienced CI user, you can instantly see how this manual will assist you in obtaining additional tips and ideas to improve what you are already doing. The second thing that you will notice as you scan through the page is how the book is designed and structured to be used as a hands-on manual. It gives you examples and exercises to help get you off to a fast start using CI, and even provides space to make your own notes. Thirdly, as you begin to read, you will notice that the manual contains templates that you can use to create checklists, briefs, presentations and reports that can be adapted to the information requirements of your company. In short, this manual is a great reference tool, a self-directed workshop and a provider of easy-to-use templates. We believe that you will want this manual for yourself and extra copies for anyone in your company who is involved or wanted to be involved in CI. Table of Contents from Competitive Intelligence Manual for Marketing Practitioners: Section 1: The Basics What is CI? How is CI Applied? How CI and Marketing Research Compare? Is CI Ethical? Section 2: Execution How to Plan Your First CI Study How to Evaluate a CI Supplier's Proposal How to Gather CI How to Analyze Your Data How to Keep Your Project Files Organized Section 3: Report Writing How to Incorporate CI Templates Into · Your Reports How to Write a CI Product Scan How to Reconstruct Competitor Marketing Platforms How to Write a Rush Investigation Report How to Write a Pricing Audit How to Write Your First CI Newsletter Section 4: Building Your Program Why CI Programs Fail How to Write a CI Plan How to Recruit the Right People for Your Program How to Motivate Your Sales Reps to Collect and Report CI How to Screen Candidates for the CI Manager's Job Section 5: Leakage How Sensitive Information Can Be Tapped From Your Employees How Sensitive Information Can Be Tapped From Your web site Section 6: Section Applications How CI Can Improve Your Business Presentations How to Carry Out a Mystery Shop How CI Can Uncover Ad Agency Errors