Vår 2022

BED-2035 Competitive Intelligence - 10 stp

The course is administrated by

Handelshøgskolen ved UiT

Type of course

This course can be taken as a singular course.

The course requires the presence on the campus that provides instruction in the subject. The course is not suitable for students who can not attend lessons, group work and the like.

Before students take this course, students must have taken a course in marketing. Eg. BED-1004 Marketing.

Course contents

This course provides an introduction to an organizations external environment, and how one should monitor and analyze it to gain future competitive advantages that would benefit a company.

Application deadline

Applicants from countries within EU/EEA: June 1st for the autumn semester and December 1st for the spring semester. Exchange students and Fulbright students: 1 October for the spring semester and 15 April for the autumn semester.

Admission requirements

Higher Education Entrance Qualification. Application code 2199.

Before students take this course, students must have taken a course in marketing. Eg. BED-1004 Marketing.

Objective of the course

Students who have successfully completed the course should have achieved the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge and comprehension:

Basic knowledge of Competitive Intelligence (CI).
Be able to understand the complexity of a company’s external environment in areas concerning external stakeholders.
A solid understanding on how it can make and improve a company’s competitive edge in an actual marketplace.
Have a good understanding of the Macro environment
Basic theoretical skills of the external marketing areas a company should monitor.
Be able to pinpoint precise problem statements in a company’s environment.
To understand how a company can gain a competitive edge based on a competitive intelligence system.

Skills:

Be able to define a company’s Competitive Intelligence needs.
Be able to identify the key areas of the Macro environment.
Be able to understand underlying patterns of stakeholder’s agenda in the market place.
Can retrieve relevant information about a competitor’s capabilities and actions in the market place.
Be able to analyze strategic alternatives a company has in the market based on the CI-system
Be able to carry out an analysis and make recommendations concerning a company’s competitive area to gain a competitive edge.

Competence:

Be able to convey knowledge of Competitive Intelligence and analyze a company’s needs
Be able to set up a CI-system to improve the competitive force.
Have a deep understanding of ethics that relates to the retrieval of data for analytical perspectives in the CI-process, and not to step over these boarders.
Have sufficient knowledge to be able to function as a CI-consultant or perform middle manager tasks in a marketing organization.

Language of instruction

English

Teaching methods

Some lectures, but mostly team work. The students are divided into teams that will solve relevant problems concerning the topic

Assessment

Exam:

Part 1: Three oral mandatory tasks (teamwork) during the semester each counting 15 percent of the final grade. The tasks are graded on a scale of five marks from A to E for pass and F for fail.

Part 2: A two-hour written exam where the students turn in a written problem statement. Then a 48 hours home exam where the students answer their problem statement (counting 55 percent of final grade). A graded scale of five marks from A to E for pass and F for fail.

There will be no re-sit exam for this course.

Language of examination is English.