Abstract
Intelligence, or information helpful in value-added decision making, is largely classified into Business Intelligence and Competitive Intelligence. The concept of Business Intelligence was first proposed by Dr. Stevan Dedijer, professor of Lund University, Sweden, in the early 1970s, with an emphasis on the security of intelligence. In addition to the implication of intelligence for decision making, he also introduced a concept of Social Intelligence. Business Intelligence is relevant to development, maintenance and extension of businesses, risk management, and confidentiality. Competitive Intelligence, on the other hand, originates from the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) established in the U. S. in 1986 by information specialists from academia and industry as well as CIA-related persons. This subject has been attracting attention, in terms of the conditions for competitive edge, chiefly in the U. S. with some contributions from European and Oceanian countries. It has been, however, pointed out that competitor analysis is often overemphasized, leading to a skewed knowledge: Business and Competitive Intelligence should rather be regarded as complementary. The present paper performs case studies of risk management and business development based on Business Intelligence, and emphasizes the importance of enhanced education in intelligence in the 21st-century Japan.
