Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals

The Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) - (formerly the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals) [1] is a global nonprofit membership organization designed to enhance the skills of knowledge professionals in order to help their companies. Its mission is to enhance the success of its members through leadership, education, advocacy, and networking.[2] SCIP is one of the only global membership organizations in the field of competitive intelligence and business strategy and one if its largest networking events is the annual gathering of CI stakeholders at its annual international meeting and exposition.

SCIP provides education and networking opportunities for business professionals working in the field of strategy and competitive intelligence — the legal and ethical collection and analysis of information regarding the capabilities, vulnerabilities, and intentions of business competitors. In other words, companies need "peripheral vision" which involves oblique impressions about what competitors are doing."[3]

Members are made up of four primary constituencies, including but not limited to corporate practitioners, consultants, vendor/suppliers, and academics. Corporate practitioners make up the largest percentage of the four groups[4]

Nanette (Nan) Bulger is currently the Executive Director of SCIP. The organization is governed by a member-elected board of directors who serve three-year terms.[2] It also has a staff of approximately ten association professionals, led by the executive director, who provide membership services, educational and networking administration, communication management, meetings services, among other services. The organization hosts a CI career board on its web site, supports volunteer projects and Council groups, as well as releases Competitive Intelligence Magazine (quarterly, online publication), SCIP.insight (a monthly free newsletter), and monthly decision support deliverables. Also, SCIP produces various whitepapers and industry reports and grants industry certifications and CEUs. SCIP provides access to expert presentations and webinars on its website as well.[1]

SCIP has a constantly expanding list of chapters in the United States and Canada, international chapters all over the world, as well as alliance partnerships with independent affiliate organizations in many countries. The U.S chapters include: Atlanta, Georgia, Austin,Texas, Chicago Metro Area, Illinois, Columbus/SW Ohio, Ohio, Dallas,Texas, Des Moines, Iowa, Hartford/Southern New England, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Mercyhurst University/Erie, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Mid South: Kentucky, Tennessee & Indiana, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Minneapolis, Minnesota, New York City Metro Area, New York, Northern New Jersey, New Jersey, Pennsylvania/Delaware (Philadelphia Metro), Phoenix, Arizona, Portland, Oregon, Rocky Mountain/Denver, Colorado, San Diego, California, San Francisco, California, Seattle, Washington, Silicon Valley, California South Florida, St. Louis, Missouri, Upstate/Western NY, New York, Washington DC Metro Area, North Virginia and Maryland.[5] In 2009 SCIP agreed upon a merger with the Frost & Sullivan Institute.

SCIP has held annual conferences for almost thirty years, as well as European summit meetings for almost twenty - the next European summit being in Rome (2013). The 2013 and 2014 Annual SCIP International Conference and Exhibition were held in Orlando, Florida. In May 2015, the 30th Annual SCIP Conference is held in Atlanta, Georgia.[6] Each year Aurora WDC offers the Jim Mathews Award and Fellowship to a college or university student. The award entails a free registration to the SCIP Conference and a $500 USD stipend for travel-related expenses.[7]

Additionally, SCIP annually honors individuals who provide outstanding contributions to the competitive intelligence community and field through four awards programs, namely the Meritorious Award, Fellows Award, Catalyst Award, Faye Brill Service Award, as well as the Best Presentation Award.[8]

Historical development

Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals, SCIP, was founded in 1986 in the Washington, DC area through the efforts of a number of local and national intelligence practitioners. The earliest members of the association derived from the corporate community, academe, and public sector. It is currently headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. In December 2005, through the efforts of Dr. Craig Fleisher and the Society's then Executive Director Alexander Graham, SCIP founded the Competitive Intelligence Foundation (CIF).[2] The CI Foundation conducts and supports research on emerging issues and key trends that affect the practice of competitive intelligence and its ability to support key decision-makers and their organizations. The CI Foundation also makes existing and developing competitive intelligence knowledge visible, available, and relevant to the competitive intelligence practitioner through targeted publications including handbooks, studies, and survey reports.

On July 8, 2010 the SCIP (www.scip.org ) Board of Directors voted to officially change the 25-year-old non-profit organization`s name from "Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals" to "Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals".[9] This modification reflects the developing evolution of the competitive intelligence (CI) profession to support executive decision-making and firmly acknowledges the relationship between competitive intelligence and strategy.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 www.scip.org
  2. 1 2 3 (www.scip.org)
  3. ↑ Fowler, Elisabeth M. "Intelligence Experts for Corporations." New York Times. September 27, 1988.
  4. ↑ (SCIP, 2006)
  5. ↑ "SCIP Chapter Overview Chapters Overview Chapter Directory Student Chapters Chapter News Chapter Meetings Get Involved Resources Member Directory Sponsorship SCIP United States Chapter Directory". SCIP. Retrieved 9 February 2015. horizontal tab character in |title= at position 40 (help)
  6. ↑ "SCIP's Conferences and Summits". SCIP. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  7. ↑ "Aurora WDC Jim Mathews Award and Fellowship 2015". University of Maryland. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  8. ↑ http://www.scip.org/content.cfm?itemnumber=2238&navItemNumber=2239
  9. ↑ http://www.scip.org/files/SCIPNameChangeRelease.pdf?navItemNumber=12756
  10. ↑ SCIP

External links

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