Current Skills Development Offerings

Date: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 - 10:30am    Cost: $79

Intelligence collection is at the heart of the competitive intelligence (CI) process. Accomplishing it in the most productive, complete and efficient manner is critical to a lasting and successful CI effort. At the same time, finding information that provides for competitive advantage – information and intelligence of which our competitors may not have the same awareness or ability to access – requires a creative approach.

Knowledge of unique and lesser known information and intelligence sources can accommodate advantages and successes for the CI professionals who employ them and the companies wesupport. Attend this webinar to learn about these sources, as well as related research tools and techniques.

At the conclusion of this 90-minute webinar, you will be able to:

• Identify and use lesser known and only recently available sources that explicitly meet CI collection needs and requirements, specifically related to publicly available information.
• Utilize database and web search tools and techniques to target effectively the most relevant information, avoid overload and cut through extraneous results.
• Recognize creative sources that meet your particular needs and lead you to more successful CI collection in the future.

 

Date: Thursday, February 19, 2009 - 1:00pm    Cost: $49

As companies become increasingly subject to federal, state and local government and legal and financial requirements for filing information about their operations, research professionals are able to take greater advantage of the availability of these resulting public records and filings. At the same time, it is challenging at best to become and remain current and knowledgeable regarding the sources, tools and techniques for productive, efficient and ethical collection of public records and filings and, most importantly, how to apply the findings for decision-makingpurposes.

During this webinar, we will explore the various types of public records sources and why they are important and relevant to the businessresearcher/analyst. We will focus specifically on the information available regarding U.S. companies – both public and private – and intelligence that can be derived regarding their financial resources and capabilities, corporate relationships, and potential weaknesses and challenges, among other types of information.

Attend this webinar to learn how to find and use corporate filings, real and personal property information, court filings, and government agency filings to gain useful insights.

At the conclusion of this 60-minute webinar, you will be able to:

• Be more familiar with the types of Public Records sources most useful for business research and analysis, and their respective applications.
• Be able to use subscription and web search tools and techniques, in the most time and cost effective manner, to uncover valuable Public Records information.
• Become aware of the legal and ethical considerations surrounding Public Records research.

 

Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 - 4:00pm    Cost: $79

In the United States, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides that any person has the right to access to federal agency records or information. Many U.S. states and local governments have similar policies. Each individual agency is responsible for meeting its FOIA responsibilities for its own records, and is required to disclose records upon receiving a written request (except where the records are legally protected from disclosure).

During the webinar, we will explore the specific sources and types of information that can be accessed through FOIA, including, but not limited to, federal agencies; state and local governments; directories, reference works and other sources; and electronic databases. Furthermore, we will discuss the factors that should be considered when submitting FOIA requests and practical examples of the FOIA request process.

At the conclusion of this 90-minute webinar, you will be able to:

• Understand the information sources and types of information that can be collected through the FOIA process.
• Implement a FOIA request, as is available and appropriate for your specific needs.
• Learn how the resulting findings can be applied to your planning and decision-making processes.