CHRISTINE JOY R.

MARSO BSA-3A

1.) Describe the “process of performing an external audit” in an organization doing strategic planning.

To perform an external audit, the company should get as many managers andemployees involved as
possible. This fosters understanding and commitmentthroughout the organization.

In general, the process is conducted in three steps:

1. Gathering of competitive intelligence and information concerning:

 Economic forces
 Social, cultural, demographic, and natural environment forces
 Political, governmental, and legal forces
 Technological forces
 Competitive forces

2. Assimilating and evaluating intelligence/information for opportunitiesand threats.

Managers should meet to rank and prioritize these factorswith the following guidelines:

 Importance to achieving long-term and annual objectives

 Measurable
 Applicable to competing firms
 Hierarchical within the organization

3. Distributing and communicating the final list of the most importantexternal factors
throughout the organization.

2.) Compare and contrast the duties and responsibilities of a CIO with a CTO in a large firm.
Both CIO and CTO roles are ultimately rooted in technology, but the key difference is in the emphasis
they place either internally or externally, for staff or customers and partners. A CTO creates technology
to sell to customers whereas a CIO focuses on managing infrastructure for the business operations.

Chief Technology Officer Chief Information Officer

Serves as the company’s top technology architect Serves as the company’s top technology
infrastructure manager

Runs the organization’s engineering group Runs the organization’s internal IT operations

Uses technology to enhance the company’s Works to streamline business processes with
product offerings technology

Focuses on external customers (buyers) Focuses on internal customers (users and business
units)

Collaborates and manages vendors that supply Collaborates and manages vendors that supply
solutions to enhance the company’s product(s) infrastructure solutions

Aligns the company’s product architecture with Aligns the company’s IT infrastructure with
business priorities business priorities

Develops strategies to increase the company’s top Developers strategies to increase the company’s
line (revenue) bottom line (profitability)

Has to be a creative and innovative technologist to Has to be a skilled and organized manager to be
be successful successful
3.) What are the three basic objectives of a competitive intelligence program? Explain in your own
understanding.

The three basic objectives of a competitive intelligence (CI) program are:

1) To provide a general understanding of an industry and its competitors.

 Competetive intelligence is the ability to gather information from an industry and it's
competitors that can contribute to business's competetive advantage. The only way to survive in
any competitive industry is the need to understand how to measure up against the competitors,
and then use that information to the fullest advantage.

2) To identify areas in which competitors are vulnerable and to assess the impact strategic actions would
have on competitors.

 Competitive intelligence provides businesses their most detailed and accurate course of action
toward competitive advantages.

3) To identify potential moves that a competitor might make that would endanger a firm’s position in
the market.

 Competitive intelligence brings many market research about the competitors practices,
pricing,products and more.