Craig Fleisher
Encyclopedia
Craig S. Fleisher is a researcher and author who has written or edited several important books in the field of business and competitive intelligence and analysis
. Before becoming Dean of the Business School at the College of Coastal Georgia, he was awarded two endowed research chair positions while a Professor of Strategy at the Odette School of Business, University of Windsor
, Ontario, Canada. His research addresses phenomena in the areas of business and competitive intelligence
, corporate public affairs
(government relations and lobbying
), and performance management and measurement.
, his MBA in Human Resource Management and Marketing from the Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University, and BSBA in Finance, Insurance and Real Estate from the University of Florida
. He also held positions in mortgage banking management, real estate appraisal
, and consulting at various points in his career. After getting his PhD, he took an appointment at the University of Calgary
as Associate Professor in the Policy and Environment area, spent nearly a decade in various roles at the School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University
in Waterloo, Ontario, and was at the University of Windsor
for 7 years, following a couple of years in leadership positions at the University of New Brunswick. He serves as a Docent of the Institute of Business Information Management and Logistics at Tampere University of Technology (Finland), is a member of the graduate faculty for the MScom at the Università della Svizzera italiana in Lugano, Switzerland, has also served as a visiting professor or scholar at the University of Sydney
(Australia), De Montfort University (Leicester, UK), and University of Waikato (Hamilton, New Zealand).
He is considered an expert in the business or competitive intelligence
and analysis area based on the number of cited pieces he has written or the level of sales his writings have achieved, as well as in the area of corporate public affairs where his books have been positively reviewed or named as best-sellers. He was recognized for his lifetime contributions to the field of competitive intelligence by being named the international Meritorious award winner and Fellow of the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals
(Alexandria, Virginia, USA), and his efforts in graduate teaching led him to be named one of Canada’s top MBA professors by Canadian Business Magazine in 2006. He has been interviewed about his expertise and research by leading media outlets for magazines, narrow-cast web publications, newspaper, radio and television in a variety of countries, most notably Australia, Canada, and the USA.
which is headquartered in Washington, DC were recognized as the Council’s best-sellers at their time. He has also published the 31 chapter large Handbook of Public Affairs (Sage
, 2005) with his colleague Phil Harris from University of Chester
, United Kingdom
.
Since 2001, Fleisher is well-known for his work in the area of business and competitive intelligence, particularly in pushing for the professionalization of the field. He has published 3 edited volumes with his Wilfrid Laurier University
Marketing
professorial colleague David Blenkhorn, those being Managing Frontiers in Competitive Intelligence in 2001 (Quorum Books, an imprint of the Greenwood Publishing Group
), Controversies in Competitive Intelligence published in 2003 by Praeger Publishers, and Global Business and Competitive Intelligence in 2005 by Praeger Publishers.
Winner of the international Strategy and Competitive Intelligence Professional's Meritorious Award for his lifetime contributions to the field of competitive intelligence, he may be best known for his two books looking at analysis methods used by consultants and practitioners in applied strategy. This included Strategic and Competitive Analysis with his colleague and fellow Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals
Meritorious award winner Babette Bensoussan Babette Bensoussan
, Prentice Hall
, 2003) and Business and Competitive Analysis also with Babette Bensoussan
, FT Press
, 2007). These books provided background and application information for 48 separate methods of understanding business phenomena and competition, ranging from popular methods like SWOT analysis
, financial ratio & statement analysis, critical success factor
analysis, issue analysis, and S-curves to less popular but no less important methods including business model analysis, linchpin analysis, and alternative competing hypotheses. These books also address competitor analysis
.
of the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals
(Alexandria, Virginia
, USA), inaugural chair of the Competitive Intelligence Foundation (Washington, DC) - an organization that he also founded and helped launch with then SCIP Executive Director Alexander Graham, President of the Canadian Council for Public Affairs Advancement, Editor of the Journal of Competitive Intelligence and Management, Associate Editor of the Journal of Public Affairs published by John Wiley & Sons
, and on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Technology Intelligence and Planning (Inderscience Publishers), Asia Pacific Public Relations Journal, South African Journal of Information Management, Competitive Intelligence Review, Public Affairs, and SCIP Online. He is also a long-time contributor to the Academy of Management’s Social Issues in Management division, a founding member of the International Association of Business and Society, a life member of the International Association of Business Communicators
, an academic board member of the European Centre for Public Affairs, and a 2007 Canadian award-winning faculty advisor for the Golden Key International Honour Society
.
Fleisher also speaks globally on his research, having been to over two score different countries in a variety of roles ranging from key-noting conferences and meetings to serving as an authoritative panel member. He regularly shares his research and expertise to corporate groups, executive audiences, professional and trade associations, as well as government departments and officials.
Competitor analysis
Competitor analysis in marketing and strategic management is an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and potential competitors. This analysis provides both an offensive and defensive strategic context to identify opportunities and threats...
. Before becoming Dean of the Business School at the College of Coastal Georgia, he was awarded two endowed research chair positions while a Professor of Strategy at the Odette School of Business, University of Windsor
University of Windsor
The University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...
, Ontario, Canada. His research addresses phenomena in the areas of business and competitive intelligence
Competitive intelligence
A broad definition of competitive intelligence is the action of defining, gathering, analyzing, and distributing intelligence about products, customers, competitors and any aspect of the environment needed to support executives and managers in making strategic decisions for an organization.Key...
, corporate public affairs
Public Affairs Council
The Public Affairs Council is a professional association for people working in public administration and policy. Its mission is to advance the field of public affairs and provide resources to public affairs executives and managers to help them achieve their business and professional goals...
(government relations and lobbying
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
), and performance management and measurement.
Background, Education and Academic Career
Fleisher received his PhD in business from the Katz Graduate School of Business, University of PittsburghUniversity of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, his MBA in Human Resource Management and Marketing from the Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University, and BSBA in Finance, Insurance and Real Estate from the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
. He also held positions in mortgage banking management, real estate appraisal
Real estate appraisal
Real estate appraisal, property valuation or land valuation is the process of valuing real property. The value usually sought is the property's Market Value. Appraisals are needed because compared to, say, corporate stock, real estate transactions occur very infrequently...
, and consulting at various points in his career. After getting his PhD, he took an appointment at the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
as Associate Professor in the Policy and Environment area, spent nearly a decade in various roles at the School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University is a university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It also has campuses in Brantford, Ontario, Kitchener, Ontario and Toronto, Ontario and a future proposed campus in Milton, Ontario. It is named in honour of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh Prime Minister of Canada....
in Waterloo, Ontario, and was at the University of Windsor
University of Windsor
The University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...
for 7 years, following a couple of years in leadership positions at the University of New Brunswick. He serves as a Docent of the Institute of Business Information Management and Logistics at Tampere University of Technology (Finland), is a member of the graduate faculty for the MScom at the Università della Svizzera italiana in Lugano, Switzerland, has also served as a visiting professor or scholar at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
(Australia), De Montfort University (Leicester, UK), and University of Waikato (Hamilton, New Zealand).
He is considered an expert in the business or competitive intelligence
Competitive intelligence
A broad definition of competitive intelligence is the action of defining, gathering, analyzing, and distributing intelligence about products, customers, competitors and any aspect of the environment needed to support executives and managers in making strategic decisions for an organization.Key...
and analysis area based on the number of cited pieces he has written or the level of sales his writings have achieved, as well as in the area of corporate public affairs where his books have been positively reviewed or named as best-sellers. He was recognized for his lifetime contributions to the field of competitive intelligence by being named the international Meritorious award winner and Fellow of the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals
Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals
The Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals - is a global nonprofit membership organization designed to enhance the skills of knowledge professionals in order to help their companies...
(Alexandria, Virginia, USA), and his efforts in graduate teaching led him to be named one of Canada’s top MBA professors by Canadian Business Magazine in 2006. He has been interviewed about his expertise and research by leading media outlets for magazines, narrow-cast web publications, newspaper, radio and television in a variety of countries, most notably Australia, Canada, and the USA.
Research and Writing
Fleisher’s academic research primarily focuses on two distinct areas of business activity, business and competitive intelligence, and corporate public affairs. Fleisher’s dissertation was in the area of measuring public affairs performance, and his research on public affairs benchmarking, performance measurement, and management is among the most cited according to Google Scholar in this field. His two books on these topics, published in 1995 and 1998 by the Public Affairs CouncilPublic Affairs Council
The Public Affairs Council is a professional association for people working in public administration and policy. Its mission is to advance the field of public affairs and provide resources to public affairs executives and managers to help them achieve their business and professional goals...
which is headquartered in Washington, DC were recognized as the Council’s best-sellers at their time. He has also published the 31 chapter large Handbook of Public Affairs (Sage
SAGE Publications
SAGE is an independent academic publisher of books, journals, and electronic products in the humanities and social sciences and the scientific, technical, and medical fields. SAGE was founded in 1965 by George McCune and Sara Miller McCune. The company is headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California,...
, 2005) with his colleague Phil Harris from University of Chester
University of Chester
The University of Chester is a public research university located in Chester, United Kingdom. The University, based on a main campus in Chester and a smaller campus in Warrington, offers a range of foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as undertaking academic research.Chester...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Since 2001, Fleisher is well-known for his work in the area of business and competitive intelligence, particularly in pushing for the professionalization of the field. He has published 3 edited volumes with his Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University is a university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It also has campuses in Brantford, Ontario, Kitchener, Ontario and Toronto, Ontario and a future proposed campus in Milton, Ontario. It is named in honour of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh Prime Minister of Canada....
Marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
professorial colleague David Blenkhorn, those being Managing Frontiers in Competitive Intelligence in 2001 (Quorum Books, an imprint of the Greenwood Publishing Group
Greenwood Publishing Group
Greenwood Publishing Group is an educational publisher and is part of ABC-CLIO. It publishes reference works under its Greenwood Press imprint, and scholarly, professional, and general interest books under Praeger Publishers...
), Controversies in Competitive Intelligence published in 2003 by Praeger Publishers, and Global Business and Competitive Intelligence in 2005 by Praeger Publishers.
Winner of the international Strategy and Competitive Intelligence Professional's Meritorious Award for his lifetime contributions to the field of competitive intelligence, he may be best known for his two books looking at analysis methods used by consultants and practitioners in applied strategy. This included Strategic and Competitive Analysis with his colleague and fellow Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals
Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals
The Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals - is a global nonprofit membership organization designed to enhance the skills of knowledge professionals in order to help their companies...
Meritorious award winner Babette Bensoussan Babette Bensoussan
Babette Bensoussan
Babette Bensoussan is an author and competitive intelligence specialist, who has written several books on competitive intelligence and analysis. She runs a Sydney, Australia based consulting firm, The MindShifts Group Pty...
, Prentice Hall
Prentice Hall
Prentice Hall is a major educational publisher. It is an imprint of Pearson Education, Inc., based in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, USA. Prentice Hall publishes print and digital content for the 6-12 and higher-education market. Prentice Hall distributes its technical titles through the Safari...
, 2003) and Business and Competitive Analysis also with Babette Bensoussan
Babette Bensoussan
Babette Bensoussan is an author and competitive intelligence specialist, who has written several books on competitive intelligence and analysis. She runs a Sydney, Australia based consulting firm, The MindShifts Group Pty...
, FT Press
FT Press
FT Press , the book publishing imprint related to the Financial Times newspaper, creates books in the areas of General Business, Finance and Investing, Sales and Marketing, Leadership, Management and Strategy, Human Resources, and Global Business. FT Press is the publishing partner for Wharton...
, 2007). These books provided background and application information for 48 separate methods of understanding business phenomena and competition, ranging from popular methods like SWOT analysis
SWOT analysis
SWOT analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses/Limitations, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture...
, financial ratio & statement analysis, critical success factor
Critical success factor
Critical success factor is the term for an element that is necessary for an organization or project to achieve its mission. It is a critical factor or activity required for ensuring the success of a company or an organization. The term was initially used in the world of data analysis, and business...
analysis, issue analysis, and S-curves to less popular but no less important methods including business model analysis, linchpin analysis, and alternative competing hypotheses. These books also address competitor analysis
Competitor analysis
Competitor analysis in marketing and strategic management is an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and potential competitors. This analysis provides both an offensive and defensive strategic context to identify opportunities and threats...
.
Other Professional Experience
In addition to his work in academia, Fleisher has served as President of the Board of DirectorsBoard of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
of the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals
Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals
The Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals - is a global nonprofit membership organization designed to enhance the skills of knowledge professionals in order to help their companies...
(Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, USA), inaugural chair of the Competitive Intelligence Foundation (Washington, DC) - an organization that he also founded and helped launch with then SCIP Executive Director Alexander Graham, President of the Canadian Council for Public Affairs Advancement, Editor of the Journal of Competitive Intelligence and Management, Associate Editor of the Journal of Public Affairs published by John Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., also referred to as Wiley, is a global publishing company that specializes in academic publishing and markets its products to professionals and consumers, students and instructors in higher education, and researchers and practitioners in scientific, technical, medical, and...
, and on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Technology Intelligence and Planning (Inderscience Publishers), Asia Pacific Public Relations Journal, South African Journal of Information Management, Competitive Intelligence Review, Public Affairs, and SCIP Online. He is also a long-time contributor to the Academy of Management’s Social Issues in Management division, a founding member of the International Association of Business and Society, a life member of the International Association of Business Communicators
International Association of Business Communicators
The International Association of Business Communicators is a leading association for business communication professionals. IABC has approximately 16,000 members in more than 100 chapters in over 80 countries....
, an academic board member of the European Centre for Public Affairs, and a 2007 Canadian award-winning faculty advisor for the Golden Key International Honour Society
Golden Key International Honour Society
The Golden Key International Honour Society is an Atlanta, Georgia-based non-profit organization founded in 1977 to recognise academic achievement among college and university students in all disciplines....
.
Fleisher also speaks globally on his research, having been to over two score different countries in a variety of roles ranging from key-noting conferences and meetings to serving as an authoritative panel member. He regularly shares his research and expertise to corporate groups, executive audiences, professional and trade associations, as well as government departments and officials.
Partial bibliography
Fleisher is the author of ten books and over one hundred peer-reviewed academic articles in various journals or academic serials. The following bibliography lists a few of his recent publications:- Bensoussan, Babbette Babette BensoussanBabette BensoussanBabette Bensoussan is an author and competitive intelligence specialist, who has written several books on competitive intelligence and analysis. She runs a Sydney, Australia based consulting firm, The MindShifts Group Pty...
and Craig S. Fleisher (2009). Financial Times Guides: Analysis for Managers - Effective Planning Tools and Techniques, London: FT PressFT PressFT Press , the book publishing imprint related to the Financial Times newspaper, creates books in the areas of General Business, Finance and Investing, Sales and Marketing, Leadership, Management and Strategy, Human Resources, and Global Business. FT Press is the publishing partner for Wharton...
. - Bensoussan, Babbette Babette BensoussanBabette BensoussanBabette Bensoussan is an author and competitive intelligence specialist, who has written several books on competitive intelligence and analysis. She runs a Sydney, Australia based consulting firm, The MindShifts Group Pty...
and Craig S. Fleisher (2008). Analysis without Paralysis: 10 Tools to Make Better Strategic Decisions, London: FT PressFT PressFT Press , the book publishing imprint related to the Financial Times newspaper, creates books in the areas of General Business, Finance and Investing, Sales and Marketing, Leadership, Management and Strategy, Human Resources, and Global Business. FT Press is the publishing partner for Wharton...
. - Fleisher, Craig S. and Babette E. Bensoussan Babette BensoussanBabette BensoussanBabette Bensoussan is an author and competitive intelligence specialist, who has written several books on competitive intelligence and analysis. She runs a Sydney, Australia based consulting firm, The MindShifts Group Pty...
(2007). Business and Competitive Analysis: Effective Application of New and Classic Methods, London: FT PressFT PressFT Press , the book publishing imprint related to the Financial Times newspaper, creates books in the areas of General Business, Finance and Investing, Sales and Marketing, Leadership, Management and Strategy, Human Resources, and Global Business. FT Press is the publishing partner for Wharton...
. - Harris, Phil and Craig S. Fleisher (2005). Handbook of Public Affairs, London: SAGE.
- Blenkhorn, David and Craig S. Fleisher (2005). Competitive Intelligence and Global Business, Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.
- Fleisher, Craig S. and Babette E. Bensoussan Babette BensoussanBabette BensoussanBabette Bensoussan is an author and competitive intelligence specialist, who has written several books on competitive intelligence and analysis. She runs a Sydney, Australia based consulting firm, The MindShifts Group Pty...
(2003). Strategic and Competitive Analysis: Methods and Approaches to Analyzing Business Competition (also translations published in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and an international edition), Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice HallPrentice HallPrentice Hall is a major educational publisher. It is an imprint of Pearson Education, Inc., based in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, USA. Prentice Hall publishes print and digital content for the 6-12 and higher-education market. Prentice Hall distributes its technical titles through the Safari...
. - Fleisher, Craig S. (1997). Assessing, Managing and Maximizing Public Affairs Performance, Washington, DC: Public Affairs CouncilPublic Affairs CouncilThe Public Affairs Council is a professional association for people working in public administration and policy. Its mission is to advance the field of public affairs and provide resources to public affairs executives and managers to help them achieve their business and professional goals...
. - Fleisher, Craig S. (1995). Public Affairs Benchmarking, Washington, DC: Public Affairs CouncilPublic Affairs CouncilThe Public Affairs Council is a professional association for people working in public administration and policy. Its mission is to advance the field of public affairs and provide resources to public affairs executives and managers to help them achieve their business and professional goals...
.