Business Intelligence

The main aim of this course is to introduce engineering students to business intelligence issues.
Students are made aware of the issues of data security and protection, and of the work carried out in companies more generally. They are also introduced to the issues of economic and technological intelligence, to which some of them will turn in their subsequent studies and/or for which they may be called upon on certain occasions in their engineering missions in companies.
The course is divided into 4 sequences.

The first sequence aims to present the notion of economic intelligence, starting with its operational definition by the French Ministry of the Economy and Finance, and going back historically to its academic origins. The contemporary challenge of business intelligence from a corporate point of view (competitiveness and security) is presented.
The second sequence presents the defensive aspect of business intelligence, explaining first the origins of the risks and threats to companies, and then the best practices for guarding against these risks and threats.
The third sequence deals with the offensive aspect of business intelligence. Firstly, it presents the competitiveness objectives pursued by companies and the main methodologies adopted to build a business intelligence tool within the company. Secondly, the focus is on technological intelligence, to make engineering students aware of the issues they are likely to face in their work.
A fourth, shorter sequence presents the influence aspect of economic intelligence, so that engineering students can understand certain actions taken (possibly) by their future employer, or certain requests for information made to them outside their main engineering mission.

No specific pre-requisites. The course is designed to suit an engineering audience.

Company - strategy

Alice Guilhon, Nicolas Moinet (eds.), 2016, Intelligence économique: s'informer, se protéger, influencer, Pearson.
Thomas Legrain (ed.), 2014, Le guide de l'intelligence économique, Hachette.