BUS602: Marketing Management

A well-structured Horizon Scanning system will support both evidence and intelligence-based methods. 

However often a scan needs updating, it needs to be systematic and repeatable. At the same time, users need to see the bigger picture around their strategic issues, rather than diving into detail. It is also the case that trends tend to change slowly. Even shocking events, such as 9/11, are usually – if a scanning process is robust – evidence of trends or emerging issues which have already been identified. 

In this sense, therefore, in building a repeatable horizon scanning process, the perfect is the enemy of the good. One can always make an evidence/intelligence base better, but there comes a point where diminishing returns set in, and money spent on improving the evidence/intelligence base further would be better spent on engagement or communication. 

A balance can be struck by using the tiers to prioritize actions, on-going undirected scanning to capture new and emerging ideas, expert review and workshops to continue to identify gaps or altered priorities, using all of these to identify where new future briefings should be written as well as linking new material to existing future briefings. 

Applying systematic mapping methods ensures the scans become complete and consistent. The principal methods are bibliometrics and patent mapping. Scan entries can be visually mapped to check for gaps, which are addressed with new data from information sources.