Book Review: The Importance of Private and Public Intelligence

Abstract: Aim: The aim of the paper is to critically review the book “Introduction to Private and Public Intelligence: The Swedish School of Competitive Intelligence” by Søilen (2005). The aim of the book has been to gather ideas and concepts about the subject of private and public intelligence for students to use in an introductory course. Structure: The paper is structured that first an introduction of the book is provided, after which the content of the book is presented by chapters. Thereafter, the discussion and conclusion about the book are presented. The book is structured as a systematic review of private and public intelligence. The book contains definitions, theories, discussions, practical examples, and analytical implications. Authorship: The author of the book, Klaus Solberg Søilen, is a professor and researcher at Halmstad University in Sweden. His research is mainly within the fields of management, intelligence studies, competitive intelligence, geoeconomics, digital marketing, etc. He has many years of experience within marketing research and auditing. Moreover, he serves on the board of several companies, as well as, operates as a consultant. He is also the editor of the Journal of Intelligence Studies in Business (JISIB). Audience: Students, professionals and anyone else who is interested in private and public intelligence. Impact: The book has been reviewed and citied from numerous authors. Most of them, agree with Søilen, and use the book as a foundation of the study of private and public intelligence. However, there are authors who argue against Søilen’s opinions.