What is competitive intelligence? Why is it important to the public affairs function?

Lawrence and Weber (2017) suggest in their study that, “Competitive intelligence refers to the systematic and continuous process of gathering, analyzing, and managing external information about the organization’s competitors that can affect the organization’s plans, decisions, and operations” (pp. 29-30). This is important because it helps an organization see the facts and details that an organization need to make responsible decisions and business transactions. Competitive intelligence is an intelligent way to communicate with others within the organization as well. Stachova, Stacho, and Vicen, (2017) in their study suggest that, “Communication is the transmission of concepts of thoughts between two or more parties” (p. 33). Competitive intelligence is a tool that aid in helping an organization stay ahead of others in the decision making process. “Companies that can successfully gather and analyze competitive information, then implement strategic decisions based on that analysis, position themselves to be ahead of the pack” (p. 30). This is important because issues will arise. When issues surface it is imperative that business not only respond to the issue, but respond in an appropriate way and in a manner that will address the issue at hand. Competitive intelligence provides organizations with guidelines and systematic ways of identifying, monitoring, and selecting public issues (p. 27). What are public issues? Public issues are serious and genuine concerns that in ways may threaten an organization. Therefore, competitive intelligence serves as a defensive mechanism for an organization that is extremely important when it comes to an organization health. Competitive intelligence also enables managers to make appropriate decision for an organization. It is certain that effective leadership plays a vital role in any organization. Managers must know when to accommodate and when to stand firm on the principles set in place by the organization. Competitive intelligence will aid managers in such areas. Kovoor-Misra and Gopalakrishnan (2016) notes, “The decisions that these leaders make will have a direct effect on those surrounding them and they must be able to react quickly and efficiently” (p. 1104).

Biblical Integration:

There are not many leaders in the Bible like Joshua. Joshua was a strategic leader who operated with competitive intelligence. Again, competitive intelligence deals with decision making and gathering and managing information in order to make appropriate decisions. In Joshua chapter 2, Joshua sent out two spies to spy out the land that he was planning to attack. The two spies job was to gather detailed information that Joshua could use in his strategic planning for conquering the land of promise. Joshua strategically planned his attack on Jericho with the information he obtained from the spies along with the LORD’s aid.

Discussion Board 2

Public Issue: Transgender Employees

A widely-discussed and contested topic in today’s society is the rights and treatment of transgender individuals in the workplace (McFadden, 2015). At times likened to the civil rights movement in the 1960s, acceptance and fair treatment of transgender employees reaches into most industries in both the business and government sectors (McFadden, 2015). For some, it may seem that the obvious response is to simply afford the same rights to transgender individuals as those that are cisgender. However, the issue becomes complicated when employers are faced with situations such as maternity leave policies or shared restroom use among transgender and cisgender employees. Is it possible to afford equal rights in the workplace to all employees, regardless of gender identity?

In 2017, transgender individuals were allowed to serve in the United States military for the first time (Ford & Schnitzlein, 2017). According to Marty (2017), the United States Air Force leave policy was adjusted to offer mothers that give birth to a child, an additional three weeks (for a total of twelve weeks) of maternity leave to care for their newborn and recover from childbirth. He also stated that a clause was added to the leave policy that allows parents to take leave for the purposes of adopting a child (Marty, 2017). The latter adjustment to the policy, which can be used by transgender parents and grants members up to twenty-one days of leave, falls significantly short of the time offered to new mothers (Marty, 2017). This policy could be viewed by some as unfair.

A more obvious example of complications that may arise in dealing with a transgender employee is one that is transitioning from one gender to the other. McFadden (2015) found that many “organizations do not know how to deal with transgender employees undergoing a transition in the workplace” (p. 127). Because of this, transgender employees choose to “go stealth” in many cases (McFadden, 2015, p. 138).

Should an employer be obligated to accommodate transgender employees, even if it conflicts with her moral or religious beliefs? The Book of Genesis says that “God created mankind in his own image…male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27, New International Version). This is a clear description of only two genders: male and female. As laws and business regulations are rewritten, Christian employers may be forced to accommodate genders other than those created by God. In contrast, Jesus tells Christians that the second greatest commandment is to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39, New International Version). Christian employers have a mandate, directly from God, to love everyone, including transgender people. While this certainly does not mean businesses should be completely modified to accommodate a select few individuals that practice a lifestyle that is, in the eyes of God, sinful, it does mean that poor or unfair treatment is out of the question.

The public issue of the treatment of transgender individuals in the workplace is not likely going away and employers must find a way to adapt as new legislation adds new requirements. Modifying a leave policy to ensure all employees have the same entitlements or adding a private restroom to make employees feel comfortable are fairly simple adjustments. But what additional requirements could be levied on organizations? Will employees have a choice in the matter? Does the covenantal relationship Christian employers have with their community require these accommodations of transgender individuals (Fischer, n.d.)?