Abhatoo - Centre Nationale de Documentation

This paper will outline the evolution of competitive intelligence in Sweden. It will start from a historical perspective and describe how intelligence has been used over the centuries in order to fulfill the objectives of kings, politicians, generals and, last but not least, companies. The intelligence industry is then described as it is seen in 2004. The last one and a half decades have shown a fantastic upswing in the interest and focus on intelligence in Sweden. The great need for intelligence from large international companies, from state owned companies, from municipal organizations, from small start up companies and from non-profit organizations has led to the emergence of intelligence consulting companies, intelligence training companies as well as content providers in the form of business research companies and companies that sell off-the-shelf information. This has lead to a very competitive industry situation. After the 2000 economic downturn that affected Sweden heavily, this nation has witnessed a sharp decline in intelligence functions, intelligence professionals and intelligence projects. As the dark clouds now, at last, seem to disappear, it is with great hope and great expectations that one looks forward to see the rebirth of the Swedish intelligence community.