Gaining and maintaining a competitive advantage in business and government often relies on keeping fully informed about potential developments likely to affect the future of an organisation's products and its markets both within Australia and internationally. The establishment and maintenance of a strategically designed, competitive intelligence system within an organisation is one way of keeping up-to-date about opportunities and threats. However, competitive intelligence involves considerations that are far broader than just maintaining details of market or industry analysis. Knowledge of the country context such as barriers to entry, the end for strategic alliances, legislative frameworks, labour market structures, and the stability of political systems provide some key focus points for examining the global environment.