What's the view of the community on the process for incorporating possibilities rather than hard facts into a business report? Should we include well-informed rumours and in-confidence information or should we only present Absolute Knowns to our superiors? For instance I hear that an Asian company is planning on acquiring a number of UK and US subsea cabling firms. I trust the source but the brass might not. Should I run with this for a note or risk dismissing it?
The joys of business analysis!!
Adam
Hi Adam,
First, make sure the information you received is not somewhat governed by insider trading laws.
As business analysts, we like to be fact-based but there are times when taking risks is appropriate but it depends on downside/upside potential. Including the information you have the report to management shouldn't not be a problem if you clearly label it as a "rumor". You can use it as a starting point of your analysis and then look for facts to prove or disprove your hypothesis. Just be care to not force the facts to prove the rumor.
Making drastic decisions based on rumors alone is not a good business practice but if it is backed up by corroborating facts, it could work.
Adrian
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