Competitive Intelligence Practices Research Articles

KNOWLEDGE SHARING IN BUSINESS AND COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE: A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS

Over the past years, business intelligence and competitive intelligence practices achieved a significant importance in organizations, due to their capability of providing the necessary knowledge for the decision-makers, providing a significant advantage against market competitors or internal and external threats and vulnerabilities. Also, business intelligence and competitive intelligence have been under researcher’s scope, the literature in those domains being continuously updated with new findings. Also, knowledge sharing is a process that helps organizations increase their employees understanding and expertise in certain fields, being highly recognized by both practitioners and researchers for its importance and efficiency. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to analyze the state of the literature in business intelligence and competitive intelligence, in correlation with knowledge sharing concept, in order to identify the connections between these domains. Also, this article aims to present an analysis that could provide a better understanding about the research interest in integrating knowledge sharing in business intelligence and competitive intelligence practices. In order to achieve the proposed objective, this research performs a bibliometric analysis using VOSViewer, a specialized software designed for creating visualizing maps that present networks between specific items. The information used for conducting this research was retrieved from Web of Science core collection and Scopus, world’s largest index databases.

How does the performance of SMTEs relate to perceptions of tourists: A case of the Eastern Cape Province

The study aimed to determine perceptions of tourists towards the performance of Small and Medium-sized Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs) in the Eastern Cape Province. Eastern Cape Province is a tourist attraction area with several tourists from various countries visiting it. The study used a quantitative research approach. The study participants comprised 99 tourists who visited the province in which convenience sampling was employed. The empirical data was gathered using a semi-structured questionnaire distributed to all participants. The quantitative data was analysed using SPSS, in which descriptive statistics and regression analysis (multiple and logistic) were undertaken. Tourists indicated that SMTEs had poor infrastructure to access accommodation facilities, and the location of the facility, and service provided varied from one business owner to another. It is recommended that there must be training of the SMTEs in various aspects such as business planning, financial management, and efficient and effective operations of the business to improve their performance for profit and sustainability. Small business owners should apply and strengthen intuitive competitive intelligence practices for identifying clients, suppliers, and competitors as well as trying to outperform their rivals. The local government, through its different units and departments, must promote the tourism industry by providing full support to enhance the economic growth of the province. The Government should improve the road and technological infrastructure to ease access. In addition, the study should be replicated in other provinces to compare the results and learn from best practices in the tourism industry specifically in the accommodation sphere.

The Role Of Competitive Intelligence Practices For Achieving Competitive Advantage In The Higher Education Sector In The MENA Region

The Role Of Competitive Intelligence Practices For Achieving Competitive Advantage In The Higher Education Sector In The MENA Region

Конкурентная разведка как инструмент достижения экономической безопасности организации

The relevance of the study lies in the ever-increasing level of competition in the global economy, which implies a global revision by the management of organizations of general approaches to the analysis of interaction with the external environment. At present, despite the general decline in the main macroeconomic indicators of the world economy, most organizations note that they feel an increasing level of competitive pressure, which, along with increased turbulence in the global economy, can lead the organization to severe financial consequences up to bankruptcy. In order to minimize such a negative impact, organizations should constantly take into account the influence of a constantly changing external environment in the process of strategic planning of their activities, for which it is advisable to conduct competitive intelligence as a tool to ensure the stability of the organization’s functioning. The purpose of the study is to determine the main economic prerequisites for conducting competitive intelligence in an organization and to analyze the dependence of the organization’s performance indicators on the introduction of competitive intelligence practices. The main objective is to develop recommendations for the implementation of competitive intelligence in the organization. The article pays special attention to the analysis of the global economic situation in recent years, characterizes a systematic approach to management as an element that allows you to fully build the organization’s activities depending on the influence of the external environment, draws up conclusions about the main problems of introducing the practice of competitive intelligence at the present stage. In the course of the study, general scientific methods were used, such as analysis, synthesis, deduction and induction. As a result of the study, the contribution of competitive intelligence, as a separate function, to the overall performance of the organization is demonstrated, recommendations are given for improving the implementation of competitive intelligence to increase efficiency.

Advancing competitive advantage in manufacturing firms through competitive intelligence

This study investigated the relationship between Competitive Intelligence Practices and Competitive Advantage in Manufacturing Industry: A study of selected Aluminum Firms in Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study are to ascertain the effect of the selected measures of Competitive Intelligence, namely; Strategic Intelligence (SI) and Innovative Intelligence (II) on Competitive Advantage (CA). The responses from the respondents were collected with the aid of five (5) Likert scale questionnaires and descriptive survey research. A total of one hundred and sixty-nine (169) questionnaires were administered, out of the one hundred and sixty-nine (169) questionnaires administered to staff of selected registered Aluminium Firms. One hundred and forty-six (146) were retrieved and properly filled. These one hundred and forty-six (146) respondents represent 86.39 per cent of the total questionnaire administered, which shows that one hundred and forty-six (146) respondents are sufficient for the study. Thus, the sample used for the study was the one hundred and forty-six (146) respondents from the staff of Aluminium Industries used. The questionnaire was coded with the aid of an excel spread sheet, the respondent's profile was analyzed with manual simple percentage, and the research questions were analyzed with the aid of descriptive statistics, correlation matrix and multiple regression statistical tools with the aid of SPSS version 23 as the basis of testing hypotheses. The findings revealed that Strategic Intelligence (SI) and Innovative Intelligence (II) have a significant relationship with Competitive Advantage (CA). From the findings of the study, it can be concluded that overall the competitive intelligence practices had a positive significant effect on the competitive advantage in selected Aluminum Firms. Thereby the study recommends that there should be adequate investment in the competitive intelligence process, facilities, and activities by the manufacturing firms to be innovative in their product, services and competitive dispositions.

The Mediating Role of Competitive Intelligence on Organizational Culture and Hotel Performance: A Proposed Theoretical Framework

The tourism industry is widely acknowledged in modern economies. However, to remain competitive, hotels are encouraged to implement strategic planning. The primary goal of this study is to propose a theoretical framework that integrates the role of Competitive Intelligence (CI) in the relationship between organizational culture and hotel performance. Therefore, an in-depth study on CI practices in the hotel industry is needed. However, a lot of previous research has been conducted on CI in other industries, especially in the SME industry. Nonetheless, to the best of the researcher's knowledge, little is known about the role of Competitive Intelligence (CI) practices in the relationship between Organizational Culture (OC) and hotel performance in Malaysia. Therefore, the use of Resource-Based Theory and Knowledge-Based theory and their justifications among studies on CI is highlighted. A three-phased process to create this framework begins with a detailed explanation of the literature related to OC as a factor influencing hotel performance. Then, the framework inserts CI practices as a strategy to improve hotel performance. Finally, CI as a mediator between the relationship of OC and hotel performance is explained. This quantitative study uses a questionnaire survey of the top-level management of 240 Four and Five-star hotels obtained from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Malaysia and will be analyzed using PLS-SEM. This study adds to the growing body of CI literature and contributes to industry practitioners to better understand the factor and strategies to improve hotel performance.

Competitive intelligence practices in Japanese companies: multicase studies

PurposeThis study investigates competitive intelligence (CI)-related practices in companies, including process, scope and organizational structure. As these aspects have not been sufficiently discussed in the literature, the study objective is to determine (1) the type of CI process being employed, (2) whether the CI scope is limited to competitor analysis or spans a broader business environment and (3) whether the CI process and scope vary depending on organizational CI.Design/methodology/approachAn interview was conducted at two types of Japanese companies: one established a CI department to implement CI, whereas the other did not establish a CI department and conducted CI in an ad hoc manner. Multicase studies were performed to examine companies with different organizational structures.FindingsThe CI scopes included a broad range of factors (e.g. technology, customers, markets, suppliers, economy, society, politics, legislation and regulation), and not only competitor analysis. An established CI department did not guarantee a well-organized CI process. Furthermore, the lack of such a department did not preclude systematic CI processes or activities.Originality/valueThe authors classified the CI in the companies the authors inspected as either systematic (organized CI) or ad hoc (unorganized CI) methods. The advantages and disadvantages of both are discussed. The authors found the promotion mechanisms in company-wide CI process, which can cause intelligence transfers from CI to absorptive capacity processes.

Corporate governance: Study case of competitive intelligence practices in Moroccan SMEs

Increasing uncertainty and volatility has affected small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) resilience. Their competitiveness is no longer akin to macroeconomic factors but is very much impacted by asymmetric access to information. This is particularly relevant given the challenges posed by the digitalization of various business processes. In order to remain resilient and keep a competitive edge, SME owners/managers ought to make strategic decisions based on reliable and relevant information. There is then the need to consider adopting an information management-oriented approach such as competitive intelligence. Our study examines competitive intelligence practices across SMEs in Morocco, an area that is under research in this part of the world. Our research provides empirical evidence on how managers perceive competitive intelligence and the state of its practices in Moroccan SMEs. Our sample includes SMEs based in the Fez-Meknes region, northwest of Morocco, and operating across various sectors. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions. Following the saturation principle, we conducted nine interviews. Our findings show that managers acknowledge the value of timely information and recognize its relevance to competitiveness. That said competitive intelligence practices remain embryonic and informal. Our research provides valuable initial insights for SME managers and policymakers alike but also to academics who are interested in developing the ecosystem of Moroccan SMEs.

Constructivism and competitive intelligence, new economic model during Covid-19 crisis

Abstract Currently, the dynamics of new generation threats have deeply influenced the economic stability in several areas of the world, especially with the onset of the Covid-19 health crisis. Moreover, the nature and the plurality of the new hybrid risks and threats demands a stringent need to deepen the studies on new models used in competitive assessments. This paper proposes integrating core ideas of constructivism into the new model of competitive intelligence in order to improve the process of economic resilience building. That being said, the current research aims to bring into the light a complementary approach which could improve the competitive intelligence practices through economic constructivism. The economic constructivist approach will provide additional conceptual tools to understand business and economic issues related to human consciousness, national identity, and interest formation after the state of entropy generated by the Covid-19 pandemic. This academic approach aims to highlight several particular topics, such as the relationship between competitive intelligence and economic constructivism, as well as the implications of economic constructivism for competitive intelligence.

Coopetition strategies for competitive intelligence practices-evidence from full-service hotels

Our study investigates how coopetition strategies can influence hotels’ competitive intelligence (CI) practices to achieve a stronger competitive advantage. In-depth interviews were conducted with 39 hoteliers from 22 hotel groups in Hong Kong. Participating hotels employed different kinds of CI activities, though they were unaware of this concept. In particular, internal customer intelligence was added to integrated intelligence to better describe CI in the service sector. Still, investing in CI can be expensive and time-consuming since it requires hoteliers to align all insights from their respective intelligence pools toward building a holistic understanding of the results. We propose coopetition as a strategic approach allowing hotels to construct collective actions around CI without losing individual competitiveness. Actual coopetition in CI was only found between sister properties. Hence, we propose a coopetition model in which hotels can collaborate and compete in CI at an inter-organizational level via focusing on sharing open-source information and knowledge.

Implementation of Competitive Intelligence in Improving Company Performance of Power Plant in Indonesia

Numerous studies have been conducted on competitive intelligence and its impact on business performance. Most of companies agreed that competitive intelligence is a critical element of business and corporate strategy to increase income hence investment in competitive intelligence considered to be profitable. This research is aimed to expand the knowledge boundary by investigating the application of Competitive Intelligence in electrical power plant company. Twenty companies were selected as the target sample using purposive sampling design, in which the questionnaires were distributed to 120 individuals who were argued to have knowledge in the practice of Competitive Intelligence. In total, 105 questionnaires were returned for further analysis. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistic provided by SPSS. In the aspect of Competitive Intelligence Practices, results indicated that the mean score for each individual item range between 3.23 to 4.14, suggesting intensive practices of Competitive Intelligence. In the aspect of Utilization of Tools in practicing Competitive Intelligence, results indicated that three most widely used tools were from Employees, Customers and Internet. In the aspect of measurement variables in measuring competitive intelligence practices, results indicated that three most widely used measures were (1) yearly improvement of Equivalent Availability Factor-EAF (mean 3.96), (2) increase in percentage of planned maintenance (mean 3.82), and (3) yearly improvement of Equivalent Forced Outage Rate – EFOR (mean 3.75). Public utilities (infrastructure) company usually being pictured as companies that does not really care about competition as they usually being run by the Government. However, the findings of this research show otherwise

Competitive Intelligence Practices and Organizational Performance Linkage: A Review

Scholars have intensely researched competitive Intelligence or CI for decades. This topic has been under constant investigation and development concerning business strategy in soaring business performance. This paper critically examines and integrates the Competitive Intelligence Practices by different industries and its relationship on organizational performances. The review employed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and utilizes three databases (Science Direct, Scopus, and Proquest) from January 2014 to November 2019. This timeframe and databases were preferred because the articles collected have been through a quality control process and comprehensive source for research performance data and analytics. As many as 666 articles were narrowed down to 20 articles to meet the criteria of this study. Conclusively, six main themes were identified, which are Organizational awareness, CI process, Social capital, CI Challenges, Competitive advantages and Sustainability based on the thematic analyses. Furthermore, another five sub-themes emerge from these key themes. A deduction is made concerning a relationship between Competitive Intelligence Practices and Organizational performance. This paper also suggests conducting more studies in service industries, especially the hospitality industry because of its economic impact and the changing landscape in today's consumer.

Competitor intelligence and analysis (CIA) model and online reviews: integrating big data text mining with network analysis for strategic analysis

Purpose This study aims to propose a competitor intelligence and analysis (CIA) model that can be used for the analysis of a firm’s competitors. Empirically, it investigates the application of the CIA model on online reviews. This proposed model clarifies the confusion between terms such as competitive intelligence, competitor intelligence and competitor analysis and provides a more efficient process for managers. Design/methodology/approach The approach of the model integrates text mining techniques as a big data method with network analysis to form a competitor analysis. This study has considered two centrality metrics – degree centrality and betweenness centrality – to identify the functional associations among the resources elaborated by the customers of the hotels. Findings Findings show online reviews may be used as a solid source of intelligence. The intelligence maps visualized through the text-net technique is an efficient representation of tourist satisfaction and dissatisfaction with a tourism company and its competitors. Practical implications The proposed approach can be used in the hotel industry along with many others. The implications for scholars and managers and the possible directions for future research are also discussed in the study. Originality/value This study develops a new approach for competitive intelligence practices in the hotel industry and tests a new method for competitor analysis as a part of the competitive intelligence and analysis approach developed in this study.

The competitive intelligence diamond model with the approach to standing on the shoulders of giants

Organizations that implement a competitive intelligence process are more successful in a competitive environment. To do so correctly there is a need for a comprehensive model that, in addition to eliminating the defects of the previous models, describes the phases and indicators and also illustrates the relationship between them. This research meets such a need and presents a developed model. The ongoing research is based on a mixed approach. The meta-synthesis method was used to identify the initial model in the first stage and the delphi method was used to validate and modify the initial model, as well as to understand the relationship between all the phases of this process in the second stage. Two samples were used, the first included all the papers in the competitive intelligence field, of which 45 were selected. The second sample included experts in intelligence. Organizations can use this comprehensive model for deployment, correct implementation, and the practice of competitive intelligence.

A Competitive Intelligence Practices Typology in an Airline Company in Turkey

Oil prices, political instabilities, travel legislations, and many other competitive factors make it essential for any international airline with the instinct to survive to be on constant watch in such a fiercely competitive environment. To meet this need, it is vital for international airline companies to integrate competitive intelligence (CI) into their strategy building process. In this study, we create for the first time a typology of competitive intelligence practices of an international airline company (in Turkey), based on the model developed by (Wright et al. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 20(1), 19–33, 2012), and it is one of the very first to investigate Competitive intelligence in this sector. Furthermore, we made a two-step cluster analysis to uncover hidden clusters that change the way of thinking within the company. Our findings show where the company would need to make improvements on the 6 strands of the model which are attitude, gathering, use, location, technological support, and IT support. Yet, that could lead towards stronger business performance. It might also inspire other companies of the airline sector and beyond.

Contribution of Intellectual Capital to Competitive Intelligence

Some authors found that competitive intelligence (CI) can be generated by the intellectual capital (IC). Based on the resources approach, we suggest digging in this reasoning through studying the contribution of the different forms of the intellectual capital (IC), namely the human capital (HC), the structural capital (SC) and the relational capital (RC), to the success of the competitive intelligence practices in the Tunisian companies. Our empirical study has been conducted with 127 middle managers working in companies operating in the telecommunications sector in Tunisia. We have revealed that the human capital (HC) is the most linked to competitive intelligence (CI), followed by the relational capital (RC), and that there is no significant link between the structural capital (SC) and the competitive intelligence (CI).

Competitive intelligence practice in liquor retailing: evidence from a longitudinal case analysis

PurposeCompetitive intelligence (CI) is a vital tool for any company to survive and remain competitive in today’s hypercompetitive and uncertain business environment. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of CI in liquor retailing in the USA.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory single longitudinal case study was performed through observation and semi-structured interviews plus examining documents from secondary sources in two phases. Content analysis was used for the data analysis.FindingsRegardless of the small size of the company, the owner has an active attitude toward monitoring competition by using various sources of information and converting it into intelligence for making sound decisions for both short-term and long-term competitiveness. Also, the central role of the owner in the CI process has been verified.Originality/valueThis study responds to calls for more case studies in the field and is the first one to explore CI in the liquor retailing ecosystem by using a longitudinal case study. In general, studies of CI in retailing are limited. It has clear value to CI practices for retailers in the USA and in general.

Exploratory study of competitive intelligence in Mexico

In order to increase their competitiveness, companies need information forproblem analysis, to develop strategies and for decisions making. One way to achieve this isthrough methodologies, among which competitive intelligence stands out. For Pellissier &Nenzhelele (2013) competitive intelligence is a process or practice that produces anddisseminates actionable intelligence by planning, ethically and legally collecting, processing andanalyzing information from and about the internal and external or competitive environment inorder to help decision-makers in decision-making and to provide a competitive advantage to theenterprise. Because of its importance this paper presents an investigation using a meta-analysismethodology of 72 papers published between 2000 and 2015 of applications of competitiveintelligence in México. In recent years the practice of competitive intelligence has beenincreasing in México, though its use is not yet widespread. This is why it is important todisseminate and promote the growth of competitive intelligence theory.

Investigating the competitive intelligence practices of Peruvian fresh grapes exporters

This paper reports an empirical study of Peruvian fresh grapes exporters with theaim of delineating the behavioral and operational typology of their competitive intelligencepractices. Cluster analysis was used as an exploratory tool to determine the correlation, if any,between the size of the company, grapes exports share of total exports, the percentage of theRed Globe variety in total grapes exports and the size of the grape farm with the typology andthe average price received at export between August 2016 and July 2017. The behavioral andoperational typology of competitive intelligence practices model, developed by Wright et al,(2012), was used. The findings reveal that exporters have a positive behavior towardscompetitive intelligence practices, but cannot make good use of them due to a lack of knowledge,and deficiencies in organization and in technological and IT systems support. As 37 companiesparticipated in this experiment, this study could be extended to all non-traditional Peruvianagricultural exports. It has been possible to identify areas where changes are needed to enablethese exporters to perform at a higher level of competence. In addition, it appeared that aslightly higher level of attitude and IT systems support pays off as medium-sized companiesachieved a higher price per ton compared to big companies. This study is the first to present atypology of competitive intelligence practices in Peru and is one of the very first to studycompetitive intelligence in this country and agriculture.

Developing a Typology of Competitive Intelligence Proficiency: The Case of French SMEs and Funded Intervention Programs

This article reports on a study about the evolution of SMEs’ Competitive Intelligence (CI) practices, in the French context of a public CI policy. Fifteen Directors of CI programs at Chambers of Commerce were interviewed and 176 SME decision-makers surveyed. An important contribution is a typology of SMEs including perceived constraints, advisors, and attitudes towards CI. We conclude that SMEs find appropriate help through publicly funded programs at the early stages of CI practice, whereas consultants are effective to guide them towards higher levels of performance. The findings are of significance to SME managers, CI providers and policy decision-makers.