The purpose of this article is to examine the relationship that exists between competitive intelligence and firm competitiveness through literature review. This study is being done under the background of intense competition being experienced by firms globally. The methodology used for this article was a literature review of published electronic journal articles. The paper found the following two critical issues: there are varying perceptions of the relationship that exists between competitive intelligence and firm competitiveness; and that there is no universally accepted model of best practice for adoption and adaption. The findings from this research will assist business managers improve their CI outlook by understanding how CI is related to firm competitiveness and will be of great value to academics

This article presents a “competitiveness intelligence” conceptual framework developed from a literature review for adaptation by African countries to improve their competitiveness in the global economy. The role of competitive intelligence in national competitiveness has been shrouded with a lot of controversy in this era of trade liberalisation, globalisation and the fourth industrial revolution. We see Africa’s poor performance in the global competitiveness rankings. Research findings, however, show a positive nexus between competitive intelligence and competitiveness, though not much is known pertaining to Africa. The presented conceptual framework will, however, act as a catalyst for the adoption of competitive intelligence by African countries to improve their performance in the global economy. This article is of great importance to policymakers, researchers and academia. Furthermore, given the history and importance of competitive intelligence in economic development, the conceptual framework has the potential to inspire many African countries through subsequent adaptions.

The article analysed the trade in services led growth in ten selected countries in the Southern African Development Community region using econometric regression models. Panel data obtained from the World Bank and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development databases for the period 1992 to 2015 was analysed. Five variables were used in the econometric analysis. The marginal effects of service and goods exports were positive while those of goods and service imports were negative and highly significant as was expected from literature. Service exports registered an impact that was almost threefold that of service imports and greater than goods exports. Policy-makers are encouraged to, clearly define their trade in service strategy and reduce or remove trade restrictions. The study is of importance to researchers, the private sector and government policymakers.

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview, from literature, about how competitive intelligence can be an enabler towards a firm’s competitiveness. This overview is done under the background of intense global competition that firms are currently experiencing. This paper used a qualitative content analysis as a data collection methodology on all identified journal articles on competitive intelligence and firm competitiveness. To identify relevant literature, academic databases and search engines were used. Moreover, a review of references in related studies led to more relevant sources, the references of which were further reviewed and analysed. To ensure reliability and trustworthiness, peer-reviewed journal articles and triangulation were used. The paper found that competitive intelligence is an important enabler of firm competitiveness. The findings from this paper will assist business managers to understand and improve their outlook of competitive intelligence as an enabler of firm competitiveness and will be of great academic value.