Perceived environmental uncertainty and competitive intelligence practices

Abstract

Purpose -The study aims to examine the current state of competitive intelligence practices in Malaysian public listed companies, the perception of environmental uncertainty and the link between the two concepts. Design/methodology/approach -The data were collected from 123 public listed companies via mail questionnaire survey. Variables and measurement were adopted from prior empirical studies, specifically from Daft, Sormunen and Parks. Findings -Generally, the current state of competitive intelligence practices undertaken in Malaysian companies is moderate. More than half of the surveyed companies had established a formal CI unit in their organisation, in which a majority of them practised competitive intelligence at an early (five to nine years) stage in a moderate scale (two to five employees). Using a paired sample t-test, the study found that the perception of environmental uncertainty is higher in the task environmental sector than in the general environmental sectors. A positive correlation exists between perceived environmental uncertainty and competitive intelligence practices, specifically in terms of intelligence acquisition and strategic use. Originality/value -This study serves as one of the earliest pieces of empirical evidence in the emerging economies in relation to competitive intelligence practices.

The role of competitiveness as mediating effect of environmental uncertainty on performance of fisheries companies

“…The results of this study are supported by previous research, such as Hadj (2020); Harash (2015); Hosseini & Sheikhi (2012); Junquera & Barba-Sánchez (2018); Kim & Choi (2016); Poulis & Wisker (2016); Salem (2019); Widyaningdyah & Aryani (2016); Yap et al (2013) that found a positive and significant effect between environmental uncertainty and competitiveness. Likewise, environmental uncertainty has a positive and significant influence on the performance of fishing companies, consistent with research (Allegrini & Monteduro, 2018;Darvishmotevali et al, 2018;Gupta & Gupta, 2020;Harash, 2015;Hengky et al, 2018;Hosseini & Sheikhi, 2012;Kafetzopoulos et al, 2019;Mohammad, 2019;Poulis & Wisker, 2016;Widyaningdyah & Aryani, 2016;Wong et al, 2011).…”

Developing a competitive intelligence strategy model for South African life assurance industry

“…This finding also suggests that CI provides market insights about the competition rather than competitors (Gilad, 2016). Attesting CI provides information about competitors' present and future behaviours, customers, technologies, governments, markets, and the general business environment (Yap et al, 2013b).…”

“…The survival of organisations in the global environment depends mainly on the strategic role CI plays in establishing a highly well-designed, accurate and rigorous strategy for companies to stay ahead of their competitors (Dahou, Hacini & Bendiabdellah, 2012, p.47). This is because CI provides information about competitors' present and future behaviours, customers, technologies, governments, markets, and the general business environment (Yap et al, 2013b). CI gathers relevant information from the competitive environment to be used explicitly for planning and decision-making (Kotler et al, 2019).…”

“…Previous research by Yap et al (2013b) has also shown that CI is essential for supporting strategic decision-making and strategic planning and identifying opportunities and threats. CI produces intelligence that helps decision-makers formulate strategies and make clear choices (Mohsin et al, 2015).…”

“…Concurring, Rashid (2011), andYap et al (2013b) found that more than half of the surveyed organisations had a formal CI unit in the marketing, market research, or corporate planning departments. Furthermore, their study revealed that these units had been in place for 5 to 9 years, with an average of 2 to 5 full-time individuals in charge of CI activities.…”