Evaluating value created by the use of Competitive Intelligence among Small and Medium Enterprises in South Africa
| dc.contributor.author | Fadal, Muhammed Khalid | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Mlotshwa, Semukele | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-10-08T06:47:20Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-10-08T06:47:20Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2021 | |
| dc.description | A business venture proposal submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration, Johannesburg 2021 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Competitive Intelligence (CI) is the ability to obtain, evaluate, and apply information about rivals, consumers, and other market elements to help a company gain a competitive edge. A direct relationship exists between organisations who conduct CI and the profitability of the business. Large firms in South Africa have proven that increasing their use of CI increases their competitive advantage. While research on the application of CI utilisation by large firms has been sufficiently documented, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa have not been subjected to the same level of study. This Business Venture Proposal aimed to determine the value created for firms that conduct CI in South Africa, with a focus on SMEs. The benchmark for value in this study is the increase in competitive advantage a firm may gain from using CI. Three independent variables, namely using formalised CI, sources of information, and building internal capacity, will be used to determine the change in value. This study will provide a proposed model for developing an independent CI service aimed at SMEs in South Africa. This will be done in the context of providing these firms with niche skills and services. Additionally, this will be provided in a convenient reporting application coupled to a remote consulting service. This study is quantitative and used surveys as an instrument to gather the required data. However, once the surveys were sent to the database through email and social media, the researcher had no control over who responded to the survey, and therefore probability sampling was used. Through statistical analysis, it was identified that firms that conducted formal CI could create additional value over firms that conducted the exercise informally or not at all. Firms showing a preference for secondary data sources, used an agile system, which combined both primary and secondary sources, with lesser important items using secondary data and more strategically important Key Intelligence Questions (KIQs) answered using primary data, returning the best reward. However, no support could be found for firms that invested in their own internal capacity to gather CI. While a positive linear relationship existed, it was statistically insignificant. Further research studies are required, aiming specifically at SMEs to better understand the CI application and appetite per sector. This would help identify the trends of each sector and provide a better overview of the adoption of CI in each sector. This would also help determine the value attributed by each sector to CI, as well as identify any underlying barriers that may be synonymous with a specific sector. It is also recommended that future studies measure the effect an intervention, including training of employees, has on the long-term value perception of CI. This can be further enhanced by measuring the competitiveness of the firm prior to the intervention and post the intervention after a specified period | |
| dc.description.submitter | MM2024 | |
| dc.faculty | Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management | |
| dc.identifier | https://orcid.org/ 0000-0003-1148-9086 | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Fadal, Muhammed Khalid. (2021). Evaluating value created by the use of Competitive Intelligence among Small and Medium Enterprises in South Africa [Master’s dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. WireDSpace. https://hdl.handle.net/10539/41425 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10539/41425 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg | |
| dc.rights | © 2021 University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. | |
| dc.rights.holder | University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg | |
| dc.school | WITS Business School | |
| dc.subject | Competitive Intelligence | |
| dc.subject | South Africa | |
| dc.subject | Strategy | |
| dc.subject | Small and Medium Enterprises | |
| dc.subject | UCTD | |
| dc.subject.other | SDG-8: Decent work and economic growth | |
| dc.title | Evaluating value created by the use of Competitive Intelligence among Small and Medium Enterprises in South Africa | |
| dc.type | Dissertation |