Target Oriented Competitive Intelligence Practice and Performance of Firms Listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, Kenya

Abstract

Firms are today’s encountering an environment that is in a state of flux, there is need for advanced competencies that support strategic decision-making by providing accurate and timely information on opportunities and threats, competitor assessment that supports strategic planning and implementation, which is the main objective of target oriented competitive intelligence. Target-oriented competitive intelligence is knowledge about the organization’s environment that has implications for its specifically identified competitors in its niche market. This is intelligence is about competitors, their capabilities, current activities, plans, and intentions. It is most often used when competitive intelligence efforts are best focused on a small number of competitors that a firm face in several market niches. The target population for the study were all the sixty firms listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE). Primary data was collected by the use of a semi-structured questionnaire and secondary data was obtained from published financial reports. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical tools. The findings indicate that target oriented competitive intelligence practice has a positive and statistically significant relationship with the performance in the firms listed on the Nairobi securities exchange.