Utilization of Competitive Intelligence to Enhance Firm Performance: A Case of South African Small and Medium Enterprises

The purpose of this paper was to gauge the extent to which the utilization of competitive intelligence (CI) gives rise to enhanced competitive performance in small and medium enterprise (SMEs). The research aimed to achieve this, by examining the roles of a selection of technological, and specific environmental factors in enhancing competitive advantage for SMEs, within the Telecommunications Industry in South Africa, with focus on the Gauteng Province. Underpinning this research, two models were applied; an adaptation of the modified technology acceptance model (TAM) in combination with the Perceived ease of use Model (PEOU) to investigate the extent to which SMEs in the context of South Africa can leverage CI. Using Quantitative research approach was applied where Purposive sampling was utilized as a data collecting tool from a number of individuals at lower, middle and top management levels in five different SMEs in the Gauteng Province. This research argued that perceived ease of use (PEOU) and Perceived Usefulness are the most important factors that determine the application of CI tools for competitive advantage in SMEs. The results also indicate that IT Training, SWOT and Political, economic, social and technology (PEST) are also significant explanatory factors of Competitive Intelligence (CI) in the context of Small and Medium sized Enterprises.