Study on competitive intelligence in Israel: 2016 update

Abstract

This paper investigates the state of competitive intelligence among Israeli firmsin 2014. The methodology used was self completion questionnaires, which were responded to in May and June of 2016. A response rate of 26% was achieved with 39 questionnaires returned of the 69 questionnaires that were sent out to 65 local firms, most of them with an annual turnover of greater than 100 million USD. The results indicated that there were insignificant changes in the use of competitive intelligence in Israel in the last 10 years, since a survey conducted in 2006. Initially it looked as if the use of competitive intelligence was expanding, but the actual findings shows that the contribution of competitive intelligence to the decision making process was not progressing as it was expected to and there were difficulties in making competitiveintelligence an integral part of the decision-making process and having it reach an influential position. The results indicated that the recent global downturn evidently had only a minimal effect on the competitive intelligence scheme and in 75% of the firms there were actually almost no changes in the competitive intelligence programs. Clearly, competitive intelligence was primarily a tool used by the larger organizations and most of the firms that responded (60%),were among those who competed in the global markets. I have also attempted to look into the quality attributes of competitive intelligence performance, and it seemed that the low use of analytical tools was an indicator that we cannot ignore. Only 33% of the competitive intelligence professionals were using these tools regularly as part of their analysis work and in presentingtheir findings.