An assessment of the level of maturity of the competitive intelligence function within a South African retail bank.

This research is a study of the level of maturity of the Competitive Intelligence (CI) function within a South African retail bank. In particular it focussed on the level of maturity of the CI function as evidenced in the various elements of its CI function, namely the key information needs of CI users, CI deliverables and capabilities, analytical products, relationship with management, sources of information, personnel their skills and training as well as the period of time the CI function has been operational. The results indicated that the CI function as a whole was at a Mid-Level of maturity, with the underlying elements of the CI functions surveyed and the literature review being supportive of this finding.Prof. A.S.A. du Toi

Aplicaciones emergentes de inteligencia competitiva en las universidades

Different authors have pointed out the importance of applying competitive intelligence (CI) to non-business sectors (public administration, universities, non-governmental organizations, etc.). Besides, universities increasingly apply management tools and techniques coming from the business field. On the other hand, in recent years universities have perceived an environmental pressure as a consequence of a) their implication in regional development where they are located, and b) their need to reform their program offerings according to the needs of society and the requirements of the labour market, as well as a result of the process of adapting their degrees to the European Higher Education Area (Bologna process). This paper describes and characterises CI practices in the universities and analyses the CIcontribution to the design of degree courses. The research is based on qualitative methods, and data were collected through interviews. Results suggest that the use of CI in universities is mainly reactive, and addressed only to organisational tactics