Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In our contemporary globalized world, Eritrean enterprises are challenged with high competition
from within and from foreign counterparts. Consequently, only those companies that predict the
future and take proactive decisions can win the game. However, none of these organizations
have applied formal competitive intelligence practice in a proactive, disciplined, and systematic
fashion to defend against threats as well as to exploit opportunities, though informally they do
engage in the practice.
Some of these informal competitive intelligence practicing companies are relatively 'good
performers' and others are 'poor performers'. The level of this competitive intelligence
performance is believed to be influenced by organizational culture. This implies that employees
who are encouraged and trained to have shared values, beliefs, norms and practices are in a
better position to share information and interact with each other with open minds. Here, the free
flow of information is the basic ingredient that helps to produce effective competitive
intelligence.
In an attempt to explore if a statistically significant relationship exists between organizational
culture and competitive intelligence performance, a literature study was first carried out to learn
from other scholars' work. The literature review was then followed by an empirical study. This
empirical part of the study attempted to investigate if Eritrean manufacturers and traders perform
informal competitive intelligence practice as well as if there is a positive relationship between
the independent and dependent variables. Data was collected through a questionnaire from top
level managers. Of the 39 questionnaires distributed, 23 organizations properly completed the
questionnaire. Statistical analysis was then computed using the SPSS package to determine the
correlations.
The relationship between organizational culture and competitive intelligence was determined in
two ways: first, it was correlated in terms of the six selected organizational culture dimensions
(employee involvement, human resources, organizational focus, communication flow, reward,
and trust) and competitive intelligence; and second, in terms of scores of each firm's
organizational culture and competitive intelligence. Moreover, the level of the score determined
whether these companies performed well or not.
In both cases a positive relationship was found between organizational culture and competitive
intelligence performance. These results supported the hypothesis that organizational culture does
contribute to improved competitive intelligence practice. Furthermore, the finding suggests that
Eritrean firms are doing moderately good in their informal competitive intelligence. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In ons huidige globaliseerde wêreld kry Eritrea se ondernemings te doen met sterk kompetisie
van binne en van buite die land. Dus floreer net daardie ondermemings wat die toekoms kan
voorspel en pro-aktiewe besluite kan neem. Dit is egter waar dat nie een van hierdie
organisasies formele, kompeterende intelligensiepraktyke op 'n pro-aktiewe, gedisiplineerde
en sistematiese wyse toegepas het om hulself teen dreigemente te beskerm en om geleenthede
uit te buit nie; informeel het hulle wel.
Sommige van hierdie maatskappye wat informeel kompeterende intelligensie toepas, is
betreklike 'goeie presteerders' en ander is 'swak presteerders'. Daar word geglo dat die
prestasievlak van hierdie kompeterende intelligensie beïnvloed word deur organisatoriese
kultuur. Die implikasie is dat werknemers wat aangemoedig en opgelei is om aan dieselfde
dinge te glo en wat dieselfde waardes, norme en praktyke deel, in 'n beter posisie is om
inligting te deel en met 'n ope gemoed met mekaar om te gaan. Die vrye vloei van inligting is
die basiese bestanddeel wat help om doeltreffende kompeterende intelligensie te produseer.
Met die doel om na te vors of daar 'n statisties sinvolle verhouding bestaan tussen
organisatoriese kultuur en kompeterende intelligensie, is daar eers 'n literatuurstudie gedoen
om uit ander se werk te leer. Na die literatuuroorsig is daar 'n empiriese studie gedoen. Die
empiriese deel van die studie poog om na te vors of die vervaardigers en handelaars informele
kompeterende intelligensie toepas en ook of daar 'n positiewe verhouding bestaan tussen die
onafhanklike en afhanklike veranderlikes. Data is versamel deur middel van 'n vraelys aan
hoëvlak bestuurders. Nege-en-dertig vraelyste is uitgestuur waarvan 23 volledig deur die
organisasies ingevul is. Statistiese ontleding is toe gedoen om deur middel van die statistiese
pakket SPSS die korrelasies te bepaal.
Die verhouding tussen organisatoriese kultuur en kompeterende intelligensie is op twee
maniere bepaal: dit is eers gekorreleer in terme van die ses geselekteerde organisatoriese
kultuurdimensies (werknemer betrokkenheid, menslike hulpbronne, organisatoriese fokus,
kommunikasievloei., beloning en vertroue) en kompeterende intelligensie; en tweedens in
terme van tellings van elke maatskappy se organisatoriese kultuur en kompeterende
intelligensie. Die vlak van die telling het bepaal of die maatskappy goed presteer het of nie.
In albei gevalle is daar gevind dat daar 'n positiewe verhouding bestaan tussen organisatoriese
kultuur en prestasie in kompeterende intelligensie. Hierdie bevindinge ondersteun die
hipotese dat organisatoriese kultuur wel bydra tot verbeterde intelligensiepraktyke. Verder
bewys dit dat ondernemings in Eritrea redelik goed vaar in informele kompeterende
intelligensie.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/50178 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Kbrom, Berhane Abraham |
| Contributors | Van der Walt, M. S., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic & Management Sciences. Dept. of Information Science. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 71 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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