A Strategy on Competitive Intelligence for the Sri Lankan Rubber Industry to Generate Potential Value

Abstract

The competitive intelligence (CI) is analyzed knowledge and foreknowledge having effective decision making powers to empower business innovative performance for evolution of market advantage and potential value. The competitive intelligence reins with power of knowledge: knowledge management influence business performance to protect intellectual capital vulnerable to competitor incursions, to receive intellectual benefits and appropriation to extract potential market value. The concept of ?competitive intelligence? came to light during an empirical investigation in the Sri Lanka rubber industry. The industry had developed its market advantage as ?latex crepe rubber?, but, had stagnated thereafter by trading it as a commodity. Nonexistence of industrial strategy and committed regulatory role for knowledge management in pursuance of competitive market intelligence had immobilized industrial innovation performance; thus preventing promotion of technological superiority and attainment of intellectual benefits for market advantage to extract potential market value. A qualitative inquiry to understand industry environmental phenomenon from industry practitioners and a quantitative inquiry on industrial performance and value generation was undertaken to arrive at conclusions. A strategic management focus in combination with competitive intelligence needs understanding by industry practitioners and academics to gather insights for potential value generation.