Journal of Competitive Intelligence and Management

p. 01-02: Co-Editors' Letter, Vol. 04 No. 03
Roberta Brody, Queens College of the City University of New York, USA
Sheila Wright, De Montfort University, UK
This issue of the Journal of Competitive Intelligence and Management contains four peer-reviewed articles. The first of these articles, “Issues in Defining Competitive Intelligence: An Exploration” considers how CI is currently defined in the literature and who defines the term. James W. Hesford’s “An Empirical Investigation of Accounting Information Use in Competitive Intelligence” presents a study in the use of competitors’ accounting information by individuals engaged in competitive intelligence. “Competitive Intelligence as a Driver of Co-evolution within an Organization Population” by Mirva Peltoniemi and Elisa Vuori explores what might be the interactive and reactive consequences of CI activities within a population of competing organizations. Finally, “The Emergence and Uniqueness of Competitive Intelligence in France” by Jamie Smith and Leila Kossou considers French approaches to Competitive Intelligence.

p. 03-16: Issues in Defining Competitive Intelligence: An Exploration, Vol. 04 No. 03
Roberta Brody, Queens College, City University of New York, USA
This article begins by considering how some major organizations in North America address the definition of the term "competitive intelligence." That is to say, it attempts to set this exploration in the current contexts in which the term is used and defined. It attempts a synchronic exploration of current definitions and descriptions of CI by considering competitive intelligence as a term used in a body of documents and in document surrogates as represented by assigned indexing terms or controlled vocabulary metadata. Results suggest that there is not a definite description of the field. Descriptions and definitions were mostly process oriented but some defined CI in terms of products and final deliverables.

p. 17-49: An Empirical Investigation of Accounting Information Use in Competitive Intelligence, Vol. 04 No. 03
James W. Hesford, Cornell University, USA
This study investigates the use of competitors’ accounting information by individuals engaged in competitive intelligence. In the proposed framework competitive intelligence is an activity that firms undertake to offset the adverse effects of competition. Discussions with practitioners guided theory and survey development. Using both objective and subjective measures, survey data is analyzed and hypotheses tested using a structural equations model. The results show that competition, organizational support and accounting knowledge lead to greater use of accounting information in competitive intelligence activities. Accounting information was found to be positively associated with competitive intelligence unit effectiveness that, in turn, is positively associated with organizational performance. Finally, the evidence suggests that accountants within the firm should extend their work beyond traditional, internally?focused activities to contribute to the firm’s competitive intelligence effort, providing assistance with competitor cost assessment and financial statement analysis.

p. 50-62: Competitive Intelligence as a Driver of Co-Evolution within an Organization Population, Vol. 04 No. 03
Mirva Peltoniemi, Tampere University of Technology, Finland
Elisa Vuori, Tampere University of Technology, Finland
This paper discusses the implications that competitive intelligence operations may have on coevolution within a competitive organization population. The objectives and results of competitive intelligence are analyzed at the level of an individual organization. The population level consequences are conceptualized with the Red Queen effect and emergence. The study has been conducted as a conceptual analysis.

p. 63-85: The Emergence and Uniqueness of Competitive Intelligence in France, Vol. 04 No. 03
Jamie Smith, ESC Rennes, France
Leila Kossou, Brest Management Institute, University of Bretagne Occidentale, France
This article reviews French approaches to Competitive Intelligence. After establishing what forms CI take in French industry and language, the unique facets in France are discussed: government initiatives, the unique role of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and Regional Intelligence. A timeline is proposed illustrating how CI in France has evolved and who have been the key players. The equally original contribution of CI post-graduate degree programs is discussed together with the role of consultancies, support organizations, and academic research contributions. Three examples are included not only to elicit specific cases in Regional Intelligence, Consultancy, and Education, but also to illustrate how the different actors interact. Concluding remarks reflect on the outlook and restraints for CI in France.

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