| dc.description.abstract | The design of competitive intelligence, as a process that monitors all elements of the
external environment of an organization is still recent. It began in countries that were in
the world wars, and with complex diplomatic questions, such as the future roles of Japan
and the European countries, such as Germany, France, and England. The increased use of
the concept of competitive intelligence in the 1990s, particularly in the United States, has
been a function of globalizing the economy. Thus, countries have been using competitive
intelligence on a global scale as a guarantee of a place on the world scene. Japan, for
example, has been using it since the Second World War and as a result was able to
increase its market advantage in the 1980s, forcing the countries of the West, particularly
the United States, to react. The objectives of this study were to investigate the extent to
which competitive intelligence is practiced in Kenya Insurance industry and to
investigate the link between competitive intelligence practice and performance of
insurance institutions.
This study used descriptive survey design. The study targeted 43 insurance companies in
Kenya. The study also used primary data to collect data using drop and pick method from
the Head of Strategy department in the companies. Data was analysed using descriptive
analysis with the aid of SPSS computer package. The findings were presented using
tables and charts. Data was interpreted using frequencies, percentages and mean score
and presented in form of frequency tables.
From the study, the researcher found that competitive intelligence was practiced in Kenya
Insurance industry because from the study, most of the respondents in the Insurance
Companies were involved in the implementation of CI function and the CI function was
implemented as a project (with external help). This shows how these insurance
companies valued competitive intelligence. The study also concludes that there was a link
between competitive intelligence practice and performance of insurance institutions. This
is because from the study, most of the insurance companies’ recognized competitive
advantage was and therefore competitive intelligence can be used to create competitive
edge. | en |
