Competitive Intelligence and Information Quality: A Game-Theoretic Perspective

摘要

To better understand a competitor's tactical and strategic plans, companies need to take a closer look at competitive intelligence or they risk missing lucrative opportunities. Because of this there is a growing interest in competitive intelligence and intelligence information gathering systems (IIS). This article uses game-theoretic concepts to develop an analytic framework to assess the value of deploying a competitive intelligence gathering information system. Modeling the competitive environment as a game provides a useful approach to study and evaluate competitive strategies given diverse assumptions about the quality of the information known by the players. When determining the value of deploying an IIS, decision makers need to examine three components of the competitive environment: the competitive rules of the game, the state of player knowledge, and the reliability of the information gathered. This framework focuses on competitive environments where the players' state of knowledge (i.e., common versus covert knowledge) and the reliability of the information generated are essential to the decision making process. The article concludes with implications for research and practice.