NASCIMENTO, Agerlane Kelly da Conceição Cândido do.; CAVALCANTI, Elmano Pontes.
Abstract:
The current companies face a new reality competition environment in which innovations and changes occur
quickly. Nowadays the businesses need to keep their "eyes" and "ears" on alert in order to be in harmony
with the environment and detect the opportunities. The competitive intelligence is a valuable tool that is
based on gathering and analyzing information as the aim of create a competitive knowledge that could be a
huge differential business at this moment. The study aim was analyze the competitive intelligence level as a
business performance support in trade and service businesses of Campina Grande. Was used the
descriptive and exploratory methods. The information gathering technique was the interview. The study
target was the opinion of leaders that work in the marketing area, the sales managers or the major business
directors. The universe was composed by 104 companies and the sample census was represented by 69 of
them. As a result, it was found that companies are practicing high level of competitive intelligence, however
with less effort on information about customers and greater emphasis on market behaviors. The high level of
competitiveness was verified as well as the high intensity of espionage practices in the business
environment. The competitive intelligence average presented was relevant and also was find a major and
positive relationship with business performance.