Madhumita Banerjee

Competitive intelligence and firm's performance in emerging markets: an exploratory study in India

– This paper aims to explore the impact of competitive intelligence (CI) practices on the firms performance in the emerging market context of India. The paper seeks to answer the following questions: do CI activities have an impact on the market performance of Indian firms? If so, what are the macro and micro environmental drivers of CI for Indian firms? How are CI activities organized within Indian firms? How is the usage and dissemination of CI taking place within Indian firms?, – The study used a stratified sample developed from a variety of mailing lists focusing on Indian firms. The study employed a cross‐sectional, survey‐based methodology., – The study identifies two key aspects: Indian firms that exhibit higher levels of CI activities indeed achieve better financial performance results; and the current level of CI activities in Indian firms is at a moderate level, thereby suggesting an opportunity for using and implementing more sophisticated CI techniques., – The findings of this study should assist local and foreign managers in having a more informed understanding of CI activities in the Indian marketplace. Additionally, these findings provide directives to managers regarding the untapped opportunities and potential that CI can offer in a highly volatile and rapidly changing market scenario., – This is the first study that empirically investigates the relationship between the level of CI activities and firm performance in an emerging market context. It is also the first study of its kind that explores the current state of CI practices in the Indian market.

Misalignment and Its Influence on Integration Quality in Multichannel Services

As service organizations increasingly use physical and virtual channels for customer contact, a seamless customer experience within and across channels reflects the integration quality of multichannel services. This study investigates the factors affecting integration quality and their impact on multichannel design and management. The study was undertaken as a qualitative, multimethod, multisite, case research with a consumer bank, its customers and its technology partner firms. The research findings identify forms of misalignment occurring between organizational perception and design of a multichannel system and customer expectations of a multichannel service experience. Such misalignment not only negatively impact integration quality but also make customers susceptible to terminating the relationship with the service provider. The study also identifies that integration quality does not result from the lone actions of a single entity, such as the organization. The interplay of actions between the organization, its wider institutional environment, and its customers collectively influence integration quality. From a managerial perspective, the study identifies aspects of multichannel process design and management for positive integration quality.