Developing a Business and Strategic Intelligence Policy to Advance Business and Economic Development in Eastern DRC | Chapter 7 | Business, Management and Economics: Research Progress Vol. 6

Conflicts in the eastern part of the country have delayed its development as its economy has suffered significant damage. The main vision of DRC is to become an emerging country by 2030-2060. The aim of this study was to verify the existence of business and strategic intelligence policies at the level of Congolese companies and at the state level, likely to foster progress and healthy development in the east of the DRC. The study was based on a mixed perspective consisting of an objective analysis of quantitative data and an interpretative analysis of qualitative data. The quantitative findings were obtained through a survey questionnaire, and the qualitative findings were obtained through interviews. Then, the content analysis method associated with the functional method was used to detect the level of knowledge of business and strategic intelligence among Congolese companies and government departments; and also, through the description of practices in use, to determine the perception of the positioning of companies on the market, in order to determine the existence or necessity of implementing business and strategic intelligence policies in the economic system in the east of the DRC. Statistical Data were obtained with a stratified sampling of 54 employees constituting the sum of 30% of the employee headcount of each. The findings revealed that 92.6% of respondents did not know what Business and Strategic Intelligence or Competitive Intelligence is. The study evidence showed the importance and timeliness of building business and strategic intelligence policies to ensure economic progress and development in the eastern DRC. Business and strategic intelligence provides companies with an appropriate tool for researching, collecting, processing, and disseminating information useful for decision-making among stakeholders, in order to cope with a crisis or competitive situation. Thus, the study suggests several key recommendations based on its findings. It is recommended that the government establish the national policy of business and strategic intelligence by setting up a national agency of strategic intelligence in favor of local companies, and companies establish business intelligence units in their organizational structures in favor of stakeholders to foster advantageous decision-making in the competitive market and achieve progress. Finally, the study suggests that studies be carried out to fully understand the opportunities and impact of business and strategic intelligence in African countries, particularly in the DRC. This study constitutes initial evidence of a somewhat broad research that focused on some aspects, including policies, the use of ICT and communication media as business and strategic intelligence tools, and the analysis of the importance of the communication dimension in the decision-making process for the competitiveness of companies on the international market. These areas will be detailed in future studies.

 

Author (s) Details

Innocent Bora Uzima
Department of Media and Film Studies, Daystar University, Nairobi, Kenya and Department of Applied Communication, Université Chrétienne Bilingue du Congo, Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/bmerp/v6/1496