Competitive intelligence and marketing effectiveness in corporate organizations in Nigeria

The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of competitive intelligence on the marketing effectiveness of corporate organizations. While much empirical works have centered on marketing effectiveness, the generalizability of its relationship to competitive intelligence in the Nigerian context has been under researched.  A 36- item survey questionnaire to measure competitive intelligence and marketing effectiveness was developed and 108 corporate organizations in Nigeria were selected from the gazette of Nigeria stock exchange as sample of this study. Postal survey was conducted with key informants in the organizations.   Returned instruments were analyzed using multiple regression and non-parametric correlation through the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 12. The results of the study reported in this paper validated the earlier instruments and finds strong association between competitive intelligence and marketing effectiveness of corporate organizations in the Nigerian context. The main finding of this study is that competitive intelligence lead to marketing effectiveness in corporate organizations in Nigeria. The implications of the results of this study are clear for scholars and managers.  For managers this paper has implications on the investigation of the link between competitive intelligence and marketing effectiveness of corporate organizations in Nigeria.  In the first place, this paper provides a direct test of the applicability of a western management paradigm to Nigeria marketing system different from other cultures. This paper significantly refines the body of knowledge concerning the impact of competitive intelligence on marketing effectiveness in the Nigeria context. This paper will, no doubt, contribute to the body of existing literature on competitive intelligence and marketing effectiveness.    Key words: Competitive intelligence, marketing effectiveness corporate organization, Nigeria.