The competitive environment in the information and communication technology industry : a case study / Daniël Jacobus de Kock

• Main Author: De Kock, Daniël Jacobus
• Published: North-West University 2010
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10394/3705

Globalisation and the increase of competitors have contributed to many new challenges in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. Competitiveness and comparative advantage have become important for managers and business analysts. Accurate and timeous information about markets and competitors allows managers to make better informed strategic business decisions. Consequently it will become possible to anticipate different future market scenarios that would improve the organisation's competitiveness. Organisations need to analyse the external environment to determine opportunities and threats. They need to be one step ahead of their competitors in order to survive in a very competitive environment. South Africa's economy has grown at a steady rate until the year 2008 and globalisation has created many opportunities. The FIFA Soccer World Cup will be hosted in South Africa in 2010 and this upcoming event has created numerous business opportunities for organisations. The ICT sector is an important contributor to the growth and development of the country's economy. The ICT sector will attempt to provide possibilities for education, training, skills development, job creation and broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE). The overall objective of this research project was to determine and define the changing competitive environment in the ICT sector and the way in which organisations respond to this environment. The research consisted of a literature study and an empirical survey. The empirical survey questionnaire measured how subjects understand and experience their competitive environment. Interviews were also conducted to understand if/how Organisation A analysed its external competitive environment. The results of the research showed that the external environment has an immense influence on Organisation A and that it is important for Organisation A to identify all the variables that will have an impact on it. The research also showed that Organisation A has various opportunities which it will need to take advantage of if it wants to be competitive and stay competitive. Organisation A has only recently recognized that a formal competitive/competitor analysis is required to stay competitive. Currently, Organisation A is conducting competitive/competitor analyses on an ad hoc basis. === Thesis (M.Com. (Management Accounting))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.