Impact of competitive intelligence on firm sustainable competitiveness and performance: strategic design collaboration’s mediating role

Purpose This paper aims to examine the direct and indirect impact of competitive intelligence (CI) practices on sustainable competitiveness (SC) and firm performance (FP) mediated by strategic design collaboration (SDC). Design/methodology/approach This empirical study is based on a survey of 179 respondents comprising senior managers from pharmaceutical companies operating in Egypt across three sectors: public, private and multinational corporations (MNCs). Findings The results show that CI has a positive and significant impact on SDC, which, in turn, positively impacts SC and FP. The study also shows that SDC mediates the relationship between CI and both SC and FP. Originality/value This study sheds light on the significant and mediating role of SDC in explaining the relationship between CI and both SC and FP.