Abstract
Purpose: This study examines how Sustainable Competitive Intelligence (SCI) capabilities support the strategic transformation of vocational education institutions under China’s Double High Plan. Specifically, it investigates the role of intelligence governance, environmental scanning, benchmarking, intelligence dissemination, and evidence-based decision-making in enhancing the competitiveness of Yunnan Vocational College of Sports (YVCS).
Methodology/Approach: A concurrent mixed-methods design was adopted. Quantitative data were collected through a survey administered to 110 respondents and analyzed using reliability testing, KMO and Bartlett’s tests, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression. Qualitative data were obtained through ten semi-structured interviews and institutional document analysis, with thematic coding conducted using NVivo. SWOT–RBV analysis was integrated and repositioned within a Sustainable Competitive Intelligence framework.
Originality/Relevance: The study contributes to the Competitive Intelligence literature by operationalizing Sustainable Competitive Intelligence as an organizational capability in vocational education. It extends traditional applications of Competitive Intelligence by demonstrating how vocational institutions can transform policy information, industry signals, benchmarking evidence, and internal resources into strategic actions that foster institutional competitiveness and sustainable development.
Key Findings: The findings indicate that strategic planning, talent-market intelligence, faculty development, external intelligence networks, and intelligence governance positively influence institutional competitiveness. Among these dimensions, intelligence governance demonstrated the strongest effect, highlighting the importance of coordinated decision-making structures and systematic intelligence processes for sustainable institutional transformation.
Theoretical/Methodological Contributions: The study advances the literature by proposing an integrated Sustainable Competitive Intelligence–RBV–SWOT framework that conceptualizes Competitive Intelligence as a multidimensional organizational capability. Methodologically, it provides empirical evidence through mixed-methods triangulation and offers a practical model for analyzing intelligence-driven strategic transformation in vocational education institutions.
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