ABSTRACT
This paper presents the findings of an empirical study of Strategic Intelligence (SI) in Belgian (Walloon) small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The main objective of the research was to take stock of the attitude towards SI initiatives directed at small businesses. More precisely, the research aimed to establish whether or not some threats to such programmes, identified by previous studies, needed to be taken into account in the Walloon approach. These threats mainly lay in the cognitive, affective and behavioural dimensions of SMEs’ attitudes, used as a framework for analysis. A total of 250 phone interviews were carried out with the head or a top manager of each SME. The research reveals a lack of awareness of SI and SI programmes and a gap between the SMEs’ self-confidence in their information level and their intelligence practices. In short, findings show that Wallonia is a virgin territory for SI and does not suffer from all the handicaps that have been identified in studies of other countries’ programmes.
