The Emerging Quaternary and Quinary Sectors in the Digital Age: Assessing the Leverage of Competitive Intelligence in the Research and Not-for-Profit Organisations

This chapter explores the transformative impact of digital technologies on economic sectors, focusing on the emergence of the quaternary and quinary sectors. Challenging the traditional three-sector model established over six decades ago, it introduces the quaternary and quinary subdivisions, known as “The Q Sector”. These sectors involve activities providing services requiring research, analysis, and high-level decision-making. The chapter focuses on the Competitive Intelligence concept applied to the research and not-for-profit organisations to investigate The Q Sectors’ dynamic and competitive nature, adapted to the digital age. The research design utilizes a rigorous methodological framework, emphasizing intersectoral and historical analyses, utilizing the OECD Digital Government Toolkit criteria. The objective is to gain profound insights into global economic dynamics, emphasizing the importance of adaptation and systematic analysis in response to the rapidly evolving economic landscape, particularly for entities in the quaternary and quinary sectors.