Sample items for the first dimension are: “We take part in seminars or conferences, read what is published or hire experts” and “We exchange information among ourselves (e.g., through reports, internal newsletters or e-mail)”. Sample items loading on the second dimension are: “We think of how we dealt with problems in the past (successes and failures)” and “We try to understand why a certain activity or task turned out well”. Sample items for the third factor include “We ask our colleagues how they have solved problems similar to ours” and “We talk about our activities”. Finally, the fourth dimension includes the following sample items “We know our competitors have information about us” and “What we know is an important ‘weapon’ to overcome our competitors” (Cardoso, 2008).
As aforementioned, for the purpose of this research only factors 1, 3 and 4 were analyzed.