The role of competitor orientation and proactiveness in competitive advantage for small- and medium-sized enterprises performance

Southern African Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management

 
 
Field Value
 
Title The role of competitor orientation and proactiveness in competitive advantage for small- and medium-sized enterprises performance
 
Creator Ogundare, Jeremiah A. van der Merwe, Stephan
 
Subject — competitive advantage; competitor orientation; proactiveness; SMEs’ performance; small- and medium-sized enterprises
Description Background: As small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the primary source of job creation in Nigeria and contribute 48% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), their performance must be enhanced and sustainability ensured. The article suggests that through competitor orientation and proactiveness, SME managers and owners can achieve competitive advantage which ultimately promotes firm performance.Aim: The article aims to examine how competitor orientation and proactiveness in competitive advantage enhance the performance of SMEs in Nigeria.Setting: The study focused on registered SME owners and managers who are operating in Nigeria, using Lagos State as a case study.Methods: This study was conducted through administering questionnaires to owners and/or managers of SMEs as the unit of analysis. A quantitative research design was used with stratified and simple random sampling as the sampling method, with the sample comprising 100 SME owners and/or managers.Results: The results of the study indicated that competitive advantage mediates the relationship between competitor orientation, proactiveness and SMEs’ performance indirectly. It further revealed that competitor orientation and proactiveness have significant effects on SMEs’ performance.Conclusion and contribution: The article reveals how competitive advantage, which is influenced by competitor orientation and proactiveness, contributes to increased SMEs’ performance in SME sectors. Thus, to gain a competitive edge over their rivals, the study recommends that SME owners and managers consider competitor orientation and proactiveness more seriously, as these factors ultimately boost their performance.
 
Publisher AOSIS Publishing
 
Contributor Small and Medium Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN)
Date 2024-02-19
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Quantitative approach
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/sajesbm.v16i1.786
 
Source The Southern African Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management; Vol 16, No 1 (2024); 11 pages 2071-3185 2522-7343
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://sajesbm.co.za/index.php/sajesbm/article/view/786/967 https://sajesbm.co.za/index.php/sajesbm/article/view/786/968 https://sajesbm.co.za/index.php/sajesbm/article/view/786/969 https://sajesbm.co.za/index.php/sajesbm/article/view/786/970
 
Coverage — — Owners and managers of SMEs
Rights Copyright (c) 2024 Jeremiah Ayodele Ogundare, Stephan van der Merwe https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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