The main objective of this study was to investigate the impact of innovative marketing on the performance of Ghanaian food processing SMEs. The research study was carried out in response to the scholarly and managerial interest in the construct of innovative marketing as a novel competitive tool and its effect on performance in food processing SME organisations. This research study examined the effect of the six components of innovative marketing (i.e. marketing mix variables (MV), marketing modification (MM), integrated marketing (IM), customer focus (CF), market focus (MF) and value proposition (VP) on the four components of food processing SME performance i.e. financial performance (FP), customer performance (CP), internal business process performance (IBPP) and learning & growth performance (LGP). The research study was carried out on 225 food processing SMEs on the registered list of the National Board for Small Scale Industry (NBSSI) in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The study was quantitative in nature with the use of questionnaires distributed to 225 owners/managers of food processing SMEs in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Through an extensive literature review, a conceptual framework and empirical result from 225 food processing SMEs in Ghana, the research study employed exploratory factor analysis along with structural equation modelling – path analysis to evaluate the proposed model for understanding the relationships among the constructs. The collected data was analysed through descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 23 and STATA version 15.1. The reliability of innovative marketing and food processing performance factors were determined using Composite
Reliability and Cronbach’s alpha and the validity of the factors of innovative marketing and food processing SMEs were also ascertained using convergent and discriminant validity methods. The research study established that SMEs in the food processing sector in Ghana exhibit high levels of five innovative marketing factors (i.e. market focus, value proposition, customer focus, integrated marketing and marketing mix variables) which impact on all four factors of food processing SME performance (i.e. financial performance, customer performance, internal business process performance and learning and growth performance) whereas marketing modification, a factor of innovative marketing, indicated insignificant association with food processing SME performance. The recommendation of the conducted research study made a clear statement that food processing SMEs in Ghana should maintain a positive attitude towards innovative marketing, and also negate the effect of innovative marketing challenges to achieve high performance. The conclusions that were drawn from the conducted research study indicated that the main research objective had been achieved. Hence, innovative marketing positively influences the performance of food processing SMEs in Ghana.
Inhloso enkulu yalolu cwaningo bekungukuphenya umthelela wokumaketha okusha ekusebenzeni kwama-SME wokucubungula ukudla waseGhana. Ucwaningo lwenziwe kuphendulwa intshisekelo yezifundiswa nezokuphatha ekwakheni ukumaketha okusha njengethuluzi lokuncintisana lenoveli nomphumela walo ekusebenzeni ezinhlanganweni zokucubungula ukudla kwama-SME. Lolu cwaningo lubheke umphumelela wezinto eziyisithupha zokumaketha okusha (isbokuguquguqukayo kokuhlanganiswa kokumaketha (MV), ukuguqulwa kokumaketha (MM), ukumaketha okuhlanganisiwe (IM), ukugxila kwamakhasimende (CF), ukugxila emakethe (MF), nokuphakanyiswa kwevelu (VP) ezingxenyeni ezine zokulungiswa kokudla ukusebenza kwe-SME okungukuthi, ukusebenza kwezezimali (FP), ukusebenza kwamakhasimende (CP), ukusebenza kwenqubo yebhizinisi yangaphakathi (IBPP), nokusebenza kokufunda nokukhula (LGP). Ucwaningo lwenziwe kuma-SME wokucubungula ukudla angama-225 ohlwini olubhalisiwe lweNational Board for Small Scale Industry (NBSSI) esifundeni esiseMpumalanga yeGhana. Lolu cwaningo belunobuningi ngokwendalo ngokusetshenziswa kwamaphepha emibuzo anikezwe abanikazi/abaphathi abangama-225 bokucubungula ukudla ama-SME esifundeni esiseMpumalanga yeGhana. Ngokubuyekezwa okubanzi kwezincwadi, uhlaka lomqondo kanye nomphumela wezobuciko kusuka kuma-SME wokucubungula ukudla angama-225 eGhana, ucwaningo lwasebenzisa ukuhlaziywa kwezici zokuhlola kanye nokuhlelwa kwesimo sokulinganisa - indlela yokuhlola imodeli ehlongozwayo yokuqonda ubudlelwano phakathi kokwakhiwa. Imininingwane eqoqiwe yahlaziywa ngezibalo ezichazayo kanye nasekuhlaziyweni okuningi kokuhlehla kusetshenziswa i-Statistical Package ye-Social Science (SPSS) inguqulo 23 kanye ne-STATA version 15.1. Ukuthembeka kokumaketha okusha kanye nokusebenza kokucubungula ukudla kunqunywe kusetshenziswa i-Composite. Ukuthembeka kanye ne-alpha kaCronbach nokuba semthethweni kwezici zokumaketha okusha nokuqhutshwa kokudla kwama-SME nakho kwaqinisekiswa kusetshenziswa izindlela zokuqinisekisa nezokunbandlulula. Ucwaningo luye lwaveza ukuthi ama-SME emkhakheni wokulungiswa kokudla eGhana akhombisa amazing aphezulu wezinto ezinhlanu ezintsha zokumaketha (okusho ukugxila emakethe, ukuphakanyiswa kwenani, ukugxila kwamakhasimende, ukumaketha okuhlanganisiwe kanye nokuxubana kokuxubana kokumaketha) okunomthelela kuzo zonke izici ezine zokulungiswa kokudla ukusebenza kwe-SME (okusho ukusebenza kwezezimali, ukusebenza kwamakhasimende, ukusebenza kwenqubo yebhizinisi yangaphakathi nokusebenza kokufunda nokukhula), kanti, ukuguqulwa kokumaketha, okuyisici sokumaketha okusha, kukhombisa ukuzihlanganisa okungabalulekile nokusebenza kokudla kwe-SME. Incomo yocwaningo olwenziwe yenze isitatimende esicacile sokuthi ama-SME okucubungula ukudla eGhana kufanele agcine isimo esihle mayelana nokukhangisa okusha, futhi angaphikisi nomphumela wezinselelo ezintsha zokumaketha ukuza kuzuzwe ukusebenza okuphezulu. Iziphetho ezithathwe ocwaningweni olwenziwe zikhombisile ukuthi inhloso enkulu yocwaningo seyifeziwe. Ngakho-ke, ukumaketha okusha kunomthelela omuhle ekusebenzeni kokulungiswa kokudla kwama-SME eGhana.
