Corporate Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustained Competitive Advantage in the Nigeria Manufacturing Firms

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between corporate entrepreneurship, innovation and sustained competitive advantage in the Nigeria manufacturing firms. Corporate entrepreneurship and innovation has been of interest to scholars and practitioners due to its beneficial effect on competitiveness. A survey research design was used. A simple and systematic sampling technique was used to determine the sample size. A total of 263 questionnaires were distributed to senior managers or CEO, and middle level staff at each manufacturing firm surveyed. Data from the study were collected analyzed using descriptive statistics, product moment correlation and regression analysis with statistical package for social science (SPSS V. 20). The results of the study revealed that there is a significant relationship between corporate entrepreneurship, innovation and sustained competitive advantage in the Nigeria manufacturing firm. Thus, corporate entrepreneurship and innovation has significant impact on the sustainability of the Nigeria manufacturing firms. The F-value (159.417) indicates that the model is good and that corporate entrepreneurship and innovation is a good predictor of sustainable competitive advantage in the Nigeria manufacturing firm. The study shows that the resources needed by organizations to achieve sustainable competitive advantage are mainly those that are imperfectly imitable and organizational specific procedures (organizational exploitation) developed overtime. It is this uniqueness which is not tradable that gives a firm an edge. It is hereby recommended that manufacturing firm in Nigeria should adopt corporate entrepreneurship and innovation as a panacea for survival as this will help them surmount the challenge of obsolescence and achieve sustained competitive advantages.

Keywords: Corporate Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Sustainable Competitive Advantage, Process Performance, Entrepreneurial Orientation

JEL Classification: M10