ABSTRACT

The study analyzed strategic innovation and marketing performance of some selected small and medium scale enterprises in Abia state. Specifically, it measured the impact of technological innovation on marketing performance in terms of corporate turnover (sales volume), it determined the degree of significance in relationship between cost of administrative innovation and marketing performance in terms of corporate profitability and it measured the degree of significance in relationship between human resource innovation and marketing performance in terms of market share expansion. The research design took the form of time series experimental design as the performance of firms for the period before innovation is compared with the post innovation period. Primary and secondary (annual reports of selected firms in the industry of study) data were used. Data were analyzed based on the use of statistical tools of t-Test of mean difference, Qrs test statistics and Correlation (Spearman Rank order correlation and Pearson correlation). The result of the study shows that Significant difference exists between the cost of innovation and corporate Turnover when performance of pre-and post strategic innovation periods are compared at 0.05 level of confidence, there is a linear relationship between cost of innovation and corporate profit as associated with (derived form) innovation and there is a significant association between market share growth for the periods pre and post innovation in Human Resources at 0.05 level of confidence. Therefore, the researcher concluded that innovation is one of the key factors that contribute to success of an organization and recommended that managers of firms should put additional emphasis on innovations as they are important instruments for achieving sustainable competitive power