Revisiting Innovation Typologies among Agro-food Small and Medium-Size Enterprises (SMEs) in a Developing Country (Published)
Innovation has been identified as an enhancer of competitiveness of Small and Medium-Size Enterprises (SMEs). Moreover, a growing body of scholarly research demonstrate the that organisations stand to gain competitive advantage if they combine the right mix of culturally embedded innovative and knowledge sharing practices. Despite the vast amount of studies that have spawned concerning innovation in SMEs, very few have been done among Agro-food SMEs in developing countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, such as Nigeria. Given the importance of the agri-food sector, particularly with respect to the many SMEs in developing countries, this study considers it fruitful to identify the typologies of innovation of such firms in Nigeria, in order for them to compete in world markets. Moreover, this study draws its relevance from the fact that agri-SMEs in Nigeria still lag behind those in developed countries in terms of innovation. Based on the reviewed literature, this study advances two conceptual frameworks for further studies on Agro-food SMEs in developing countries, viz: (i) the relationship between culturally-embedded innovation and competitiveness (ii) the relationship between knowledge-based innovation and competitiveness.
Keywords: Agro-food SMEs, Competitiveness, Knowledge Sharing, Organisational Culture, Organisational innovation