ENTREPRENEURIAL MARKETING AND SME PERFORMANCE: ROLES OF INNOVATION CAPABILITY AND ORGANIZATIONAL RESILIENCE

This study examines the impact of entrepreneurial marketing (EM) on the performance of small and medium enterprise (SME) in a volatile emerging economy context, addressing the persistent inconsistency in EM and performance findings. The problem arises from treating EM as a direct performance driver while overlooking the internal execution mechanisms and contextual conditions required to convert market engagement into economic outcomes. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional survey of 389 SME owner-managers and senior managers in Niger State, the study employed Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test a moderated mediation model involving innovation capability (IC) and organizational resilience (OR). The findings reveal that EM significantly enhances innovation capability, which in turn has a strong positive effect on SME performance, indicating partial mediation. Although EM shows a modest direct effect on performance, its primary impact operates through innovation capability. Organizational resilience does not directly influence innovation capability but significantly strengthens the relationship between innovation capability and performance which amplifies the indirect effect of EM on performance. The study concludes that sustainable SME performance in volatile environments is primarily driven by capability rather than solely driven by market. It recommends that SME managers complement entrepreneurial market engagement with disciplined innovation routines and resilience-building practices, while policymakers should design support interventions that strengthen innovation capability and organizational resilience to improve SME performance under persistent uncertainty.