Abstract

There is a lack of studies on innovations and competitiveness in Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Saudi Arabia; to fell this gap, this paper will study change as the competitive advantage for Small and Medium Enterprises: the case for Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study aims to explore different practices of SMEs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to examine the impact of innovation strategies (Organizational, Product, Process, and Market) on the competitive advantage of SMEs. The study was conducted on one hundred and forty-seven (147) SMEs that are practising different activities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study’s analysis indicates that most of the enterprises were young (operation years were less than ten years), which shows the strong need to apply innovative strategies to maintain their position and competitiveness in the market. Competitive advantage enables the firm to utilise its resources efficiently and maintain high levels of quality performance. The results show that the correlation between Innovation strategies such as product innovation strategy, market innovation strategy, process innovation strategy, and organisational innovation strategy practised by SMEs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and competitiveness was Positive. Therefore, it indicates that different innovation strategies were significantly influencing the competitiveness of the SMEs. To remain a competitor enterprise in the market is not a natural or an easy attempt, and it can be challenging for SMEs, especially without the needed knowledge and support. Findings and recommendations of the study can be used as a guideline for SMEs. Also, emphasising on the importance of education that plays a vital role in SMEs innovations. It is essential to establish with different research centres and universities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia programs or activities that focus on changes in business, and it will result in gaining competitive advantage and sustainability for Small and Medium Enterprises in the market.

Keywords: competitive advantage, innovation, small enterprises, medium enterprises.

JEL Classification: D2, Q33, M31.

Cite as: Alghanmi, A. O. (2020). Innovations as the competitive advantage for small and medium enterprises: the case for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Marketing and Management of Innovations, 2, 196-205. https://doi.org/10.21272/mmi.2020.2-14

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

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