Utilisation of Marketing Mix as A Strategy by Small And Medium Enterprises(SMEs) For Business Growth in Enugu State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

The major purpose of this study was to determine the extent of utilization of marketing mix as a strategy by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for business growth in Enugu State. Four research questions were answered and four null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The population for the study consisted of 448 registered small and medium enterprises operating in Enugu State, made up of 97 producers, 183 managers, and 168 sales representatives. There was no sample for the study because the population size was manageable. Descriptive survey design was used to generate data for the study. Structured questionnaire was used to elicit information for the study. The instrument was face validated by three experts. One from the Department of Vocational Teacher Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and two from the Department of Marketing, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus. The questionnaire was pilot tested with a sample of 20 small and medium enterprises randomly selected in Imo State. Cronbach Alpha reliability test was used to determine the internal consistency of the instrument and this yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.89. Data were analysed using mean statistics for the research questions and t-test was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Based on the findings, it was revealed that product features contribute to a great extent the growth of the business. There was significant difference in the opinions of the managers and sales representatives, producers and sales representatives on utilisation of marketing mix as a strategy for business growth in Enugu State. It was recommended that SMEs should adopt better packaging to attractive patronage and prevent their products from damages, among other things.