Research Article
Artificial Intelligence and Entrepreneurial Marketing in SMEs in Edo State, Nigeria: A Critical Secondary-Data Analysis and Capability-Based Framework
Kingsley Chimaobi Akabuokwu*
,
Anthony Iyekekpolor
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 4, December 2026
Pages:
159-171
Received:
6 August 2026
Accepted:
17 August 2026
Published:
14 October 2026
Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through cloud software, generative AI, social-platform analytics, automated advertising, recommendation systems and conversational agents. Yet access to a tool is not equivalent to possession of an organisational capability. This article examines how AI can strengthen entrepreneurial marketing and SME performance in Edo State, Nigeria, while identifying the conditions under which adoption may produce weak, unequal or harmful outcomes. The study uses a critical secondary-data design that triangulates official Nigerian and Edo State policy and economic documents, national MSME statistics, peer-reviewed theory, and published Edo-focused survey results. It re-analyses reported descriptive statistics and regression outputs rather than fabricating primary observations. The evidence indicates that Edo SMEs perceive substantial performance benefits from AI-enabled outputs: a published 2024 survey reports approximately 70-72% agreement that AI improves decision quality, speed, customer service and opportunity identification. In the same study, data readiness explained 15.5% of reported performance variance and computational readiness explained 12.6%. A separate 2025 Edo-Delta study ranked ICT platforms as the strongest of three digital-transformation predictors, ahead of digital human resources and finance for technology. However, serious methodological weaknesses in the local evidence—including inconsistent sample counts, self-reported performance, non-probability sampling, cross-sectional designs and questionable model diagnostics—prevent strong causal conclusions. The article therefore advances an AI-enabled entrepreneurial marketing capability framework in which data quality, affordable compute, owner-manager competence and responsible governance enable AI to amplify seven entrepreneurial-marketing behaviours: proactiveness, opportunity focus, calculated risk-taking, innovativeness, customer intensity, resource leveraging and value creation. The central finding is that AI is best understood as an amplifier, not an autonomous source, of competitive advantage. It creates value when embedded in rapid market learning, disciplined experimentation and trusted customer relationships; it can also scale misinformation, bias, privacy violations and inefficient routines. The study concludes with a staged adoption pathway and policy recommendations for Edo State, business associations, universities, financial institutions and SME owner-managers.
Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through cloud software, generative AI, social-platform analytics, automated advertising, recommendation systems and conversational agents. Yet access to a tool is not equivalent to possession of an organisational capability. This article examines ho...
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Research Article
Driving Competitiveness of Microfinance Banks Through Learning Orientation
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 4, December 2026
Pages:
172-185
Received:
5 October 2026
Accepted:
17 October 2026
Published:
31 October 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.jbed.20261104.12
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Abstract: Microfinance banking industry is critical cog in the economic wheel as it contributes to the Gross Domestic Product, generation of employment and enhancement of socio-economic status in its pursuit for financial inclusivity for the segment of the Kenyan adult population that has been ignored by the conventional banking products and services. However, the over-reliance of microfinance banks on traditional product design and service delivery models with glaring absence of customized solutions and overdependence on conventional financing methods has greatly eroded their competitiveness. Thus, this study investigated the effect of learning orientation on competitiveness of Microfinance banks in Kenya. The study was underpinned on dynamic capabilities theory and resource-based view. Positivism research paradigm and explanatory research design were adopted as the overarching research strategy. The units of analysis and observation were microfinance banks and management personnel respectively, with a population of 616 management staff. Proportionate stratified and simple random sampling techniques was used for choosing the study sample of 243 management staff from which data was obtained using a structured questionnaire. A pilot study was performed on randomly chosen 25 management assistants or their equivalent. Linear regression was applied as the empirical model, whereby the decision rule for statistical inferences was based on a confidence level of ninety-five percent. Underlying assumptions of linear regression were evaluated. Data was subjected to descriptive analysis based on frequency count, measures of central tendency and measures of spread. Causal inference was analysed using simple linear regression at 95 percent confidence interval. The results thereof were presented in graphical form or tabulated. Learning orientation was determined to have a positive effect on firm competitiveness. The Head of Human Capital should review and strengthen the existing institutional learning and development framework to promote employees’ participation in identifying skills gaps. The Head of Operations should formulate clear institutional guidelines for sharing work-related experiences, facilitating information flow, capturing knowledge generated through stakeholder interactions, and establishing mechanisms for translating the know-how of high-performing employees into accessible and transferable formats.
Abstract: Microfinance banking industry is critical cog in the economic wheel as it contributes to the Gross Domestic Product, generation of employment and enhancement of socio-economic status in its pursuit for financial inclusivity for the segment of the Kenyan adult population that has been ignored by the conventional banking products and services. Howeve...
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