Jacob Chidinma Sandra & Doris C. Ngirika
Department of Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Procurement and Logistics,Faculty of Management Sciences, Federal University Otuoke
Corresspondence Email Address:[email protected]
Abstract
The study investigated how entrepreneurial innovation relates with sustainable economic growth and social accountability of SMEs in Bayelsa State. The study was anchored on Schumpeter’s theory of innovation. The population of the study consisted of 300 small and medium scale ent erprises in Bayelsa State. Using Krejcie and Morgan (1970) sample size determination table, a sample size of 169 was obtained. This sample was randomly chosen among the 300 SMEs. Hence, 169 copies of the questionnaire were distributed to the targeted respondents and 150 were retrieved. The study revealed that entrepreneurial innovation has a strong positive relationship with sustainable economic growth and social accountability of SMEs in Bayelsa State, which implies that entrepreneurial innovation is a disruptive force for sustainable economic growth and social accountability among SMEs in Bayelsa State. The study concluded that entrepreneurial innovation drives both economic advancement and long-term sustainable operations along with ethical business conduct. Among others, the study recommended that SMEs in Bayelsa State should be encouraged to engage in capacity-building programmes that emphasize innovative thinking, sustainable business practices, and modern technologies, thereby contributing to the economic development of Bayelsa State.
Keywords: Entrepreneurial Innovation, Economic Growth, Sustainable Economic Growth, Accountability, Social Accountability.