ABSTRACT
The research study evaluated the impact of competitive marketing on the performance of
multinational and indigenous food and beverage manufacturing companies in Nigeria.
The study investigated how these companies utilized marketing orientation and practices,
organizational structure and strategy , marketing strategies on acquisition of market
shares, usage of marketing mix elements on returns on capital employed, and how the
competitive use of these variables influence the perception of consumers. The research
study was developed around the theories of connectionist, personality, innovation
diffusion, and cost structure and business performance. These variables were used to
evolve a detailed analysis of issues relating to product quality, organizational structures
and management theories. Theoretical models were reflected and used in developing five
different hypotheses that were investigated through the survey of forty multinational and
one-hundred and twenty indigenous foods and beverage manufacturing companies which
were respectively randomly selected. Copies of well structured questionnaire were
administered to companies sampled. The validity and reliability of the instrument were
measured at Cronbach’s alpha of 0.69 and alternative form validity of 0.62. Five
hypotheses were raised and tested at 0.05 significant levels. The findings revealed that
marketing orientation adopted by multi-national companies (MNCs) yielded better
performance than those of indigenous companies (INCs), the structure/strategy adopted
by MNCs yielded better performance than those of INCs, marketing strategies adopted by
MNCs yielded more market shares than those of INCs, MNCs use of elements of
marketing mix yielded higher rates of returns on capital employed than that of INCs, and
competitive use of these 4Ps for consumers’ perception by MNCs yielded better
performance compared to that of indigenous counterparts. The conclusion from the
research findings showed that indigenous companies were unable to compete favourably
because of their limited financial resources. It was recommended that indigenous
companies should adopt competitive marketing, functional structure and strategy, with
five marketing divisions, competitive use of elements of marketing mix, and embark on
the production of food and beverages for export.