Jonathan Deacon

Entrepreneurial marketing: acknowledging the entrepreneur and customer-centric interrelationship

The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptualisation of entrepreneurial marketing drawn from recent developments in literature and supported by case evidence from firms leveraging an approach to marketing that explicitly considers the entrepreneur/customer interrelationship. The paper develops a model that puts the entrepreneur and customers and their interrelationship as the organisational drivers that exist in a wider environment of an organisation that embraces marketing augmented by a collection of non-traditional opportunity focused marketing strategy and tactics. Propositions are offered to stimulate and guide subsequent research efforts.

Developing entrepreneurial graduates: an action‐learning approach

Earlier this year, the University of Glamorgan Business School launched a conceptually new postgraduate programme, the Diploma in Entrepreneurial practice (DEP). This is a nine‐month long, full‐time course with selected business graduates undertaking a programme of study based around simulated and real projects to enhance their entrepreneurial skills, knowledge and attitudes. Aims to evaluate the inclusion of “taught” learning within what is fundamentally an action‐learning programme, and to discuss the issues around effective marketing of the DEP to industry and educationalists in Wales. Fundamental to the philosophy underpinning the DEP programme is that elements of entrepreneurship can be learned, and this paper explores the modes of learning entrepreneurship applied in the DEP programme and makes some initial assessment as to the different modes’ applicability on a course of this kind.

Entrepreneurial burnout: exploring antecedents, dimensions and outcomes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conceptually and empirically explore the antecedents and consequences of entrepreneurial burnout – that is burnout related to the process of discovery or creation of attractive economic opportunities, the assessment of these opportunities, and the decision on the exploitation of opportunities.Design/methodology/approach – This study is a survey of entrepreneurs in New Zealand who were alumni of a university sponsored executive development course for owner‐managers of small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises.Findings – It is found that role stress is positively related to burnout and that burnout has a negative impact on organizational commitment, organizational satisfaction, and relative perceived firm performance. In addition, implications for entrepreneurs are offered with the objective of providing suggestions to mediate the negative consequences of entrepreneurial burnout.Research limitations/implications – The present study is limited by culture – the sample was d...

Who leads?: Fresh insights into roles and responsibilities in a heterosexual copreneurial business

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to engage with contemporary gender and entrepreneurship theories to gain insights into the division of labour, capitals and capacities and gendered identities within husband and wife heterosexual copreneurial businesses. This paper acknowledges copreneurship as a constituent sub group of research within family business and in doing so, the wider small business domain. Design/methodology/approach – A multiple exploratory interview approach was used, with data generated through face-to-face in-depth interviews and ethnographic participant – observer multi-setting observation. This approach provided exceedingly rich and detailed data, and thus insights into the complex relationships found within copreneurial businesses. Findings – The interviews generated a large amount of qualitative data, which were organised into themes through a process of recursive abstraction. Expelling the myth of the “male lead entrepreneur”, this study found that entrepreneurial identity and roles and responsibilities within a copreneurial business are shared and complementary, and are dependent upon the unique capacities and capitals of each partner. While there is evidence of duties that could be stereotypically described as either “men’s work or women’s work”, there was no apparent role tension between the partners. Thus, no partner’s contribution was deemed more valuable than the other. Originality/value – By examining the division of labour and unique value/contribution of both men and women within the copreneurial/familial relationship the stereotyped perception of the husband being the lead (male) entrepreneur is challenged in favour of the more complementary capacities, roles, responsibilities and, thus, value of each actor/participant.

Marketing in context – the marketing authenticity of owner/entrepreneurs of small firms: Case evidence from Welsh (UK) SME food and drink producers and retailers

Abstract This exploratory paper sets out to gain evidence of ‘contextual marketing’ (CM) in the small firm by exploring the phenomena of ‘authenticity’ within cases drawn from a single sector and displaying similarity of firm type. The aim of this study will seek to explore and define marketing in context and specifically: The marketing authenticity of owner/entrepreneurs of small firms: Case evidence from Welsh (UK) SME food and drink producers and retailers. Case research used here will allow ‘meaningful exploration of the characteristics of real life events’ (Remenyi et al., 1998), and insight into how small firms ‘go to market.’ This paper will contribute to knowledge development, and help explain and make meaning from the complex phenomena of small firms that tend to be loosely structured, non-hierarchical, and often adopting an unorthodox/informal style of management.

Anatomy of competitive advantage: towards a contingency theory of entrepreneurial marketing

Entrepreneurial marketing (EM), born out of the practice of firms operating in conditions of uncertainty, is emerging as a powerful alternative to cope with the decreasing effectiveness associated with traditional marketing. In this article, the authors provide their collective position regarding the field of EM. A brief history and conceptual background of EM is presented and the contextual differences that have shaped its evolution are considered. Distinctions between traditional and EM are derived based on discussions of the concepts of size, speed, market, opportunity, risk, and uncertainty. The perspective of value co-creation in uncertainty is used to develop a contingency framework to serve as the foundation towards a general theory of EM. Operand and operant resources and environmental conditions are proposed to moderate the EM process from opportunity recognition to entrepreneurial organization, EM, and temporary competitive advantage. The theoretical facets are illustrated with seven propositions and directions for future research.

A longitudinal reflection of blended/reflexive enterprise and entrepreneurial education

This article seeks to investigate the experiences, aspirations and outcomes of participants on the MA Business and Enterprise Development (MA BED) programme at the Newport Business School as interpreted through their own reflective practice. The development of an enterprise programme within the Newport Business School arose from the need to provide relevant enterprise-related education and support to students seeking to develop their enterprise skills and entrepreneurial aspirations; it also complemented government policy at the time. The investigation takes a longitudinal approach and further seeks to explore the pedagogic success (or not) of a blended enterprise education and entrepreneurship education masters programme from the participants’ standpoint. Results suggest that a blended/reflective pedagogic approach to enterprise and entrepreneurship education has value in developing a wider range of skills within participants and also has a greater effect on aspiration. In this case ‘aspiration’ appears to be closely linked to an individual’s confidence (a likelihood that they will be positively predisposed to negative circumstances) which in turn has a disproportionate (positive) effect on their ability to identify and rationalise opportunity. The latter reference to rationalisation appears linked to the higher-level thinking (reflective practice: both reflection and reflexivity) and analytical skills developed throughout the masters programme.

Contextual marketing: A conceptualisation of the meaning and operation of a language for marketing in context

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptualisation of the components of contextual marketing (CM), in light of the outcome of the Charleston Summit, through the development of the meaning and operation of language used in context – that is: the language and the associated meaning of words used in a highly socialised setting such as a small firm and articulated through conversation. Design/methodology/approach – A conceptualisation of the components of CM are proposed based upon a critical review of pertinent literature and the development of extant conceptualisations for research at the marketing/entrepreneurship interface. Findings – A model is produced that outlines a development of one of the four perspectives (as an outcome of the Charleston Summit) of research at the marketing/entrepreneurship interface and proposes that a third notion be considered in developing research studies that includes the wider aspects of sociology, psychology, anthropology and philosophy – in this case: sociolinguistics, in order that a better insight be gained of the meaning and operation of marketing at the “interface”. Practical implications – A more detailed understanding of the components of CM will advance research meaning and gain practitioner credibility. Originality/value – This paper develops a conceptual framework for future and further research at the interface by considering the need to introduce fundamental socially derived aspects to the scope of research – in this case the third notion of sociolinguistics – in order to gain a better insight to the phenomena of marketing in entrepreneurial small firms.

Entrepreneurs and Marketing: A New Look at Linguistic Interpretations

This paper seeks to explore linguistic nuances in responses to the definition of marketing for entrepreneurs in technology and non‐technology firms located in the US and UK. The present study focuses on an open ended marketing question and applies a hermeneutic analysis to the data. The results appear to suggest that differences exist between US and their UK counterparts on how they define marketing, such that UK firms “individualize” their application of marketing while the US firms “professionalize” the function.

Can trust be restored to high-street banking: A 20-year challenge?‡

Abstract This article is based on a dissertation submitted for an MSc in Marketing submitted by the first author and supervised by the second author. It is a viewpoint article that highlights the complexity of the challenge of restoring trust to high-street/retail banking, and explores some of the related issues of conduct risk, ethics and culture. It includes a brief historical analysis reflecting structural change in the mid-1980s up to today with a link to some current thoughts and research, and concludes that the banking sector’s current ambitions to restore trust are likely to be flawed and unlikely to deliver in the timelines that the banks and regulators expect. The article concludes with a number of related issues/subjects that are worthy of further research and flags some particular questions in the conclusion.