Morgan P. Miles

Corporate Entrepreneurship and the Pursuit of Competitive Advantage

This paper presents a theoretical exploration of the construct of corporate entrepreneurship. Of the various dimensions of firm-level entrepreneurial orientation identified in the literature, it is argued that innovation, broadly defined, is the single common theme underlying all forms of corporate entrepreneurship. However, the presence of innovation per se is insufficient to label a firm entrepreneurial. Rather, it is suggested that this label be reserved for firms that use innovation as a mechanism to redefine or rejuvenate themselves, their positions within markets and industries, or the competitive arenas in which they compete. A typology is presented of the forms in which corporate entrepreneurship is often manifested, and the robustness of this typology is assessed using criteria that have been proposed for evaluating classificational schemata. Theoretical linkages are then drawn demonstrating how each of the generic forms of corporate entrepreneurship may be a path to competitive advantage.

Environmental Marketing: A Source of Reputational, Competitive, and Financial Advantage

Corporate reputation is an intangible asset that is related to marketing and financial performance. The social, economic, and global environment of the 1990shas resulted in environmental performance becoming an increasingly important component of a companysreputation. This paper explores the relationship between reputation, environmental performance, and financial performance, and looks at the contingencies that impact environmental policy making.

The relationship between marketing orientation and entrepreneurial orientation

Increasing environmental uncertainty has focused greater attention on firms’ overall business orientations, particularly on the marketing orientation and the entrepreneurial orientation. The major purpose of this empirical investigation was to determine whether the marketing orientation and entrepreneurial orientation represent the same or two unique business philosophies.

The Evolution and Development of Entrepreneurial Marketing

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the evolution of entrepreneurial marketing (EM). First an historical perspective of the evolution of EM is offered and some central incidents are identified. Further, empirical indications of small and medium‐sized firm marketing behavior are reported and analyzed. Some distinctive differences between EM and administrative focused marketing are identified. This paper provides future scholars with a summary of how EM has evolved into a potential new school of marketing thought and offers several issues that should stimulate future research in EM.

Exploring the practice of corporate venturing: some common forms and their organizational implications

This study explores the domain of corporate venturing using a theoretically grounded classification typology as an organizing scheme. The typology is applied in a field study of corporations that are active In venturing and based in the United Kingdom or the United States. Corporate venturing is classified into four generic forms by the focus of entrepreneurship and the presence of investment intermediation: (1) direct-internal venturing; (2) direct-external venturing; (3) indirect-internal venturing; and (4) indirect-external venturing. A managerial decision framework is offered to assist corporate executives in selecting potentially appropriate forms of corporate venturing, given specific venturing objectives and corporate circumstances.

The Relationship between Environmental Dynamism and Small Firm Structure, Strategy, and Performance

This study describes the organization structures, strategic postures, business practices, and performance levels of small firms in stable and dynamic environments. Results suggest that environmental dynamism impacts the strategies chosen by small firms and moderates the relationships between organization structure, strategic posture, and firm performance.

Strategic use of corporate venturing

Corporate venturing (CV) is said to be most productive as a path to superior corporate performance when practiced in a strategic manner. Unfortunately, considerable ambiguity exists concerning what it means in an organizational practice sense to strategically pursue CV. The result is a failure of many companies to fully leverage CV for strategic purposes. Based on a review of the CV literature and findings from a field study of 15 Swedish, U.K., and U.S. corporations, this article describes several models that depict the ways in which CV and business strategy coexist as organizational phenomena. Empirically derived propositions are offered to suggest how some companies are strategically engaged in their CV efforts.

Large firms, entrepreneurial marketing processes, and the cycle of competitive advantage

Purpose – The paper aims to explore how large firms might leverage entrepreneurial marketing processes to gain and renew competitive advantage.Design/methodology/approach – The paper applies past research on entrepreneurial marketing and entrepreneurship with examples from a long‐term case study of firms in New Zealand, Sweden, the UK, and the USA to illustrate how entrepreneurial marketing processes can be strategically employed by large firms to create or discover, assess, and exploit entrepreneurial opportunities more effectively and efficiently.Findings – The paper offers insight into how large firms leverage entrepreneurial marketing processes to gain advantage. The findings suggest that, in free and open markets, entrepreneurial marketing processes can be strategically employed to create superior value for the firms customers and owners.Originality/value – The paper contributes to the work of both academics working at the marketing/entrepreneurship interface and executives seeking to leverage marke...

The Potential Impact of Social Accountability Certification on Marketing: A Short Note

Social Responsibility (SA) 8000 registration/certification is a response by the business community to address consumer and investor perceptions of the importance of emerging global social issues such as child labor, worker rights, discrimination, compensation, etc. As more U.S. and European firms outsource production to less developed nations, social, environmental, and reputational issues have become more important. SA8000 is a series of behavioral standards that represents a comprehensive, and potentially global, corporate social responsibility registration system that provides a standard of socially responsible treatment of workers. This paper explores how SA8000 adoption may impact a firms marketing activities.

The impact of ISO 14000 environmental management standards on small and medium sized enterprises

Abstract Environmental performance is fast becoming a selection criterion both in the consumer and industrial markets. Some consumer market segments use environmental criteria when selecting one brand over another. In the industrial market, supplier selection by multinational firms may soon be conditioned on vendor environmental performance. This paper attempts to explore the impact of ISO 14000 on SMEs and offers suggestions for future research.