Rosalind Jones

Entrepreneurial marketing in small businesses: A conceptual exploration

This article proposes further development of the concept of entrepreneurial marketing towards the concept of entrepreneurial marketing orientation. Drawing on the earlier research and scales in the entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation, innovation orientation and customer orientation literatures, the article proposes a conceptual model for entrepreneurial marketing that identifies the components of such a model, together with specific indications of the overlap between scales in the different areas. This model implicitly suggests that marketing in SMEs is intertwined with other activities and behaviours in the small business enterprise, and argues that in order to understand marketing in SMEs it is essential to understand its context, specifically in relation to customer engagement, innovation and entrepreneurial approaches to marketing.

Marketing in small hotels: a qualitative study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of marketing in small hotels specifically, and, more generally, to the area of SME or entrepreneurial marketing.Design/methodology/approach – A deductive‐inductive approach based on interviews with 15 small hotel owner‐managers, supported by web site analysis and three in‐depth case study interviews, was used to provide a profile of marketing activities in small hotels in North Wales.Findings – The application of Carsons levels of activity model to characterise and classify the marketing strategies and activities of the respondent hotels suggested that for these small hotels an additional category would be helpful in characterising marketing activities, inexpert marketing. On this basis, five of the hotels were in the non‐marketing category, eight in the inexpert category, and two in the implicit category; none were in Carsons sophisticated category. Further, any one hotel might fall into different categories on the basis of their...

Marketing for survival: a comparative case study of SME software firms

Purpose – This study seeks to explore the success and failure of two similar small software technology firms from a marketing perspective. Using a dyadic approach, the research aims to compare the degree of customer orientation and innovativeness exhibited in both firms and to understand contributing factors for success and failure.Design/methodology/approach – A two‐case comparative case study was employed as the primary method of investigation. Participant‐observation in both firms and 22 semi‐structured interviews with owner‐managers, employees and customers provided a holistic approach to how these firms perceived and prioritised marketing and innovation.Findings – There is a need for small software firms to strike a balance between customer orientation and innovativeness in order to survive. In terms of customer orientation, the findings show that it is not only related to customer contacts and relationships, but is also about delivering on the promise. The small firms ability to achieve this is hig...

Presentation of a generic “EMICO” framework for research exploration of entrepreneurial marketing in SMEs

Purpose – This research paper seeks to contribute to discussions at the marketing and entrepreneurship interface from the small to medium‐sized enterprise (SME) perspective, in particular to further developments in the entrepreneurial marketing (EM) literature by presenting a research framework suitable for research exploration of EM in SMEs.Design/methodology/approach – Development of the “EMICO” framework has taken place within the context of a research project which explores EM orientation in small technology firms. The framework was constructed using EM theory and informed by a range of established orientation scales drawn from the wider literature. Methodological approaches used in refinement of the framework are then described.Findings – The paper reflects on and discusses the contribution that extant EM theory makes to the frameworks development, specifically reporting the findings relating to EM theory applied to the SME research context.Originality/value – The paper addresses the paucity of rese...

Strategic network marketing in technology SMEs

Abstract This study seeks to explore strategic networks from an entrepreneurial marketing and value creation perspective in the business-to-business (B2B) context to ascertain the value generated by strategic groups of network actors. This area has received little research investigation, despite the importance of network marketing in small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Strategic Network Marketing Model (SNMM) is generated from the study which presents a typology of six network types, together with their associated value creation opportunities. Both the typology and the focus on opportunities generated by the network types are novel. Qualitative interviews were conducted in 12 software SMEs located in two technology clusters in the UK and United States. Thematic analysis of the interview data uncovered use of six strategic networks; firms use intra-firm, social, customer, business, innovation, and marketing and sales networks to leverage additional resources that create value for the firm. Interviewees’ comments provide evidence of the processes and value creation associated with each of the networks. This typology of network types are summarised in the SNMM. Implications for practice, theory, and further research are proposed.

Customer-perceived value in business-to-business relationships: A study of software customers

Abstract Despite the importance of relationships in business-to-business (B2B) contexts, there is limited research as to what customers expect and value from relationships in industrial contexts. This study, therefore, seeks to understand customer-perceived value better by investigating actual and prospective customers in the software industry. A two-level analysis of customer perspectives on relationship attributes was conducted. First, semi-structured interviews were conducted with customers of a micro software firm. Insights from these interviews were then used to inform the second stage of the study, an online survey using Adaptive Conjoint Analysis, to identify the relative significance of these attributes. A total of 256 industrial buyers completed the survey. A new Customer Relationship Attributes Model (CRAM) is presented which encapsulates major attributes that current and prospective customers consider when entering into a relationship with their software supplier. The CRAM identifies five product-related attributes (price, functionality, bilingual capability, location, and software quality), and seven service-related attributes (communication, understanding of the customer, trust, relationship, service, professionalism, and employee expertise).

Entrepreneurial marketing: a comparative study

This paper uses a comparative study to explore entrepreneurial marketing orientation in small software technology firms, in relation to firm growth. Entrepreneurial Marketing (EM) acknowledges the interface between entrepreneurship, marketing and innovation and, pursuance of customer value. Researchers acknowledge that firms adopting other strategic orientations combined with a market orientation are more likely to outperform their competitors. Currently, there are few comparative studies of knowledge-intensive technology firms and no comparative cross-country studies, which consider firm growth and orientation from the EM perspective. This paper addresses these issues by using an entrepreneurial marketing orientation qualitative framework that consists of 15 dimensions, which allow investigation of entrepreneur and employee activities, attitudes and behaviors in such firms. Using a UK and US sample of firms, this research enables assessment of how and why entrepreneurial marketing orientation may lead to sustainable growth for firms in challenging markets and provides a comparison in two different country contexts.

Marketing activities of companies in the educational software sector

Purpose – The purpose of this exploratory research is to analyse the marketing activities of software companies in the UK educational software sector. The paper aims to explore the marketing environment and to investigate whether there are differences in experiences, attitudes and approaches between different sizes of firms.Design/methodology/approach – Semi‐structured, in‐depth interviews were undertaken with key respondents who had responsibility for marketing, marketing managers or owner/managers. Themes were identified alongside contextual social and organizational effects.Findings – The marketplace is dominated by several large firms and heavily influenced by government. Overall, five factors were identified that were experienced by all businesses in the sector: challenges in identifying the “customer”; schools budgetary constraints; the IT competence of teachers; the importance of word‐of mouth recommendations; and, the use of partnerships. Differences between small and large firms centred on: unde...

Beyond rhetoric: re-thinking entrepreneurial marketing from a practice perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose the application of social practice theory for the investigation of entrepreneurial marketing (EM) practices. Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical gap has been found between scholarly efforts to explain the nature of EM practice and the actual marketing practice or marketing doings of small firms. Findings – The paper covers some of the EM literature and perspectives and examining the notion of “practice” in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and entrepreneurship research. Based on an increasing focus on practice in the social theory literature and the contributions of key social theorists, a discussion is framed in terms of how EM practice can be studied through the investigation material and bodily observations and common interpretations. Research limitations/implications – The paper offers a proposal that the observations of practitioners’ actions and activities and the investigation of common interpretations can be conceptualized to explai...

Business support for new technology-based firms: a study of entrepreneurs in north Wales

Purpose – This paper seeks to provide insights into key areas of business support used by technology entrepreneurs who start businesses in north west Wales.Design/methodology/approach – This research uses a qualitative research approach and a purposive sample of eight small technology firms based on and off technology parks. A card research methodology is piloted in one firm and then incorporated into semi‐structured interviews with entrepreneurs.Findings – Technology entrepreneurs access direct and indirect support including: grants from local and central government; help from, banks and professionals; universities; technology incubation units, and; collaborations and networks. Evidence also confirms some of the challenges that entrepreneurs face in accessing business support.Research limitations/implications – This research provides clear indications to public sector organisations, universities and business support agencies as being the most important aspects of business support needed for new technolog...