Sara Parry

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...

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).

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...

Exploring marketing and relationships in software SMEs: A mixed methods approach

Purpose The aim of this article is to develop an understanding of marketing and customer relationships in software SMEs using a mixed methods approach.Design/Methodology/Approach The methodology combined qualitative research methods along with quantitative Adaptive Conjoint Analysis (ACA). Qualitative methods included two case studies of SMEs in the software industry which was supported by participant observation of both SMEs. In order to ascertain detailed customer perceptions and expectations of their software supplier, 17 semi-structured interviews were conducted with the software firm’s customers. The interview subsequently informed the Adaptive Conjoint Analysis (ACA) which was chosen as an analytical tool to establish quantitative hierarchy of relevant attributes identified at the qualitative stage of the study. Findings Marketing in software SMEs is dependent on effective relationships between the SME and its customers and these relationships should be based on providing a quality software solution, understanding the customer requirement and professionalism. Other marketing tactics that are used to improve customer perceived credibility include forming alliances and partnerships within the technology sector.Originality/Value This combination of methods has made it possible to explore marketing practices within software SMEs alongside exploring the centrality of customer relationships. Therefore the findings contribute to the knowledge of marketing in software SMEs and customers’ decision-making processes when purchasing software. Practical Implications: Software SMEs should proactively develop relationships with prospective as well as current customers and strive for a balance between customer orientation and innovation by involving the customer throughout the development of the software solution. This pragmatic approach has provided applicable results due to insight into management cases complemented with industry expectation of software product and service delivery.

Understanding the Relationship Between Smoking and Place in Private Shared Spaces Through the Lens of Place Attachment: An Extended Abstract

The personal risks associated with smoking cigarettes are well documented (e.g., Doll et al. 2004), and the gathering of an evidence base for the health effects of secondhand smoke (SHS) has been a long-standing objective of public health researchers (e.g., see Barnes and Bero 1998). Homes continue to be unregulated areas where non-smokers living with smokers suffer high levels of SHS (Oberg et al. 2011). The increased awareness of the dangers of SHS is prompting developers and homeowners to take action to restrict smoking in private homes. Examples include two cities in California, USA, which have passed laws prohibiting smoking inside multiunit residential buildings (McKinley 2009), and many projects have been set up around the world (e.g., Canada, the UK) to encourage smoke-free housing (Action on Smoking and Health 2015). As a response to the awareness of SHS and its associated risks, many countries around the world have enacted legislation of varying strength to regulate places where smoking is permitted. To date academic research has mainly focused on evaluation of smoke-free legislation and understanding smoking in public spaces but has neglected research on gaining an understanding of the complex issues surrounding smoking in private shared places. There is little research on how smokers’ behaviors in their homes and cars have adapted in response to public smoking restrictions and how these changes have affected their relationship with their smoking sites. Thus the purpose of this research is to seek answers to the following research questions:

Linking relationship marketing to social embeddedness in a rural bilingual context

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the evolution of relationship marketing (RM) in a new technology-based firm (NTBF) and to illustrate how social embeddednesss benefits can be achieved by engaging in RM in a rural resource-constrained bilingual context. Design/methodology/approach A single in-depth case study of a NTBF operating in a rural bilingual context was explored over a five-year period. As part of the case study, participant observation was carried out and interviews with the novice entrepreneur, the firm’s employees and its customers were conducted. Findings Developing mutually beneficial relationships with customers and key partners can enable a novice entrepreneur with no prior business ownership and limited marketing experience to accumulate and mobilise resources in order to achieve credibility and business growth. By analysing information from the NTBF’s entrepreneur, customers and other actors, the authors build theory and present propositions relating to the RM process. Practical implications This case illustrates that RM can enhance the legitimacy of an inexperienced entrepreneur, and can enable a firm to address the liabilities of newness in a rural resource-constrained context. Entrepreneurs need to focus on relevant and specialised partnership and alliance relationships that can provide strategic resources for firm development. The bilingual influence has also been shown to aid the development of new relationships and thus ensuring social embeddedness. Originality/value The theoretical contribution of this study is to integrate insights from both RM and social embeddedness theories, and illustrate the extent to which a NTBF demonstrates social embeddedness benefits relating to customer retention and accumulation of strategic resources due to RM.