Chapter 2: Entrepreneurial Marketing as a Key Driver of Early and Sustained Internationalisation

Studies of innovative businesses, especially in the SME sector, suggest such organizations practice entrepreneurial marketing. Another widely promoted view is that there are significant benefits available to firms by moving away from transactional marketing towards building long term relationships with customers. It is proposed that a merger of relationship and entrepreneurial marketing can results in four alternative marketing styles. To determine whether these styles exist, a survey of small manufacturing firms was undertaken. The results of the survey suggest that an orientation towards an entrepreneurial and/or relationship marketing style will enhance the overall performance of small manufacturing firms. In relation to the impact of style on organizational competencies, it was found that both entrepreneurial-transactional and entrepreneurial-relationship firms exhibit high capability in the area of new product management. The survey also suggests that as firms move closer to customers, they also exhibit higher competencies in areas such as HRM, employee productivity, management of quality and the utilization of information to enhance decision making. Two generalized competency acquisition process models are presented and comment made upon the implications of these findings in terms of the provision of Government-funded support services to UK SME sector firms.

This paper reports on present research of Entrepreneurial Marketing (EM) in small software technology firms (SSTFs) in order to investigate and compare the effects of ecosystems in three different countries and, the effect this has on a firm’s EM orientation and, on business growth. Firms today operate in a business environment characterized by increased risk and decreased ability to forecast while markets are uncertain, are fragmenting and becoming frictionless. Hence, firms interact as competitors, customers, and collaborators in a global, knowledge economy. Such changes have had an effect on marketing (Schindehutte, Morris and Pitt 2008) and reflect the type of marketing practiced in small firms, being informal, unplanned and non linear (Fillis 2002). That said, it is still possible to identify EM practices which may lead SSTFs to have sustainable business growth strategies. Indeed, there is growing interest in research at the interface between marketing and entrepreneurship (Bjerke and Hultman 2002; Hills, Hultman and Miles 2008) together with the importance of SME marketing, EM and Market Orientation (MO) for firm growth which is well documented in the SME literature (Carson et al. 1995). MO researchers recognise that firms who adopt other strategic orientations combined with MO are likely to perform better than firms adopting only a market orientation (Grinstein 2008). It is also suggested that marketing has much to offer the study of entrepreneurship as empirical evidence suggests that there is a significant correlation between a firm’s marketing and entrepreneurial orientations, both being responsible for business success. Currently, there have been few comparative qualitative studies which consider EM practices inherent in different business ecosystems. This paper addresses this issue by using the ‘EMICO’ framework developed in the earlier UK study (Jones and Rowley, 2009) which contains fifteen identified dimensions of EM and will enable exploration as to how EM is practiced in SSTFs, in different contexts. This will enable assessment of how and why such EM oriented behaviors may lead to sustainable growth in challenging markets.

Over the past five decades, entrepreneurial marketing research has grown substantially; however, the field remains theoretically fragmented and contextually dispersed. Addressing this gap, the present study conducts a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of 380 publications (1976–2024) to systematically map the intellectual structure and contemporary research streams of entrepreneurial marketing. Citation analysis reveals four core intellectual foundations: (1) conceptual foundations of entrepreneurial marketing, (2) its evolution and contingent applications within larger firms, (3) the entrepreneurial–market orientation nexus, and (4) key theoretical underpinnings. Complementarily, bibliographic coupling identifies eight dominant contemporary discourses, encompassing entrepreneurial marketing dynamics and capabilities, contextual applications and insights, frontier developments, strategic advancements, international and global entrepreneurial marketing, innovation-driven frameworks, and industry-specific dynamics. Collectively, the findings position entrepreneurial marketing as a multidimensional, adaptive, and context-sensitive construct, underpinned by opportunity recognition, resource orchestration, value creation, and dynamic capabilities. An integrative research framework is developed to visualize the field’s developmental trajectory, bridging its intellectual roots with current debates and delineating critical conceptual and contextual gaps that open promising avenues for future research.

The purpose of this article is to summarize the insights from the literature review focusing on the advanced issues of internationalization, international entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial marketing in SMEs. SMEs with a higher degree of internationalization, international entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial marketing are able to innovate more, as well as protect and exploit better those innovations. Without appropriate capabilities and knowledge, international expansion of SMEs may not lead to the improved performance. Thus, an important role of SME managers is to establish their capabilities that are useful for the execution of internationalization, international entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial marketing in global business. Extending collaboration to the international arena through internationalization, international entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial marketing can strengthen the opportunities for SMEs.

1982, emerged a paradigm shift from the old marketing approach to Entrepreneurial Marketing practice that focused on attracting and retaining profitable customers using creative and unsophisticated tactics with minimal resources. As a recent strategy for small firms, Entrepreneurial Marketing (EM) is characterized by pro-activeness; focus on opportunity, risk taking, innovativeness, customer intensity, resource leveraging and value creation. The extent to which innovativeness, risk taking and pro-activeness in marketing has been adopted by small firms in Meru Kenya to achieve higher returns on investment, growth in sales and satisfy customers is the focus of this study. The study is grounded on entrepreneurial marketing, theory. Explanatory research design was adopted to explain the direction and extent to which entrepreneurial marketing improved performance of small firms. Data was collected from 112 small firms sampled from Meru town and was analysed using descriptive and inferential techniques. The findings of the study revealed that innovative marketing practices had inverse effect (beta = -0.153). Risk taking and pro-activeness had a positive effect on the firms’ performance. However, none of the three dimensions of entrepreneurial marketing significantly affected the growth of the small enterprises. The study suggests that owners of small enterprises be trained in entrepreneurial marketing. Secondly the innovative marketing strategies should be made compatible with the customers’ values and beliefs. Further studies in entrepreneurial marketing should be done on large firms across the country. Also, other studies should focus on opportunity customer intensity, resource leveraging and value creation and their influence on small enterprise growth

Local wisdom and Government's role in strengthening the sustainable competitive advantage of creative industries

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to advance the domain of entrepreneurial marketing (EM) responding to the challenge to EM scholars to more fully develop EM as a school of marketing thought. The paper seeks to argue that the context of the born global firm is an appropriate and novel context in which to undertake this research.Design/methodology/approachThe need to examine the processes of EM justifies the use of case study method. In total, nine born global firms, located in the three most populous states in Australia: Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, were selected for study. The firms were drawn from hi‐tech and low‐tech industry sectors, and included online businesses, in an attempt to capture maximum theoretical variation.FindingsThe analysis identifies the four key strategies of entrepreneurial marketing as comprising opportunity creation, customer intimacy‐based innovative products, resource enhancement and importantly, legitimacy. These core strategies of EM are identified by mapping to enhanced performance.Research limitations/implicationsSome may consider the born global context a limitation. Therefore, it is suggested that further empirical research could be undertaken on other cohorts of small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), such as service SMEs, to provide increased insight into the strategies and practices in the domain of EM. Quantitative research to operationalize the EM construct and model theoretical relationships is also suggested.Originality/valueThis paper advances the domain of EM into a new phase by empirically identifying four core strategies of EM. It finds that EM contributes to the achievement of superior performance in small firms through purposeful strategy based an effectuation approach.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically test whether a systematic relationship exists between firms’ level of entrepreneurial marketing (EM) behaviours and firms’ characteristics, including firm age, firm size and firm’s founder.Design/methodology/approachThis paper quantitatively investigates EM behaviours from data collected from 752 business owners through structured interviews. The data analysis applied was multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (multi-group CFA).FindingsResults from the analysis show that not all of the firms’ characteristics determine firms’ level of EM practice. The level of EM behaviours has a systematic relationship with firms’ age but not with the founding status of the firms’ manager. The impact of firm size on the level of EM behaviours is evident only when the firms’ age is taken into account.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper concludes that relationships between EM behaviours and firm characteristics are more complicated than anticipated. Firms’ characteristics alone may not be a good measure for identifying the level of a firm’s EM. EM cannot be conceptualized solely in relation to the activities of small firms, young firms or founder-operated firms.Originality/valueThis paper examines EM behaviours in a large survey and uses multi-group CFA to examine firms’ EM practice through latent variables, instead of observed variables. The findings should complement knowledge regarding the EM concept generated from existing literature.

In the context of intensifying competition in the global tourism market, entrepreneurial marketing is increasingly recognized as a key instrument for enhancing the competitiveness of tourism enterprises, particularly in countries with emerging tourism industries such as Kazakhstan. The purpose of this study is to develop an authorial approach to assessing the impact of entrepreneurial marketing on the formation of unique tourism propositions (UTP) in Kazakhstan’s regions and to test this approach through a comparative regional analysis. The scientific and practical relevance of the study is driven by the need for objective tools to assess the level of marketing entrepreneurialism among tourism enterprises and its role in UTP formation. Under conditions of digitalization, a significant share of marketing activity is reflected in open online sources, enabling systematic analysis of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) without reliance on expert surveys or closed statistical data. This creates opportunities to study entrepreneurial behavior through digital footprints. The objects of the study are small and medium-sized tourism enterprises in Kazakhstan, while the subject is their entrepreneurial marketing activity in the digital environment. Methodologically, the study develops and applies the Entrepreneurial Marketing Innovativeness Index (EMI), an integrated indicator based on content analysis of publicly available digital information. The results indicate that enterprises with higher marketing innovativeness demonstrate greater product diversification, more active use of digital promotion channels, and more stable customer flow growth, confirming the critical role of entrepreneurial marketing in strengthening regional tourism competitiveness.

This study examines the influence of marketing strategies on export ventures undertaken by micro and small enterprises (MSEs) established in emerging countries and in Brazil specifically. We aim to determine whether a direct relationship exists between marketing strategies and internationalization performance results and to evaluate the influence of entrepreneurial marketing (EM) on export marketing strategy (EMS) and performance. A conceptual model based on the work of Cavusgil and Zou (1994) is developed and used to analyze MSE characteristics (firm and products), EMS, EM, and export marketing performance. An empirical survey was conducted on 173 Brazilian MSEs across various sectors, and data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling. The results highlight the importance of marketing activities in shaping MSE export performance, mainly by adapting prices to targeted markets, thereby improving product competitiveness. The study also emphasizes the importance of company international competence (expertise) and EM as influencers of export performance. The study contributes to the field through its application of the EM construct, by adapting the conceptual MSE model and by filling empirical gaps knowledge. The results will guide MSE management strategies that will be critical to the Brazilian economy and to other emerging countries.

An industry that is successful in its business is an industry that is able to create the right strategy formulation, because the right strategy can determine the success of Small and Medium Enterprises can compete in the global market. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of innovation on entrepreneurial marketing, creativity on entrepreneurial marketing and the influence of entrepreneurial marketing on marketing performance. The population in this study were the Small and Medium Enterprises actors whose sales systems were carried out using the Entrepreneurial Marketing system. In this study the number of indicators used was 21 x 10. So, the number of samples determined was 210 respondents. The sample determination technique used in this study is based on purposive sampling technique, namely sampling based on criteria. The criteria for selecting a sample are the actors of Small and Medium Enterprises who apply the concept of Entrepreneurial Marketing in their business. The next step is accidental sampling, which is the sampling technique that is carried out on Small and Medium Enterprises actors that are easy to find. Data analysis method used is Structural Equation Model (SEM) from the PLS statistical package. Results of Innovation Research have a positive and significant effect on Entreprenuerial Marketing in Small and Medium Enterprises in Denpasar City. Creativity has a positive and significant effect on Entreprenuerial Marketing in Small and Medium Enterprises in Denpasar City. Entreprenuerial Marketing has a positive and significant effect on curious performance.

It has been established in marketing and entrepreneurship literature that both market orientation (MO) and entrepreneurial orientation (EO) have positive and significant effects on firm performance (Covin & Slevin, 1991; Kirca et al., 2005; Narver & Slater, 1990; Rauch et al., 2009). Similar claims have been made for entrepreneurial marketing (EM) (e.g., Alqahtani & Uslay, 2020; Hills et al., 2008; Whalen et al., 2016), however despite the increasing volume of work, an understanding of EM’s efficacy in improving firm performance in comparison to MO and EO has been lacking. Therefore, examining the effects of EM, MO, and EO on firm performance under different environmental and organizational settings makes significant contributions to research on marketing and entrepreneurship interface. This research investigates the relative efficacy of entrepreneurial marketing (EM), market orientation (MO), and entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on firm performance under different conditions by investigating the moderation effects of an extensive set of environmental (i.e., market turbulence, competitive intensity, supplier power, and market growth) and organizational factors (i.e., network structure and firm size). Employing structural equation modeling to analyze cross-sectional data from sectors representative of the U.S. economy, the empirical findings suggest that EM is superior to MO and EO in improving firm performance under the following conditions: high market turbulence, high competitive intensity, and high supplier power. Moreover, EM is the best alternative for medium-size firms with low network strength (more weak ties). However, MO is superior to both EM and EO under the conditions of low market turbulence and low supplier power. It works best for large firms with high network diversity and high network strength. Finally, EO is superior to EM and MO when competitive intensity is low, and both in high and low growth markets. It is the most viable option for small firms with small and large network size, but low network diversity.

Маркетинг у соціальних мережах: стратегії та інструменти на ринку В2С

In writing Entrepreneurial Marketing: The Growth of Small Firms in the New Economic Era, Bjerke and Hultman address an emerging area within the marketing discipline which has received significant research attention both within the USA and Europe. Their book provides a comprehensive overview of the interface between marketing and entrepreneurship and discusses the impact that an entrepreneurial approach to marketing can have on the growth of small firms. Presented across 10 chapters, this book builds upon research at the marketing/entrepreneurship interface to provide a comprehensive understanding of the authors' understanding of what 'entrepreneurial marketing' is and what is required within the organization to acquire and support an entrepreneurial marketing approach.

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this article is to redirect attention to the role of gender entrepreneurship in global marketing. The value of gender in global marketing through the use of words and behavior is discussed, which helps to integrate the disparate gender, entrepreneurship, and global marketing streams of research. The article suggests that a more gender neutral stance in global marketing is required due to the more fluid and changing understanding about the meaning of gender in society. This enables increased dialogue about gender stereotyping in global marketing to be examined as a way to keep up to date with global trends. Global marketers must confront gender biases as a way of enhancing a more open and inclusive society. The trends in gender and marketing are addressed that help to raise awareness for how to improve global marketing standards.