Managing the Marketing/Entrepreneurship Interface in Small Knowledge‐Based Firms: A Methodological Approach

Abstract

In this paper the authors address the issue of the management of the marketing/entrepreneurship interface in small entrepreneurial knowledge‐based firms (EKFs). According to the perspective presented in this work, in such firms, the management of the interface is strictly related to ensuring a suitable balance of market and technological innovation capabilities throughout each phase of firm’s life. In order to contribute to the debate in this research area, the authors propose a theoretical framework based on both organizational configuration and resource‐based theories. Within this theoretical framework, a methodology to evaluate firm’s innovation capabilities based on the use of fuzzy logic is described. The proposed methodology was tested in a field analysis whose results are presented in the paper. On the basis of these empirical results, some useful indications and practical lessons concerning the relationships between marketing/entrepreneurship and innovation in small innovative firms are discussed.