TY - JOUR
T1 - Marketing capability development through networking – An entrepreneurial marketing perspective
AU - Gliga, Gabriela
AU - Evers, Natasha
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2023/2
Y1 - 2023/2
N2 - How are marketing capabilities developed in SMEs? Drawing upon the entrepreneurial marketing perspective, this article explores how small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) develop their marketing capabilities. Using an in-depth qualitative study of SME entrepreneurs from a small open developed economy, we find that entrepreneurial networking plays a significant role in how SMEs develop specialized, cross-functional and dynamic marketing capabilities which are integral to their growth and competitiveness. We identify the type of resource interaction processes entrepreneurs engage in with actors in their network to generate and deliver market value. SMEs in this study wholly depend upon entrepreneurial networking for accessing key informational, relational, reputational, and knowledge resources to develop their marketing capabilities. Our findings further elucidate that the type of entrepreneurial networking in this study is one that exhibits entrepreneurial marketing behavior, yet, is more strategic and deliberate in nature rather than effectual. This study advances the entrepreneurial marketing and marketing capabilities literatures by assigning greater theoretical and empirical credence to the under-explored role of entrepreneurial networking in marketing capability development in SMEs.
AB - How are marketing capabilities developed in SMEs? Drawing upon the entrepreneurial marketing perspective, this article explores how small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) develop their marketing capabilities. Using an in-depth qualitative study of SME entrepreneurs from a small open developed economy, we find that entrepreneurial networking plays a significant role in how SMEs develop specialized, cross-functional and dynamic marketing capabilities which are integral to their growth and competitiveness. We identify the type of resource interaction processes entrepreneurs engage in with actors in their network to generate and deliver market value. SMEs in this study wholly depend upon entrepreneurial networking for accessing key informational, relational, reputational, and knowledge resources to develop their marketing capabilities. Our findings further elucidate that the type of entrepreneurial networking in this study is one that exhibits entrepreneurial marketing behavior, yet, is more strategic and deliberate in nature rather than effectual. This study advances the entrepreneurial marketing and marketing capabilities literatures by assigning greater theoretical and empirical credence to the under-explored role of entrepreneurial networking in marketing capability development in SMEs.
KW - Entrepreneurial marketing
KW - Entrepreneurial networking
KW - Marketing capabilities
KW - Qualitative research
KW - Resource interaction
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85145591874&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113472
DO - 10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113472
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85145591874
SN - 0148-2963
VL - 156
JO - Journal of Business Research
JF - Journal of Business Research
M1 - 113472
ER -