Citation
Deacon, J.H. (2013), "Editorial", Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Vol. 15 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRME-08-2013-0022
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Editorial
Article Type: Editorial From: Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Volume 15, Issue 2
Hello and a warm editorial welcome to Vol. 15 No. 2 of the JRME. First can I express my editorial thanks to Rosalind Jones and Zubin Sethna for their efforts in editing a very valuable special issue (Vol. 15 No. 1): “Research at the entrepreneurial and marketing interface: contemporary issues in global economies. I would further recommend that any scholar of research at the interface also acquires a copy of the recently published text: “Entrepreneurial marketing global perspectives edited by Sethna, Jones and Harrigan (Published by Emerald and reviewed in Vol. 15 No. 1) – I am sure that this text will become both much cited and a central reference point for students of the emerging discipline of entrepreneurial marketing.
This second issue, Vol. 15 No. 2, 2013, of JRME in any year always immediately follows the summer meetings of the Academy of Marketing (AM) in the UK and the Global Research Symposium on Marketing and Entrepreneurship (GRS and formally the UIC). Future issues of the JRME will feature work presented at these 2013 meetings however I would like to take a few moments to reflect on these gatherings and the legacy that they have created for the discipline of entrepreneurial marketing. 2013 saw the AM return to Cardiff (Wales) and the GRS to Boston (USA) – the US meeting was the 26th meeting of scholars researching at the interface – some of whom have attended all 26 meetings! Both meetings were attended by many of the same scholars (however presenting different work at both) and both meetings were truly international gatherings with many examples of international collaborative work on show. Now, you might say, that to some extent these features are not unique to scholarly assembly – and again to some extent you would be right, however the feature that I would like to comment upon are the friendships and camaraderie that appears to accompany these meetings.
When I began my scholarly journey at the interface I did so by attending the AM conference in Cardiff in 2000, it was a wet and “unseasonal week in Wales and I sought out the SME marketing session on the final morning of the conference. Upon finding the room for the meeting I was greeted by the “track chairs – David Carson and Audrey Gilmore – and was welcomed into the group and made feel as if I had known these people all my life. A year or so later Carson and Gilmore were to become my doctoral supervisors and introduce me to the UIC group and of course have a major influence upon the way that I think. My first visit to the UIC symposium had a similar feel to that of the AM – I arrived at the venue (San Diego so no rain!) and checked the conference pack and attendee list – it read like a whos who of the world of Marketing and Entrepreneurship […] but everyone made me feel welcome and I felt at home […] apart from perhaps one eminent professor. The people that I met and have continued to meet at these meetings have gone on to be trusted friends and research collaborators and I would encourage any scholar or PhD candidate to attend and participate – these are wonderful meetings and unlike any academic conference you are likely to attend elsewhere.
Oh and that less than welcoming eminent professor […] Robert (bob) Schwartz […] he made me really think about my research and the way in which I presented “truth – just as I made him think about my methods and research instruments. Many readers will know that Bob and I became firm (and unlikely) friends to the point where I call him uncle and he calls me nephew. Bob retired from Eastern Washington University in 2008/2009 as Professor of Entrepreneurship and immediately after the Boston meeting this year I visited him and his wife Carol in Savannah, Georgia. I am pleased to report that both are well and some will tremble in fear and trepidation when I say that he is the same old Bob!
OK to the work presented in this issue. The first paper comes from Gilmore et al. and is an analysis of the way in which SMEs have been researched here in JRME between 2000 and 2011. The work presented is part of a larger international study of 14 leading journals in our field, they identify several “themes throughout the analysis: the definition of SMEs presented, the geographic location of studies, methodologies used and the sectors represented in the reviewed studies. Of interest to me was the fact that the vast majority of the papers reviewed did not define the term “SME – or define the size of the firms that were studied – two aspects that I will pass future editorial review comment on! Of the geographic coverage – UK and the US studies were most prominent – with 58 of the 94 papers published between 2000 and 2011 focusing upon the UK or the USA. As Gilmore et al. comment:
The remaining 25 papers covered a wide range of geographic areas. Seven papers were based in Europe; two were based in the Republic of Ireland and one each in Greece, Italy, Germany, France and Finland. Six papers were based in Australasia; four in Australia and two in New Zealand. Two papers reported on studies in Canada and one each in Africa and China. A further eight papers focussed upon cross or multi-country analyses.
Which to me signifies that:
there is interesting and valuable work being undertaken globally; and
I would like to publish more of it.
The second paper explores the concept of “entrepreneurial rent by and through the leverage of networks. The concept of “entrepreneurial rent was, I admit, new to me and I thank the author of this paper (Jenfing Mu) for a thorough and comprehensive explanation and discussion. Networks are an area within research that are often acknowledged but, I suspect, in truth little understood – this paper thus explores with depth the concept and provides a valuable platform of understanding for fellow researchers in marketing and entrepreneurship to develop more informed work.
The third study presented by Bhatli, Bjorklund and Laakso seeks insight into the antecedents and practices of idea advancement behaviour within a single case study firm. Creativity, innovation and idea generation are central to both marketing and entrepreneurship – however – as this study highlights the development of the “idea is most often undertaken by and with a group of people. The study therefore utilises a single case firm in order to explore this phenomena and concludes that:
Key antecedents were found on three distinct levels, namely related to the personal, interpersonal and work organization context of the idea. The results thus suggest that while personal antecedents are necessary for the initiation of idea advancement behaviour, the organizational context such as the reactions of others and work distribution, largely determines whether these efforts are sustained and ultimately whether they are successful.
The final paper of this issue is from Nagy and Kacmar and their study investigating the relationship between customer satisfaction and new business start-up. It is a study that is of practical impact as it focuses on the “importance of high customer satisfaction levels after start-up, Nagy and Kacmar comment:
[…] this study adds to the evidence highlighting the importance of minimizing one of the most important liabilities of newness as well as fully utilizing two of the most meaningful assets of newness to new venture efforts. The results of our study suggest if leaders of new ventures are able to market and demonstrate high levels of organizational energy and organizational flexibility, their new start-ups will likely be perceived as legitimate. This legitimacy, in turn, is likely to increase levels of customer satisfaction during and immediately after customers interact with organizational members.
Nagy and Kacmars study focus neatly brings me to my conclusion as it looks at customer satisfaction and the building of relationships and most importantly organisational energy as an asset in start-up businesses. I referred earlier to the scholarly meetings of the AM and the GRS that I have attended over the years – both satisfy the academic thirst for new insight, both are places where long term personal relationships are founded and both are full of energy.
Jonathan H. Deacon