Editorial

Citation

Deacon, J.H. (2010), "Editorial", Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Vol. 12 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/jrme.2010.48412baa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Volume 12, Issue 2

As editor of JRME, I was recently asked to address the UIC symposium in Boston in relation to the ongoing debate that surrounds research at the “interface”. During my allotted time, I focussed on an issue that has driven much of my own research – the exploration of literature and research held within the social sciences that are fundamental to an understanding of humanity, human interaction and human behaviour. My short address concluded that, as scholars exploring the interface between marketing and entrepreneurship, we should begin our journeys deep within the philosophies of sociology, psychology and anthropology before turning our attention to evolutionary economics and ultimately marketing and entrepreneurship. Authors wishing to submit their papers for review to this journal are therefore encouraged to explore these founding aspects of our domain and also to avoid overlooking the rich extant literature that drives our paradigm but may not always appear directly related to it. The UIC symposium organising committee set aside time also to further discuss the “Charleston Summit” paper that we published in the Vol. 2010 of JRME by Hansen and Eggers, the outcome of the Boston discussion will appear in full in Vol. 2011 and I think together will form a reference point for future research at the interface.

Taking the theme of looking beyond the immediate, the first paper is work from a past editor of JRME, Ian Fillis. Fillis has published many thought-provoking papers that seek to develop insights into the linkages between creativity, art and entrepreneurship and echo the call of others that we should (scholars within the management discipline) “re-evaluate a wide range of management and organisational fields through critical thinking” and recognise that “art in management suggest the ability to draw on unusual combinations and juxtapositions”. His paper concludes with some valuable signposts that will, I hope, encourage others to adventure beyond the known and accepted.

From art to food – indeed some may argue that these are one of the same! However, in the second paper presented by Kjell Toften and Trond Hammervoll, they explore strategic orientation in order to understand how small and young firms within the seafood and wine sectors develop marketing strategy and most interestingly how the managers within those firms “handle the potential problems associated with different strategic orientations”. I welcome the approach that Toften and Hammervoll take in their data generation and analysis and would encourage researchers new to the interface to consider similar approaches. For me, the findings and outcome of the paper further confirm the contextual nature of marketing practice at the interface and within smaller firms and highlights the importance of understanding the nature and nurture of relationships to the development of marketing strategy within small entrepreneurial firms. The third paper continues the food theme, this time within the context of European rural entrepreneurship. Leonidas A. Zampetakis and George Kanelakis focus their study on the island of Crete in Greece and seek to explore the value of adopting urban approaches to rural entrepreneurial development – their findings, as they point out within their conclusion, “contribute to the scarce empirical literature concerning opportunity entrepreneurship in rural areas and provide important insight into mechanisms underlying entrepreneurial behaviour in such contexts”. I think that they also identify a potential research stream for others to follow.

The fourth paper is a contribution from Brian Jones. Jones is well known for his work in the areas of enterprise and entrepreneurship education; however, here, he discusses the impact of “social” media or Web 2.0 within the context of the entrepreneurial small firm. He raises an interesting issue within the debate that such technology while harnessed for commercial outcome, “is also a tool for human empowerment, liberation and advancing the cause of freedom, including the freedom to start a business”.

This volume concludes with a teaching case (based within the food sector!) and I am indebted to Jefrey R. Woodall, Jay A. Azriel and Gerald Patnode for their efforts in submitting the case in time for publication. The case is a tale of our time in many ways and has at its centre a young and enthusiastic entrepreneur who sets out to build a firm and a brand in both a highly competitive sector and in the worst of economic climates. So […] how would you build “York’s Best Ice Cream” into a first-choice brand within your region and on a small budget? You will find that Woodall, Azriel and Patnode have included teaching notes and questions. Again, my thanks for their efforts in preparing the case for publication […] and I hope that others will follow!

Now, an apology from the editor. In Vol. 2010, I published a paper from Shepherd, Marchisio, Morrish, Deacon and Miles, entitled: “Entrepreneurial burnout: exploring antecedents, dimensions and outcomes”, as indicated it was a joint-authored paper. I inadvertently overlooked the fact that my friend and co-author Morgan Miles had changed affiliation and is, of course, now a Professor of Marketing at the University of Tasmania (UTAS), Australia. My editorial apologies to Morgan and UTAS for the oversight.

I look forward to receiving papers and cases for future volumes and any feedback or comments about this volume. My ongoing thanks to Andrew Smith and the team at Emerald publications, and finally, I would like to remind you that you can follow “interface” activity via Web 2.0 at: Twitter (J_RME) and Facebook (Marketing and Entrepreneurship) under the editorship of David J. Hansen.

I leave you with this thought: my address in Boston was followed by a far more insightful presentation by Dick Teach (Emeritus Professor of Entrepreneurship at Georgia Institute of Technology) who referring to the fundamental philosophies of marketing and entrepreneurship – reminded the audience that: “all music was new at some point” – he has a point.

Jonathan H. Deacon