Beyond rhetoric: re-thinking entrepreneurial marketing from a practice perspective

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Gross ◽  
David Carson ◽  
Rosalind Jones
Keyword(s):  
Social Practice ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Practice Theory ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Marketing Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Entrepreneurial Marketing ◽  
The Social ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose the application of social practice theory for the investigation of entrepreneurial marketing (EM) practices. Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical gap has been found between scholarly efforts to explain the nature of EM practice and the actual marketing practice or marketing doings of small firms. Findings – The paper covers some of the EM literature and perspectives and examining the notion of “practice” in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and entrepreneurship research. Based on an increasing focus on practice in the social theory literature and the contributions of key social theorists, a discussion is framed in terms of how EM practice can be studied through the investigation material and bodily observations and common interpretations. Research limitations/implications – The paper offers a proposal that the observations of practitioners’ actions and activities and the investigation of common interpretations can be conceptualized to explain the nature of EM practice. It also gives avenues for future research. Practical implications – The paper suggests that marketing comprises a wide scope of activities or practices and, in the case of a small firm, is all-pervasive. It also suggests that scholars engage in understanding the collective, distributed, situated, ongoing and tacit nature of EM. Originality/value – The paper provides a fresh conceptual approach about how EM practice can be studied through the investigation material and bodily observations as well as common interpretations.

When marketing is everyone’s business

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-26 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Practice ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Practice Theory ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Entrepreneurial Firms ◽  
Social Practice Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Entrepreneurial Marketing ◽  
Doing Business ◽  
Research Stream

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to opportunities for further research into the marketing practices of small entrepreneurial firms. Design/methodology/approach – This study reviews the academic literature and identifies a gap in the existing research. It proposes the use of social practice theory in researching entrepreneurial marketing. Findings – Entrepreneurship and marketing have a lot in common – especially in small firms (small to medium-sized enterprises [SMEs]). When there’s nobody with a dedicated marketing role, then people all over the organization typically do things that contribute to the firm’s marketing effort. And, when marketing becomes the sum of activities carried out by different individuals at different levels within the SME, it becomes “an all-pervasive way of doing business”, rather like entrepreneurship, in fact. Research limitations/implications – This study provides a conceptual overview of the benefits of applying social practice theory to the study of entrepreneurial marketing. Practical implications – This study shows how social practice theory can be applied to the study of entrepreneurial marketing practices. Social implications – This study explains how these marketing practices can be conceptualized to provide insights into the significance of marketing-related activities in small firms. Originality/value – This study has the potential to facilitate the development of a new marketing research stream based on social practice theory.

scholarly journals Advantages and potential challenges of data management in e-maintenance

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 378-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arian Razmi-Farooji ◽  
Hanna Kropsu-Vehkaperä ◽  
Janne Härkönen ◽  
Harri Haapasalo
Keyword(s):  
Data Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Maintenance Systems ◽  
Industry Leader ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to understand data management challenges in e-maintenance systems from a holistically viewpoint through summarizing the earlier scattered research in the field, and second, to present a conceptual approach for addressing these challenges in practice. Design/methodology/approach The study is realized as a combination of a literature review and by the means of analyzing the practices on an industry leader in manufacturing and maintenance services. Findings This research provides a general understanding over data management challenges in e-maintenance and summarizes their associated proposed solutions. In addition, this paper lists and exemplifies different types and sources of data which can be collected in e-maintenance, across different organizational levels. Analyzing the data management practices of an e-maintenance industry leader provides a conceptual approach to address identified challenges in practice. Research limitations/implications Since this paper is based on studying the practices of a single company, it might be limited to generalize the results. Future research topics can focus on each of mentioned data management challenges and also validate the applicability of presented model in other companies and industries. Practical implications Understanding the e-maintenance-related challenges helps maintenance managers and other involved stakeholders in e-maintenance systems to better solve the challenges. Originality/value The so-far literature on e-maintenance has been studied with narrow focus to data and data management in e-maintenance appears as one of the less studied topics in the literature. This research paper contributes to e-maintenance by highlighting the deficiencies of the discussion surrounding the perspectives of data management in e-maintenance by studying all common data management challenges and listing different types of data which need to be acquired in e-maintenance systems.

scholarly journals Appreciating formal and informal knowledge transfer practices within creative festival organizations

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 146-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphaela Stadler ◽  
Simone Fullagar
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Social Practice Theory ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Informal Knowledge ◽  
Not For Profit

Purpose – Problem-solving approaches to research have dominated the not-for-profit festival management field. Little attention has been paid to how festival organizations successfully create cultures where knowledge transfer is practised within the high intensity of a festival life cycle. Drawing upon insights from social practice theory and appreciative inquiry (AI), the purpose of this paper is to offer a different conceptual approach to understanding how knowledge transfer “works” as an organizational practice to produce a collaborative festival culture. Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws upon an ethnographic case study with the highly acclaimed Queensland Music Festival organization in Australia. The research questions and methods were framed around an appreciative approach that identified formal and informal practices that " worked " rather than a conventional problem-focused analysis. Findings – This research focused on appreciating the cultural context that shaped the interrelationships between formal and informal knowledge transfer practices that enabled trust and collaboration. A range of knowledge transfer practices was identified that contributed to the creation of a shared festival ethos and the on-going sustainability of the festival vision. Practical implications – The not-for-profit sector brings numerous challenges for festival organizations, and there is a need to appreciate how collaborative and creative knowledge transfer can occur formally and informally. Festival organizers can benefit from understanding the relational and practice dimensions of knowledge management as they are performed within specific organizational contexts. Originality/value – An appreciative understanding of knowledge transfer practices has not yet been applied to not-for-profit festival organizations, where problem-solving approaches dominate the field.

Markets and market boundaries: a social practice approach

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 408-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martyn Gosling ◽  
James Richard ◽  
Yuri Seo
Keyword(s):  
Social Practice ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Competitive Strategies ◽  
Institutional Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Exchange Processes ◽  
The Social ◽  
Practice Approach ◽  
Alternative Means ◽  
Managerial Implications

Purpose The paper contributes to the debate on a general theory of markets. The purpose of this paper is to develop a market practice model based on social practice theories, and explore new ways of describing market boundaries. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual analysis of contemporary marketing directions and market theorizations provides a basis for defining markets and market boundaries in terms of social practices and their performances by market actors. Findings Based on the market performances held in place by institutional practices that define, contextualize and stabilize a market, this paper defines market boundaries by nine specific categories of practices, described here as parameters. Research limitations/implications This is a conceptual paper. Future research using empirical evidence derived from situated investigations should endeavor to refine the model and practices that define market boundaries. Originality/value The paper provides a new conceptualization of markets and market boundaries from the social practice perspective, and advances contemporary market theorizing that puts services at the center of exchange. The paper offers managerial implications by describing alternative means for analyzing markets and developing corresponding competitive strategies. Furthermore, the conception of market boundaries as nine parameters provides insights beyond the geographic and price boundaries typically used to describe market limits and exchange processes when developing policy.

Is it social marketing? The benchmarks meet the social marketing indicator

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic Wettstein ◽  
L. Suzanne Suggs
Keyword(s):  
Social Marketing ◽  
Empirical Test ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Marketing Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Marketing Campaigns ◽  
Current Practices

Purpose – This paper aims to describe the comparison of two tools in assessing social marketing campaigns. Design/methodology/approach – Using data collected from the campaign planners of 31 alcohol misuse prevention campaigns, two tools were compared; the Social Marketing Indicator (SMI) and Andreasen’s Benchmark Criteria. Findings – In the case of the benchmarks, 26 per cent of the campaigns fulfilled four or more criteria and no criterion was fulfilled by more than 70 per cent. The main differences between current practices and social marketing are the often-missing segmentation and an explicit exchange. The SMI found a lower degree of resemblance between current practices and social marketing. In this case, the major differences lie in the use of behavioral theory and the absence of an exchange. Research limitations/implications – The SMI allows a more precise description of an intervention. This represents an advantage, as a campaign’s resemblance to social marketing can be reported by directly pointing out the process steps that make the difference. This is important for understanding the research evidence base in social marketing. Practical implications – Although the benchmark criteria are based on a conceptual approach, the SMI is built around a core procedure. The SMI can thus help program planners from the onset of a project to make sure they do social marketing as it is defined. Originality/value – This is the first empirical test comparing a new tool against the well-established, frequently critiqued, Benchmark Criteria, in gauging “social marketing” practice in health campaigns.

The context of experience

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Archpru Akaka ◽  
Stephen L. Vargo ◽  
Hope Jensen Schau
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
Cultural Factors ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
The Social ◽  
Service Exchange ◽  
Service Ecosystems ◽  
Social And Cultural Factors

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the social and cultural aspects of the context that frames service exchange to better understand how value and experience are evaluated. Design/methodology/approach – The authors apply a conceptual approach to develop and propose a framework for deepening the understanding of the context of market-related experiences. The authors integrate two growing streams of research – consumer culture theory and service-dominant logic – that focus on phenomenological and experiential views on value and extend the context of experience with a culturally rich, service-ecosystems view of markets. Findings – The authors broaden the context of experience by applying a service-ecosystems perspective and identify four social and cultural factors that influence experience from this extended context – sign systems and service ecosystems; multiplicity of structure and institutions; value-in-cultural-context; and co-construction of context. Based on this, the authors point toward directions for future research. Research limitations/implications – The proposed framework points researchers and managers toward an extended context that is reproduced through the co-creation of value and influences evaluations of experience. Empirical research is needed to provide evidence of the proposed framework and further extend the understanding of dynamic social and cultural contexts. Practical implications – The findings of this study provide a broader scope of context and identify additional social and cultural factors for managers to consider in their efforts to enhance customer experiences. Originality/value – Traditional views of markets limit the context of experience to firm-customer encounters or consumer-centric practices and processes. This paper extends the context of experience to consider the practices and perspectives of multiple actors and various views on value.

Determinants of effective client entertainment in China: a transaction governance approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 613-632
Author(s):  
Francis Sun
Keyword(s):  
Social Practice ◽  
Economic Life ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Relational Governance ◽  
Exchange Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Behavioral Features ◽  
Business Practitioners ◽  
Economic Transaction

PurposeThis paper aims to take an economic transaction governance approach to explore the determinants for the effectiveness of the social practice of client entertainment in facilitating business relationships in China.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis is based on a broader theoretical framework which posits that exchange relationships are regulated through a combination of market, legal and social relational mechanisms and client entertainment plays a governance role by reinforcing social relational governance to regulate the behaviors of economic actors. Upon this framework, this study proposes that the social behavioral features of client entertainment affect the effectiveness of client entertainment in facilitating exchange relationships and that time moderates such effects. These hypotheses were tested on survey data collected from a sample of Chinese sales managers.FindingsEmpirical results indicate that the effectiveness of client entertainment in facilitating exchange relationships is associated with its social behavioral features that could reinforce social relational governance, including intensity (i.e. value and frequency) and format (i.e. intimacy and observability) of entertainment activities, and the time factor plays a moderating role.Practical implicationsThis study can potentially help policymakers to regulate client entertainment, and business practitioners to manage entertainment spending, more effectively and efficiently without causing legal and ethical problems.Originality/valueThis is the first study that takes an economic transaction governance perspective to directly explore how the social practice of client entertainment plays a constructive role in China’s economic life and what factors affect its effectiveness in playing such a role. It offers guidelines for policymakers, business managers and future research to manage and study this practice.

scholarly journals Establishing the scope of marketing practice: insights from practitioners

2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 380-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally Dibb ◽  
Cláudia Simões ◽  
Robin Wensley
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Marketing ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Marketing Mix ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Marketing Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Research Agenda ◽  
Marketing Planning ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – Describing marketing practices is fundamental to understanding both the scope of marketing practice and the actual value it adds to the organization. This paper aims to clarify the reach of marketing practice and the nature of activities that marketers carry out. Design/methodology/approach – The study uses mixed methods, involving qualitative document analysis, qualitative interviews and a quantitative managerial survey. Findings – The findings reveal consistency in the views of academics and practitioners across the following disaggregated elements of practice: stakeholder and relationship marketing, customer analysis, marketing-mix management/marketing planning, and the centrality of customers. However, when these themes are integrated into broader categories of practice, the activities are parceled and prioritized in different ways by the different data sources. Practical implications – The findings have implications for how marketing is practiced and taught and for the future research agenda. Originality/value – This study considers the functional practices within marketing and clarifies the scope of marketing practice.

‘Stand back and watch us’: Post-capitalist practices in the maker movement

2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 593-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas S.J. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Economic Geography ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Maker Movement ◽  
Social Practice Theory ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Diverse Economies ◽  
The Social ◽  
Economic Practices

This paper examines the economic practices of maker spaces – open workshops that have increased in number over recent years and that aim to provide access to tools, materials and skills for small-scale manufacturing and repair. Scholarly interest in such spaces has been increasing across the social sciences more broadly, parallel to a growing interest in craft and making in economic geography. However, to rectify the ‘capitalocentrism’ of much existing work, the paper examines the case of a workshop in Edinburgh, Scotland, through the dual theoretical lens of diverse economies and social practice theory. This conceptual approach sees the space as a novel form of economic ‘being-in-common’, providing diverse and contradictory opportunities for post-capitalist practice. The paper draws conclusions regarding the limits and potential of such spaces for sowing the prefigurative seeds for a more inclusive, sustainable and democratic urbanism.

An Islamic macromarketing perspective on sustainability

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noha M. El-Bassiouny ◽  
Jonathan A.J. Wilson ◽  
Suzan Esmat
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Islamic Theology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Objective ◽  
Foundational Principle ◽  
Muslim Communities ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a new conceptualization of sustainability. The authors adopt a macromarketing perspective based on Islamic traditions while delving into divine attributes (Asmaa’ Allah-ul-Husna) as an extension to the foundational principle of God-consciousness that lies at the heart of Islamic theology and jurisprudence. Design/methodology/approach This approach relies on identifying and extending the conceptual overlaps between the literature domains of sustainability, Islamic macromarketing and Islamic theology. Findings Through adopting an Islamic lens, the authors identify that relating to divinity empowers the Muslim faithful to mediate between the transient and transcendent, and to make judgments according to the attributes of their creator Allah (the Abrahamic monotheistic God). Research limitations/implications The paper adopts a conceptual approach that expands the concept of sustainability from an Islamic perspective to take on a holistic systems approach. Practical implications By making these links, the implications are fivefold: the imperative to strive for sustainable activities has greater resonance; the remit of sustainability is wider; the time horizon for accountability is extended; greater risk-tasking is encouraged; and, finally, sustainability is embedded and diffused throughout business activities – as opposed to being an upstream strategic objective. Social implications The merge in conceptualization between sustainability and Islamic macromarketing can prove relevant to scholars delving into the new realm of Islamic macromarketing, as well as to both Muslim and non-Muslim communities in their quest for sustainable development. Originality/value The paper is original in identifying an unprecedented perspective on sustainability, namely, “Islamic-macromarketing sustainability”, which warrants further future research related to the different stakeholders involved in the Islamic macromarketing system.

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