Marketing for survival: a comparative case study of SME software firms

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -This study seeks to explore the success and failure of two similar small software technology firms from a marketing perspective. Using a dyadic approach, the research aims to compare the degree of customer orientation and innovativeness exhibited in both firms and to understand contributing factors for success and failure. Design/methodology/approach -A two-case comparative case study was employed as the primary method of investigation. Participant-observation in both firms and 22 semi-structured interviews with owner-managers, employees and customers provided a holistic approach to how these firms perceived and prioritised marketing and innovation. Findings -There is a need for small software firms to strike a balance between customer orientation and innovativeness in order to survive. In terms of customer orientation, the findings show that it is not only related to customer contacts and relationships, but is also about delivering on the promise. The small firm's ability to achieve this is highly dependent on managerial style, communication between the firms and their customers, business planning, market research, promotion and firm culture. Practical implications -The benefits of this study, which demonstrates the stark contrast between successful and unsuccessful behaviour, can act as a useful guide for small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) managers who often have technical but less managerial competencies. Originality/value -This is a unique study comparing two software SMEs, particularly one which failed and one which succeeded under similar conditions, thus illustrating good practice by contrasting with bad practice. It also contributes to the literature on how SMEs conduct marketing in the software industry and how to secure small firm sustainability and growth in developing regions.

SMEs in the UAE’s Creative Industries: Female Employees and Lax Marketing Efforts

“…The survey also found that creative UAE companies focus on the big projects capable of bringing in large amounts of money for a single project, which supports previous research indicating that marketing at SMEs fits with their own needs, sometimes leading to reactive and spontaneous actions (Fuller, 1994;Parry et al, 2012;Reijonen, 2010). This view could help explain why the third case study company pursued many projects with both regular and occasional customers.…”

“…Earlier studies indicate that SMEs sometimes neglect marketing more than they should (Balmer & Greyser, 2003). Previous work also demonstrated differences between large and small firms, and the lack of marketing structures at SMEs (Hill, 2001;Parry et al, 2012). This survey found that marketing expenses were a key factor in SME decision-making on this topic.…”

“…For example, approximately 99% of all European businesses are SMEs, with nine out of ten being micro-enterprises employing fewer than ten people (Pérez-Cabañero, González-Cruz, & Cruz-Ross, 2012). Marketing in SMEs tends to focus on the needs of the business, so they a lack planned and controlled promotional activities, leading to assumption that marketing in SMEs is simplistic, spontaneous, informal, reactive, haphazard, and built to correspond with industry values (Fuller, 1994;Parry, Jones, Rowley, & Kupiec-Teahan, 2012;Reijonen, 2010). Management thus chooses generalist marketing models that fit within the small organizational structure.…”

The Challenges of Managing an Organisation during and after the Economic Crisis

“…These cost-cutting measures affect other businesses, both big and small, which provide the goods and services used by the big manufacturer. SMEs have a flexibility and rapid ability to quickly respond to the business environmental needs, their ability to satisfy rapidly changing customer needs and their potential for close relationships with customers [6]. SMEs are very important for a business chain because they can quickly get close to the customers.…”

Survival Skills in SMEs—Continuous Competence Renewing and Opportunity Scanning

“…Recent literature illustrates business survival-for example, by marketing (Parry, Jones, Rowley, and Kupiec-Teahan 2012)-survival constraints (Okpara 2011), internal factors (Hove and Tarisai 2013), and type of financing (Bauchet and Morduch 2013). All mentioned studies focused on some special, separate items or skills, and a holistic competence view is lacking.…”