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This article advocates that networking is an inherent tool of marketing that is wholly compatible with entrepreneurial decision-making characteristics in relation to marketing activities in SMEs.

Considers how to research small and medium‐sized enterprise (SME) entrepreneurs’ decision making in the context of their own environment, in order to reach some in‐depth understanding of such phenomena. Previous work has called for the use of more appropriate methods for understanding and assessing SME management decision making. The discussion takes account of the characteristics of SME entrepreneurs, academic researchers’ approach to carrying out research and the contribution that can be made by consultant researchers with experience of SMEs. A research design incorporating the contribution of all three parties (entrepreneurs; academics; practitioner consultants) is described, detailing the research process in action. Finally the advantages of such a research design is illustrated.

In recent years the call centre industry has grown rapidly in size and popularity. In so doing the industry has been perceived to suffer from some of the problems associated with industrial mass production. The nature of the requirement to answer a high number of calls in these centres had led to the use of a traditional “production‐line” management approach. Recently, as a result of both customers’ and employees’ expectations rising in relation to service delivery, the trend is for call centre operations to become more focused on staff empowerment, moving away from the traditional production‐line approach. For many companies this has become a difficult management problem. This paper reports on one such company. Following a number of years’ reliance on carrying out surveys of customer perceptions, and a history of subsequent lack of service improvement, this research used an in‐depth case study approach incorporating observation studies, interviews with different levels of managers, and focus‐group discussions with front‐line service delivery staff (agents). The findings identified the service quality issues to be addressed in order to reconcile customers’ and agents’ needs; and the implications for managers.

The purpose of this paper is to consider marketing and its relevance to entrepreneurs and small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), and how entrepreneurs and SMEs owner/managers adapt and use marketing for their specific requirements during the life of an enterprise. Initially, the paper will give some background to the subject, including how entrepreneurs and SMEs owner/managers are defined and their value to the economy.

The discussion draws from the academic literature and from experience of working with entrepreneurs and SMEs over a number of years. The background characteristics and frameworks of entrepreneurial and SMEs marketing are considered, with emphasis on a pragmatic approach, to try to understand how entrepreneurs and SMEs actually “do” business.

The main body of the paper focuses on the nature of entrepreneurial marketing typically used by SMEs. The key themes of the discussion are how entrepreneurs and SME owner/managers adapt standard marketing frameworks to suit their own enterprises, how they use networks to improve their business activity, the use and development of marketing management competencies and how they try to use and develop innovative marketing.

Finally, the paper comments on the inter‐relationships and relevance of entrepreneurship and marketing for each other.

In practice, entrepreneurial and SMEs marketing is quite different from the marketing frameworks described in the standard marketing textbooks used to teach most undergraduate students. This paper illustrates how entrepreneurs and SMEs adapt and use marketing according to the needs of their enterprises.

Considers the more recent literature concerning the measurement of service quality, and questions whether there has been real research progression.

This paper discusses methodological issues relevant to research at the marketing/entrepreneurship interface. Based on analysis of 352 papers published in the proceedings of the annual International Symposium on Research at the Marketing/Entrepreneurship Interface, the paper highlights the importance of contextual issues in interface studies, the role of qualitative and mixed method designs, and the need for further cross‐national investigations.

This study aims to focus on how SMEs have been researched in the first 12 years of the new millennium and published in JRME between 2000 and 2011. There have been many studies on how SME owner/managers do business, their decision-making processes and ways of delivering marketing activities, and many different methodologies have been used.

All of the papers published in JRME from 2000 to 2011 were analysed using content analysis with Nvivo 9 in relation to the SME definitions used, methodology employed, geographical coverage and the business sectors covered.

Within the context of a wider study of 14 international journals on small business and entrepreneurship, this paper presents the findings that have emerged from the JRME journal according to the SME definitions used, methodology employed, geographical coverage and the business sectors' covered.

This study provides some findings in relation to the variety of studies carried out and the research presented in the JRME over a 12-year period.

The first issue of Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship discusses methodologies for research at the marketing/entrepreneurship interface (MEI) in the years between 1986 and 1998, based on the published symposia proceedings (the “Blue Books” edited annually by Gerry Hills with others from 1986). The purpose of this paper is to consider research at the MEI and summarises some of the methodologies that are used in this field.

This paper carries out an overview of the different types of methodologies used to investigate marketing and entrepreneurship at the interface.

The paper illustrates that research at the MEI is alive and well, it has taken large strides in the last 25 years. There are a large range of research designs and methodologies to choose from and researchers are encouraged to continue to be innovative in their approaches to studying entrepreneurs/owners/managers and how, why, when and where they do business.

This paper shows that research continues to develop and expand at the MEI. There is much yet to learn.

The purpose of this paper is to understand how small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) retailers adopt and implement a loyalty card programme as a marketing management decision-making tool.

A qualitative and longitudinal case study research design is adopted. Data were collected from multiple sources, incorporating semi-structured interviews and analysis of company documents and observation within a retail SME.

The findings presented focus on the loyalty card adoption process to reflect both the organisational issues and impact upon marketing management decision-making.

This research is restricted to one region within the UK, investigating loyalty card adoption within a specific industry sector.

SME retailers operate in an industry environment whereby there is a competitive demand for loyalty card programmes. SME retailers need to carefully consider how to match the firm’s characteristics with customer relationship management (CRM) operational requirements as highlighted in this case.

The evidence presented extends current knowledge of retail loyalty card programmes beyond the context of large organisations to encompass SMEs. The study also illustrates the value of a structured, formal CRM system to help SME retailers compete in a complex, competitive and omni-channel marketplace, adding new insights into the retail literature.

Focuses on the products and services available on ferry travel and passenger reaction to these services. Addresses the issue of whether cultural differences affect customer responses to marketing activity on‐board. Gives a description of a comparative study undertaken to examine and compare British and Scandinavian passengers′ response to the variety of products and services offered on board a variety of British and Scandinavian operated ferries. As a result of this study, argues that there is a clear need for adapting the generic ferry product/service to suit specific routes and local customer preferences. Focuses on this issue by describing the efforts of one of the major ferry operators on the Irish/Scottish route which is adapting the corporate product to suit local customer requirements.