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The purpose of this study is to examine the branding strategies of SMEs from NIEs, juxtaposing the different strategies used to specifically target developed and developing countries with regard to brand-building approach, type and number of brands and degree of standardization.

A case-study approach is used. In-depth interviews are conducted with 10 Korean consumer-goods SMEs exporting their own in-house brands.

Clear differences emerge between the strategies of SMEs entering developed countries and those entering developing countries, particularly regarding brand identity development, use of foreign sales subsidiaries and number and types of brands used. The authors find an interaction effect between product characteristics and host market levels of economic development, both of which influenced the degree of product standardization.

This study is the first attempt to uncover the branding strategies of NIE consumer-goods SMEs. The findings contribute to the field by extending our understanding of branding strategies used by consumer-goods SMEs from NIEs, thereby providing useful insight for other NIE enterprises when establishing branding strategies aimed at foreign markets.

Building on the resource-based view (RBV), this study examines the differential roles of internal and external social capital (SC) in enhancing the marketing innovation (MI), competitive advantage and financial performance of Korean small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in export markets.

In total, 197 valid cases were obtained from Korean manufacturing SMEs in the consumer goods sector. Then, a path analysis was employed to test the proposed hypotheses.

First, SME internal SC positively influenced MI, whereas external SC positively influenced foreign distributor's MI (or foreign distributor MI). Second, SME MI was positively associated with foreign distributor MI. Third, no statistical differences were found in the strength of the paths from foreign distributor and SME MI to competitive advantage. Meanwhile, foreign distributor MI positively affected financial performance more than SME MI. Fourth, SME competitive advantage predicted a positive financial performance. Finally, the effect of SME MI on financial performance had an inverted “U” shape.

This study fills a research gap in the MI literature by identifying MI in terms of its actors (SMEs and their foreign distributors) and examining the differential roles of internal and external SC in MI.

The purpose of this paper is to assess brand identity, equity and brand management in SMEs.

The methodology is based on the analysis of four site cases of consumer goods SMEs through in‐depth interviews and related documents.

Results showed that the founders' value and beliefs set the tone for the core competencies to be developed and transmitted through brand identity. A bundle of marketing innovations, including coherent marketing programs and the use of the country of origin image, support the brands. Brand diversification strategies contribute to SMEs' growth.

Results need to be expanded and confirmed with other international SMEs that are not as well established and that do not use the country of origin in their brand image.

Entrepreneurs need to be aware that their public image may reflect consumers' perception of their firms. Consequently, this image should be carefully nurtured. Because of resource constraints, a limited number of product or service features that complement the entrepreneur's core values should be selected to enhance brand equity. Among those, features linked to the firm's capabilities and to the country of origin would be the most cost‐efficient and effective. Moreover, a number of brand diversification strategies can be used by SMEs to spur their growth.

The study emphasizes the use of strong brand associations by SMEs, primary and secondary, a focused and integrated communication strategy to enhance the brands as well as a creative approach to brand strategies to contribute to their growth.

Drawing on the resource-based view and contingency theory, this study aims to investigate the effects of organizational capabilities – technology capability and marketing capability – on small- and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs’) export performance and the moderating roles of contingent factors in this relationship in the context of a highly competitive export-oriented economy.

The research framework was tested using a three-way stepwise hierarchical multiple regression analysis with data gathered from 531 Korean international SMEs.

In addition to the direct effects of two types of organizational capabilities on export performance, the results show that both capabilities were critical when the export market was competitive, and marketing capability was more important when exporting with a brand name and targeting a developing country.

This study further extends the literature on SMEs’ internationalization in the context of highly competitive export-driven markets and highlights the importance of strategically allocating SMEs’ capabilities to reap optimal export performance by considering dynamic contingencies.

The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the effect of marketing modification on business performance from the perspective of marketing capabilities theory.

This study employed a survey method to collect data from 225 food processing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on the Ghana Enterprise Agency (GEA) registered list in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The effect of marketing modification on the performance of SMEs in the food processing industry was evaluated using a structural equation modeling (SEM) – path analysis.

According to the study’s findings, marketing modification has a positive and significant impact on the financial performance (FP), customer performance (CP), internal business process performance (IBPP) and learning and growth performance (LGP) of Ghanaian SMEs engaged in food processing. The results of this study also demonstrated the importance of marketing modification determinants, such as marketing resources (MR), cross-functional and interenterprise collaboration (CFIEC), architectural marketing capability (AMC) and marketing strategy decision implementation (MSDI), in achieving food processing SME performance in Ghana.

This current research has its limitation, even though its importance has been mentioned earlier. First, the study can be improved by expanding the sample size through the inclusion of other SMEs from other industries since it is industry specific (i.e. food processing SME). Second, this current study was conducted in Ghana. To compare results, the current study may be replicated in other emerging countries. Third, future research studies may consider how business environmental factors such as technological change (e.g. use of artificial intelligence and machine learning) moderate the relationship between marketing modification and SME performance.

The outcomes of this research study are anticipated to give profitable implications to both academicians and practitioners. For the academic aspect, this study provides an important contribution to marketing modification and performance literature by examining the impact of innovative marketing on the performance of food processing SMEs in Ghana. For practitioners, this study indicates that food processing SME owners/managers must focus on marketing modification to develop their performance. The increase in marketing modification application through marketing capabilities such as MR and CFIEC will enable owners/managers to achieve performance targets.

The application of marketing modification among food processing SMEs in Ghana will contribute greatly to their profitability, survival and growth. The growth and survival of food processing SMEs (not limited to food processing SMEs) in Ghana will help in the control of unemployment, which is a major social issue in Ghana.

The study’s findings provide solid support for the marketing capabilities theory. This study also supports the notion that food processing SMEs should perceive marketing modification and its determinants (i.e. MR, CFIEC, AMC and MSDI) as a critical strategic capacity to enhance their performance (i.e. FP, CF, IBPP and LGP). In terms of contribution, this study adds to the body of knowledge already available on marketing modification and business performance, particularly in the setting of an emerging economy.

The purpose of this paper is to examine marketing in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), its role as a driver of competitive advantage, and, therefore, its importance to the firm.

The study is conducted with 100 SMEs located in the mid‐Atlantic region of the United States.

The marketing function is not as well developed or influential in SMEs as it is in large corporations. Two environmental factors, type of market (consumer) and firm orientation (hierarchal), facilitate marketing's influence within a firm.

Analyses conducted and conclusions reached in this research are based on a very limited sample of SMEs located in one region of one country. Broader sampling would help in generalization of the findings.

The results of this study are particularly troubling because marketing resources are one driver of competitive advantage. For marketing to increase in influence, individuals trained in marketing must gain a seat at the management table. Although marketing departments are responsible for marketing the firm's products and services, the job of marketers themselves internally remains unclear. Marketing departments must do more to ensure that marketing's voice is heard when key decisions are made.

This research fills a gap in the literature relating to the influence of marketing in SMEs. More importantly, the findings differ from conclusions raised by a similar study conducted for larger firms.

Introduction: Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) have long been viable in the Indian economy. In the case of post-COVID-19, 20–40% of MSMEs in government can be permanently closed. The state should pay special attention to MSMEs for survival (Min, 2023).

Purpose: This chapter provides a framework for MSMEs to study industry challenges in Punjab and to discuss the conceptual framework and road map for future MSMEs in Punjab.

Need for This Study: The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically impacted the variable economic activities within the world. This study is responsible for explaining the different vulnerable sectors related to small- and medium-sized enterprises. On the other hand, this study is an analytical and descriptive research in nature.

Methodology: A mixed method of data collection has been used in this chapter. The data have been collected by floating a questionnaire to the various entrepreneurs of MSMEs. Secondary data have been collected through the Internet.

Findings: Through this research, we could analyse the MSMEs’ conceptual framework, the challenges they face, and the industrial units’ future roadmap.

Practical Implications: This research is mainly considered a clear explanation of current competition and market access challenges that small- and medium-sized enterprises face. This situation is derived due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so many enterprises are trying to find their exit ways. On the other hand, some MSMEs are trying to focus on the online business market to make some profit and to overcome the loss.

The purpose of this study is twofold: to examine the impact of entrepreneurial competencies and innovation on manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises' (SMEs) sustainable performance and to explore the role of innovation as a mediator on the relationship between entrepreneurial competencies and manufacturing SMEs' sustainable performance.

Data collected from manufacturing SMEs in Malaysia were analysed via the partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach.

The results reveal that entrepreneurial competencies play a robust and noteworthy role in promoting innovation and the sustainable performance of manufacturing SMEs, respectively. Further, innovation has a partially mediated effect on the link between entrepreneurial competencies and manufacturing SMEs' sustainable performance. Manufacturing SMEs' aspirations to be the first to market with new products are reflected in these SMEs' implementation of positive entrepreneurial competencies or capabilities which enable them to scan the environment to identify high-quality business opportunities and respond through these SMEs' Research and Development (R&D) activities to create products that provide real benefit to customers' needs. Hence, these SME's seize the market opportunities.

Manufacturing SMEs' sustainable performance should be strengthened by linking entrepreneurial competencies with innovation to nurture greater agility to respond quickly to change and market demands. These SMEs should conduct tactical meetings on a regular basis to discuss current projects and assess critical indicators, as well as to identify and test fresh ideas for innovation and new business ventures in order to achieve sustainable performance in challenging business environments.

By applying the resource-based view (RBV) theory and the triple bottom line (TBL) framework into a single framework, this study highlights the role of innovation as a meaningful mediator between entrepreneurial competencies and manufacturing SMEs' sustainable performance. As exploration of this relationship has been very limited, the study makes a novel contribution to the extant literature.

Not all innovative ideas or approaches commonly implemented by larger companies apply to smaller firms in all regions. Innovation that does not imply company achievements might exhaust their limited resources and cause the market to be uncompetitive. This paper aims to answer two research questions: (1) Do innovation strategies, such as process, marketing and social innovation, affect the performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)? (2) Does company size moderate the relationship between social and marketing innovations with SMEs' performance?

This paper proposed three innovation strategies (i.e. social, marketing and process innovations) influencing Malaysian SMEs' performance. There were 123 valid respondents from SMEs, and the data were analysed using a structural equation modelling partial least square (SEM-PLS) technique.

The research findings advocate that process innovation directly impacts SMEs' performance, not marketing innovation. Interestingly, the influence of social innovation on organisation performance is only significant when the company size becomes more prominent. Companies can provide consistent and continuous social enhancement that arouses public trust and reputation with more resources and capabilities. Also, smaller companies might concentrate their scarce resources on process innovation with instant beneficial potential instead of a sophisticated marketing strategy.

There is limited empirical research examining how different innovation strategies, especially social innovation, affect SMEs' performance in developing countries. Furthermore, the second-generation analysis (PLS-SEM) technique provides more systematic and comprehensive results.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the resistance behavior of smart factories in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Drawing upon dual factor perspective, this study examines how two types of quality and perceived usefulness impact user resistance as enabling factors and how switching cost, skepticism, habit and inertia contribute to user resistance as inhibiting factors. Additionally, multi-group analysis is employed to compare small and medium enterprises.

Purposive sampling technique was employed to collect 460 Korean SMEs employees, consisting of 235 small enterprises and 225 medium enterprises. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used for data analysis.

The results reveal that all three inhibiting factors, switching cost, skepticism and habit, are key antecedents of inertia. In small enterprises, skepticism has a greater impact on inertia, which in turn strongly affects resistance. Additionally, system quality is more crucial for small enterprises, whereas information quality holds more importance for medium enterprises in mitigating resistance. Moreover, when the implementation level of a smart factory is high, the effect of perceived usefulness on user resistance diminishes.

This study has revealed the importance of considering both enabling and inhibiting factors for the adoption of smart factory systems in the context of SMEs. Additionally, it has provided evidence that as the level of the smart factory system increases, the effect of perceived usefulness on user resistance decreases, thus making the transition to smart factory systems more challenging.