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1 – 10 of 13Paulina Ines Rytkönen, Wilhelm Skoglund, Pejvak Oghazi and Daniel Laven
The purpose of this study is shed light on the underlying forces behind entrepreneurship within a regional innovation system (RIS) in a remote rural region. The authors examine…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is shed light on the underlying forces behind entrepreneurship within a regional innovation system (RIS) in a remote rural region. The authors examine the following questions: Which are the main underlying forces behind the entrepreneurial process in a rural RIS characterized by traditionally low-tech, small-scale businesses? How can the development of a low-tech regional innovation system be conceptualized?
Design/methodology/approach
The design of the study is based on entrepreneurship theory. Data analysis followed practices used in phenomenography, a research approach used to analyse and identify commonalities and variations in populations' perceptions of a certain phenomenon. Data are composed using semi-structured interviews and a database composed of company information of all firms in the population.
Findings
A proactive mobilization of regional stakeholders and resources can be an important driving force behind the entrepreneurial process and generation of a rural RIS. Innovation can be generated within low-tech industries turning the rural context into an asset. An RIS in a remote rural context can be initiated and orchestrated by regional authorities, but knowledge brokering and orchestration can also be managed by networks of small-scale businesses brought together by mutual benefit and common interests.
Research limitations/implications
Regional innovation systems theory is most often used to study high-tech industries. But by combining regional innovation systems with rural entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship context theory is a fruitful avenue to understand the role of rural entrepreneurship in regional development, even in remote and peripheral regions. Innovation does not need to entail high-tech international environments; it can appear as the result of efforts in low-tech industries in rural and remote environments. The authors’ findings need to be scrutinized; therefore, the authors call for more research on regional innovation systems in rural environments.
Practical implications
It is possible for regional authorities to orchestrate a development process through the actions of a strong regional agent but also by supporting the creation of networks of small businesses that are built on trust and common interests.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature with a new perspective to the study of entrepreneurship and of regional innovation systems. Entrepreneurship research with focus on rural contexts most often highlight limits to entrepreneurship and see entrepreneurship as “just running a business”. A perspective that starts from innovation and innovative behaviour, despite the rural context and embedded resources, helps to generate new knowledge that can enrich the understanding of entrepreneurship and also be the foundation for more precise business development policies in rural settings.
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David Rae and Per Blenker
This paper aims to introduce the concept of Entrepreneurial Collective Intelligence (ECI) as a means of understanding how communities of entrepreneurial actors learn to act both…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to introduce the concept of Entrepreneurial Collective Intelligence (ECI) as a means of understanding how communities of entrepreneurial actors learn to act both collectively and knowingly. It explores how connections between processes of CI, agency and action can explain and enable the development entrepreneurial community organisations.
Design/methodology/approach
There is a selective literature review of prior works on the related fields of community and collective entrepreneurship; collectives and intelligence; agency and action. The review is used to propose a framework of collective entrepreneurial intelligence, agency and action. An interpretive approach is used to research four case studies of community organisations which use CI to generate entrepreneurial outcomes.
Findings
The cases are compared with themes from prior literature to develop a conceptual model of four ECI processes which enable intelligence, agency and action: collaborative processes; distributed working; intelligence representations and organisation of infrastructures. These are theorised to discuss ideas, challenges, methods and questions to enhance entrepreneurial actions, based on sharing knowledge and learning, in the context of collective agency, action and intelligence.
Research limitations/implications
The four processes, both together and separately, represent a coherent framework useful for further studies on the role of collectives in enterprising communities.
Practical implications
The four processes each represent a central area of attention, not only for development, learning, decision-making and leadership within enterprising communities but also for entrepreneurship education in terms of alternative didactics, pedagogies and learning forms.
Social implications
The improved knowledge on the role of collective agency and CI within entrepreneurial processes is useful for strengthening civil activism and other fruitful forms of entrepreneurial collective processes. This may help solve complicated societal problems where traditional conceptions of entrepreneurship fail.
Originality/value
The conceptual contribution is to explain the dynamic relationships between ECI and action, mediated by collective agency. The role of CI in informing entrepreneurial communities is explored and four enabling processes are proposed. This coherent framework is useful for further studies on the role of collectives in enterprising communities, whilst informing their learning, decision-making and leadership.
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Cortney L. Norris, Marissa Orlowski and Scott Taylor, Jr.
As a result of both shifting social concerns and stricter legislation, many companies are seeking innovative and sustainable solutions for both primary and secondary packaging…
Abstract
Purpose
As a result of both shifting social concerns and stricter legislation, many companies are seeking innovative and sustainable solutions for both primary and secondary packaging. The craft beer industry has made the most notable advancements with a variety of alternatives to the traditional secondary packaging (e.g. plastic rings) used to link beer cans. Yet, despite the impact packaging has on consumer purchase behavior and the environment, secondary packaging has received far less attention in the literature. This study aims to understand consumer perceptions of craft beer secondary packaging on consumers’ willingness to buy via the underlying mechanisms of perceived packaging innovation and sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
A single-factor between-subjects experiment with four conditions (secondary packaging format: Pak-Tech holder, Keel Clip holder, Glue-Pack holder, Biodegradable holder) was conducted with 354 participants to test the hypothesized serial mediation model.
Findings
The results demonstrate that none of the secondary packaging styles had a direct effect on willingness to buy, meaning that the package style alone does not influence a consumer’s purchase decisions. Critically, the results also revealed indirect effects; specifically, the Keel Clip and Glue-Pack six-pack can holders were perceived as more innovative than the Pak-Tech holder, which in turn positively influenced perceptions of packaging sustainability and subsequent willingness to buy.
Originality/value
The authors’ results extend the research on sustainable secondary packaging and aids craft breweries along with other beverage producers in making informed decisions as the push for sustainable packaging becomes more prominent.
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José Manuel López-Agulló Pérez-Caballero, Belén Ávila Rodríguez-de-Mier and Fernando García-Chamizo
The aim of this research is to analyze the territorialization strategy developed by the Spanish brewing company Cruzcampo through its campaign #ConMuchoAcento (#With a strong…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this research is to analyze the territorialization strategy developed by the Spanish brewing company Cruzcampo through its campaign #ConMuchoAcento (#With a strong accent) launched in January 2021.
Design/methodology/approach
The work is framed within the case study methodology. Semiotics will be the discipline used to establish the set of cultural units or signs that the company puts into play in its campaign #ConMuchoAcento.
Findings
Cruzcampo beer makes use of place branding by highlighting the Andalusian accent as a way of creating a unique positioning strategy. By doing so, the brewing company faces the issue of being associated with the negative Andalusian stereotype, sometimes regarded as if it were uneducated and low class. The use of dialectic must be seen as a step further in place branding strategy since it brings locality to the commercial message.
Social implications
The social effects of the cultural units brought into play by the #ConMuchoAcento campaign remain to be analyzed, that is, the political dimension of this exercise of signifying agency of Andalusian culture. In other words, it remains to be seen how the accent represents that romantic Andalusian ideal of “authenticity” as that form of subjectivity at the margins of the cultural and rational organization of modern global capitalism.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first to be conducted on the multi-award-winning #ConMuchoAcento campaign. Furthermore, it will analyze the place branding strategy carried out by the brand from a semiotic perspective.
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Jaekyung Ha, Stine Grodal and Ezra W. Zuckerman Sivan
Our prior work has identified a trade-off that new entrants face in obtaining favorable market reception, whereby initial entrants suffer from a deficit of legitimacy whereas…
Abstract
Our prior work has identified a trade-off that new entrants face in obtaining favorable market reception, whereby initial entrants suffer from a deficit of legitimacy whereas later entrants suffer from a deficit of authenticity. This research has also proposed that a single mechanism is responsible for this trade-off: the tendency for customers and other stakeholders to assess the entrant's claim to originality based on the visible work that it has done to legitimate the new product or organizational form. This chapter extends and deepens our understanding of such “legitimation work” by showing how it can illuminate cases that seem in the first instance to defy this trade-off. In particular, we focus on two “off-diagonal” cases: (a) when, as in the case of “patent trolls” and fraudulent innovators, early entrants are viewed as inauthentic despite having a credible claim to originality; (b) when late entrants, as in the case of Dell Computers, mechanical watches and baseball ballparks, are viewed as authentic despite obviously not being the originators. We clarify how each off-diagonal case represents an ‘exception that proves the rule’ whereby audiences attribute authenticity on the basis of legitimation work rather than on the order of entry per se. The last case also leads to an opportunity to clarify why “cultural appropriation” can sometimes project authenticity and sometimes inauthenticity, why audiences bother to make inferences about a producer's authenticity on the basis of visible legitimation work, and why legitimacy is a universal goal of early movers whereas authenticity varies in its importance.
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Wei Guo, Tieying Yu and Greta Hsu
In this study, we develop understanding of factors that shape the propensity of market incumbents to collaborate in response to the threat posed by new market entrants. We are…
Abstract
In this study, we develop understanding of factors that shape the propensity of market incumbents to collaborate in response to the threat posed by new market entrants. We are particularly interested in instances when a market's competitive structure becomes unsettled by new entrants who engage in nonconforming strategic tactics. In such situations, we propose two factors – strategic similarity among competitors and market-share instability – will systematically shape competitors' collaborative response to new entrants. To test our theory, we use data on strategic tactics and collaborative dynamics in the US airline industry from 1989 to 2010. We demonstrate that greater strategic similarity among a market's incumbents increases the likelihood of cooperation in response to the threat of a nonconforming new entrant, while greater market-share instability reduces cooperative response. Through this study, we extend existing understanding of the contextual circumstances under which established competitors recognize their mutual interests and band together.
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Emmanuel Arthur, George Cudjoe Agbemabiese, George Kofi Amoako and Patrick Amfo Anim
This study aims to explore the role customer satisfaction play in mediating the nexus between commitment, trust, relative dependence and customer loyalty from an emerging market…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the role customer satisfaction play in mediating the nexus between commitment, trust, relative dependence and customer loyalty from an emerging market context under a business-to-business (B2B) setting.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was a descriptive survey, and using convenience sampling technique, questionnaires were used to gather data from 356 businesses that were distributors of Guinness Ghana Company Limited. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed hypotheses for this study, and macro-PROCESS was performed to test the mediating effect of customer satisfaction.
Findings
The findings show that relative dependence had the most considerable significant and positive impact on B2B partners satisfaction, followed by commitment and trust, respectively. A positive and significant relationship was also found between B2B firms’ satisfaction and loyalty. The result also indicates that customer satisfaction mediates the relationship between commitment, trust, relative dependence and B2B loyalty.
Practical implications
Practitioners can manipulate specific relative dependence, commitment and trust features to increase customer satisfaction with their firm’s services, thus ensuring longer-term customer loyalty.
Originality/value
Drawing on the social exchange theory, this study provides a more profound perspective focusing on an emerging market context, by examining from a B2B setting the significance of commitment, trust, relative dependence and B2B partners satisfaction on loyalty.
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Luca A. Breit and Christine K. Volkmann
The developing field of entrepreneurial marketing reflects input from both marketing and entrepreneurship. Since the early 1980s, it has evolved heterogeneously, without a…
Abstract
Purpose
The developing field of entrepreneurial marketing reflects input from both marketing and entrepreneurship. Since the early 1980s, it has evolved heterogeneously, without a coherent theory, leading to complex scholarly views. Therefore, this literature review aims to shed light on the recent developments, reveal various research perspectives related to entrepreneurial marketing and derive future research avenues.
Design/methodology/approach
To account for recent scientific contributions and establish a more transparent view of divergent insights, the systematic literature review reported herein covers 207 peer-reviewed journal articles published after the “Charleston Summit” over 12 years (2010–2021) and details their contributions based on descriptive and inductive thematic analysis.
Findings
First, a descriptive analysis illustrates recent scientific developments indicating that entrepreneurial marketing is a vibrant research field with a continuous increase in publications worldwide and a wide range of research methods applied. Second, the thematic analysis suggests a three-part classification into entrepreneur, business and market perspectives. The authors present the most frequent themes and subthemes within this literature domain, as well as offering a critical assessment of the field that reveals key directions for expanding existing research.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first comprehensive review systematically examining entrepreneurial marketing literature while conducting an in-depth thematic analysis. It enhances current knowledge of the field by extending previous narrative and bibliographic reviews and discussing research directions. Aside from specific research questions, an alternative way to narrow down the multiple research objects is elaborated by critically debating the perspectives.
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Ágoston Temesi, Zoltán Lakner and Brigitta Unger-Plasek
This study investigated the factors of brand-related behavior, such as brand schematicity (BS), brand relevance in category (BRiC) and brand loyalty (BL), to clarify how they…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigated the factors of brand-related behavior, such as brand schematicity (BS), brand relevance in category (BRiC) and brand loyalty (BL), to clarify how they influence customer purchasing behavior regarding alcohol and other beverages. This study aims to provide insights that may benefit corporate and regulatory sectors regarding brand-related customer behavior and increases/decreases in alcoholic beverage purchases.
Design/methodology/approach
This study included a sample of 501 Hungarian participants, representative of the population in many respects. The author constructed a model using partial least squares structural equation modeling with data collected from internationally validated scales.
Findings
The findings of this study reveal that BL or BRiC do not positively and directly influence purchase frequency in the beer, wine and pálinka categories; however, their purchase frequency is significantly and positively influenced by BS. Additionally, the degree of BS was somewhat above average for alcoholic beverages compared to nonalcoholic beverages; it was also slightly higher for beer than for wine and pálinka.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the three brand-related factors of customer behavior, analyze their connections and clarify their effects on alcoholic beverage purchases. BS is a relatively new factor; to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no other study to date has measured the extent of BS and its association with beverage-related customer behaviors. Future studies can compare this study’s findings on the level of BS for eight alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is also the first to investigate brand-related customer behavior regarding pálinka.
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Timothy I. Ramjaun, Madeleine Pullman, Maneesh Kumar and Vasco Sanchez Rodrigues
This article aims to investigate collaborative procurement as a sourcing strategy amongst competing small enterprises in an effort to reduce their material supply costs through…
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to investigate collaborative procurement as a sourcing strategy amongst competing small enterprises in an effort to reduce their material supply costs through increased efficiencies, bargaining power and economies of scale.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study approach is applied to a network of breweries that are regionally clustered. Interview data from producers, suppliers and industry experts is inductively interpreted to understand the viability, organisational impact and benefits/limitations of joint procurement activities.
Findings
The craft brewing industry follows a market place strategy of differentiation to achieve competitive advantage. This has supply chain implications that promote raw material diversity, which is in conflict with standardisation – a necessary factor for collective buying. Competition impacts information sharing and governance mechanism, while the structural factors of size asymmetry along and across the supply chain influence returns. These issues impact the potential economic benefits of collaborative procurement.
Research limitations/implications
The research propositions have been developed in a specific industry but are generalisable to other companies with a differentiation strategy, especially in the consumer packaged goods sector.
Practical implications
Enabling conditions and constraints are captured in a framework and capability matrix, which can be used by practitioners to assess industry and product feasibility for collaborative procurement.
Originality/value
Previous studies of collaborative procurement have been in the public sector amongst large organisations. This work focusses on coopetition in the context of small businesses to identify the viability and cost-benefit of this strategy.
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