Toward an Understanding of Internet Adoption at the Marketing/Entrepreneurship Interface

The aim of this research is to explore those competencies within the entrepreneurial small firm, (ESF), which will determine if it is to adopt and fully exploit the potential of the Internet in developing and maintaining relationships with its customers. A key relationship, and one that is a major focus of much of the relationship marketing literature, is that between the supplier, in this case the ESF, and the customer or buyer. In this research, using a qualitative methodology, the authors examine the nature and character of the challenges faced by 30 entrepreneurial individuals in their relationship-oriented utilisation of the Internet. As a first stage of a larger research programme it explores the competencies likely to determine the extent of Internet adoption. The paper offers insights to a more complete competency spectrum for Internet marketing in the ESF.     

People Who Complain about Advertising: The Aficionados,Guardians, Activists and Seekers

Creativity is a driver of competitive advantage. It is found in firms of all sizes, but perhaps has greatest impact within the entrepreneurial smaller firm. This paper discusses the origins of the study of creativity, from social psychology to the business discipline. Creativity is then viewed as a key competency at the Marketing/Entrepreneurship Interface, linked with related issues such as innovation, vision, leadership and motivation. The benefits of developing creative competencies are presented and linked to a knowledge entrepreneur's set of 21_st century business skills. A model of creativity as competitive advantage is developed, built from sets of internal and external factors impinging upon firm and managerial performance. Finally, a series of recommendations for both marketing practitioners and academics are made, focusing on the need to challenge convention in order to progress ideas, products and services into the new century.     

Critical innovation characteristics influencing the acceptability of a new pharmaceutical product format

This paper investigates the Critical innovation characteristics that influence the acceptability of a new pharmaceutical product format as perceived by medical service providers. Professional service providers act as "surrogate adopters" as they decide about the adoption of a product intended for their clients' use. We employ a qualitative research approach to explore which product related characteristics physicians evaluate when assessing the acceptability of a new product format in the pharmaceutical market. The main results concern (1) the distinct nature of a distributed adoption decision-making, (2) the refinement of relevant innovation attributes in a medical service context, and (3) the contextuality of innovation adoption. The research results show that innovation characteristics cannot be feasibly studied without taking into account the adoption context, here the medical service encounter and its institutional environment. Managerial implications of these findings are discussed.     

Bank equity connections,intellectual property protection and enterprise innovation——A bank ownership perspective

This study investigates the effects of bank equity connections and intellectual property protection on enterprises’ innovation behavior,and the regulating effec...