ABSTRACT
The term ‘entrepreneurship marketing’ (EM) describes the marketing activities of small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and has, conceptually, developed within a vibrant and promising fresh field of research. While the analysis of marketing in new and small ventures is an important issue, given the large share of economic activities that can be attributed to these kinds of firms, it is argued that EM describes marketing activities with an entrepreneurial mindset, irrespective of firm size or age. EM research might want to explore the idea that EM can be implemented regardless of firm size or age in order to broaden the scope of the field. In essence, EM defines the role of the entrepreneur as ‘fundamental’ in marketing and organizational activities, so that flexibility in marketing was important to suitably adapt its principles and practices to the activities of SMEs. In contrast, ‘marketing entrepreneurship’ emphasizes the importance of marketing and its pivotal role in helping to transform the entrepreneurial activities of SMEs into effective and competitive businesses. In practice there are crossovers between these two emerging fields. Today the key difference is an increased understanding of the importance of carrying out quality research into every aspect of small firms’ activities. Given their importance to economic prosperity and the acceptance of the reality that most large firms have their beginnings in small entrepreneurial enterprises, there has been a growing demand for good-quality SME research.
