Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Small business – Thailand – Marketing'
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1
Theingi. "The influence of marketing control and a resource-based view (RBV) on export performance of SMEs in Thailand." University of Western Australia. Marketing Discipline Group, 2008. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2008.0203.
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For the past three decades, export manufacturing has played an important role in Thailand's economic success. Among the exporters, the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have increasingly taken part. As a result, export performance at both micro and macro level has become of interest to academics, exporting firms, intermediaries and Thai government policy makers. Thus, extensive studies concerning determinants of export performance are reported in literature on export marketing. However, despite the significance of resources in implementing marketing strategies and performance, the Resource-Based View (RBV) has not been explicitly and fully explored in this literature. Moreover, the vital role of intermediary resources in export performance has been also largely ignored. Hence, the applicability of RBV should be examined to investigate the effects of firm resources and export intermediary resources on export performance. Similarly, marketing control, in spite of its importance, used by manufacturing exporters in relation to their intermediaries, has not been substantially explored. The availability of firm and export intermediary resources provides flexibility for manufacturing exporters in maintaining marketing control over their intermediaries, which in turn, influences export performance. Hence, the aim of the study is to investigate the applicability of RBV and marketing control theory in determining export performance. Moreover, in the export marketing literature, there are very few studies in developing countries, particularly in Southeast Asia: this study, therefore focusses on export performance of SMEs in an export-driven, developing economy, Thailand. During the course of its investigation, this study used the 'drop-in questionnaire' method of delivering and collecting the questionnaires in person with the purpose of enhancing responses from export managers. With respect to their individual export ventures, they were asked to provide answers regarding the availability of firm resources, their perception of the availability of export intermediary resources, and the use of marketing control mechanisms on export intermediaries. Preliminary data analysis used Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and was followed by the development of a structural model, which was then tested with AMOS 4.0 Package. ix The results from the above analyses substantiate the empirical link between resources, firm and export intermediary resources, and strategic export performance, and also between the availability of resources and the use of marketing controls. The findings show that production and marketing capabilities (firm resources) and good relationships and cooperation with exporters (export intermediary resources) have an important direct effect on export performance. Hence, the study confirms the applicability of RBV in export literature. The results also indicate that firm's marketing capabilities, export intermediary's relationship and cooperation, and knowledge and experience, influence the use of marketing control, thereby supporting the hypotheses that the availability of firm and export intermediary resources facilitates the use of marketing control.
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Sophonthummapharn, Kittipong. "A comprehensive framework for the adoption of techno-relationship innovations : Empirical evidence from eCRM in manufacturing SMEs." Doctoral thesis, Umeå : Umeå School of Business, Umeå University, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-1800.
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King, Stetson Samel Jacque's. "Marketing Strategies for Small Business Sustainability." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/6052.
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The restaurant industry is the second largest employer in the United States; however, only 33% of restaurant owners sustain profits longer than the first 5 years from inception. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore marketing strategies that owners of small business restaurants use to sustain profitability for longer than the initial 5 years. Aaker's brand equity model was the conceptual framework used to ground this study. Purposeful criterion sampling was used for the study. Participants included 3 owners of small restaurants operating in the southern United States. Data analysis involved using Yin's 5-step data analysis process to identify and code themes. Analysis included data compilation, data disassembly, data reassembly, data interpretation, and data conclusion. Three themes emerged from the analysis of data: social media, word of mouth, and brand differentiation. The implications of this study for positive social change include business development opportunities, opening resource centers for training programs, and free webinars associated with marketing and brand equity strategies. Communities, organizations, and new entrepreneurs may benefit from the increase of social resources, community economic growth, and expanded employment opportunities.
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Charoenrungsiri, Visut, and Umaporn Oonsuphab. "Multi Level Marketing products in Thailand." Thesis, Mälardalen University, School of Sustainable Development of Society and Technology, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-9902.
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Siu, Wai Sum. "Small firm marketing : an analysis of small firm marketing approaches in Hong Kong." Thesis, Durham University, 1997. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/1645/.
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Naknouvatim, Thidaporn, and Supatcha Tangkananan. "The effective marketing strategies for yogurt business in Bangkok, Thailand." Thesis, Mälardalens högskola, Akademin för hållbar samhälls- och teknikutveckling, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-12462.
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Winarto, Vincentius. "Small business entrepreneurs in vertical marketing systems." Thesis, Cranfield University, 1986. http://hdl.handle.net/1826/4156.
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The objective of this study is to investigate the potential
contribution of vertical marketing systems to the
development of small business entrepreneurs and in
particular to entrepreneurially disadvantaged groups. The
following are the two major questions for this study:
1. Do vertical linkage systems serve as a pathway for the
entrepreneurially disadvantaged groups, namely those
with no entrepreneurial experience, from families without
business background, and from indigenous ethnic groups?
The modernization process in Third World countries, and
in particular Indonesia, may create a widening gap
between the modern and the traditional sectors. Vertical
relationship systems with their unique characteristics
(e. g. a symbiotic relationship between large and small
business operation) may contribute towards reducing this
gap through developing the entrepreneurially
disadvantaged groups into business careers.
2. Do vertical relationships accomodatb, independent
entrepreneurs?
It is assumed that independent entrepreneurs can perform
better entrepreneurial functions than those
"entrepreneurs" who are constrained by external power.
There are doubts whether the vertical relationship,
characterized by a large firm's dominant role, can
accomodate independent entrepreneurs.
This study reveals that despite many problems and
limitations a tight-control type of vertical marketing
system can serve as a pathway for individuals from
entrepreneurially disadvantaged groups to become successful
modern-type entrepreneurs. The performance of these
disadvantaged groups is equal to that of other different
groups. Also, independent entrepreneurs exist in all the
vertical marketing systems studied.
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Hubbard, Lyle John. "Small Business Restaurant Marketing Strategies for Sustainability." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/4921.
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Approximately 52% of food and accommodation businesses survive 5 years or more. Small business restaurant owners face greater challenges in marketing and sustainability than larger and well-established chain restaurants. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the successful marketing strategies of small business restaurant owners who sustained their businesses 5 years or more. The population was small business restaurant owners in Eugene, Oregon. The conceptual framework for this study was Porter's 5 forces. Data collection included semistructured interviews with 4 business owners, and data analysis consisted of coding and thematically analyzing interview data and data collected from the business and marketing documents of research participants. Five themes emerged: adherence to fundamental restaurant marketing principles; migration of restaurant promotions to websites and social media; innovation and flexibility in marketing; diner loyalty, reputation, and relationship marketing; and marketing evolution from hospitality experience. Each research participant emphasized the importance of food and service quality, flexibility in marketing, budgeting, and relationships with diners as marketing strategies for sustainability. Each restaurateur recognized the prohibitive costs of traditional television, radio, and print marketing and disclosed how social media and word of mouth were effective promotional channels with minimal costs. Findings may be used by small business restaurateurs to increase opportunities for duplicable and predictable sustainability and to increase revenues, job growth, and funds for environmental and philanthropic programs.
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Pongpattrachai, Dichapong. "The Model of IT Infusion in Small Audit Firms in Thailand." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Accounting and Information Systems, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/3505.
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For decades, organizations have used information technology (IT) to support their operational and managerial work. However, the use of IT varies considerably from one firm to another. Successful IT implementation occurs when IT is diffused to all organizational members and is used to the fullest potential (infusion). Prior studies tested several IT infusion enablers. However, they did not yield statistically significant results. These studies hypothesized IT diffusion enablers as IT infusion enablers. The lack of existing literature on IT infusion made theory-testing research rarely yield a reasonable result. In addition, the definitions and measures of IT infusion offered by existing literature are not validated. This study aims to identify factors that contribute to the different levels of IT infusion in the context of spreadsheet use in small audit firms and to offer a definition and measure of IT infusion. While prior studies have discussed several enablers of IT infusion, they have typically proposed enablers of IT diffusion rather than IT infusion.
IT infusion is defined in this study as the use of IT to its fullest potential within a particular industry. Three aspects of infusion were identified in the prior literature. First, IT infusion refers to IT use within and across different business processes (extended use). For example, spreadsheets can be used to help auditors plan an audit, analyze data, and later create an audit report. Second, IT infusion refers to IT use in ways that establish the work-flow linkages within the work process (integrative use). For example, spreadsheets can be used to record data and the data is carried over for analysis and reporting. Third, IT infusion refers to IT use in tasks that could not be performed without IT (emergent use). For example, spreadsheets can be used to perform statistical analysis which cannot be done manually.
The mixed methods research approach was chosen in order to provide a better understanding of the under-researched area of infusion. Use of theory-building approach from cases is likely to produce theory that is accurate and testable. Case studies are used for identifying IT enablers in real business settings. Quantitative data is collected using the survey questionnaire approach.
In the first phase, a series of case studies were used to explore the concept of IT infusion in the audit context. All seven case firms were independent audit firms in Thailand with less than 100 employees. The firms helped identify a number of enablers of spreadsheet infusion. This study found infrastructure flexibility and training to be critical infusion enablers at an early implementation stage. At later stages, an IT champion, certain psychological factors, and social networks were found to be more important. The new measure was proven to incorporate all important IT infusion dimensions and to yield a reasonable range of scores enabling a complex statistical analysis.
The study also used a questionnaire survey to gather data on spreadsheet infusion from 203 audit firms in Thailand. Partial least squares (PLS) regression was used to test a research model that was based on the earlier case studies. The analysis confirmed the relationships among IT infusion enablers and the three pathways of use which formed the concept of IT infusion. Task variety, an IT champion, and routinization were found to be directly related to IT infusion. Infrastructure flexibility, social networks, and management support were also found to contribute to IT infusion through other enablers.
It is recommended that future studies use the concept of task complexity when examining IT infusion. In addition, future studies should extend investigations on psychological factors of individuals that may affect organizational IT infusion.
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Janrattana, Jirasak. "How can Small and Medium Enterprise retail business in Thailand successfully compete through Business Model Innovation?" Thesis, University of Manchester, 2017. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/how-can-small-and-medium-enterprise-retail-business-in-thailand-successfully-compete-through-business-model-innovation(4bf8547d-7a76-49ee-9776-e9ed7dbf0c39).html.
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Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) retail businesses in many countries, including Thailand, are facing challenges of high competition, as modern retail formats have grown rapidly in many Asian countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, China and Thailand (Howard, 2009). Thus, SME retail Businesses are facing an "innovate or die" situation, as non-adapting retail firms have always been and will continue to be driven out of the business (Evans, 2011). A new critical capability of retail business is the ability to configure and reconfigure its processes into a coherent blueprint - known in other words as a Business Model (Sorescu et al., 2011). The research question becomes "How can SME retail Business in Thailand successfully compete through Business Model Innovation?" Business Model Innovation requires system wide changes, since modifying one component always has network effects on other components (Tikkanen et al., 2005). There is no fixed method or successful formula that all companies will adopt; therefore disciplined experimentation and adaptation is recommended (Berman, 2011; Chesbrough, 2010; McGrath, 2010; Mitchell et al., 2003; Teece, 2010). However, most past studies on innovation are about large companies (Tim, 2004) and not many articles cover empirical studies on Business Model Innovation. In particular, few studies address the dynamic view (Demil and Lecocq, 2010; Svejenova et al., 2010; Sosna et al., 2010).This research focuses on the implementation of Business Model Innovation within SME retail business. The research uses a methodology called Action Research, and was conducted within the researcher's organization, which is a SME retail business in Thailand. This overcomes the practical challenges of studying SME business, which is related to limited opportunity to conduct empirical research. The study was conducted over the 4 year period from October 2010 to August 2014 by implementing Business Model Innovation in order to exploit opportunities in rural areas. Business Model concepts were employed as sources of innovation and units of analysis. Action Research consists of multiple cycles of changes and adaptation. It was found that Business Model concepts can be represented at different levels of abstraction from reality. At a high level of abstraction, the Business Model Canvas helps to understand the overview of the firm's business logic in a broad way, and provide ideas about what can be adapted. At the operational level, the Retailing Business Model provides a structural approach to the conceptualisation, planning and implementation of activities that support high level changes. In all, Business Model Innovation can be conceptualised as an ongoing learning process similar to the iterative cycles of Action research. These cycles consist of constructing actions, planning, taking actions and evaluating actions. The Business Model concepts at different levels of abstraction can be used for understanding and planning, as well as to capture learning experiences, both on the high level and on the operational level. Therefore, Business Model Innovation is a dynamic process where changes and learning happen continuously. Such a process enables SME retail businesses to improve their understanding of their Business Model and thus improve their chances of success?
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Daugherty, Matthew Lane. "Small Business Marketing Strategies for Physical Therapy Practice Owners." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/6196.
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The United States economy depends on small businesses, which represent 99% of all businesses in the United States, yet approximately 50% of small businesses cease operations in the first 5 years. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the marketing strategies used by owners of small businesses to develop and maintain their organization through the initial 5 years of business operation. The population included 5 physical therapy business owners in northeastern Florida who had sustained their business for a minimum of 5 years. The conceptual framework for this study was the brand equity model, and data were collected through semistructured interviews, online company marketing materials, and archival company documents. Yin's 5-step analysis guided the data analysis process: (a) collecting data, (b) grouping data into codes (c) grouping data into themes (d) assessing the themes, and (e) developing conclusions. Member checking, transcript review, and triangulation were used to validate the study data. The 5 study themes were brand awareness, relationship marketing, perceived quality, social media and online marketing, and word-of-mouth marketing. The implications of this study for positive social change include the potential for economic growth in the physical therapy practice market, as well as improved patient access to physical therapy services through a greater number of physical therapy practices.
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Pai, Shiina. "Small Business Marketing Strategies for the First 5 Years." ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/4014.
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Small businesses have an integral role in the U.S. economy and represent 99.7% of all employers in the United States; however, approximately 50% of small business start-ups fail within the first 5 years. Developing and implementing a well-formulated marketing strategy is critical to the success of business because a marketing strategy provides long-term benefits for a company's financial performance and increases the survival rate. The objective of this case study was to explore the marketing strategies that small retail business owners use to sustain their businesses for the first 5 years. The population was 5 successful retail-based small business owners in New York and New Jersey who had developed a well-formulated marketing strategy and sustained their start-ups for the first 5 years. The conceptual framework built upon Porter's competitive strategy theory. Data collection involved semistructured, face-to-face interviews and a review of company marketing documents. Data analysis involved coding and populating the data in software. Thematic analysis and methodological triangulation of the data revealed several themes: online marketing, marketing knowledge and planning, market research, and customer acquisition and retention. The findings of this study contribute to social change through the potential to improve economic activity, create stability in the local economy, and decrease small business failure rates by using marketing strategies effectively. Application of the findings could also lead to increased employment in communities where small businesses are located to improve the standard of living of local residents and contribute to effective positive social change
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Cheungsuvadee, Kittima. "Business adaption strategies used by small and medium retailers in an increasingly competitive environment a study of Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand /." Connect to thesis, 2006. http://portal.ecu.edu.au/adt-public/adt-ECU2007.0002.html.
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Demishkevich, Maya. "Small Business Use of Internet Marketing: Findings from Case Studies." ScholarWorks, 2015. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/1340.
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Internet marketing is critical for meeting changing consumer needs and staying competitive in the business environment. Small business owners need strategies on how to use Internet marketing to promote their products or services. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore how 5 small business owners in Maryland developed and implemented an online marketing strategy. Participants were recruited for their roles as the chief decision maker of their business; additional prerequisites for their participation were that they used Internet marketing, represented different industries, and had fewer than 20 employees. Data came from semi-structured interviews with the small business owners, direct observations of the firms' online marketing processes and technology, and evaluation of companies' use of different Internet marketing channels. The data analysis strategy drew on resource-based view theory propositions, examinations of conflicting explanations discovered during the literature review, and cross-case synthesis. The 5 emergent themes encompassed unstructured planning, limited Internet marketing knowledge and expertise, use of Internet marketing channels and tools, lack of systematic approach to the management of Internet marketing, and inadequate measurement of Internet marketing efforts. By engaging in Internet marketing strategy planning, acquiring specialized Internet marketing knowledge, measuring marketing performance, and extending their Internal marketing resources through outsourcing, small business owners may develop and implement successful online marketing strategies. These findings may influence positive social change by contributing to more effective and efficient marketing practices in small firms that can lead to better financial performance, higher survival rates, and a healthier economic system.
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Joseph, John. "Digital Marketing and Small Business : Case Study: LocalDeals, Stockholm, Sweden." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Industriell teknik, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-448573.
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Digitalization has changed the ways business operates nowadays, and because of the change, many startups are creating many services to help customers enhance their business. However, the customers are becoming more aware of companies and their approach to creating value for them. The development of various technologies has caused this tide to shift. So firms cannot create a service without understanding what the customer expects from firms. LocalDeals is a startup company that provides business owners services to enhance their reach for gaining more customers. The company created a marketing channel in the form of a website. The startup is in its early stages, and they want to understand the perspective of the shop owners in Uppsala. This research aims to understand how value can be co-created for small business owners in Uppsala. To understand how value can be co-created, three theoretical perspectives were chosen Digitalization, Value, Value co-creation. The research was carried out as a qualitative study. A purposive sampling method was carried out to select the shops in Uppsala. To understand the shop owners, 12 interviews and an interview with the founder of LocalDeals were carried out. The data was analyzed by thematic analysis and Identified eight themes – Price & Quality, Trust, Interactions Marketing, Knowledge gap, Open to collaboration, Customers, and Promises not delivered. The study found out that the shop owners in Uppsala have trust issues with digital service providers approaching them. If the case company can establish trust and have the resources to help small buissness, only then Value can be co-created for the small buissness owners in Uppsala.
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Harris, Jerri Lynn. "Social Media Marketing Strategies of Wine Industry Small Business Leaders." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/7805.
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Ineffective marketing strategies can negatively impact business competitive advantage. Small business owners who struggle to maintain a competitive advantage are at high risk of failure. Grounded in the technology acceptance model, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore social media marketing strategies small business leaders in the wine industry use to promote brand awareness and maximize competitive advantage. The population comprised 5 small business leaders employed with 4 wineries in the wine industry in Michigan, who effectively used social media marketing strategies to promote brand awareness and maximize competitive advantage. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, company documents, and company social media platforms. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Three themes emerged: customer engagement strategy, social media platform strategy, and targeted market strategy. The implications for positive social change include the potential for small business leaders in the wine industry to create jobs and support the economic development of the regional communities.
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Kpalou, Jean-Yves Gaba. "Difficulties experienced by small business managers in marketing their businesses." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018635.
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The small business sector in today‘s world is considered seriously by researchers, scholars, policy-makers and governments as an important answer in addressing problems of unemployment, poverty alleviation, and redistribution of wealth. Promoting and encouraging the development of the small business sector is without any doubt a key factor for economic growth. However, this sector faced a high rate of businesses failure due to the many challenges among them, for example, the lack of marketing strategy and implementation in the conduct of the business. Several researches show the important role of marketing in a business but unfortunately it is still not a strong component in many organisations especially within the small business sector.For this reason the aim of this study was to investigate the difficulties experienced by small business managers in marketing their businesses. Taking the aim of this study into consideration, the primary objectives were to firstly look at the practice of marketing in small businesses and secondly to identify the difficulties of marketing experienced by small business managers.The literature study provided a brief overview of the small business sector, followed by a presentation of the practice of marketing in an organisation especially within small business enterprises. Moreover a discussion of the difficulties experienced by small business managers in marketing their businesses was also addressed through the literature review. The literature classified those difficulties into two types; (a)internal factors (lack of marketing planning and strategy, cost of marketing, lack of marketing expertise, perception of marketing) and (b) external factors (lack of knowledge of the market environment).The empirical study was conducted to evaluate the practice of marketing in small businesses and to see what marketing difficulties were experienced by small business owners and/or managers. Data were collected by means of a survey, using a questionnaire. Respondents were identified using the snowball sampling technique through the database of the Nelson Mandela Bay Chamber of Commerce. The data gathered from 67 usable questionnaires were analysed and interpreted. The results of the empirical study revealed that the biggest problems experienced by small business managers in the sample were the heavy cost of marketing followed by the lack of marketing expertise and finally the lack of marketing segmentation strategy. This study contributes to the enhancement of the literature on small business marketing with a focus on the difficulties experienced by owners and/or managers in implementing marketing. As a result this study presents recommendations and suggestions to assist managers in marketing their businesses.
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Waleetorncheepsawat, Wararat, and Viroj Asiraphot. "A study of attitudes towards energy drinks in Thailand." Thesis, Mälardalen University, School of Sustainable Development of Society and Technology, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-6484.
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Premo-Hurt, Joran. "Marketing and Microbusiness." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2227.
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Marketing plays an influential role in small business survival. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the mechanisms used by microbusiness retail store owners for collecting, monitoring, and transforming market data into operational marketing activities. Marketing orientation (MO) provided the conceptual framework for this study. Guided by an abridged interview protocol, 4 retail microbusiness owners from Delaware participated in audio-recorded, semistructured interviews. Saturation of data occurred after 3 interviews, confirmed when the 4th interview produced no new information. After transcribing the interviews, member checking occurred, as each participant received a summary of the interview, along with thematic interpretations to ensure accurate capture of their intended meaning. The data were triangulated using the audio-recordings, transcriptions, observations, field notes, and Internet documents. From the coded data, 3 main themes emerged: (a) role of business owner as marketing instrument, (b) human capital, time, and self, and (c) relationships and networking. Positive social change may result from helping retail microbusiness owners understand the (a) identity relationship that exists between retail microbusiness owners and their business, (b) importance of active owner involvement in marketing, and (c) significant influence of networking and relationships on profitability. These findings may also promote firm and local economic stability through greater understanding of microbusiness owner marketing orientation and effective mechanisms for the integration of marketing activities into operations.
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Schaeffer, Jeff R. "Southwestern Ohio Services: Small Business Consulting." Miami University Honors Theses / OhioLINK, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=muhonors1115130315.
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Yañez, David, Iñigo Portilla, and Christopher Claw. "Marketing Investment Effectiveness of Small Clothing Firms in Sweden." Thesis, Internationella Handelshögskolan, Högskolan i Jönköping, IHH, Företagsekonomi, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-26526.
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Background: It is proven difficult to provide evidence for the financial benefit of marketing operations within firms and marketing is the last organizational function to achieve an adopted quantitative method to track and measure its effectiveness. As a result, demands for marketing to provide accountability for its inputs toward firm performance have increased over the past decade and there are an increasing amount of methods looking to measure its contributions. Problem: Small businesses need to invest financial resources in marketing in order to increase their market share and sales. However, marketing’s value to the firm as an organizational function often goes undervalued. Additionally, small businesses commonly lack the marketing experience and knowledge required in order to make more profitable marketing investment decisions. Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to research how much marketing investment influences the profit/sales effectiveness of small business within the clothing sector in Sweden. Method: The study was conducted using a quantitative research method, through the analysis of 23 small businesses in clothes retailing industry located in Sweden. The data was collected through the firms’ annual reports and telephone surveys with firm managers. This information was processed using a relevant marketing effectiveness model in combination with regression and correlation analyses. Empirical findings were analyzed using theories relevant to pursuing the purpose. Conclusion: Based on the findings the study concludes that there is evidence for a positive relationship between a firm's marketing investments and sales, as well as between the effectiveness of its marketing activities and it’s incremental revenue. This provides evidence for marketing investments contributing to the economic effectiveness of the firm and that the firms marketing effectiveness contributes to overall financial growth
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Doleman, John P. "Understanding How to Use Mobile Marketing in Small Businesses." Thesis, Capella University, 2017. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10621908.
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Mobile marketing is a marketing technique which uses established systems that give businesses the ability to communicate directly with customers through smartphones or other mobile devices. Small businesses lack experience in developing and using mobile marketing strategies to increase sales. The fundamental idea of mobile marketing is to improve the business marketing performance to maximize profits. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how five small business marketers successfully created and implemented mobile marketing strategies to increase brand awareness and sales. The research focused on successful, small, independent businesses that have successfully used mobile marketing. This study is motivated by two research questions: (1) How are successful mobile marketing strategies created to increase brand awareness and sales? (2) How is mobile marketing used in the small business marketing communication mix? Participants were the primary people in charge of creating and implementing mobile marketing strategies for the small businesses. Data was obtained from semi-structured interviews with small business marketers, collection of mobile marketing documents, observation of mobile marketing processes and mobile marketing platforms. The six themes that emerged were: thinking strategically, identifying mobile channels for consumer engagement, analyzing the purpose of mobile marketing, developing mobile marketing objectives, evaluating the use of SMS/MMS, and measuring the value of mobile marketing strategies. The findings of this study may help small business marketers gain insight into planning and implementation of mobile marketing strategies that can be used to influence consumer acceptance and use of mobile marketing. Also, understanding how mobile channels are used in the sales funnel, from the initial contact, to the final purchase, and measuring the value of mobile marketing strategies may help marketers create and implement the strategies needed to increase brand awareness and sales.
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Bennett, Tasheenia. "Marketing Strategies: How Small Restaurant Businesses use Social Media." ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/3429.
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Social media has changed the way businesses relate to their customers. Since the beginning of social media, traditional methods of communicating with customers have begun to decline. The purpose of this multicase study was to determine the strategies of 5 owners of small restaurant businesses in Western North Carolina who successfully used social media marketing for 1 year or more. Rogers's diffusion of innovation theory was the conceptual framework for this study. Data collection included semistructured interviews, documents pertaining to social media marketing strategies, and social media pages and websites from the participating restaurants. These data were analyzed following Yin's 5-step analysis plan. The themes that emerged were social media platforms, word-of-mouth, and challenges implementing social media. Facebook, Yelp, and Instagram were the most used social media platforms. The participants implied that word-of-mouth has the potential to increase sales and to grow business. Challenges implementing social media included the ability to be consistent and actively engaged on the social media sites to allow business owners to respond quickly to negative posts made by customers. Small restaurant businesses can be successful if they develop and implement a social media presence, encourage customer feedback, and formulate a plan to overcome obstacles and challenges that may arise with implementing social media marketing strategies. These findings contribute to positive social change by increasing the sustainability of small businesses in the community, which may drive economic development and improve community relations.
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Soontorn, Angwara Na. "Cultural perspectives on managing environmental practices : small and medium hotels in Nong Khai, Thailand." Thesis, University of Bedfordshire, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10547/622478.
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This research explores cultural aspects of Thai Small and Medium-sized Hotels (SMHs) as they navigate their way through environmental management problems. In addition to the context of business motivation, which sets the groundwork for the cultural attitudes findings, the study also examines how government officials’ actions on environmental policy in relation to SMHs are affected by their cultural attitude. An interpretive paradigm employing qualitative method (semi-structured interviews and observation) was conducted. Key informants are from 27 SMHs and seven related government officials from six districts in Nong Khai city. This study was piloted during June and July 2013 and the second main study during February and May 2014. Additional revisits and interviewing were conducted during May 2015. This study reveals that relationships dominate SMH owners’ motivation, and that they are motivated by family lifestyle, social position and business opportunity. Environmental implementation in SMHs is also mainly influenced by culture. A complex socio-cultural system, e.g. seniority and hierarchical, power-based notions and patron–client relationship, has led to the Thai style of enforcing legislative action in the government sector.
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Schild, André Jacques Paul. "Marketing Activities during the early stages of business." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/45047.
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This research is the result of a need within the entrepreneurial community, amongst both existing businesses as well as aspiring entrepreneurs, to pay attention to the marketing skills, abilities and activities required to navigate in the rapidly changing business environment in which they operate. It’s no longer enough that an entrepreneur only possesses the entrepreneurial will and drive to start an enterprise. In order to succeed and thrive, they require a skill set that needs to be employed from the beginning. The ability of the entrepreneur to successfully market their business, particularly in the early phases of development, is a crucial skill that can ensure the survival of the enterprise.
The research comprised of sixteen in-depth interviews with existing entrepreneurs in South Africa, as well as four with experts in the fields of SMEs and Marketing. All of the interviews were conducted face-to-face, with the exception of one of the SME and Marketing experts, whose interview was conducted telephonically. The interviews followed a semi-structured discussion guide that allowed for variations in the discussion as required.
A number of the entrepreneurs interviewed had not conducted any marketing planning in the start-up phase of their ventures, yet succeeded. The entrepreneurs did, however, practice ad-hoc marketing activities in the early stages of their business, as well as networking with customers, suppliers and their industry. It was also found that the respondents’ knowledge of how to market their businesses increased over time, and as their businesses matured, they allocated more significant resources towards marketing their businesses. The research project concludes that: whilst beneficial, upfront marketing planning is not essential for start-ups; networking and ad-hoc marketing is important for start-ups to practice; putting a significant allocation of resources towards marketing is valuable.Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014.
lmgibs2015
Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
Unrestricted
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Foley, P. "Marketing management policies and small businesses : An investigation of the factors contributing to small business success." Thesis, Leeds Beckett University, 1987. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.379432.
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Sebastian, Andrea Michelle. "Consulting a Small Business: Southwestern Ohio Services." Miami University Honors Theses / OhioLINK, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=muhonors1115129808.
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Abrons, Irene Michel. "Social Media Marketing Among Small Retail Clothing Businesses." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/4769.
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Social media marketing influences consumer trust in businesses, and trust accounts for about 37% of consumer purchasing decisions. The purpose of this multiple case study research was to identify the barriers to social media marketing that owners of small retail clothing businesses must overcome to be competitive. The conceptual framework was the technology acceptance model. Collected data consisted of company documents and semistructured interviews with 3 small retail clothing business owners in Chicago, Illinois, who had experience with social media marketing. Data analysis consisted of an open coding approach and member checking. The study revealed the small business owners who participated in this study had not experienced insurmountable barriers to their use of social media marketing. However, participants cited difficulties relating to the cost and time involved in social media marketing and the lack of suitable training. The 4 main themes that emerged relating to the perceived benefits of social media marketing were cost, convenience, ability to reach a large audience, and benefits relating to visual marketing. The study has implications for the success of the small business sector as well as the U.S. economy because data yielded insight into effective practice in social media marketing in the small retail clothing industry, as well as the types of barriers and difficulties that small business owners must overcome. This study has potential for social change because knowledge about the barriers to social media marketing could empower small businesses, especially in Chicago, to adopt strategies to overcome barriers, thereby remaining competitive and adding to the stability of small businesses as a significant source of jobs and economic growth.
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Fluker, Tareion M. "Performance Factors that Influence Marketing Measurement in Successful Small Businesses." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2483.
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During the 2009 economic recession, United States business leaders cut marketing expenditures between 33% and 50% more than they did for any other business expenditure to mitigate financial loss because business leaders often regard marketing as an expense and not an investment. Since there is not a widely applied marketing measurement standard, this multiple-case study focused on finding key performance indicators that healthcare and sales small business leaders in eastern United States with less than 500 employees, and marketing evaluation practices in place, used to evaluate the effectiveness of their marketing. Institutional theory was used as the conceptual framework to explore the key drivers behind marketing measurement practices. The focus of this study was on the experiences of 4 small business leaders in Atlanta, Georgia, and Baltimore, Maryland, who have developed financial and nonfinancial strategies to measure their marketing performance. Data collected for this study included 20-minute interviews with each participant, strategic plans, and field notes. A modified van Kaam and triangulation approach was used for data analysis to identify themes, which included the need to tie marketing measurement to the product or service offering and drive revenue or traffic to their business. The results of the study may benefit practitioners who work on social change strategies because the conclusions clarify effective marketing practices and increase well-being of customers. Further, this study provides recommendations for successful marketing measurement strategies that may help businesses meet the needs of community members.
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Jansen, van Rensburg Charmaine. "Online marketing of commercial and industrial properties and services in a small business." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020988.
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In view of the factors influencing and the steps in the design of a Website, building a successful Website will vary from business to business. This study investigates what is required from a small commercial and industrial property and services business to take their business online and create an effective Website. The environment of the property market reflected the role that government plays in the property industry and also the role of the private sector. Marketing in the real estate context indicated that if real estate agents have access to the right type of information, not only can they add value to their own organizations, but they can also capitalize on the same information to create added value for their clients. The elements of the marketing management process include four steps, namely to gather information, to set marketing goals and plan strategy, to organize and implement marketing strategy and to control the marketing activities. Marketing in the online environment showed that the Marketing Mix includes personalisation, privacy, customer services, community, site, security and sales promotion. The principles of online marketing revealed the important role of the customer and customer relationships. An investigation into the difference between e-commerce and online marketing made it clear that online marketing is one component of e-commerce. This study critically analysed the available literature in order to suggest a proposed framework of what should be included in the Website of a small commercial and industrial property and services business. In order to successfully research online marketing of commercial and industrial properties and services in a small business, a basic but thorough understanding of online marketing principles and Website content are important. In this study a qualitative research approach was followed where secondary sources were critically evaluated to design the required framework. Thereafter three Websites of marketing of commercial and industrial properties and services were content analysed to see whether anything else should be added to the framework. This would assist in taking a small business in commercial and industrial properties and services online. The framework suggests that the Website homepage content should include: Business overview/information Products/services What’s new Search Employment opportunities Interactive feedback Customer service/ assistance Index/directory Financial facts Links to other sites Online business services/utilities Guest book Frequently Asked Questions Messages from CEO A purposeful sample of three Websites was then content analysed so as to provide the information necessary to reach the objectives of the study. The following Websites were included in the content analysis: Broll, which operates as a national agency with international associations. The firm renders services (Estate Agency) and does not own property. Bruce McWilliams Industries Pty Ltd is operative in Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and surrounds. It is a family business that owns property, which it develops and markets itself. Seeff is a national agency. It renders services (estate agency) and does not own property. Lastly, a narrative of a small commercial and industrial property and services business was created by means of document analysis of a specific business. The researcher was allowed to study the documents and diaries of the business in order to provide a narrative for this business. This narrative can be used as part of the envisaged Website for the business.
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Gibbons, Kevin B. "Small Seasonal Business Strategies To Increase Profits Through Community Collaboration." ScholarWorks, 2015. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/182.
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Seasonal small business owners (e.g., boating and golf industries), primarily within the upper and Midwestern United States, face challenges for profit and growth because of a brief business potential year and limited time to establish a reliable and committed customer base. The purpose of this case study was to explore strategies that seasonal small business owners in Oakland County, Michigan may use to collaborate with local associations and charitable organizations to increase profits. Stakeholder theory served as the conceptual framework for this study. A purposive sample of 4 successful small seasonal business owners in Oakland County, Michigan participated in face-to-face interviews describing their perspectives. The central research question was aimed to identify strategies successful small seasonal businesses owners apply to improve profits. Data analysis included coding keywords, sentences, and ideas into categories. The following themes emerged: (a) brand awareness, (b) community involvement, (c) customer loyalty, (d) seizing operational opportunities, and (e) recapturing lost revenue. Based on the business owners' narratives, brand awareness and community involvement were the most important strategies to increase profits. The implications for social change include the potential to provide new strategies to support seasonal small business toward sustainability, charity awareness, stronger relationships between small business and communities, and economic prosperity.
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Edmond, Helen. "Marketing, innovation and business relations in Scotland's rural hotel industry a regional development perspective /." Thesis, Available from the University of Aberdeen Library and Historic Collections Digital Resources, 2009. http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?application=DIGITOOL-3&owner=resourcediscovery&custom_att_2=simple_viewer&pid=25502.
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Pardesi, Upkar. "Marketing in indigenous and Asian small firms in the West Midlands." Thesis, Online version, 1992. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?did=1&uin=uk.bl.ethos.332265.
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CHEUNGSUVADEE, Kittima, and kittimatom@gmail com. "BUSINESS ADAPTATION STRATEGIES USED BY SMALL AND MEDIUM RETAILERS IN AN INCREASINGLY COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT: A STUDY OF UBON RATCHATHANI, THAILAND." Edith Cowan University. Business And Law: School Of Management, 2006. http://adt.ecu.edu.au/adt-public/adt-ECU2007.0002.html.
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This thesis presents a study of business adaptation strategies employed by small and medium retailers in order to be sustainable in a climate of rapid and significant environmental change in regional Thailand. The study was carried out in Ubon Ratchathani, a large regional city in North Eastern Thailand which shares many of the difficulties encountered by regional businesses in regional Thailand. Changes over the last ten years have been considered in this work and recent strategies adopted by the small and medium retailers have been investigated. Using extensive input from a study group which represented approximately 10% of all small and medium retailers, the study attempts to isolate the successful strategies for the region.
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Dunder, Mikaela. "Marketing Plan for Design Jewelry : Case Anniina Dunder." Thesis, Uppsala University, Department of Business Studies, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-8877.
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Jewelry designers might not be as customer-centered as Kotler recommend. Additionally, they are not constantly seeking to grow and make the most profit out of satisfying consumer needs better than competitors. However, it is imperative even for an individual designer to examine what the customers want and demand as well as think of a plan to satisfy this demand. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to create a guideline for a marketing plan for a beginning jewelry designers using jewelry designer Anniina Dunder as an example. A qualitative method was chosen for this study in form of interviews and observation. Moreover, secondary data was collected in order to gain a wider and clearer picture of the subject.
Based on this study an individual actor has every possibility to reach the desired level of profit in the jewelry market in Helsinki by designing and producing jewelry. Reaching this level of profit requires activeness, customer-centered view and productivity from the designer. Consequently, individual designers should start paying more attention to potential customers’ needs and wants even when designing collection jewelry and be constantly aware of changes in these wants in order to satisfy customers even in the future.
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Vargas-Carcamo, Allen Hugo. "Export market selection process by small- and medium-sized mid-western export manufacturers of industrial goods." The Ohio State University, 1986. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1261483505.
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Williams, Ranelli. "Strategies for Building and Retaining a Productive Multilevel Marketing Downline." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/5959.
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Most multilevel marketers lose money and quit within the first year of operations because of a lack of effective strategies for building and retaining a productive downline. The purpose of this multiple case study was to apply Cantillon's entrepreneurship theory to explore strategies used by 3 multilevel marketers from 3 different multilevel marketing companies with operations based in New York. Participant selection was purposeful and based on the number of years the participants had been in multilevel marketing and their generated income. Data collection occurred through semistructured interviews with open-ended questions of the participants and a review of company training documents and videos. Data from the interviews and training were examined, and key ideas were documented and analyzed using a 6-step data analysis process, including listing and grouping the collected data, considering all data before reducing or eliminating any, grouping the data by research questions, formulating the data into themes, documenting the experience, and presenting the data findings. Three themes emerged from the data: entrepreneurial mindset, strong leadership and support, and training and development. Adopting strategies described in this study may contribute to social change by increasing the success rate among multilevel marketers, thus reducing unemployment, resulting in more taxable income and increased tax revenue, and producing a positive effect on the economy in New York area.
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Stokes, David Robin. "Small enterprise management in the public sector : the marketing of primary schools." Thesis, Kingston University, 1999. http://eprints.kingston.ac.uk/20639/.
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The purpose of this thesis is to understand the marketing perceptions and practices of primary school managers, in response to attempts to introduce market forces into the provision of UK state education. The study has investigated marketing in primary schools through ten longitudinal case studies using three main sources of data: interviews with headteachers, and governors, participant observation, and market research of the perceptions of parents and other groups. Two groups of influences combined to make diverse and complex marketing micro-environments, which conditioned the impact of marketing activities initiated by the schools: i) the local provision of primary education (the capacity, sector and status of schools, and the image of the locality), and ii) the population profile of the catchment area (numbers of local pupils, parental perceptions and population types). A picture of marketing at the case study schools emerged which was different from the initial impression of a peripheral activity given by much of the literature, and headteachers' own accounts. Critical incident analysis revealed more extensive strategies and tactics which could be labelled as “marketing”, but which were not necessarily described as such by headteachers. Events and decisions triggered marketing activities directed at a number of targets which can be grouped into the priority order of: i) internal relationships (existing parents, pupils, staff, and governors), ii) recruitment markets (new parents and feeder institutions), iii) educational agencies (LEA, DfEE, OFSTED etc.), and iv) community relationships (local media, commercial sponsors and community groups). Individuals within these target groups positioned a school according to their perceptions of its academic and environmental reputation, its locality and their degree of involvement with it. Headteachers attempted to improve their schools' market position through a mix of methods which can be summarised as four I's - information, image building, involvement, and the influence of word-of mouth communications. Headteachers found that the most effective marketing strategies had two main components: i) marketing to improve relationships with existing parents, staff and governors was an essential precursor to any external marketing effort; and ii) marketing to targets other than prospective pupils was important in order to build up a supportive series of relationships in the micro-environment. In particular, parental involvement strategies to achieve marketing aims evolved as an acceptable response because they were not seen as overtly competitive, and they had a perceived educational value. Headteachers seemed to share many of the marketing problems of owner-managers of small businesses. The findings reported here suggest that the private sector may have lessons to learn from the marketing management of small public organisations such as primary schools, so that a more meaningful exchange of information across the sectoral divide is indicated.
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Yu, Xing 1974. "Comparing electronic commerce solutions for small businesses." Thesis, McGill University, 2001. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=31562.
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E-commerce is a new way of doing business. It is becoming increasingly important to everybody. The objective of this thesis is to compare various design approaches and to find out the best solution for small businesses. Some commonly used technologies in developing e-commerce systems are introduced in the first three chapters. The topics covered are from Web standards and protocols to Web planning and design, from Web servers to server side programming, and most importantly, Java technology and IBM's WebSphere. Based on these technologies, two solutions are presented: building from scratch with Java servlets and building with IBM's WebSphere. We develop an online store with each of the solutions. The last part of the thesis is a comprehensive comparison. Time, complexity, performance and cost are evaluated in this comparison. A simple conclusion is drawn afterwards with our suggestions to small businesses regarding which solution they should choose.
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Osei-Sarfo, Sophia. "Marketing Strategies of U.S. Small Businesses Led by African Immigrants." Thesis, Walden University, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10843577.
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Small businesses play a vital role in the U.S. economy and represent 99.7% of all U.S. businesses. Small business failure rate is 50% within the initial 5 years. Creating and executing a well-formulated marketing strategy is essential to business sustainability. Effective marketing strategy builds small business survival rates and supports long term execution advantages. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the marketing strategies that African immigrant small grocery store owners use to sustain their businesses for longer than 5 years. The population included 5 successful first-generation African immigrant small business owners located in the Bronx County who had developed a well-formulated marketing strategy. Kohli and Jaworski’s marketing orientation theory served as the conceptual framework. The van Kaam data analysis process was used to validate findings. The data analysis included diverse mind maps, project maps, explorations with participant response and document analysis. Three marketing strategy themes emerged: customer retention and attitudes, inventory that promote value for potential buyers that result in superior performances, conventional and unconventional marketing that focuses on lowering cost of product and services to meet market needs of individuals. The findings revealed several features of how to use marketing strategies effectively to improve stability in the local economy by reducing small business failure rates, increasing profitability, and promoting buyer value. Application of the findings may result in a positive social change by increasing local community employment opportunities and enhancing residents’ standards of living.
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Lupo, Crystal Victoria. "Social Media Marketing Strategies in Landscape Industry Small Businesses." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/5095.
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Almost 50% of small businesses close within 5 years in part because of inadequate marketing strategies. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore how landscape industry small business owners have successfully used social media marketing to help ensure business viability. The population for this study was landscape industry small business owners in central Alabama, who have been successful in using social media marketing. The conceptual framework for the study included adoption theory to understand the successful implementation of social media as a marketing tool, and social exchange theory to explain how social behavior results from the exchange process within social media. Data collection included semistructured interviews with 4 small business owner from the landscape industry and content analysis of the social media for 4 landscape industry small businesses. Data were alphanumerically and thematically coded. Analysis revealed 4 themes: (a) marketing strategy adoption; (b) primary social media types used; (c) social media content including aspects such as service, education, and holiday posts; and (d) benefits and challenges such as social media as a low-cost marketing option for improved visibility, but with a trial-and-error learning curve. Results may be used by small businesses to improve their long-term viability through social media marketing strategies, and to improve citizens' quality of life and the local economy through increased tax revenues leading to more resources for schools, public safety organizations, and other institutions in the community.
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Richardson, Rob. "The entry of Canadian small businesses into international markets /." Thesis, McGill University, 1997. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=34439.
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This study investigates successful small Canadian firms that export. Four factors are considered from a theoretical perspective as variables that have affected the success of these firms. Regimes define the international and national environment. State support is studied as a strategic factor at the domestic level. Networks are considered as both strategic and organizational factors at the firm level. The study of internal factors considers organizational capability and strategy at the firm level.The empirical research was conducted through field studies and a questionnaire that was completed during an in-depth interview with the president, founder or principal officer of 21 firms in the cross-sectional sample (in Ontario and Quebec) and telephone interviews for the 13 firms in the supplementary sample (in Nova Scotia and British Columbia). All interviews in Ontario and Quebec were videotaped and case records were developed for each firm. Additional data are based on information from the Industry, Science, Technology (Canada) data bank and the researcher's observations of principal actors and operations of the sample firms.
A Technological Skill and Product Maturity Typology is developed to categorize firms into quadrants according to product maturity and technological sophistication. The typology has been designed as an analytical tool to categorize firms according to strategic focus. This typology provides a framework for the analysis of firm needs and for the evaluation of the usage and effectiveness of support programs by firms.
This study offers a typology for classifying firms by start-up mode: the entrepreneur with a classic start-up, with a spin-off, with an acquisition, and with experience in an established firm. Mode of start-up was not significantly associated with specific strategic sectors. Results suggest that the qualities of the entrepreneur responsible for successful start-up are imprinted on successful small firms. This entrepreneurism provides significant strategic advantage for firms competing in international markets.
The results of this study indicate that small firms in diverse industries, with very different products and strategic advantages can use entrepreneurial leadership, strategy, and innovation to take advantage of changing international regimes, favourable domestic factor conditions, and state support to compete successfully in international markets.(Abstract shortened by UMI.)
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Jordan, Rochelle Shivon. "Social Media Marketing Strategies Used by Small Retail Businesses." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/5883.
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Developing effective social media marketing (SMM) strategies to engage customers is a challenge for business leaders. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the SMM strategies used by small business retailers to engage customers. The conceptual framework for this study was Rogers's diffusion of innovations theory. Participants included 5 small business retailers who had been in business for at least 5 years, used effective SMM strategies to engage customers, and were located in the southwest region of the United States. Data were collected through semistructured, face-to-face interviews. Data analysis resulted in 3 emergent themes: (a) marketing strategies and platforms, (b) social media content, and (c) customer engagement and retention. Small business retailers might benefit from the findings of this study by understanding what other small business retailers consider the most beneficial social media platforms and strategies, what customers desire in social media content, and effective customer engagement and retention processes to create SMM strategies. The implications for positive social change could include providing small business retailers with SMM best practices and strategies to improve company sustainability and growth, generate employment, reduce local poverty, and enhance employees' standards of living.
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Warren, Gabriel E. "Small Business Strategies for Sustainability Beyond 10 Years." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2463.
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Small businesses are vital to the health of the United States economy, as they account for approximately 50% of all jobs and 99% of all firms. Historically, there has been a problem with small businesses being able to sustain their operation beyond 10 years. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the business strategies some small business owners used to sustain their company beyond 10 years of operation. The sample consisted of 3 small business owners who have been in operation for 10 or more years in Birmingham, Alabama. The conceptual framework for this study was the general systems theory. The data were collected from semistructured interviews, profit and loss statements, and cash flow statements. Transcript review and member checking were completed to strengthen credibility and trustworthiness. Based on the methodological triangulation of the data sources collected, 3 emergent themes were identified after completing the 5 stages of data analysis: (a) great customer service, (b) building relationships, and (c) finding your passion. The findings from this study may contribute to social change by providing insights and strategies for small business owners in creating and operating a sustainable business. The data from this study may contribute to increased job creation, improved local communities through tax revenues, and decreased unemployment rates throughout the United States.
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Capibaribe, Dulce Eleonora Moreira. "Competitive strategies business marketing small bakeries in the face of competition - case studies." Universidade Federal do CearÃ, 2008. http://www.teses.ufc.br/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=3601.
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The competition today has many faces and it has persuaded all kinds of organizations to prepare for the unknown. To broaden your capacity for quick changes or come up with effective and creative initiatives became imperative.
Therefore, the choice of strategy and the making of decisions can implicate in the survival of these companies. Our objective is to propose marketing
strategies to be used by small bakeries, with a goal to obtain competitive advantages. We emphasize also the study of the strategies adopted by these companies, the comparison of these companyâs strategic actions with the
theories advocated by the referred authors and the evaluation of these actions in accordance with the companyâs positioning. The themes of the theoretical referential that substantiated the field research along with the bakeryâs businessmen and managers are associated to the following thematics: strategy and concepts, competitive advantages, strategic positioning and marketing
strategy. The characteristics of the local bakeries and the profile of this sector were themes also studied for the better understanding on the subject. The researched companies are traditional bakeries and are of great economical importance for the region where they are installed. The research allowed us to confirm the unawareness of marketing. It was also verified, that the competition between companies of this sector is very aggressive, and that the companies which adopts marketing strategies do so with competitive advantages in mind. In a general way, it was observed that the elevated growth of the economy makes the changes in strategical behavior of the companies mandatory, which suggests a deeper look in to these questions.A concorrÃncia hoje se apresenta com mÃltiplas faces e tÃm persuadido todo tipo de organizaÃÃo a se preparar para o desconhecido. Ampliar sua capacidade de mudanÃas rÃpidas ou para tomar iniciativas criativas e eficazes se tornou imperativo. Diante disto, a escolha de estratÃgias e as tomadas de decisÃes podem implicar na sobrevivÃncia destas empresas. Temos como objetivo propor estratÃgias de marketing a serem utilizadas por empresas panificadoras de pequeno porte, com a finalidade de obter vantagens competitivas. Enfatizamos tambÃm o estudo das estratÃgias adotadas pelas empresas em questÃo, a comparaÃÃo das aÃÃes estratÃgicas destas com as teorias preconizadas pelos autores referenciados e a avaliaÃÃo destas aÃÃes de acordo com o posicionamento de cada empresa. Os temas do referencial teÃrico que fundamentaram a pesquisa de campo junto aos empresÃrios e gerentes das panificadoras estÃo associados Ãs seguintes temÃticas: estratÃgias e conceitos, vantagens competitivas, posicionamento estratÃgico e as estratÃgias de marketing. As caracterÃsticas das empresas locais de panificaÃÃo e o perfil do setor de panificaÃÃo, tambÃm foram temas estudados para melhor embasamento sobre o assunto. As empresas pesquisadas sÃo panificadoras tradicionais que representam grande importÃncia econÃmica para a regiÃo onde estÃo instaladas. A pesquisa permitiu constatar o desconhecimento de tÃcnicas de marketing. Verificou-se, tambÃm, que a competiÃÃo entre as empresas do setor à bastante acirrada, e que as empresas que adotam as estratÃgias de marketing procuram fazÃ-lo visando vantagens competitivas. De forma geral, observou-se que o elevado crescimento da economia, torna obrigatÃria a mudanÃa de comportamento estratÃgico das empresas o que sugere um aprofundamento destas questÃes.
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Adeleke, Abi. "Marketing Strategies of Successful Coffee Shop Owners." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/6875.
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Failure is an issue with small businesses globally; some owners of small businesses lack the knowledge of business administration and marketing strategies necessary to help ensure success. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore what marketing strategies some coffee shop owners use to sustain business operations during the first 5 years of operation. The targeted population consisted of 5 coffee shop owners in Arkansas who successfully implemented marketing strategies to sustain business operations during the first 5 years of operation. Goldsmith's 8Ps of marketing mix was the conceptual framework used in the study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and a review of publicly available data and company websites. Data were analyzed using the principles of the content analysis method, which included identifying codes and themes. Findings indicated owners of successful coffee shops were actively engaged in the day-to-day business operations and in the community; provided premium products; used social media for marketing, promotion, and branding; used competitive pricing; were precise about the location; provided exceptional customer service and personalization, and had points of marketing differentiation to promote their brand. The implications of this study for positive social change include the potential to support the welfare of the citizens of Arkansas, and owners of coffee shops across the United States that could provide independent coffee shop owners with marketing strategies necessary to sustain business operations, contribute to new job creation and regional economic sustainability.
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Gurau, Calin. "The international marketing strategies of UK small and medium sized biotechnology enterprises (SMBEs)." Thesis, Southampton Solent University, 2001. http://ssudl.solent.ac.uk/1236/.
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Considering the importance of international activities for the small and medium-sized firms in the modern economy, the present research project tries to identify the degree in internationalisation and the main international marketing strategies used by the small and medium-sized biotechnology enterprises (SMBEs). The biotechnology sector cannot be considered as a homogenous industry, but rather as a series of different industrial applications centred around the specific use of biological organisms in producing and improving existent products and processes. Biotechnology is also a high technology sector, with complex and unpredictable changes in innovation financing and commercialisation. The specific characteristics of biotechnology products and markets increase the importance of international activities for the SMBEs. This research project investigates three main issues related to the process of globalisation: 1. What is the degree of globalisation of the UK SMBEs? 2. What are the international marketing strategies used by the UK SMBEs? 3. What are the role of the manager and the board of directors in the internationalisation process of the UK SMBEs? A number of research hypothesis related with these objectives were formulated. Using a large European base in order to identify the degree of SMBE's globalisation, the study concentrates later on UK firms alone. The reason for this choice is the high level of development of the UK biotechnology sector. In order to build a comprehensive model of the international marketing strategies used by the UK SMBEs, the degree of globalisation of the European SMBEs, the organisational and functional profile of these firms, as well as the main global regions in which they initiated and developed international operations has been initially investigated in the fist place. In the second stage, the main international marketing strategies used by the UK SMBEs have been identified. 7 Case studies of globalised and fully internationalised UK SMBEs, identified in the first stage, have been developed and are presented in the Part III of the thesis. The main elements that influence the design, implementation and control of international strategies were identified and analysed in order to build a complete picture of the strategic operational processes in biotechnology. The role of the management in the internationalisation process and the use of Internet technology to expand business activities were investigated and discussed in relation to their capacity in increasing the international competitiveness of biotech companies. The positive results obtained in this study as well as the interest and support shown by the industry, provide a good basis for the further development of research into biotechnology business. The novelty of biotechnology products and applications and the high dynamism of the market environment create the need for a permanent flow of information among industrialists, government representatives and academic. This can only help to increase the understanding of this sector, and to improve the competitiveness of UK Biotechnology worldwide.
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Hayes, Charice. "Marketing Strategies of Small Traditional Travel Agencies in a Technology-Driven World." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/3166.
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In 2012, there was a 70% increase in online travel booking, resulting in small traditional brick-and-mortar travel agencies having serious difficulties with obtaining and retaining customers. The purpose of this case study was to explore online marketing strategies that leaders of small traditional travel agencies have used to successfully obtain and retain customers. Technology disruption theory was the conceptual framework of this study. Using criterion sampling, the population for this study consisted of 3 leaders of small traditional travel agencies located in the state of Maryland. Data collection consisted of interviews, observations, and review of documentation, such as displays, websites, business cards, and email campaigns. Data were analyzed using methodological triangulation through inductive coding of phrases and words. The following 4 themes emerged: company threats, online marketing strategies, various marketing strategies for improvement, and ways to compete with Internet-based travel agencies. Results indicated that 66% of participants believed that Internet-based travel agencies were threats. All of the participants used a form of online marketing and believed that customer loyalty helped to compete with Internet-based travel agencies. Positive social change may result when leaders of small traditional travel agencies increase their knowledge of online marketing strategies to obtain and retain customers, thereby leading to greater access to online travel opportunities for all, including physically challenged individuals often confined to their living areas.
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Lockett, Asia R. "Online Marketing Strategies for Increasing Sales Revenues of Small Retail Businesses." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/5896.
Full textAbstract:
Small retail business leaders use online marketing to connect with consumers and the community. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies some small retail business leaders use to implement online marketing to increase sales. Data were collected from 4 small retail business owners who successfully used strategies to implement online marketing in California. The conceptual framework for this study was Rogers's diffusion of innovation theory. Data collection techniques and sources were semistructured, face-to-face interviews, and review of public business documents, company websites, social media websites, and analytical tools. A thematic analysis of the data yielded 4 themes: social media platforms and strategies, online marketing strategies and challenges, online content strategies, and follow-up strategies. Business leaders of small retail organizations who want to increase revenue, remain competitive, overcome challenges associated with online marketing, and increase communication by implementing new technology might elect to align with the strategies identified in this study. The implications for positive social change include the opportunity for small retail business leaders to increase revenue while providing more job opportunities to benefit employees, employees' families, and the community.
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Syed, Sameera Ali. "Small business marketing : managing word of mouth in small service businesses : longitudinal case studies of independent hotels and health and fitness clubs." Thesis, Kingston University, 2009. http://eprints.kingston.ac.uk/20285/.
Full textAbstract:
Word of mouth is generally agreed to be the foremost source of new business acquisition for small businesses and owners/managers often cite 'word of mouth' referrals as the main source of business generation (Carson, 1985; Curran and Blackburn, 1994; Stokes 2000). However, little is known about how small business owners know their firms gain word of mouth or, indeed, of the dynamics that influence the incidence of word of mouth. The objective of this study is to investigate the role of word of mouth in the operation of small firms in the service sector. The thesis draws upon extant theory and original empirical evidence. Specifically, the thesis seeks to examine how recommendation can be proactively managed, which is now a central element of contemporary marketing literature (Stokes 2002). The research has incorporated three sources of data for the purpose of triangulation of different perspectives, including interviews with owners/managers at key stages of the research, customer surveys and documentary evidence from the businesses. A Longitudinal case study approach is employed to achieve the research aims. This allows an exploration of the role and management of word of mouth within small firms and provides a theoretically informed insight into the triggers of referrals and recommendations. This approach is believed to have the potential of "systematically gathering enough information about a particular person, social setting, event or group to permit the researcher to effectively understand how it operates or functions" (Berg, 1998:212). The primary units of analysis are the owners/managers in the Leisure and Tourism sector, who have proactively managed word of mouth. However, the study also includes the customers' perspectives regarding their recommending and complaining tendencies. The study has produced an original investigation about the significance of word of mouth in service sector enterprises, which includes a conceptual model of the stimulants of recommendation in small businesses.