The marketing of small and medium sized enterprises

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this dissertation is to get a deeper understanding of how the concept of marketing is seen and put into practice by SMEs. Design/ Methodology/ Approach - A number of journals related to marketing for SMEs were analysed and discussed. Qualitative, in-depth interviews with five established Maltese SMEs were conducted discussing the points raised from the journals. The interviews were later analysed and discussed to understand the marketing concepts of SMEs at a local level. Findings - Marketing was seen as a means to inform customers about the business and its offerings. SME owner---managers were also interested in creating and maintaining customer relationships. The main aim of marketing seemed to be to create sales. The results show that SME marketing varies substantially from that of large multinationals. Research limitations - This dissertation does not come short of limitations due to the fact that the SME 'world' is very vast. Apart from being vast their is much less information available about SMEs, since most research is conducted on large multinationals. Practical implications - From the paper one could understand how limited marketing is within SMEs. Originality/ Validity - This dissertation offers an insight into the little---researched area of marketing within SMEs. It brings evidence of the perceptions of marketing and how they affect marketing management in small enterprises.