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Acknowledges that SMEs (small to medium‐sized enterprises) cannot do conventional marketing because of the limitations of resources which are inherent to all SMEs and also because SME owner/managers behave and think differently from conventional marketing decision‐making practices in large companies. In this context the discussion focuses on SME characteristics and how these impact upon marketing characteristics within SMEs. In a search for “alternative” marketing approaches, the inherent existence of the owner/manager’s “network” in its various guises such as personal contact networks, social networks, business networks and industry and marketing networks and how these networks are used is considered. Some evidence from an empirical study carried out simultaneously in Northern Ireland and Australia is presented which illustrates how and why networking is used by SME owner/managers as a tool or approach for carrying out meaningful marketing.

Innovative marketing in a small firm context is not merely to do with new product development Rather, it is concerned with all marketing activities in the SME, from the slightest incremental change, right through to the most radical. Innovation is discussed in definitional terms, and various classifications and taxonomies are presented as a background to the concept. From a literature review, a conceptual model was developed, supported by findings from a qualitative research study with the owner-managers of60 Small-to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in a regional economy.

Small businesses, usually under owner/ manager control, can suffer through a lack of knowledge and understanding of marketing planning practices. Often practices, if they exist at all, are founded on traditional industry practices and experiences which may not be suitable when translated into use with small businesses. Often the result is inadequate marketing and business failure. The need exists to increase the awareness of small firms to the importance of a planned approach to marketing and how marketing planning can be improved. From this, the monograph is concerned with the practical implications of how small firms actually plan their marketing. To do this, consideration is given to the characteristics of small firms, descriptions of marketing planning and the impact on marketing practice. Appropriate marketing technology transfer is also considered and three levels of transfer – self‐help information transfer, appreciation‐level marketing education input, and in‐depth marketing specific to the company used with small firms are discussed. From this, marketing models are developed to assess small firms′ marketing planning capability and performance; and three case examples used to illustrate actual marketing performance using the models. Conclusions are drawn on these issues from information gathered from 80 small firms.

The network construct is in common usage in entrepreneurship research. However while the increasing use of the construct has furthered our understanding of the phenomenon of entrepreneurship, its popularity has sometimes led to misapplication and inconsistent research findings. Traces the development of the network concept in the two strands of research that have dominated this field, namely inter‐organisational networks and the entrepreneur’s personal network. Discusses the specific contexts in which these two branches have received most attention. Proposes that several key areas have been relatively neglected and offers direction for future research which would serve to improve our understanding of the entrepreneurial process.