Title: Research on marketing in emerging firms: key issues and open questions

Authors: Marc Gruber

Addresses: Institute for Innovation Research, Technology Management & Entrepreneurship, ODEON Center for Entrepreneurship, University of Munich, Germany

Abstract: In many industries, emerging firms derive their initial strength from R&D activities. Though technological capabilities are important for building technologically sound products, they are not sufficient for turning an emerging firm into a viable economic actor, as numerous examples illustrate. Based on a discussion of the specific challenges of marketing in new ventures and a brief overview on past and current research studies, this article focuses on reviewing research findings on four key topics: establishing a market orientation, building credibility and trust with stakeholders, establishing marketing alliances and low-cost marketing. Though previous research has produced important insights into each of these topics, there are still plenty of issues that offer promising opportunities for future studies.

Keywords: marketing; entrepreneurship; innovation; liabilities of newness and smallness.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2003.003425

International Journal of Technology Management, 2003 Vol.26 No.5/6, pp.600 - 620

Published online: 07 Sep 2003 *

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