Business development service is a pro-market and customer-centric multiple value advantage approach that is available for firms to enable them seize emergent opportunities in the market for superior customer value and sustainable competitive advantage. This paper carries out a literature review on how marketing Business Development Services (BDS) propels SMEs to strategically respond to market disruptions and pursue a sustainable competitive advantage. Its main focus is on the following four variables of marketing Business Development Services: trade fairs, trade partnerships, product development and communication with customers. Although there is limited empirical literature on study’s key variables, the collected information becomes an eye opener to researchers on the need of further research using different approaches. As such, from perspectives deduced from the literature, future research orientations are prescribed. Additionally, Business practitioners and SMEs, may borrow a leaf on use of Business development services to create strong strategic postures for survival in turbulent environment.
KeywordsBusiness Development ServicesStrategic ResponseMarketing Business Development Services AccessMarket Disruption
Andrews, L., Higgins, A., Andrews, M. W., & Lalor, J. G. (2012). Classic Grounded Theory to Analyze Secondary Data: Reality and Reflections. The Grounded Theory Review, 11, 12-26.
Black, R. (1986). The Trade Show Industry: Management and Marketing Career Opportunities. East Orleans, MA: Trade Show Bureau.
Committee of Donor Agencies for Small Enterprise Development (2001). Business Development Services for Small Enterprises: Guiding Principles for Donor Intervention. Washington DC.
Diochon, M. C., & Ghore, Y. (2016). Last Mile Farm Inputs: Farm Shop Delivers. Emerald Emerging Marketing Case Studies, 6, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1108/EEMCS-03-2016-0025
Estrada, I., Faems, D., & De Faria, P. (2016). Coopetition and Product Innovation Performance: The Role of Internal Knowledge Sharing Mechanisms and Formal Knowledge Protection Mechanisms. Industrial Marketing Management, 53, 56-65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2015.11.013
Fararah, F. S., Al-Swidi, A. K., & Yusoff, W. S. W. (2014). Business Development Services Provided by Islamic Microfinance Institutions and Customer Satisfaction: The Mediation Role of Perceived Benefits. A Study on SMEs in Yemen. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation, 1, 60-78. https://doi.org/10.5296/jebi.v1i1.6111
Faris, S. (2015). The Solar Company Making a Profit on Poor Africans. https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2015-mkopa-solar-in-africa
Galilee International Management Institute (2017). How Governments Can Support SMEs. https://www.galilcol.ac.il/Spotlight/5943/How_Governments_Can_Support_SMEs
Galvão, M. B., Carvalho, R. C., Oliveira, L. A. B., & Medeiros, D. D. (2018). Customer Loyalty Approach Based on CRM for SMEs. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 33, 706-716. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-07-2017-0166
Gast, J., Kallmuenzer, A., Kraus, S., Gundolf, K., & Arnold, J. (2017). Coopetition of Small- and Medium-Sized Family Enterprises: Insights from an IT Business Network. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 38, 78-101.
Gębarowski, M., & Wiażewicz, J. (2014). Contemporary Trade Shows as a Place of Knowledge Sharing about Tourism Products. In Management, Knowledge and Learning International Conference (pp. 335-344). http://ssrn.com/abstract=2706205
Gitonga, P. K. (2016). Customer Relationship Management Practices and Performance of Safaricom Limited in Kenya. Nairobi: University of Nairobi. http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/100330
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (2019). Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2018/2019 Global Report. London.
Gonçalves, J. M., Ferreira, F. A. F., Ferreira, J. J. M., & Farinha, L. M. C. (2019). A Multiple Criteria Group Decision-Making Approach for the Assessment of Small and Medium Sized Enterprise Competitiveness. Management Decision, 57, 480-500. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-02-2018-0203
Government of Malaysia (2016). SME Annual Report 2015/2016. Kuala Lumpur.
Granata, J., Geraudel, M., Gundolf, K., Gast, J., & Marques, P. (2016). Organisational Innovation and Coopetition between SMEs: A Tertius Strategies Approach. International Journal of Technology Management, 71, 81-99. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJTM.2016.077975
Gray, D., & Jones, K. F. (2016). Using Organisational Development and Learning Methods to Develop Resilience for Sustainable Futures with SMEs and Micro Businesses: The Case of the Business Alliance. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 23, 474-494. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-03-2015-0031
Harris, M. A., & Patten, K. P. (2014). Mobile Device Security Considerations for Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprise Business Mobility. Information Management & Computer Security, 22, 97-114. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMCS-03-2013-0019
Hassan, S. H., Haniba, N. M. M., & Ahmad, N. H. (2019). Social Customer Relationship Management (s-CRM) among Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia. International Journal of Ethics and Systems, 35, 284-302. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOES-11-2017-0192
Healy, B., O’Dwyer, M., & Ledwith, A. (2018). An Exploration of Product Advantage and Its Antecedents in SMEs. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 25, 129-146. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-06-2017-0206
International Finance Corporation (2006). A Diagnostic Study on Access to Finance for Women Entrepreneurs. https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/topics_ext_content/ifc_external_corporate_site/sustaina bility-at-ifc/publications/publications_report_accesstofinance-southafrica__wci__1319578196900
Irungu, A. W., & Arasa, R. (2017). Factors Influencing Competitiveness of SMEs in Nairobi County, Kenya. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Project Management, 2, 22-46.
Jain, A., Bhatti, R. S., & Singh, H. (2015). OEE Enhancement in SMEs through Mobile Maintenance: A TPM Concept. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 32, 503-516. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJQRM-05-2013-0088
Jardon, C. M. (2018). Location and Competitiveness in Subsistence Small Businesses. Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal, 28, 155-171. https://doi.org/10.1108/CR-11-2016-0075
Jenkins, B., Akhalkatsi, A., Roberts, B., & Gardiner, A. (2007). Business Linkages: Lessons, Opportunities and Challenges. Cambridge, MA: IFC and Harvard University.
Jerzyk, E. (2016). Design and Communication of Ecological Content on Sustainable Packaging in Young Consumers’ Opinions. Journal of Food Products Marketing, 22, 707-716. https://doi.org/10.1080/10454446.2015.1121435
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (2016). Micro, Small and Medium Establishments: Basic Report 2016. Nairobi. http://statistics.knbs.or.ke/nada/index.php/catalog/91
Kraus, S., Klimas, P., Gast, J., & Stephan, T. (2019). Sleeping with Competitors Forms, Antecedents and Outcomes of Coopetition of Small and Medium-Sized Craft Beer Breweries. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 25, 50-66. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-09-2017-0356
Ledikwe, A., Roberts-Lombard, M., & Klopper, H. B. (2019). The Perceived Influence of Relationship Quality on Brand Loyalty. African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, 10, 85-101. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJEMS-04-2018-0113
Liu, G., Ko, W. W. J., Ngugi, I., & Takeda, S. (2017). Proactive Entrepreneurial Behaviour, Market Orientation, and Innovation Outcomes: A Study of Small- and Medium-Sized Manufacturing Firms in the UK. European Journal of Marketing, 51, 1980-2001. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-11-2016-0663
Maskell, P. (2014). Accessing Remote Knowledge—The Roles of Trade Fairs, Pipelines, Crowdsourcing and Listening Posts. Journal of Economic Geography, 14, 883-902. https://doi.org/10.1093/jeg/lbu002
Matanda, M. J., & Ndubisi, N. O. (2009). Market Orientation, Supplier Perceived Value and Business Performance of SMEs in a Sub-Saharan African Nation. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 22, 384-407. https://doi.org/10.1108/17410390910975013
Measson, N., & Campbell-Hunt, C. (2015). How SMEs Use Trade Shows to Enter Global Value Chains. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 22, 99-126. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-09-2011-0025
Meru, A. K., &, & Struwig, M. (2015). Business-Incubation Process and Business Development in Kenya: Challenges and Recommendations. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, 1, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1177/2393957514554982
Min, T. S., Idris, M. Z., & Yusoff, S. O. S. (2018). Exploring Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Food Packaging as a Touch Point to Promote Nation Branding at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 8, 1349-1360. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v8-i10/5303
Mwitari, D. (2018). How Kenyan SMEs Conquered the World of Exports. Standard Newspaper.
Ngugi, D. (2019). Soko Yetu-Twiga Foods. https://twiga.ke/marketplace
Nyamagere, G. S., &, & Nchimbi, I. M. (2018). Insights on Impact of Business Development Services on Growth of Women Owned Enterprises in Tanzania. Journal of Management and Strategy, 9, 82-93. https://doi.org/10.5430/jms.v9n1p82
O’Hara, B. S. (1993). Evaluating the Effectiveness of Trade Shows: A Personal Selling Perspective. The Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 13, 67.
OECD (2018). Leveraging Business Development Services for SME Productivity Growth: International Experience and Implications for United Kingdom Policy. Paris.
Okeyo, W. O., Gathungu, J., & K’Obonyo, P. K. (2014). The Effect of Business Development Services on Performance of Small and Medium Manufacturing Businesses in Kenya. International Journal of Business and Social Research, 4, 2-16.
Okundaye, K., Fan, S. K., & Dwyer, R. J. (2019). Impact of Information and Communication Technology in Nigerian Small- to Medium-Sized Enterprises. Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Science, 24, 29-46. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEFAS-08-2018-0086
Ombi, N., Ambad, S. N. A., & Bujang, I. (2018). The Effect of Business Development Services on Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Performance. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 8, 117-130. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v8-i3/3910
Ongoncho, S., Ngugi, P., Odhiambo, R., & Kamaara, M. (2017). Relationship between Technical Training and the Performance of Micro and Small Enterprises in Kisii County. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 7, 574-585.
Puthusserry, P. N., Khan, Z., & Rodgers, P. (2018). International New Ventures Market Expansion through Collaborative Entry Modes—A Study of the Experience of Indian and British ICT Firms. International Marketing Review, 35, 890-913. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMR-01-2017-0001
Quaye, D., & Mensah, I. (2018). Marketing Innovation and Sustainable Competitive Advantage of Manufacturing SMEs in Ghana. Management Decision, 57, 1535-1553. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-08-2017-0784
Rambe, P., & Mosweunyane, L. (2017). A Poverty-Reduction Oriented Perspective to Small Business Development in South Africa: A Human Capabilities Approach. African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, 9, 289-302. https://doi.org/10.1080/20421338.2017.1322749
Shereni, N. C., Mpofu, N., & Ngwenya, K. (2018). Exhibitors’ Perception of the 2017 Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 7, 1-13. https://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_34_vol_7_3__2018.pdf
Smith, E. (2008). Using Secondary Data in Educational and Social Research. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
The Oxbridge Research Group (2020). The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Dissertation. London: Oxbridge Essays.
TradeMark East Africa (2018). One-Stop Border Posts: Enhancing Trade and Regional Integration in East Africa. Nairobi. https://www.trademarkea.com/stories/one-stop-border-posts-transforming-trade-and-lives/
United Nations Secretary General (2014). Entrepreneurship for Development. In Sixty-Ninth Session of the United Nations Global Assembly TD/B/C.II/29. https://unctad.org/meetings/en/SessionalDocuments/ciid29_en.pdf
Yanes-Estévez, V., García-Pérez, A. M., & Oreja-Rodríguez, J. R. (2019). Arcs of Communication and Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprise Performance. Journal of Advances in Management Research, 16, 625-644. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAMR-09-2018-0079
Yaseen, A., Bryceson, K., & Mungai, A. N. (2018). Commercialization Behaviour in Production Agriculture: The Overlooked Role of Market Orientation. Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies, 8, 579-602. https://doi.org/10.1108/JADEE-07-2017-0072
Zekiri, J., & Hasani, V. (2015). The Role and Impact of the Packaging Effect on Consumer Buying Behaviour. Ecoforum Journal, 4, 232-240.