Khan, Eijaz Ahmed (2017) An investigation of marketing capabilities of informal microenterprises: A study of street food vending in Thailand. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 37 (3/4). pp. 186-202.

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Abstract

Purpose Marketing capabilities of large- and medium-sized enterprise is well understood and focused, but little research has been done on microenterprise, especially in informal sector microenterprise. The purpose of this paper is to investigate what are the marketing capabilities of informal microenterprises (IMs) that could be sources of competitive performance.

Design/methodology/approach At first, a literature review and pilot study was used to develop a list of marketing capabilities of IM street food vending. Then a quantitative approach was undertaken where questionnaire was developed and distributed to 42 street food vendors and 52 customers in Bangkok, Thailand. The collected data were analyzed using a descriptive statistic, principle component analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, and k-mean clustering technique.

Findings Analysis revealed that IM street food vending has some unique marketing capabilities compared to formal restaurant. From the vendors’ point of view, it was found that cheaper pricing and quicker food delivery were the major contributors. On the other hand, from the customer point of view, convenient location, flexible business hours, fulfill customer food requirements, and cooking demonstration were noted significant.

Social implications Policy makers and development agencies could be developed using various policy strategies such as business development support services as a tool to support IM operators.

Originality/value This study provides a first step toward marketing capabilities of IM and makes several contributions to the literature.

Item ID:	76668
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1758-6720
Keywords:	Entrepreneurship, Marketing capabilities, Informal microenterprises, Street food vending
Related URLs:	Publisher
Copyright Information:	© Emerald Publishing Limited
Date Deposited:	06 Dec 2022 23:04
FoR Codes:	35 COMMERCE, MANAGEMENT, TOURISM AND SERVICES > 3507 Strategy, management and organisational behaviour > 350704 Entrepreneurship @ 100%
SEO Codes:	15 ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK > 1503 Management and productivity > 150302 Management @ 100%
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