Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of social media (SM) adoption in upgrading and innovating selling processes by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) facing complex and rapidly changing market scenarios.Design/methodology/approach: To achieve this goal, the paper undertakes an exploratory case study of Gamma, a mechanical company, by actively using SM to start and open a new market. The case-study is analyzed through the industrial marketing and purchasing (IMP) approach, which emphasizes the role of interaction and the interdependencies of resources.Findings: The adoption of SM resources helped Gamma to tap into new markets and thus survive and face the downturn of its original market. SM displayed its effects in combination with other resources: a simple and not expensive machinery, capable human resources, effective production and logistical resources. SM represented a strategic resource to implement an effective business networking effort.Originality/value: This paper provides novel empirical evidence and conceptual development over the role of SM as a resource in SMEs’ sales processes, using the IMP perspective on combination and development of resources.

This paper aims to examine the emergence of passion-driven entrepreneurship within the context of small and medium-sized towns (SMSTs). SMSTs are seen as peripheral areas lacking the resources to support autonomous economic development and renewal. The paper explores the relationship between entrepreneurship and the context of SMSTs through the concepts of entrepreneurial passion (EP) and domain passion (DP). Industrial marketing and purchasing approach is adopted as a theoretical foundation to conduct the analysis through the actors–activities–resource framework. This paper adopts a multiple case-study methodology. Two passion-driven entrepreneurial ventures (PDEVs) have been traced from the conception of the initial idea until the new ventures establishment. EP and DP emerge as key resources in transforming the initial idea into a real entrepreneurial venture in resource-scarce settings as SMSTs. Shared passion fosters the involvement of local actors and the propensity to overcome relevant hurdles in the entrepreneurial process. This paper contributes to the literature on entrepreneurship through the analysis of the role of PDEVs in SMSTs’ contexts. It highlights the role of “passion for place” as a new dimension of passion in entrepreneurial studies. From a managerial perspective, it emphasizes the role of passion as a key resource for networking and marketing. From a policy perspective, it calls for monitoring and support for training, funding and networking.

The B2B context has experienced a push toward digital servitization (DS), i.e., the development of services by means of digital technologies. There are three levels of DS: (1) product provision, (2) after-sale servicing, and (3) advanced services taking after-sales to the next level. At level 3, DS evolves from a product and service-oriented strategy to a service-centric one. The literature has acknowledged the changes provoked by levels 1 and 2 of DS. Yet, further changes at level 3 still have not been explored. This research aims to understand the impact of DS’s evolution after the DS setup, with an intra- and interorganizational focus. To reach this aim, the case of Beta, an Italian mechatronic manufacturer implementing IIoT-based DS, is analyzed. The adopted framework is the ‘developing’, ‘producing’, ‘using’ (DPU) framework, formulated within the industrial marketing and purchasing (IMP) approach. Results are summarized in three propositions, showing how: (1) DS complexity unfolds intra- and interorganizationally and is gradually embedded in the three settings of the framework; (2) integration of settings and resources becomes essential; and (3) processes of resource procurement, development, and integration allow the evolution toward a service platform. Theoretical and managerial implications are provided.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a contribution on the role of European R&D projects (ERDPs) on small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) resource development. Design/methodology/approach: This paper adopts a qualitative methodology based on a longitudinal case study. The case analysis concerns Gamma, a small high-tech firm based in Italy, active in nanotechnologies since 2005 as a research spin-off and since its establishment active in ERDPs. The analysis is developed along three main phases of development where the company participated to different ERDPs. Findings: The empirical analysis highlights that since its establishment, Gamma has been able to increasingly exploit participation in ERDPs, in order to gain access to financial and technological resources. Such active and continuous participation fostered the development of both advanced technological and organizational resources, which then allowed the company to survive and play a growing role as a well-known technology partner in the nanotechnology field in Italy and Europe. Originality/value: Adopting an IMP perspective, the paper provides a contribution on the managerial dimension of SMEs’ participation in ERDPs – which represents a neglected topic in the existing literature – on two distinct grounds: resource development process and networking processes. With respect to resource development processes in ERDPs, this case study underscores the relevance of ERDPs for developing both technological and organizational resources, highlighting the relevance of project management-related knowledge. In terms of networking processes, this paper highlights the need to fully understand the interplay of ERDP networks and business networks.