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Technopreneurial Marketing (TM): A Construct for Integrating Emerging

Technopreneurship and Marketing Perspectives

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 Proceeding of International Seminar of Entrepreneurship and Business 2019
16 November 2019, Bayview Beach Resort, Penang, Malaysia

Technopreneurial Marketing (TM): A Construct for

Integrating Emerging Technopreneurship and
Marketing Perspectives
Sabrina Saad1, Abu Shams Mohammad Mahmudul Hoque2, and Zainudin Bin Awang2
1
Faculty of Business and Information Science,
UCSI University, Malaysia
2
Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin
(UniSZA), Terengganu, Malaysia

Email: sabrina.saad22@gmail.com, mhhoque1982@gmail.com

Abstract - Technology is one of the dominated factors in the current innovation era. Hence,
technology application is transforming conventional business into technopreneurship or
technology based business and which play a key role in the GDP of a country. Moreover, to
improve small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) performance, marketing strategies play a
significant role. Furthermore, technopreneurship and strategic marketing together is termed as
technopreneurial marketing (TM) and which is the emergent concept in the
contemporary developments in technology based business. This paper makes an attempt to
disclose the background of the Technopreneurial Marketing.

Keyword: Technology, Technopreneurship, Technopreneurial Marketing, Strategic Marketing,

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises’ (SMEs).

1.0 Introduction
Technopreneurship is a enchanting word that has transmuted the world today. Various
literature uses the term technopreneurship as technology-based enterprises, technical
enterprises, or even high-tech ventures to describe a new business that combines
entrepreneurial skills and technology (Hoque ,2018; Hoque, 2018a; Hoque et al., 2017;
Kakati, 2003; Oakey, 2003; Dahlstrand and Lindholm, 1999). Normally,
technopreneurship is a straightforward entrepreneurship in a technology demanding
context and which is a process of merging technology prowess, entrepreneurial talent,
and skills in the transformation of goods and services. In technological globalization
era, the increasing numbers of technology businesses contribute to the economy and
create employment opportunities as universities take initiatives towards the
technopreneurial programs (David, Scott, and Karen, 2003). Technopreneurship is
considered to be crucial for social development standpoint (Proctor, 1991) and
technopreneurship can also be taken as a dynamic track for economic growth,
competitiveness, as well as the solution of social interest (Linan, Rodriguez-Cohard,
Rueda-Cantuche, 2005; European Commission, 2003). Hence, academics are aware of
technopreneurship, and technopreneurial marketing (TM).

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 Proceeding of International Seminar of Entrepreneurship and Business 2019
16 November 2019, Bayview Beach Resort, Penang, Malaysia

Moreover, in the competitive global market, marketing depends on the context, but the
context is changing constantly. The generalization and rules-of-thumb time, place,
business, or competition-centred law no longer apply (Sheth and Sisodia 1999).
Notwithstanding these constraints, marketing strategy and practices on various issues
have been questioned (Deshpande 1999).

Several researchers have argued, therefore, that the basic marketing precepts remain
unchanged, but that special areas must still be taken more care of, including
customizing and single approaches (Sheth, Sisodia and Sharma 2000), relationships
(Gronroos 1999), networking (Piercy and Cravens 1994), strategic alliances,
globalization and technology (John, Weiss and Duttta 1999; Some other researchers, on
the other hand, have proposed to reconceptualize marketing itself. In this regard,
Srivastava, Shervani and Fahey (1999) are convinced that the marketing practices in the
fundamentally new technology based competitive context and circumstances that will
define the new millennium are only inadequate for which currently involve theoretical
structures.

The aim of this study is to present technopreneurial marketing (TM) as an integrative

construct for potential marketing activities under certain conditions. TM synthesizes
serious features of marketing and technopreneurship into an inclusive conceptualization
where marketing becomes a process that technology based firms can use to act
technopreneurially. This conceptualization is intended as an effective tactic for
marketing in the current technology era. In this study, we first summarize
technopreneurship, nature of technopreneurship and then, the dimensions of the
technopreneurial marketing construct are discussed.

2.0 Technopreneurship
In technological enhanced era, the increasing number of technology businesses are
contributing well to the economy which also creates employment opportunities (Hoque
et al., 2018c; Hoque, Awang, and Siddiqui, 2017b; Singhry, 2015; Trivedi, Savalia, and
Patel, 2009; David, Scott, and Karen, 2003). Hence, technopreneurship is believed to be
crucial for social development standpoint (Proctor, 1991) and it is also taken as a
dynamic track for economic growth, competitiveness, as well as the solution of social
interest (Hoque et al., 2017b; Singhry, 2015). Technopreneurship is defined as
technology-based enterprises or high-tech ventures to describe a new business in a
technology demanding context. It is a process of merging technology prowess,
technopreneurial talent, and skills in the transformation of goods and services (Hoque et
al., 2017b; Trivedi et al., 2009). In recent days, technopreneurship is seen as a way of
life and due to that, academics are keen to explore on the elements of technopreneur,
technopreneurship, and technopreneurial competencies (Hoque et al., 2017b, Hoque et
al., 2016).

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 Proceeding of International Seminar of Entrepreneurship and Business 2019
16 November 2019, Bayview Beach Resort, Penang, Malaysia

3.0 The Nature of Technopreneurship

Technopreneurship has been defined as the technology-based business method of
creating value is described as innovation through the application of a single set of tools
which take advantage of opportunities (Hoque et al. 2018, Hoque & Awang, 2016a). It
not only contributes to the creation of new technology-driven businesses but also to the
competitive restructuring of existing companies (Morris and Kuratko 2001). This
process involves the number of tasks necessary to identify a risk, create a business
concept, determine and procure the necessary resources, precisely technology oriented
resources, and then manage and harvest the tech-venture.

Some scholars indicated that technopreneurship is the main agent for economic change
from within an economic system (Hoque & Awang, 2016b; Tirnrnons 2000). These
improvements take the form of new resource mixes and new innovations which
eventually move existing products and processes. According to increasing evidence
suggests the more successful businesses over time are those that invest in higher levels
of technopreneurial activity. The study of Hoque et al. (2018) and others has shown a
positive relationship between technopreneurial orientation (TO) and a variety of
organizational performance measures.

Moreover, TO is a longer-term perception, sometimes including intermediate errors.

Stevenson et al. (1989) suggest that technopreneurship demands are most evident when
businesses are faced diminishing opportunity streams, as well as rapid changes in
technology, consumer needs, social values, and political roles. The same goes to
businesses based on technology with limited decision cycles, volatile capital, a lack of
long-term environmental control, enhanced asset concentration, swift obsolescence of
resources and desire for autonomy from workers.

4.0 Technopreneurial Marketing Construct

The term "technopreneurial marketing" has been used most frequently associated with
small and resource constrained, and therefore must rely on innovative and often
unsophisticated marketing tactics that heavily utilize people (Hoque et al, 2018; Lodish,
Morgan and Kallianpur 2001). Alternatively, the term was used to define unpredictable,
non-linear, imaginative marketing behavior of technopreneur. Hoque and Awang
(2019); Hoque (2019); Hoque et al. (2018); Hoque et al. (2017); and Hoque & Awang,
(2016c) suggests that effective marketing today calls for various strategies at different
stages, distinguishing between technopreneneurial marketing, early technology-based
corporate marketing and later stage technology-based corporate development of
intraprenue or nonformular marketing. Despite of these various uses of the term, a
consistent definition has not been publicized, nor have the underlying components of
the construct been specified.

In an environment of transition, uncertainty, confusion, inconsistencies and limited

capital, technopreneurial marketing has been introduced as an integrative framework for
the conceptualization of marketing which will express itself differently as technology
companies age and grow. This incorporates core aspects of recent business trends into a
holistic framework with those in the area of technopreneurship. TM is defined as the

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 Proceeding of International Seminar of Entrepreneurship and Business 2019
16 November 2019, Bayview Beach Resort, Penang, Malaysia

proactive detection and utilization of opportunities for gaining and retaining profitable
customers through acquiring technological knowledge, and technological innovation to
risk management, resource leveraging and value creation. TM epitomizes a resourceful
viewpoint wherein the marketer proactively tries to find fresh ways to create value for
anticipated customers and form customer equity. A comparison of specific aspects of
conventional and technopreneurial marketing approaches is presented in Table 1.

Table 1. Dissimilarities of Conventional Marketing and Technopreneurial Marketing

Conventional Marketing Techpreneurial Marketing

The concept of technopreneurial

The concept of conventional marketing is
marketing is technology based
customer oriented: market- driven, and
innovation-oriented: idea-driven, and
product development follows.
intuitive assessment of market needs.
The strategy of conventional marketing is Techpreneurial marketing strategy is
top-down segmentation, targeting, and bottom up targeting of customer and
positioning. other influence groups.
Technopreneurial marketing followed
Methods of conventional marketing are
technology based interactive marketing
the marketing mix - four or seven P's.
methods (e.g. electronic word of mouth).
The market intelligence of
The market intelligence of conventional
technopreneurial marketing is informal
marketing is formalized research and
technology based networking and
intelligence systems.
information gathering.

The differences emphasized in Table 1 also put forward that a TM approach necessitates
variations not only in behaviour but in the fundamental approaches held by those
responsible for marketing activities. TM is more than basically an examination of the
role of marketing in technopreneurship or the role of technopreneurship in marketing. It
assimilates the two disciplines of marketing and technopreneurship and also signifies a
different approach to marketing under specific conditions.

5.0 Underlying Dimensions of Technopreneurial Marketing

Technopreneurial marketing as defined limits the interaction between technopreneurship
and marketing and is a basis for many evolving marketing perspectives. The 8 basic
dimensions of TM are Proactiveness, innovativeness, opportunity focus, learning,
resource leveraging, calculated risk taking, customer intensity and value creation. These
dimensions help TM differentiate it from traditional marketing. According to Hoque et
al. (2018), TM is a pattern of the fundamental dimensions will result in marketing which
might be less or more technopreneurial. The eight dimensions of TM are explained as
follows:

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 Proceeding of International Seminar of Entrepreneurship and Business 2019
16 November 2019, Bayview Beach Resort, Penang, Malaysia

6.0 Conclusion
This paper has suggested technopreneurial marketing as such an integrative construct.
TM means a different strategy in the prevision of the product, its interaction with the
consumer by technical solutions, and the position of marketing within the business. TM
is essentially a way of thinking and acting motivated by incentives and challenges by
the technopreneur. This marketing approach is different, as it returns the discipline to its
roots as creative pursuit and as art and technology. So this conceptualization of
marketing basically lies in imagination, vision, cleverness and originality, linked to
technopreneurial behavior and these characteristics are functional to the full range of
marketing activities extending from market research and breakdown to marketing mix
management. Furthermore, TM is not a solution, but a marketing approach that is more
appropriate according to the circumstances of the technology-based company.

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