ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0858-4146
MSU Affiliation
College of Business; Department of Marketing, Quantitative Analysis and Supply Chain Logistics
Creation Date
2026-01-14
Abstract
Purpose
As consumers interact with various small businesses, they develop a mental image, called a prototype, to represent what small businesses are as a generalized, conceptual category. However, prior research has said little about what this small business prototype entails. Thus, the aim of this study is to explore consumers’ perceptions of the prototypical small business by identifying common attributes among small businesses that differentiate them from large businesses.
Design/methodology/approach
This study undertakes a thorough review of the relevant consumer research literature for the attributes that consumers use to evaluate small businesses. Then, using a contemporary parallel analysis approach, it conducts an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on a sample of 266 university students who were asked to evaluate how common those attributes are of small businesses. A second comparative EFA for large businesses is also conducted.
Findings
The EFA reveals two dimensions on which consumers evaluate small businesses: a sincere–authentic dimension and a disruptive–innovative dimension. Specifically, consumers view the prototypical small business to be relatively high on sincere–authentic and moderate on disruptive–innovative dimensions.
Originality/value
Through a comprehensive literature review and exploratory analysis, this study provides a novel understanding of consumers’ conceptualizations of small businesses. In studying the mental image consumers associate with the prototypical small business, this research fills a significant gap in the existing literature and provides important insights for practitioners and researchers alike.
Publication Date
Summer 8-19-2024
Publication Title
Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship
Publisher
Emerald
First Page
549
Last Page
564
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Jenkins, Michael R. (2024). Prototypically small: an exploration of consumers’ small business prototypes. Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, 26(4), 549-564. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRME-07-2023-0109
Included in
Cognition and Perception Commons, Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons, Marketing Commons
Comments
This author accepted manuscript is deposited under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC) licence. This means that anyone may distribute, adapt, and build upon the work for non-commercial purposes, subject to full attribution. If you wish to use this manuscript for commercial purposes, please visit Marketplace.