Purpose

This paper aims to examine the growth rates of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) over a three-year period, the relationship between firm size and firm growth in the context of SMEs, and the effect of marketing capability (MC) on firm growth and how it relates to firm size. The theoretical framework is based on the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were gathered from Finnish SMEs (n = 214) and analyzed with Latent growth curve modeling (structural equation modeling). Respondents were chief executive officers or company owners.

Findings

Results show that firm size is unrelated to the rate of change, and MC has a significant effect on both the intercept and slope parameters. Smaller SMEs have less MC than larger SMEs.

Practical implications

While the overall human resources level of the SME is not linked to the rate of growth, MC is. This is an important point for small business growth studies, for it shows what type of personnel is called for during rapid growth. SMEs could advance significantly and rapidly if they invest in versatile human capital, especially in the marketing area.

Originality/value

Majority of the MC research involves larger corporations. This study brings new insights from SME perspective. In addition, this study suggests that it is imperative to consider different types of growth separately. This study contributes to this need by demonstrating the connection between employee growth rate and MC in SMEs.

中文翻译：

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营销第一？营销能力在中小企业成长中的作用

目的

本文旨在考察三年内中小企业 (SME) 的增长率、企业规模与中小企业增长之间的关系，以及营销能力 (MC) 对企业的影响。公司增长及其与公司规模的关系。理论框架基于资源基础观和动态能力。

设计/方法/途径

数据收集自芬兰中小企业 ( n = 214)，并使用潜在增长曲线模型（结构方程模型）进行分析。受访者是首席执行官或公司所有者。

发现

结果表明，公司规模与变化率无关，MC 对截距和斜率参数都有显着影响。较小的 SME 比较大的 SME 具有较少的 MC。

实际影响

虽然中小企业的整体人力资源水平与增长率无关，但 MC 是。这是小企业成长研究的一个重要点，因为它显示了在快速成长过程中需要什么样的人员。如果中小企业投资于多才多艺的人力资本，尤其是在营销领域，它们就能取得显着和快速的进步。

原创性/价值

MC 的大部分研究都涉及大公司。这项研究从中小企业的角度带来了新的见解。此外，这项研究表明，必须分别考虑不同类型的增长。本研究通过展示中小企业员工增长率与 MC 之间的联系来满足这一需求。