Editorial: The legacy of Professor Rosalind Jones’ contributions to the entrepreneurial marketing field Free

In September 2024, the entrepreneurial marketing (EM) community was saddened to learn that Professor Rosalind Jones (or Roz, as she was often known) passed away at just 58 years old (Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, 2024). As shown in Plate 1, Roz was an active participant at the Global Research Symposium (now Conference) on Marketing and Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneurial and Small Business Marketing Special Interest Group of the Academy of Marketing, together with being the former Editor of the Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship (Bangor University, 2024a). Roz’s work was published in outlets, such as Tourism Management, the International Small Business Journal, the Journal of Business Research, the International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior and Research, the Journal of Marketing Management, the Journal of Strategic Marketing and the Journal of Marketing Education (Alford and Jones, 2020; Jones and Parry, 2011; Jones and Rowley, 2011; Jones et al., 2013; Morrish and Jones, 2020; Whalen et al., 2016). Roz leaves behind a loving family, including her husband (Vern), her daughter (Liz – a co-author of this paper) and many other relatives (The Telegraph, 2024). Thus, while this paper serves as a tribute to Roz’s research, the EM community’s thoughts and prayers are sent to her loved ones during this deeply upsetting time.

The objective of this editorial is to celebrate Roz’s life through the scholarly contributions that her work made to the EM field. To achieve this objective, this paper is divided as follows. First, pivotal studies surrounding the marketing/entrepreneurship interface were reviewed to highlight the overarching themes of this discipline ^[1]. Second, Roz’s research is unpacked to highlight the areas of EM knowledge that her work advanced. Third, the co-authors of this article provided a series of personal tributes, such as stories and memories about Roz, to highlight the profound impact that she made to various EM academics’ lives. Fourth, several future research directions are described to denote how Roz’s work can endure in the years to come. Fifth, this paper ends with some concluding remarks. Collectively, this editorial not only highlights the legacy of Roz’s research but, more importantly, explains how much she will be missed by the members of the EM community (and outside of academia).

The marketing/entrepreneurship interface covers the intersection between the respective fields of marketing and entrepreneurship to explain how businesses (small and large, but usually smaller-sized actors) implement entrepreneurial behaviours to create enduring value for their customers (Eggers et al., 2020; O’Cass and Morrish, 2016). More formally, EM refers to:

There are various ways to investigate the nuances of the marketing/entrepreneurship interface (Aliakbari et al., 2025; Breit and Volkmann, 2024; Gilmore, 2011). One categorisation is that EM activities exist across seven dimensions, namely, value creation, opportunity-driven, proactivity, innovation-focused, risk management, resource leveraging and customer intensity actions (Hills et al., 2008; Miles et al., 2015; Morris et al., 2002).

Another way to study EM behaviours is through highlighting that they exist through the simultaneous implementation of a market orientation and an entrepreneurial orientation (Baker and Sinkula, 2009; Boso et al., 2013; Morgan et al., 2015). A market orientation refers to the organisation-wide implementation of the marketing concept and the creation of superior customer value (Jaworski and Kohli, 1993; Karami et al., 2023). An entrepreneurial orientation covers the strategy-level processes that owner-managers follow to implement innovative, proactive, risk-taking, autonomous and competitively aggressive actions (Rauch et al., 2009; Wales et al., 2013). Put simply, there are different schools of thought surrounding the marketing/entrepreneurship interface (Alqahtani et al., 2025; Hansen et al., 2020; Mahdi et al., 2024).

A considerable amount of work has examined the linkages between EM actions and organisational performance (Adel et al., 2020; Rezvani and Fathollahzadeh, 2020; Sadiku-Dushi et al., 2019; Sole, 2013). In doing so, mixed (and to some extent contrasting) evidence has emerged about the degree to which EM activities are performance-enhancing strategies for decision-makers to implement. By way of example, Alqahtani and Uslay (2020) argued that EM activities allow owner-managers to be forward-thinking, behave innovatively to develop value-adding products and services, take calculated risks and so on. Therefore, these authors signified that EM activities are likely to have a positive relationship with organisational performance, but they also recognised that this association could be impacted by moderating factors, such as aspects of the competitive business environment. Alternatively, Aliakbari et al. (2025) discovered that EM activities have a non-linear (inverted U-shaped) link with firm performance, with this relationship being positively moderated by market dynamism. Consequently, there is evidence to suggest that there are performance-enhancing merits that are associated with EM behaviours, but a diminishing-returns effect could be at play (Crick et al., 2025a; Hamzah et al., 2023).

An emerging body of knowledge has examined some of the dark sides of the marketing/entrepreneurship interface. For instance, Morgan et al. (2015) found that if owner-managers implement a market orientation and an entrepreneurial orientation simultaneously, there can be harmful impacts on new product development performance. Further, Crick et al. (2021) highlighted that an EM orientation is negatively related to firm performance. Yet, if small businesses join forces with their competitors in informal and/or formal capacities (coopetition), they can overcome some of these dark sides by obtaining assets and opportunities that would not exist if they were to operate under an individualistic business model. The dark sides of the marketing/entrepreneurship could be attributed to issues, like small companies innovating in the wrong areas, over-investing in expensive product-markets, miscalculating risks and not creating enduring value for their customers (Aliakbari et al., 2025). These dark sides suggest that decision-makers must exercise caution when implementing these strategies.

Prior to entering academia, Roz worked in the British Civil Service for several years (Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, 2024). Leading up to the time when she was awarded her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from Bangor University in 2009, she swiftly became an active member of the EM community. That is, she worked at Bangor University (2007–2012), Glyndwr University (2012–2013), the University of Birmingham (2013–2021) and Liverpool John Moores University (2021–2023). In 2023, Roz returned to Bangor University, where she worked until her untimely passing. As a sign of respect, the university flag was flown at half-mast on the day of her funeral (Bangor University, 2024b).

Roz’s work explored various areas of the EM field. First, Roz was known for her research surrounding the connection between a market orientation and an entrepreneurial orientation. As an illustration, her top-cited co-authored paper focused on how different strategic orientations interact with one another (Jones and Rowley, 2011). This article highlighted that an EM orientation sits at the intersection between a market orientation, an entrepreneurial orientation, a customer orientation and an innovation orientation. This viewpoint has subsequently been explored in more depth to unpack the multi-dimensional nature of EM activities (Crick et al., 2025a; Hamzah et al., 2023; Morgan et al., 2015). In 2020, Jones and Rowley (2011) won the “Gerald E. Hills Best Paper Award” at the Global Research Conference on Marketing and Entrepreneurship to mark the profound impact that this investigation has had on the broader EM community (Global Research Conference on Marketing and Entrepreneurship, 2025).

Second, Roz was interested in EM strategies among high-tech (and smaller-sized) organisations. As an example, her most recent co-authored article examined how small organisations use technologies to operate more efficiently and effectively (Alford and Jones, 2025). In doing so, Alford and Jones (2025) found that small firms practice various forms of a digital EM bricolage, but decision-makers that have a large level of interaction with such technologies can add long-term value to their operations, including increasing key performance metrics ^[2]. Such work on digital technologies was a large part of Roz’s work, since she published several papers that examined EM activities among small companies with high-tech business models (Jones and Rowley, 2009a; Parry et al., 2012). Her work on high-tech aspects of the marketing/entrepreneurship interface is something that has been explored by other EM scholars, owing to how technologically oriented owner-managers often need to be innovative, proactive, take calculated risks, behave autonomously and exhibit competitively aggressive actions to deliver superior value for their customers (Ahmadi and O’Cass, 2016; Chaudhry et al., 2024; Yang and Gabrielsson, 2017).

Third, Roz undertook several investigations about EM networks. To illustrate, Jones et al. (2013) found that smaller-sized organisations can manage networks with various stakeholder groups to operate more efficiently and effectively within their markets, alongside creating enduring value for their customers. Jones et al. (2013) denoted that EM networks are multi-faceted, as owner-managers can manage marketing and sales networks, innovation networks, social networks, customer networks, business networks and intra-firm networks. Indeed, the article by Jones et al. (2013) was another award-winning study – this time, a best track paper at the Academy of Marketing Conference. Moreover, networks and the marketing/entrepreneurship interface is a growing area. That is, various EM scholars have recognised that despite it being ideal for decision-makers to orchestrate their resources and capabilities (e.g. to deliver superior value to customers), smaller-sized companies typically require additional levels of support from key stakeholder groups, such as customers, competitors, government agencies, investors, supply chain partners and beyond (Alqahtani and Uslay, 2020; Crick et al., 2023; Mahdi et al., 2025; Shaw, 1999). To that end, Roz’s work on EM networks was integral to this body of knowledge.

Fourth, Roz was known for her research interests in the wider tourism and hospitality sector. As a key example, Alford and Jones (2020) examined digital EM strategies among smaller-sized (and tourism-focused) businesses. These authors found that there are various ways that such actors can strive to create enduring value for their customers. This includes harnessing certain types of knowledge to enable the co-creation of value for customers, using technology that relates to a given business model, solving solutions about pertinent organisational problems, learning how to operate more flexibly within a market and so on. Roz’s work in this area supplements other studies pertaining to the marketing/entrepreneurship interface in the broader tourism and hospitality sector, since arguably, this setting is a notable area for studying the nuances of EM activities (Boonchoo et al., 2013; Crick and Crick, 2016; Fillis et al., 2017; Krisjanous and Carruthers, 2018).

Fifth, Roz was interested in crises affecting small businesses. For instance, one of her top-cited co-authored articles examined how EM strategies can be used to manage, and respond to, large-scale problems in times of crisis (Morrish and Jones, 2020). Using the empirical context of the Canterbury earthquakes in New Zealand, Morrish and Jones (2020) found that EM activities can be implemented in post-disaster recovery situations to aid decision-makers to better-use their resources and capabilities. Morrish and Jones (2020) used their findings to develop a conceptual framework about the short-term and long-term activities that owner-managers can use to assess the severity of the crisis, manage their assets efficiently and effectively and measure their successes (and failures) via EM principles. Roz’s work on EM activities in times of crisis was useful, as a large proportion of work had concentrated on relatively stable competitive business environments (Hills et al., 2008; Morris et al., 2002; Sadiku-Dushi et al., 2019). Hence, by investigating EM in post-disaster settings, Roz helped to provide a novel stance on these strategies in crisis-fuelled arenas.

As a general issue, Roz explored EM activities using a variety of research designs and methodologies (predominantly qualitative tools and conceptual studies) in several empirical contexts. As one example, she was an advocate for certain interactive qualitative research methods, such as those involving using cards to generate in-depth and robust insights from interviewees (Jones and Rowley, 2012; Rowley et al., 2012). Accordingly, Roz’s work builds upon other methodological studies pertaining to the broader marketing/entrepreneurship interface, in which scholars have sought to explore, measure and test different aspects of the EM literature (Alqahtani et al., 2025; Eggers et al., 2020). Furthermore, Roz worked in research teams from various countries, including a mixture of emerging and established academics on a variety of studies (Alford and Jones, 2020; Jones and Parry, 2011; Jones and Rowley, 2011; Jones et al., 2013; Morrish and Jones, 2020; Roach et al., 2018; Whalen et al., 2016). Consequently, it is evident that not only were her research interests multi-faceted, but she also was able to connect with numerous scholars to continue the evolution of work about the broader marketing/entrepreneurship interface.

I first met Roz at the Midlands Regional Doctoral Colloquium in May 2017 (hosted by the University of Birmingham). I was in the closing stages of my PhD and was about to start as an Assistant Professor. I knew of Roz from the EM literature, so was pleased to finally meet her. We had a cup of tea, talked about research and she was generally interested in my work. We also talked about non-work matters. For example, the day before, I had passed my black belt grading in Taekwon-Do, so I remember feeling physically exhausted, but proud of myself. Roz, jokingly, told a few academics that afternoon that “he’s a black belt, so don’t mess with him”. It was that sense of humour and down-to-earth nature that made me so fond of Roz in the years to come. After that, Roz and I bumped into each other at various events, such as at the Academy of Marketing Conference, the Global Research Symposium (now Conference) on Marketing and Entrepreneurship and events for the Entrepreneurial and Small Business Marketing Special Interest Group of the Academy of Marketing. Through such events, I can think of dozens of memories where we laughed extensively and discussed our views on the development of the EM field.

In September 2022, Roz invited me to present my work on coopetition within the Canadian wine industry at Liverpool John Moores University. It was the first time that I had seen her since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it was just like old times. We hit the ground running and had a lovely catch-up about all sorts of things. Likewise, Roz (and her colleagues) gave me some great feedback that was implemented into the paper that I was presenting, which in turn was published (see Crick and Crick, 2024). Roz and I only wrote together on one occasion. This article happened to be another editorial in the Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship (when she was the Editor), which celebrated the life of another late EM scholar, Todd Morgan, who was tragically shot in April 2023 (Crick and Jones, 2024). Roz was kind, caring and humorous, so it has been my honour to lead this editorial to mark the legacy of Roz’s scholarly contributions to the EM domain. I emphasise that this is an article that I would have preferred not to have written, but Roz (or Aunty Roz, as I often called her) meant a great deal to me as a colleague and friend. Rest in peace, you amazing lady!

Mum/Roz was well-respected across academia – with a strong recognition for her support and mentorship of her students and early career academics. As those who knew her well can imagine, that mentorship and support extended to our family and friends – and was unquestionable. As her daughter, I feel fortunate that we spent so much time together through our shared love of horses, the outdoors and our academic work. While I reflect on my life with Roz, I find myself in a space where I am learning a new way of living – without my best friend and biggest supporter by my side. I realise that the most significant things that Roz taught me are resilience, curiosity, compassion and a grounded moral compass. These are traits that were passed down from her parents, which I hope to instil in my children. I realise that these four traits are what kept Roz focused and motivated throughout her career, what she built up in others and are what we most admired her for (and her charisma, of course).

With differing research interests (via a common shared interest in entrepreneurship), we became quite an interdisciplinary team. We were a “double-act” on early career research support events and worked together on several projects. We delved into the workings of social enterprises to support the critically ill (Heyworth-Thomas and Jones, 2019), explored EM education (Jones et al., 2023), investigated entrepreneurship in areas of land designation (Heyworth-Thomas et al., 2022) and studied the commercialisation of physicist-led innovations in the British quantum technology sector (Heyworth-Thomas et al., 2024). While Roz’s reputation gained traction through her development of the EMICO framework (e.g. Jones and Rowley, 2011), I saw so much excitement in her being involved with the UK Quantum Technology Hub Sensors and Timing Group at the University of Birmingham, headed by Professor Michael Holynski, where she applied her knowledge and experience to advising the commercialisation of physicist-led innovation (Heyworth-Thomas et al., 2024). Reflecting on this makes me realise that Roz’s successes in academia were driven by her being able to support people and make a difference. This was something that Roz successfully did in all aspects of her life – and that her family are very proud of.

I never taught Roz, but she regularly reminded me at conferences that our paths first crossed during my time at the University of Leicester when a colleague led the marketing class that she participated in (while completing her Master of Business Administration degree). Although my teaching subsequently moved from marketing to entrepreneurship classes (plus, I changed institutions), Roz and I were fortunate enough to respectively publish a body of research at the marketing/entrepreneurship interface. However, on a professional level, it was a regret that I never had the opportunity to co-author a paper with Roz. On a personal level, I always found Roz to be a family-oriented and kind person, illustrated by her wanting to update me about her family and animals. I also recall her positive approach to various personal matters, including appearing to remain upbeat after a serious health-related issue. Furthermore, she was very supportive of her PhD students, and as an example from a conference, I recall me not being a supporter of the methodology employed by one of her PhD students. Roz championed the approach being undertaken by her PhD student, alongside remaining very professional with me, even though we agreed to disagree on that specific academic matter. This was something that I deeply respected about her passion and support for those within her network, especially emerging researchers.

Turning to the scholarly contributions that Roz made to the body of knowledge in EM, this was evidenced by the award of Full Professorships at first, Liverpool John Moores University, and second, Bangor University. She will probably be associated most with an award-winning and highly cited paper (Jones and Rowley, 2011), together with an article sharing the collective insights of various authors regarding the EM domain (Whalen et al., 2016). This latter paper is one that my co-authors and I have referenced extensively in our work surrounding the marketing/entrepreneurship interface ^[3]. Yet, looking at her body of work more closely, Roz published various studies that investigated the facets of the marketing/entrepreneurship interface, whereby this editorial-style obituary cannot pay a full and fitting tribute. As some examples, these ranged from post-disaster recovery strategies (Morrish and Jones, 2020), small firms in the tourism and hospitality sector (Alford and Jones, 2020) and entrepreneurial support (Jones and Parry, 2011). In summary, when Roz sadly passed away far too early and unexpectedly, the EM community lost a friend and respected colleague. Best wishes are offered to her husband, Vern (whom I met on a few occasions) and her wider family, not least of which her daughter, Liz.

It is with profound sadness, yet immense gratitude, that I reflect on the life and legacy of my dearest friend and co-author, Roz. Our bond began as PhD students when we first met at the 2008 Global Research Symposium on Marketing and Entrepreneurship in Stockholm. We were aspiring scholars – navigating the uncertainties and challenges of academia. Our friendship that blossomed over the following 16 years enriched both my professional and personal life. Roz had the ability to weave intellectual rigour with genuine kindness. Our collaborations were never mere academic exercises. They were adventures. Together, we explored post-disaster business recovery (Morrish and Jones, 2020), reimagined EM education (Jones et al., 2023) and championed entrepreneurial resilience, presenting our work in various conferences around the world. The annual Global Research Symposium (now Conference) on Marketing and Entrepreneurship meetings became a rendezvous, not just for exchanging ideas, but for reconnecting as kindred spirits. Whether debating frameworks over many glasses of wine or laughing through late-night revisions, Roz infused every project with curiosity, wit and an unwavering commitment to making scholarship matter.

Beyond our shared research, Roz’s generosity of spirit defined her. For years, we served side-by-side as Associate Editors of the Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, where her sharp insight and kindness elevated many authors’ work. She mentored students and colleagues with quiet grace. Yet, it was in the quieter and personal moments that our friendship truly flourished. In 2011, Roz and Vern welcomed me into their home in Wales during my sabbatical at Bangor University – an experience that I will cherish forever. There, amid rolling hills and spirited conversations, I met Jack, her beloved horse and glimpsed the joy that she found beyond academia. We shared personal trials and professional milestones, like our parallel paths to becoming Full Professors. Our transatlantic calls and spanning time zones were lifelines of laughter, occasional tears and the comforting certainty that we were never alone in this journey. Roz’s legacy is both vast and intimate. Her pioneering work in EM continues to influence the discipline. As I continue the work that we began together, I am guided by her example – to lead with curiosity, to nurture connections and to find joy in the pursuit of knowledge. Roz was more than a collaborator. She was a role model in our field. Her absence leaves an immeasurable void, but her spirit endures in every that scholar she inspired, every idea that she championed and the enduring friendship that I will forever hold close.

“I’ll pick you up from the railway station”, said Roz.

“Are you sure”, I replied:

For context, the railway station is on the heart of Wales Line – and is quite literally in the middle of nowhere and quite a distance from her home. This was Roz, or the Roz that I knew. She did indeed pick me up and we called into her farm and then went on a bit of a trek to secure sheep grazing certificates from the (not so local) Ministry of Agriculture office, which was about 50 miles away over a number of Welsh mountain roads – all the while chatting about research, methodologies and Welsh culture. This was while we were batting along in her 4x4 at some speed! I had the great pleasure of travelling far and wide with Roz (and Liz and Vernon) to many conferences and academic meetings throughout Europe and the USA. It would be our chance to chat about the farm, agriculture (especially sheep and horses), art and our shared Welsh rural heritage. We have walked and talked around some great cities and towns, visited museums and galleries of modern and fine art and spent quite a few hours in airport shopping malls (we being country mice from another land).

One memorable trip involved Roz asking me to accompany her to a conference in Turkey. We were to present our views on enterprise and economic development to a meeting at an institution in the southeast of the country. As we were guests of the regional government, the flights and connections were arranged for us, and so, I prepared my paper and presentation, met Roz at Heathrow Airport and off we went. Three flights later, and on arrival, we headed straight to the conference hall. This is where the events started to take a “Roz turn”. We noticed, as we drew up in the car that the government had provided, quite a gathering of press-type people. On seeing our car, they headed in our direction. Little did we know that we were going to be on live television – and that our opinions were sought on a range of economic development issues during lengthy interviews, and again, live coverage of our presentations. To this day, I have no idea who they thought we were, and over the years since, Roz and I would often reflect on our “rock star” moment. Her laughter still echoes in my ear. This was Roz, she was my friend, academic sister and fellow adventurer. She made friends with pretty much everyone that she met, she was the living example of the statement that you should “never judge a book by its cover”, she was a countrywoman, artist and extraordinary kind soul. Roz was also a quite brilliant scholar.

Sometimes we encounter people who leave an indelible mark on our lives – and which we know will never be replaced. My friend Roz was one such person. Now, I only have memories. I met Roz back in 2003 at a Special Interest Group event. We both had a successful career in industry – and academia was a second career for both of us. In 2005, we met in Dublin for the Academy of Marketing Conference. This started a relationship that was initially built on academic kinship and research interests about the marketing/entrepreneurship interface, but quickly turned into a close friendship. We were Co-Chairs of the Entrepreneurial and Small Business Marketing Special Interest Group of the Academy of Marketing – a role that we cherished with enthusiasm every year, as we developed numerous friendships. I know that she was delighted that the new Co-Chairs would carry the mantle forward. Other friendships included Sussie. Roz, Sussie and I completed our PhDs within five years of each other and eventually got our Full Professorships within five years of each other too – me, then Roz and, afterwards, Sussie.

At about our mid-career point, and after hours of lamenting the state of EM resources, Roz was super supportive of my idea to “write our own book”, and in 2013, our book called Entrepreneurial Marketing: Global Perspectives was co-edited by me, Paul (Harrigan) and Roz (Sethna et al., 2013). Since then, Roz, Sussie, Rebecca (Fakoussa) and I were in the midst of writing another book called Entrepreneurial Marketing: Theory and Practice, which will now happen in memorium. I was honoured to be asked by our friend and colleague, Jonathan, to follow in his footsteps and become Editor of our beloved Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. This was a duty that I fulfilled for almost seven years. Having served my community, it was time for a change, and when I asked Roz if she would take over, she very dutifully agreed in an instant – and served for over three years. Between us all, we had the privilege of helping to steer the discipline for the past sixteen years. Roz was a huge contributor to that – by often leading the discussions for the future. Her EMICO paper helped shape many students’ PhD theses – including my own (Jones and Rowley, 2009b). Roz and I also served on the Leadership Board of the Global Research Symposium (now Conference) on Marketing and Entrepreneurship, and through that, we spent many conference trips abroad in far-flung exotic destinations–all in the name of academic endeavour. Cheerful, warm and honest – that was Roz. She was my friend, mentor, co-author, confidante and, most of all, my academic big sister. She was simply lovely inside and out. In Zoroastrianism, we live by the three tenets of Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds. Roz, by extension, certainly lived by all three.

Research surrounding the marketing/entrepreneurship interface has been undertaken for several decades (Aliakbari et al., 2025; Hills and LaForge, 1992; Robledo et al., 2023; Shaw, 1999; Stokes, 2000). Likewise, key academic communities (in different countries) have fostered EM research, such as the Global Research Symposium (now Conference) on Marketing and Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneurial and Small Business Marketing Special Interest Group of the Academy of Marketing, together with work that is published each year in the Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship and other reputable journals (Alqahtani, 2025). While it is now an established topic, there are still lots of areas where EM scholars can advance the existing body of knowledge through conceptual and empirical investigations. Several of these areas extend Roz’s work. That is, the co-authors of this editorial would like to emphasise how Roz’s research has contributed to the EM field in numerous ways, and moreover, can be extended in the years to come. These future research directions are guided by the following summary points, coupled with some pertinent research questions.

First, in an era of technological developments, it would be interesting to examine how owner-managers can utilise certain forms of technology (not least of which artificial intelligence) to implement EM strategies. In turn, such work would supplement a variety of studies (including papers that were co-authored by Roz) that have explored the benefits and drawbacks of EM activities in technologically oriented settings (e.g. Ahmadi and O’Cass, 2016; Alford and Jones, 2020; Jones and Rowley, 2009a; Yang and Gabrielsson, 2017). Therefore:

• How can decision-makers effectively utilise artificial intelligence to aid their EM activities?

• Are certain forms of technology harmful for small businesses that manage the dimensions of the marketing/entrepreneurship interface in their operations?

• Are the performance consequences of EM behaviours influenced (positively or negatively) by technological turbulence?

Second, a large quantity of work has examined the benefits of EM activities, such as the positive impact on performance metrics and the organisation-wide creation of enduring customer value (Adel et al., 2020; Rezvani and Fathollahzadeh, 2020; Sadiku-Dushi et al., 2019; Sole, 2013). In fact, Roz’s work highlighted the performance-enhancing merits of EM strategies (e.g. Jones and Rowley, 2011; Roach et al., 2018). Nevertheless, the dark sides of the marketing/entrepreneurship interface remain under-researched, as there could be situations where implementing these organisation-wide actions is decidedly problematic for smaller-sized companies (following Hamzah et al., 2023; Morgan et al., 2015). Consequently:

• What are the manifestations of the dark sides of the marketing/entrepreneurship interface?

• How can owner-managers alleviate (or prevent) the downsides of their EM activities?

• Are there situations where EM activities are actively harmful for small businesses?

Third, including work that was co-authored by Roz, EM activities have predominantly been studied in domestic settings, namely, among owner-managers that exhibit such organisation-wide behaviours within their home countries (Alqahtani and Uslay, 2020; Miles et al., 2015; Shaw, 1999; Whalen et al., 2016). In contrast, relatively less research has featured the international aspects of the marketing/entrepreneurship interface, like the assistance needed by owner-managers to overcome environmental constraints (e.g. Crick, 1992; Spence and Crick, 2001; Sharma et al., 2018; Yang et al., 2023). With this in mind:

• Do international-level EM activities differ from domestically oriented manifestations of the marketing/entrepreneurship interface?

• What changes do entrepreneurs need to make to their business models when implementing EM behaviour on an international basis?

• What are the major advantages and disadvantages of EM activities in international arenas?

Fourth, networks are central to the marketing/entrepreneurship interface, for which Roz (and other scholars) explored how small businesses strive to create enduring value for their customers through managing collaborative relations with a variety of stakeholder groups (Crick, 2022; Jones et al., 2013; Robledo et al., 2023; Shaw, 1999). Nevertheless, there is ample scope for future research. Thus:

• How can owner-managers manage networks with key stakeholders to deliver superior value to their customers?

• What types of networks (e.g. formal and/or informal) do decision-makers need to manage to enhance the performance outcomes of their EM activities?

• What challenges impact entrepreneurs when forging collaborative relations with key stakeholder groups?

Fifth, sustainability (and wider issues) has become an important consideration for decision-makers (Friske et al., 2022; Gu and Wang, 2022; Leonidou et al., 2013). However, the link between sustainability (and associated matters) and EM activities has scarcely been investigated. It is acknowledged that tangential issues have been approached, encapsulating Roz’s work on how EM activities can assist owner-managers to recover from geographic disasters, such as earthquakes (Morrish and Jones, 2020). Yet, more research can be undertaken in this area. Consequently:

• What considerations are important for owner-managers of smaller-sized firms when infusing sustainable operations into their EM activities?

• Is it beneficial for decision-makers to operate in a sustainable manner to propel the performance-enhancing merits of EM activities?

• What problems affect entrepreneurs when managing sustainability within their business models?

Sixth, in recent years, scholars have examined the relationship between EM activities and organisational performance metrics (Alqahtani et al., 2025; Crick et al., 2025b; Eggers et al., 2020; Sadiku-Dushi et al., 2019). Roz was known for highlighting how well-managed aspects of the marketing/entrepreneurship interface (e.g. strategic orientations) can assist small businesses to create enduring value for their customers (Jones and Rowley, 2011). That said, the nuances of the EM activities – firm performance association could be unpacked to a greater extent to determine the nature of this link. To that end:

• Is the relationship between EM activities and organisational performance linear or quadratic?

• Is the link between EM activities and organisational performance moderated and/or mediated by certain constructs (and if so, what are these latent variables)?

• Other than key firm performance metrics, what other outcomes do EM activities influence?

Seventh, EM activities have been studied in a mixture of empirical contexts (industries and countries), including Roz’s research (Alford and Jones, 2025; Crick et al., 2021; Fillis et al., 2017; Jones et al., 2013; Mahdi et al., 2024; Morgan et al., 2015; Morrish and Jones, 2020). However, there is room to develop the empirical aspects of marketing/entrepreneurship by exploring how these organisation-wide actions manifest in novel settings, such as war-torn countries, remote communities, social enterprises, healthcare environments, immigrant entrepreneurs, fintech companies and so on ^[4] (responding to Alqahtani and Uslay, 2022; Morris et al., 2002; Morrish et al., 2020). Accordingly:

• Are EM activities more or less likely to enhance organisational performance under certain industry-level conditions (and if so, what are they)?

• Do certain novel empirical contexts provide counterintuitive insights about EM actions?

• Do theories about the marketing/entrepreneurship interface need to be adapted depending on the empirical context in question?

In aggregate terms, these future research directions do not provide an exhaustive list. Yet, they serve as some pertinent illustrations of how Roz’s research can be advanced in the years to come, as EM scholars (emerging and established) continue to develop this body of knowledge.

The objective of this editorial was to celebrate Roz’s life via the scholarly contributions that her work made to the EM field. This objective was achieved through reviewing the pertinent EM literature, including the areas that Roz advanced via her research. Further, personal tributes were provided by the co-authors of this paper to symbolise the multi-faceted ways that Roz impacted the wider EM community. Afterwards, some future research directions were specified, in terms of the avenues that EM scholars can pursue to extend Roz’s work in the years to come. In closing, Roz will be missed by many people within the world of EM. She was a truly special scholar, but more importantly, was a dear friend to many people around the world. Roz – you will be sorely missed, but never forgotten!