"Show us what you’ve got"

Research has shown that entrepreneurship has a positive impact on productivity and competitiveness. In the face of the recent global downturn, the service sector remains a dominant force continuously creating a wealth of new jobs. Within this service sector, owners/managers are persistently building their brand and bringing positive branding experiences. This research addresses how owner/managers of Irish service small medium enterprises (SMEs) execute and manage brands. This is an area of study in its infancy and this book is a step towards providing evidence of the importance and relevance of branding to SMEs.

Gillian Horan is Lecturer in Marketing and Entrepreneurship at the Shannon College of Hotel Management, Ireland. She also runs Business Consult, a strategic marketing and branding consultancy firm where she works closely with government organisations in developing SMEs. Gillian’s subject areas incorporate marketing, branding and entrepreneurship. Her continuing close links with industry support her interest in researching the importance and relevance of branding in SMEs, innovation in SMEs and service marketing.Dr Michele O’Dwyer is Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at the Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick, Ireland. Before joining the faculty at the University of Limerick, Michele worked as a marketing and market research consultant investigating marketing issues in a diverse range of industries in Ireland and across Europe. Her continuing close links with industry support her research interests which focus on innovation in SMEs, SME marketing, new product development and marketing communications.Dr Siobhan Tiernan is Lecturer in Management/Aviation Management at the Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick, Ireland. She is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin (BA in Business and Politics) and the London School of Economics (MSc in Industrial Relations). The University of Limerick awarded her PhD, sponsored by the Irish American Partnership and Aer Lingus. Dr Tiernan is the lead author of the best selling Irish management textbook Modern Management Theory and Practice for Irish Students (2006) Third Edition.