Leveraging TERM for Sustainable Entrepreneurial Growth in Higher Education Institutions
Keywords:
Techno-Entrepreneurial Relationship Marketing, Sustainable Growth, Higher Education, Entrepreneurial Orientation, Digital Competitiveness, Marketing Performance
Abstract
Higher education institutions play a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of entrepreneurs. This article explores how the Techno-Entrepreneurial Relationship Marketing (TERM) model can be leveraged to foster sustainable entrepreneurial growth among students. Drawing on a mixed-methods study involving 150 student entrepreneurs in Central Java, the research examines the impact of TERM on marketing performance and competitive advantage. The study highlights the critical role of digital tools, entrepreneurial orientation, and proactive customer engagement in building resilient, market-oriented businesses. The findings reveal that students who effectively utilize digital technologies such as social media, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, and data analytics achieve superior marketing performance, customer loyalty, and long-term business sustainability. Moreover, the research emphasizes the importance of integrating TERM into educational curricula to prepare students for the challenges of a rapidly evolving digital economy. This paper concludes with practical recommendations for educators, policymakers, and student entrepreneurs on how to incorporate TERM into business training programs, thereby enhancing the digital competitiveness and entrepreneurial resilience of future business leaders. These insights are particularly relevant for institutions seeking to develop the next generation of innovative, tech-savvy entrepreneurs.
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Patrakosol, B., & Lee, M.S. (2009), IT capabilities, Interfirm Performance, and the State of Economic Development. Industrial Management and Data Systems, 109 (9), 1231-1247.
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Runyan, Rodney, Droge, Cornelia and Swinney, Jane (2008), Entrepreneurial Orientation versus Small Business Orientation: What Are Their Relationships to Firm Performance? Journal of Small Business Management, Vol. 46, No. 4, pp. 567-588.
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Setyawan, N. A., Wibowo, B. Y., Ayuwardani, M., Kartika, V. S., & Eviyanti, N. (2023). The Impact of Big Data Analytics Capabilities on Sustainable Performance: an Application to Culinary and Fashion SME’s. Asian Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship and Social Science, 3(04), 731-746.
Sin, Leo Y.M., Tse, Alan C.B., Yau, Oliver H.M., Lee, Jenny S.Y. and Chow, Raymond (2002), The effect of relationship marketing orientation on business performance in a service-oriented economy. Journal of Service Marketing, Vol. 16, No. 7, pp. 656-676.
Stump, Rodney L. and Sriram, Ven (1997), Employing Information Technology in Purchasing: Buyer-Supplier Relationships and Size of the Supplier Base. Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 26, pp. 127-136.
Tikkanen, H., Hietanen, J., Henttonen, T. and Rokka, J. (2009), Exploring virtual worlds: success factors in virtual world marketing. Management Decision, Vol. 47, No. 8, pp. 1357-1381.
Wibowo, B. Y., & Setyawan, N. A. (2024). The Sustainability of Lasem Batik in Terms of Green Marketing and Brand Quality. Calitatea, 25(198), 284-291.
Wiklund, Johan and Shepherd, Dean (2003), Knowledge-Based Resources, Entreprenurial Orientation, and the Performance of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses. Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 24, pp. 1307-1314.
Wiklund, Johan and Shepherd, Dean (2005), Entrepreneurial orientation and small business performance: a configurational approach. Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 20, pp. 71-91.
Yau, Oliver H.M., McFetridge, Peter R., Chow, Raymond P.M., Lee, Jenny S.Y., Sin, Leo Y.M. and Tse, Alan C.B. (2000), Is relationship marketing for everyone? European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 34, No. 9/10, pp. 1111-1127.
Yuan, Ping and Liu, Yanbin (2013), The Study of Relationship between Interaction Orientation and Business Performance. Procedia Computer Science, Vol. 17, pp. 1209-1215.
Zontanos, Grigorios and Anderson, Alistair R. (2004), Relationships, marketing and small business: an exploration of links in theory and practice. Qualitative Market Research, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 228-236.
Barney, J. (1991), Firm Resources and Sustained CompetitiveAdvantage. Journal of Management, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 99-120.
Barney, J., Wright, M., & David J. Ketchen, J. (2001), Theresource-based view of the firm: Ten years after 1991. Journal ofManagement, Vol. 27, pp. 625-641.
Berry, L.L. and Parasuraman, A. (2004), Marketing services:Competing through quality. Simon and Schuster.
Chaston, Ian (2000), Organisational competence: does networkingconfer advantage for high growth entrepreneurial firms? Journal ofResearch in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Vol. 2, No. 1.
Diasta, M. P., Hasyim, F., & Setyawan, N. A. (2023). Employee Management System and Customer Relation on Business Performance of Etos National Company. AFEBI Management and Business Review, 8(2), 118-124.
Doherty, Neil F. and Lockett, Nigel (2008), Mind the Gap: Exploringthe Links between the Expectations of Relationship Marketing and the Reality of Electronic-CRM. International Journal of e-Business Management, Vol. 2, No. 2.
Domegan, Christine T. (1996), The adoption of information technology in customer service. European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 30, No. 6, pp. 52-69.
Franco, Mario, Maria de Fatima Santos, Isabel Ramalho and Cristina Nunes (2014), An exploratory study of entrepreneurial marketing in SMEs. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 265-283.
Gabbott, Mark and Colgate, Mark (1999), Information Technology and Relationship Marketing: Advances, Incompatibilities, and Opportunities. Australian Marketing Journal, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 102108.
Giaglis, George M. and Fouskas, Konstantinos G. (2011), The impact of managerial perceptions on competitive response variety. Management Decision. Vol. 49, No. 8. pp. 1257-1275.
Gronroos, C. (1994), From marketing mix to relationship marketing: towards a paradigm shift in marketing. Management Decision, Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 7-13.
Gronroos, C. (2004), The relationship marketing process: communication, interaction, dialogue, value. The Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 23.
Gummesson, E. (2004), Return on relationships (ROR): the value of relationship marketing and CRM in business-to-business contexts. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 136-148.
Hair, J.F., Black, W.C., Babin, B.J., & Anderson, R.E. (2010), Multivariate Data Analysis – A Global Perspective. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, USA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Han, Sang-Lin (1997), A Conceptual Framework of the Impact of Technology on Customer-Supplier Relationships. Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 22-32.
Harrigan, Paul, Ramsey, Elaine, and Ibbotson, Patrick (2009), Investigating the e-CRM activities of Irish SMEs. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 443465.
Hermann, Frank, Kessler, Alexander and Fink, Matthias (2010), Entrepreneurial orientation and business performance – a replication study. Schmalenbach Business Review (SBR), Vol. 62, No. 2, pp. 175-198.
Hoang, Ha and Antoncic, Bostjan (2003), Newtwork-based research in entrepreneurship: A critical review. Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 18, pp. 165-187.
Izquierdo, Carmen Camarero, Cillan, Jesus Gutierrez and Gutierrez, Sonia San Martin (2005), The impact of customer relationship marketing on the firm performance: a Spanish case. Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 19, No. 4, pp. 234-244.
Kannabiran, G. (2012), Enablers and inhibitors of advanced information technologies adoption by SMEs-An empirical study of auto ancillaries in India. Journal of Enterprise Information Management. Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 186-209.
Keh, Hean Tat, Nguyen, Thi Tuyet Mai and Ng, Hwei Ping (2007), The effects of entrepreneurial orientation and marketing information on the performance of SMEs. Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 22, pp. 592-611.
Kohli, A.K. and Jaworski, B.J. (1990), Market orientation: the construct, research propositions and managerial implications. Journal of Marketing, Vol. 54, pp. 1-18.
Li, Yong-Hui, Huang, Jing-Wen and Tsai, Ming-Tien (2009), Entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance: The role of knowledge creation process. Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 38, pp. 440-449.
Liang, Rong-Da and Zhang, Jun-Shu (2012), The effect of service interaction orientation on customer satisfaction and behavioral intention: The moderating effect of dining frequency. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 153-170.
Lumpkin, G.T. and Dess, Gregory G. (1996), Clarifying the entrepreneurial orientation construct and linking it to performance. Academy of Management. The Academy of Management Review, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 135-172.
Luthfia, I. M., Setyawan, N. A., & Pradita, A. P. (2025). Analysis of Factors Improving Green Process Innovation Performance in Batik Lasem SME’s. Admisi dan Bisnis, 26(1), 35-46.
Lymer, A. (1997), The internet and small businesses: a study of impacts. Fifth European Conference on Information Systems, Cork Publishing, Cork.
Pallant, J. (2010), SPSS survival manual (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
Pehrsson, Anders (2014), Firms’ customer responsiveness and performance: the moderating roles of dyadic competition and firm’s age. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 34-44.
Patrakosol, B., & Lee, M.S. (2009), IT capabilities, Interfirm Performance, and the State of Economic Development. Industrial Management and Data Systems, 109 (9), 1231-1247.
Prahalad, C.K. and Ramaswamy, V. (2004), Co-creation experiences: The next practice in value creation. Journal of Interactive Marketing, Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 5-14.
Ramani, Girish and Kumar, V. (2008), Interaction Orientation and Firm Performance. Journal of Marketing, Vol. 72, No. 1, pp. 27-45.
Rangone, Andrea (1999), A Resource-Based Approach to Strategy Analysis in Small-Medium Sized Enterprises. Small Business Economics, Vol. 12, pp. 233-248.
Raymond, L. and Bergeron, F. (2008), Enabling the business strategy of SMEs through e-business capabilities: a strategic alignment perspective. Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 108, No. 5, pp. 577-95.
Reijonen, H. and Laukkanen, T. (2010), Customer relationship oriented marketing practices in SME. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 28, No. 2, pp. 115-136.
Runyan, Rodney, Droge, Cornelia and Swinney, Jane (2008), Entrepreneurial Orientation versus Small Business Orientation: What Are Their Relationships to Firm Performance? Journal of Small Business Management, Vol. 46, No. 4, pp. 567-588.
Sashi, C.M. (2012), Customer engagement, buyer-seller relationships, and social media. Management Decision, Vol. 50, No. 2, pp. 253-272.
Setyawan, N. A., Utami, H., Sadriatwati, S. E., Pratiwi, M. I., & Eviyanti, N. (2025). Elaboration of Green Supply Chain Management to Improve Green Process Innovation Performance in UMKM Batik Lasem. Admisi dan Bisnis, 26(2), 105-118.
Setyawan, N. A., Wibowo, B. Y., Ayuwardani, M., Kartika, V. S., & Eviyanti, N. (2023). The Impact of Big Data Analytics Capabilities on Sustainable Performance: an Application to Culinary and Fashion SME’s. Asian Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship and Social Science, 3(04), 731-746.
Sin, Leo Y.M., Tse, Alan C.B., Yau, Oliver H.M., Lee, Jenny S.Y. and Chow, Raymond (2002), The effect of relationship marketing orientation on business performance in a service-oriented economy. Journal of Service Marketing, Vol. 16, No. 7, pp. 656-676.
Stump, Rodney L. and Sriram, Ven (1997), Employing Information Technology in Purchasing: Buyer-Supplier Relationships and Size of the Supplier Base. Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 26, pp. 127-136.
Tikkanen, H., Hietanen, J., Henttonen, T. and Rokka, J. (2009), Exploring virtual worlds: success factors in virtual world marketing. Management Decision, Vol. 47, No. 8, pp. 1357-1381.
Wibowo, B. Y., & Setyawan, N. A. (2024). The Sustainability of Lasem Batik in Terms of Green Marketing and Brand Quality. Calitatea, 25(198), 284-291.
Wiklund, Johan and Shepherd, Dean (2003), Knowledge-Based Resources, Entreprenurial Orientation, and the Performance of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses. Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 24, pp. 1307-1314.
Wiklund, Johan and Shepherd, Dean (2005), Entrepreneurial orientation and small business performance: a configurational approach. Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 20, pp. 71-91.
Yau, Oliver H.M., McFetridge, Peter R., Chow, Raymond P.M., Lee, Jenny S.Y., Sin, Leo Y.M. and Tse, Alan C.B. (2000), Is relationship marketing for everyone? European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 34, No. 9/10, pp. 1111-1127.
Yuan, Ping and Liu, Yanbin (2013), The Study of Relationship between Interaction Orientation and Business Performance. Procedia Computer Science, Vol. 17, pp. 1209-1215.
Zontanos, Grigorios and Anderson, Alistair R. (2004), Relationships, marketing and small business: an exploration of links in theory and practice. Qualitative Market Research, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 228-236.
Published
2025-07-09
How to Cite
Jati Nugroho, Rif’ah Dwi Astuti, Sri Wahyuni, Saptianing, & Makmun Riyanto. (2025). Leveraging TERM for Sustainable Entrepreneurial Growth in Higher Education Institutions. International Journal of Economics, Business and Innovation Research, 4(04), 1065-1081. https://doi.org/10.63922/ijebir.v4i04.2039
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