Jo Bensemann

Copreneurship in Rural Tourism Exploring Women's Experiences

Purpose – The paper seeks to explore the experiences of owners of rural tourism accommodation businesses in New Zealand within the framework of copreneurship. It aims to examine roles within copreneurial rural tourism businesses and describes and evaluates womens experiences of entrepreneurship.Design/methodology/approach – The method of the research is a postal survey of rural tourism accommodation business owners complemented by in‐depth interviews with women in copreneurial business relationships. Triangulation of data sources and methods, combining qualitative and quantitative techniques enables a rich understanding of copreneurial expectations, roles and responsibilities and of womens experiences specifically.Findings – The paper finds that the rural tourism accommodation sector in New Zealand is characterised by lifestylers and copreneurs running their businesses as a “hobby” and that non‐economic, lifestyle motivations are important stimuli to business formation. The paper also finds that any per...

Entrepreneurial skill and regulation: evidence from primary sector rural entrepreneurs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to undertake a qualitative case-based analysis of the factors affecting the capability of primary sector rural entrepreneurs to manage regulation. The authors suggest a conceptual framework to aid understanding of their skill and capability when managing regulation. Design/methodology/approach – Using a multiple case study approach the entrepreneurial skill of rural entrepreneurs is examined in light of three sets of factors: institutional regulatory, social capital and economic market. Findings – The case analysis indicates diversity in the skill of rural entrepreneurs to manage regulation across sub-sectors including dairy and stock farming, fruit growers and vegetable/horticultural producers. The conceptual framework indicates that there are three areas that influence entrepreneurial skill: relationships with national cooperatives, relationships with the institutional regulatory environment and relationships with the economic market environment. This provides the ...

Paradise lost? The case of technology-based small firms in New Zealand in the post-global financial crisis economic environment

In this paper, we draw on two studies that used face-to-face, qualitative interviews with technology-based small firms (TBSFs) and informal interviews with key informants. The interviews took place with two data-sets of TBSFs, the first with 20 firms in 2011 and the second with 34 agri-businesses in 2013. This study provides some temporal comparisons of the funding environment for TBSFs in New Zealand, but this is not a longitudinal study as the two data-sets were obtained from the recruitment of different firms. However, all the TBSFs were located in New Zealand, a small open economy with a limited domestic market, a population of 4.4 million, GDP per capita of US

Identity, Enactment, and Entrepreneurship Engagement in a Declining Place: JOURNAL OF SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

32,260 (2010) and arguably an immature and limited financial infrastructure. This environment is complex for founding new businesses by technology-based entrepreneurs as developing and staying in New Zealand means accepting being a long distance from major overseas markets even though TBSFs have potential to be in global markets, in practice. Such TBSFs, therefore, face pressure to move overseas for markets and for finance and other resources; if successful they may make attractive takeover targets for overseas investors and MNCs. Despite these challenges, TBSFs have been promoted as key contributors to GDP and a way of filling the New Zealand productivity gap (compared with Australia and other developed nations). Although we find evidence of the development of embryonic regional and specialised business angel networks on the supply-side of finance, there is still a marked reluctance to undertake a search for external equity and evidence of discouraged borrowing and discouraged grant-based applications on the demand-side. New Zealand is sometimes described as ‘paradise’ (The use of this term often refers to a fondness for the high quality of life in New Zealand and its economic environment, not just the natural beauty of the country). due to its natural and outstanding beauty, but in our conclusions we suggest that the comparatively stable economic environment has not operated in favour of TBSFs.

Investigating the Relationship Between Scottish Rural Small Firms’ Social Networks, Extra-local Market Diversification and Internet Usage

We examine entrepreneurship practice and identity work in a rural small town in New Zealand. Once prosperous, the town suffered economically and socially as old industries closed. Recently the town was rejuvenated, largely because of Lindas entrepreneurial activities. Our findings demonstrated conflict between her entrepreneurial identity and local sense of place. We theorize Lindas entrepreneurial identity in her business practice; where she experienced controversy, despite economic success. We argue that a complete understanding of identity and entrepreneurship practices requires attention to social and spatial processes, not just economic processes.

Copreneurship and Rural Tourism: Observations from New Zealand and Future Research Directions

Abstract Purpose This chapter reports a study that investigates the link between rural small firms’ social networks and their market diversification strategies in the context of the Internet. Methodology/approach Telephone interviews were conducted with a random sample of 142 Scottish small rural and urban firm owners in May 2012. The purpose of the telephone interviews was to understand how Internet usage impacted on the social networks and market diversification experiences of small rural firms. Analysis of the categorical data was performed using a variety of established methods. Findings Internet usage for many small Scottish rural firms was facilitating both their market reach and social networks. In addition, small rural firms’ most important social network contacts are highly correlated to their origin of sales, and this can be either locally or extra-locally based. Practical implications A positive relationship between Internet usage, social networks and market reach expansion offers support for further developing and improving the Internet infrastructure of rural communities. Originality/value Internet usage emerges as a critical tool for augmenting the social networks of Scottish rural small firms, which in turn helps to extend their market reach activities.