Entrepreneurship among postsocialist agricultural producers: the case of Bulgaria

This research is concerned with exploring differences in the meaning of entrepreneurial behaviour among owner-managers of agricultural enterprises in Bulgaria. It aims to gain a better understanding of the origin and development of small businesses in a postsocialist context. Entrepreneurial behaviour is understood as the start-up and development of a new business and is examined through the views and experiences of agricultural producers. An exploratory conceptual framework, encompassing the individual owner-manger, the enterprise and the family, is developed to guide the investigation. It facilitated an analysis of the entrepreneurial process and the relationship between agricultural producers and their enterprises, while also taking into account the possible influences of involved family members. Data were drawn from qualitative face-to-face interviews with a diverse sample of 83 agricultural producers in four rural settlements. The respondents represented different demographic characteristics and agricultural sub-sectors. The findings from this exploratory research provide useful insights into the entrepreneurial behaviour of Bulgarian agricultural producers. Different patterns of engagement with the agricultural enterprises emerge. These are explained through startup motivations and growth aspirations and achievement, which in turn are related to differences in the scale of enterprises. Furthermore, patterns of engagement are related to differences in orientation towards self-employment and adoption of the role of owner-manager. Start-up motivations are associated with a complex interaction of different factors. They are also strongly related to the post-socialist context as represented by macro-level changes. The interviewees recognised and reacted differently to these changes. Presence of involved family members could have either a positive or negative influence on the start-up of new additional activities or the enlargement of existing ones. Contextual issues like the post-socialist background, culture and family contributed to a better understanding of the businesses and entrepreneurial behaviour. The results suggest that the entrepreneurial behaviour of post-socialist agricultural producers requires further research in order to gain an indepth understanding of why they undertake their own business

The Dashboard: an online system to help build an online presence and measure analytics for micro-businesses

Digital marketing plays an important role for businesses trying to attract new customers. For micro-businesses (0-9 workers) or self- run businesses it can be difficult to find the time to market yourself online. Non tech-savvy individuals can be unaware of where to start or how to set up a website. It can be time consuming, costly and difficult to understand the digital requirements. In this paper, we describe an online system - the dashboard, to help micro-businesses learn about building an online presence, using a range of available digital services, and providing analytical data on services that they are using. We discuss how analytic tools can help inform business owners of how useful online marketing tools are for their business and which services attract the most customers and revenue

Rural Enterprise as an Agent for Technology Development and Facilitation in the Digital Economy

This paper outlines recent developments in the Scaling the Rural Enterprise (SRE) research project – an interdisciplinary project that combines the expertise of social scientists, computer scientists and software developers, in order to inform the development and design of digital technologies in a rural context. The paper provides a brief overview of the research undertaken. It then highlights the outcomes from three stages of the work. Initially, it undertakes a review of associated literature and discusses issues of definition in relation to rural enterprises in the UK. Following this we present the insights from rural business advisers on the current state of use of digital technologies in these organisations. This then leads to work that analyses community- based enterprises as agents of economic change and gatekeepers to the introduction of digital technology solutions. The paper concludes by highlighting some implications for the design of digital tools and services

"I’ve got a sheep with three legs if anybody wants it?’" - re-visioning the rural economy

This paper reports on a study of 4CG, a cooperative enterprise located in rural Wales. 4CG operates for the good of the local economy and seeks to diversify its commercial portfolio through the creation of an online shop retailing goods and services from local suppliers. The paper compliments prior field studies focusing on rural enterprise and the challenges posed by this category of business for IT support. The current study is motivated by 4CG’s interest in setting up a local online shop and explicates the organisational issues that this venture turns upon and elaborates for broader sustainability agendas

D5.3 Resilience assessment of current farming systems across the European Union

For improving sustainability and resilience of EU farming system, the current state needs to be assessed, before being able to move on to future scenarios. Assessing sustainability and resilience of farming systems is a multi-faceted research challenge in terms of the scientific domains and scales of integration (farm, household, farming system level) that need to be covered. Hence, in SURE-Farm, multiple approaches are used to evaluate current sustainability and resilience and its underlying structures and drivers. To maintain consistency across the different approaches, all approaches are connected to a resilience framework which was developed for the unique purposes of SURE-Farm. The resilience framework follows five steps: 1) the farming system (resilience of what?), 2) challenges (resilience to what?), 3) functions (resilience for what purpose?), 4) resilience capacities, 5) resilience attributes (what enhances resilience?). The framework was operationalized in 11 case studies across the EU. Applied approaches differ in disciplinary orientation and the farming system process they focus on. Three approaches focus on risk management: 1) a farm survey with a main focus on risk management and risk management strategies, 2) interviews on farmers’ learning capacity and networks of influence, and 3) Focus Groups on risk management. Two approaches address farm demographics: 4) interviews on farm demographics, and 5) AgriPoliS Focus Group workshops on structural change of farming systems from a (farm) demographics perspective. One approach applied so far addresses governance: 6) the Resilience Assessment Tool that evaluates how policies and legislation support resilience of farming systems. Two methods address agricultural production and delivery of public and private goods: 7) the Framework of Participatory Impact Assessment for sustainable and resilient farming systems (FoPIA-SURE-Farm), aiming to integrate multiple perspectives at farming system level, and 8) the Ecosystem Services assessment that evaluates the delivery of public and private goods. In a few case studies, additional methods were applied. Specifically, in the Italian case study, additional statistical approaches were used to increase the support for risk management options (Appendix A and Appendix B). Results of the different methods were compared and synthesized per step of the resilience framework. Synthesized results were used to determine the position of the farming system in the adaptive cycle, i.e. in the exploitation, conservation, release, or reorganization phase. Dependent on the current phase of the farming system, strategies for improving sustainability and resilience were developed. Results were synthesized around the three aspects characterizing the SURE-Farm framework, i.e. (i) it studies resilience at the farming system level, (ii) considers three resilience capacities, and (iii) assesses resilience in the context of the (changing) functions of the system. (i) Many actors are part of the farming system. However, resilience-enhancing strategies are mostly defined at the farm level. In each farming system multiple actors are considered to be part of the system, such as consultants, neighbors, local selling networks and nature organizations. The number of different farming system actors beyond the focal farmers varies between 4 (in French beef and Italian hazelnut systems) and 14 (large-scale arable systems in the UK). These large numbers of actors illustrate the relevance of looking at farming system level rather than at farm level. It also suggests that discussions about resilience and future strategies need to embrace all of these actors. (ii) At system level there is a low perceived capacity to transform. Yet, most systems appear to be at the start of a period in which (incremental) transformation is required. At system level, the capacity to transform is perceived to be relatively low, except in the Romanian mixed farming system. The latter may reflect a combination of ample room to grow and a relatively stable environment (especially when compared to the past 30 to 50 years). The relatively low capacity to transform in the majority of systems is not in line with the suggestion that most systems are at the start of (incremental) transformation, or, at least, reached a situation in which they can no longer grow. Further growth is only deemed possible in the Belgium dairy, Italian hazelnut, Polish fruit and Romanian mixed farming systems. (iii) System functions score well with regard to the delivery of high-quality and safe food but face problems with quality of rural life and protecting biodiversity. Resilience capacities can only be understood in the context of the functions to be delivered by a farming system. We find that across all systems required functions are a mix of private and public goods. With regard to the capacity to deliver private goods, all systems perform well with respect to high-quality and safe food. Viability of farm income is regarded moderate or low in the livestock systems in Belgium (dairy), France (beef) and Sweden (broilers), and the fruit farming system in Poland. Across all functions, attention is especially needed for the delivery of public goods. More specifically the quality of rural life and infrastructure are frequently classified as being important, but currently performing bad. Despite the concerns about the delivery of public goods, many future strategies still focus on improving the delivery of private goods. Suggestions in the area of public goods include among others the implementation of conservation farming in the UK arable system, improved water management in the Italian hazelnut system, and introduction of technologies which reduce the use of herbicides in Polish fruit systems. It is questionable whether these are sufficient to address the need to improve the maintenance of natural resources, biodiversity and attractiveness of rural areas. With regard to the changing of functions over time, we did not find evidence for this in our farming systems

Entrepreneurship among post-socialist agricultural producers : the case of Bulgaria

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Entrepreneurship among postsocialist\ud agricultural\ud producers: the case of Bulgaria

This research is concerned with exploring differences in the meaning of entrepreneurial\ud behaviour among owner-managers of agricultural enterprises in Bulgaria. It aims to gain\ud a better understanding of the origin and development of small businesses in a postsocialist\ud context. Entrepreneurial behaviour is understood as the start-up and\ud development of a new business and is examined through the views and experiences of\ud agricultural producers. An exploratory conceptual framework, encompassing the\ud individual owner-manger, the enterprise and the family, is developed to guide the\ud investigation. It facilitated an analysis of the entrepreneurial process and the relationship\ud between agricultural producers and their enterprises, while also taking into account the\ud possible influences of involved family members. Data were drawn from qualitative\ud face-to-face interviews with a diverse sample of 83 agricultural producers in four rural\ud settlements. The respondents represented different demographic characteristics and\ud agricultural sub-sectors.\ud The findings from this exploratory research provide useful insights into the\ud entrepreneurial behaviour of Bulgarian agricultural producers. Different patterns of\ud engagement with the agricultural enterprises emerge. These are explained through startup\ud motivations and growth aspirations and achievement, which in turn are related to\ud differences in the scale of enterprises. Furthermore, patterns of engagement are related\ud to differences in orientation towards self-employment and adoption of the role of\ud owner-manager. Start-up motivations are associated with a complex interaction of\ud different factors. They are also strongly related to the post-socialist context as\ud represented by macro-level changes. The interviewees recognised and reacted\ud differently to these changes. Presence of involved family members could have either a\ud positive or negative influence on the start-up of new additional activities or the\ud enlargement of existing ones. Contextual issues like the post-socialist background,\ud culture and family contributed to a better understanding of the businesses and\ud entrepreneurial behaviour. The results suggest that the entrepreneurial behaviour of\ud post-socialist agricultural producers requires further research in order to gain an indepth\ud understanding of why they undertake their own business

Rural Enterprise as an Agent for Technology Development and Facilitation in the Digital Economy

This paper outlines recent developments in the Scaling the Rural Enterprise (SRE) research project – an interdisciplinary project that combines the expertise of social scientists, computer scientists and software developers, in order to inform the development and design of digital technologies in a rural context. The paper provides a brief overview of the research undertaken. It then highlights the outcomes from three stages of the work. Initially, it undertakes a review of associated literature and discusses issues of definition in relation to rural enterprises in the UK. Following this we present the insights from rural business advisers on the current state of use of digital technologies in these organisations. This then leads to work that analyses community- based enterprises as agents of economic change and gatekeepers to the introduction of digital technology solutions. The paper concludes by highlighting some implications for the design of digital tools and services

The Dashboard: an online system to help build an online presence and measure analytics for micro-businesses

Digital marketing plays an important role for businesses trying to attract new customers. For micro-businesses (0-9 workers) or self- run businesses it can be difficult to find the time to market yourself online. Non tech-savvy individuals can be unaware of where to start or how to set up a website. It can be time consuming, costly and difficult to understand the digital requirements. In this paper, we describe an online system - the dashboard, to help micro-businesses learn about building an online presence, using a range of available digital services, and providing analytical data on services that they are using. We discuss how analytic tools can help inform business owners of how useful online marketing tools are for their business and which services attract the most customers and revenue