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This paper is an ethnographic study of rural entrepreneurship. It explores the relationship between small business and the rural environment and is intended to contribute to the development of entrepreneurial theory. The major findings are that the entrepreneurial process is the creation and extraction of value from the environment, but that the background of the entrepreneur configures the idiosyncratic entrepreneurial process. The key to understanding this is argued to be the entrepreneur's perception of value, so that entrepreneurship is argued to be protean in that it takes its shape from the dynamics of the individual fitting themselves into their perception of the socio-economic context. Thus the entrepreneurs' approach to business can be understood in terms of their values and in this study, the entrepreneurial business is shaped and formed from these same values.

Narrative is an important tool for developing and writing up action research experiences. Its power lies in the fact that narrative construction and narrative recounting are fundamental human communication practices. Narratives are also knowledge producing devices, since they make sense of personal experiences and share that sense-giving with others. However, the twinned duality of narrative knowing (sense-making) and narrative telling (communicating that sense) has often caused narrative as a methodological approach to be disregarded or misunderstood. Our objective is to reflect on how we can best use the narrative method in action research by paying due attention to these issues. In doing so, we consider ontologies, epistemologies and key characteristics. We argue that what has been seen as a weakness in the narrative method, its deep subjectivity, can actually be employed as an analytical strength in action research. We show how examining explanations of context, inherent in narrative processes, can provide rich insights into the meanings of phenomena.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to address the lack of conceptualisation within the emerging field of social enterprise, the aim is to contribute to a better understanding of process effectiveness and potential.Design/methodology/approachThe literature is drawn upon in providing a rationale for focusing on process, for selecting an appropriate organising framework, and for developing the typology and its key dimensions.FindingsIn proposing two polar opposite "ideal types" – one based on traditional concepts of non‐profit organisations and one that employs entrepreneurship as a strategy for achieving social aims (such as poverty and marginalisation) – the process components (activities, people and organising) and their interrelationship are explained. The dimensions of each component that facilitate or constrain entrepreneurship are conceptualised along a continuum, whereby a predisposition toward either end of the continuum forms the basis of classification. Upon assessing each process component, an overall determination of type can be made. Effectiveness – innovation in dealing with the challenges of social exclusion and marginalisation; increased self‐sufficiency and sustainability – depends upon the extent to which the process components are congruently configured to foster entrepreneurship.Originality/valueWith conceptualisation in its infancy, the emphasis to date has been on the similarities between social and commercial enterprises. Here, it has been focused on the key differences in process among social enterprise initiatives, thereby contributing new insights into social enterprising and its capacity for effectiveness. In explaining the impact of differing types on outcomes, practitioners and policymakers can develop more realistic expectations of what can be achieved.

This paper explores the processes by which Israeli engineers become entrepreneurs. We employed a qualitative approach, using ethnographic life history interviews with nine entrepreneurial engineers. We find that the uniqueness of the Israeli political, economic and security situations have impacted on the ways that engineers become entrepreneurial. In particular, we note how three generations of engineers have been variously affected since Israel was founded in 1948. Each era brought with it different needs and different socio-economic circumstances. Some pushed engineers into enterprise, but later, we show how pull factors have determined the Israeli entrepreneurial milieu. However, for all eras, we find that learning to become an entrepreneur was a lifelong process, an amalgam of experience moulded with formal learning. These elements fused self and circumstance to determine the career trajectories of our enterprising engineers. Although this study is based on Israeli data, the conditions for the third generation reflect global convergence. Accordingly, the learning process for new engineers can be anticipated as universal.

This paper develops a model of the factors deemed critical for success in high-tech new ventures in Israel. Israel presents an interesting forum, geographically distant from main markets but richly endowed with human capital, new high-tech ventures are seen as an essential element of the economy. Yet, despite its importance, high-tech is characterised by risk and challenge. Consequently, a model which draws on the experience of success and failure should be valuable. Our multi stage methodology enrolled the wisdom and experience of founders, managers and financiers of high-tech businesses to identify and categorise the importance of the factors and the role played by these factors. We found that success factors could be grouped as critical or as important. The first group categorised the idea, strategy, the core team's commitment, expertise and marketing as critical. Important factors were deemed to be management, customer relationships and research and development. The least important factors proved to be those external to the firm, the economy, politics and the general business environment. Overall the study emphasises that the attitudes and abilities of the core team are paramount. Although the model is based on the Israeli experience, many of the aspects are global. Consequently, the study may have broad applicability.

This study examines the role that gender played in the entrepreneurial actions of mature women in the process of starting and developing their businesses. The literature indicates that the characteristics of entrepreneuse and their businesses can be usefully categorised in terms of push and pull factors. Motivational pull factors are seen as broadly universal, fitting both men and women, but push factors, such as flexibility to accommodate domestic roles are presented as more important for women, Consequently our study examines mature entrepreneuse, who might be expected to have reduced domestic responsibilities. A sample of ten mature female entrepreneurs was selected because the literature indicated that there were specific "windows of entrepreneurial opportunity" in women's life stages. Such a window of opportunity could be expected to open when the demands of childrearing reduce as children become older. The respondents were interviewed in depth to explore the ramifications of gender in the motivation, expectations, purpose, action and outcomes of their business activities. We found that gender, in particular gender expectations, continued to play a significant configuring role in the way that these respondents operated their businesses.

This study reports on the consequences of endemic cattle and sheep disease (2001) on two separate areas on the tourist industry; (a) the Grampian Region of Scotland (indirectly affected) and (b) Cumbria in England (directly affected), and secondly on the effects of various crisis management strategies to alleviate the ensuing problems in both areas. Data were collected by a survey of a sample of 200 tourism orientated SME operators in Grampian and 170 businesses in Cumbria. The results show two forms of impact caused by the disease, direct and those less obvious or tangible. Direct impact was the dramatic loss of trade, most dramatically experienced by the lack of tourists visiting the areas. Indirect effects included loss of supply, change to the product offered and cuts in future investment. In the combination of these impacts, it was clear that the effects would have longevity far beyond the period of the actual crisis. Although the actual presence of the disease was geographically limited in Grampian, the consequences rippled out to affect areas that had no direct connection. In Cumbria, the effects were only slightly more severe but the response more direct and initially effective. Significantly the data also demonstrated a perception of minimal effort by the government to limit the consequences to the farming industry especially in Grampian. We conclude that the tourist industry in peripheral regions is fragile and highly vulnerable to any external shocks. However, we also note the ability of small rural firms to respond to such catastrophes and to avert the worst impacts of crisis.

This article describes a social construction of entrepreneurship by exploring the constructionalist building blocks of communication, myth, and metaphor presented in a major British middle range broadsheet newspaper with no particular party political allegiance. We argue that the sense-making role of figurative language is important because of the inherent problems in defining and describing the entrepreneurial phenomena. Myth and metaphor in newspapers create an entrepreneurial appreciation that helps define our understanding of the world around us. The content analysis of articles published in this newspaper revealed images of male entrepreneurs as dynamic wolfish charmers, supernatural gurus, successful skyrockets or community saviors and corrupters. Finally, this article relates the temporal construction of myth and metaphor to the dynamics of enterprise culture.

Abstract
This paper addresses the issue of the nature and context of business strategies in entrepreneurial small firms.
It examines a number of existing models of strategic planning and suggests that they cannot adequately cope with environmental uncertainty.
Developing the idea that effective strategy formation is processual in a stochastic environment, the paper proposes four alternative high‐level approaches (Meta strategies) entrepreneurial firms might use to cope with uncertainty.
These stress the notion of evolution as a direction rather than a series of staged events. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Oman provides an interesting context to examine how formal institutions encourage local enterprise. We examine the views of local entrepreneurs about the effectiveness of government policies that are intended to foster indigenous small business. We ask how they evaluate the entrepreneurial ecosystem. We provide an overview of the remarkable context, the Sultanate of Oman; a thriving oil based economy, but characterised by a high percentage of expatriate business ownership. Moreover, the current industrial and commercial structure looks unlikely to be able to provide sufficient satisfying jobs for the rapidly expanding youthful population. The government has responded by creating modern formal institutions to facilitate enterprise and by providing a number of well funded programs to enable local entrepreneurship. This forms the basis of our research problem, establishing how local entrepreneurs respond to these initiatives to address the low levels of local entrepreneurship. We conducted a face to face interview survey with 60 Omani SME owners asking about how well the initiatives had addressed their cultural and practical 'requirements'. We found that many respondents were motivated by a quest for independence coupled with the need for a 'good' job. However we also found that the sheer joy of entrepreneuring delighted some respondents. The initiatives had provided the means of achieving this self determination. The formal structures were very supportive; initial funding for example was readily available. However, we also found the informal structures were less developed. There was evidence of an emergent cognitive appeal and approval for entrepreneurship. We argue that there is need to develop such informal institutions to help existing businesses to grow and to cultivate an Omani enterprise culture.

AbstractSmall businesses are prototypical rural business, but limited by distance. However, creative businesses are less constrained by space and hold great promise for rural development. Indeed, the rural is an attractive creative aesthetic milieu. Moreover, new broadband technologies seem to offer a solution to address connectivity; the social and spatial problem of being rural. Consequently, we ask how does broadband enable small rural creative firms. We sought out the practices and experiences of creative business owners, finding that broadband offered useful technical, creative, and business linking. However many were frustrated by poor technical performance. Furthermore, the accelerating pace of ICT worried respondents, who feared being left behind. Nonetheless for most–without broadband their rural location would have been impossible. We found that broadband has fostered creative rural businesses, but as new ways of making a small country living rather than stimulating a rural creative milieu. The digital promise of a creative transformation of the rural has not been realised in Scotland.

Oman provides an interesting context to examine how formal institutions encourage local enterprise. We examine the views of local entrepreneurs about the effectiveness of government policies that are intended to foster indigenous small business. We ask how they evaluate the entrepreneurial ecosystem. We provide an overview of the remarkable context, the Sultanate of Oman; thriving oil based economy, but characterised by a high percentage of expatriate business ownership. Moreover, the current industrial and commercial structure looks unlikely to be able to provide sufficient satisfying jobs for the rapidly expanding youthful population. The government has responded by creating modern formal institutions to facilitate enterprise and by providing a number of well-funded programs to enable local entrepreneurship. This forms the basis of our research problem, establishing how local entrepreneurs respond to these initiatives to address the low levels of local entrepreneurship. We conducted a face-to-face interview -survey with 60 Omani SME owners asking about how well the initiatives had addressed their cultural and practical 'requirements'. We found that many respondents were motivated by a quest for independence coupled with the need for a 'good' job. However, we also found that the sheer joy of entrepreneuring delighted some respondents. The initiatives had provided the means of achieving this self-determination. The formal structures were very supportive; initial funding for example was readily available. However, we also found the informal structures were less developed. There was evidence of an emergent cognitive appeal and approval for entrepreneurship. We argue that there is need to develop such informal institutions to help existing businesses to grow and to cultivate an Omani enterprise culture.