Small tourist firms in rural areas: agility, vulnerability and survival in the face of crisis

Abstract

This paper reports on the quintessential rural small firm, the tourist service provider and explores the impact of the recent foot and mouth outbreak. A theoretical framework is employed which proposes that many rural small firms capture and commodify the values that are inherent in the countryside. Part of this process is the portrayal of image and is an essential element of the new economy of signs and symbols. This image was critically challenged during the outbreak and thus affords us a unique opportunity to examine what happens, the impacts and effects, on small rural business when the image is tarnished. The findings show that small firms in rural areas suffered badly, even in areas where there was no disease. This leads one to argue that the effects of the disease were generated, less by fact, and more by the production of image. However, it was also found that rural small firms were extremely flexible in their responses to the crisis. In turn this seems to suggest that many small rural businesses may have a particular resilience which augurs well for sustainability.

Local Community Entrepreneurship: A Case Study of the Lenggong Valley

“…Lack of community support would discourage local community involvement in entrepreneurship (Richards & Hall, 2000). The results are in accordance with the literature that presents constraints for entrepreneurs in the tourism section such as lack of expertise in business, lack of access to financial resources, and managerial flaws (Ateljevic & Doorne, 2000;Irvine & Anderson, 2004;Ateljevic, 2009). …”

Crisis plan? What crisis plan! How microentrepreneurs manage in a crisis

“…Many writers make definitions and links between crisis and disaster (Urquhart, 1997, Faulkner, 2001, Faulkner and Vikulov, 2001, Faulkner, 2003, Miller and Ritchie, 2003, Irvine and Anderson, 2004, Ritchie, 2004. Selbst (1978) in Faulkner (2003: 246) and in Ritchie (2004: 670) define a crisis as 'any action or failure to act that interferes with an organisation's ongoing functions, the acceptable attainment of its objectives, its viability or survival, or that has a detrimental personal effect as perceived by the majority of its employees, clients or constituents.'…”

How CEOs And TMTs Build Adaptive Capacity In Small Entrepreneurial Firms

“…Small entrepreneurial firms are often depicted as proactive and agile (Irvine and Anderson, 2004;Golann, 2006;Pisano, 2006;Katila et al, 2012). However, evidence indicates that they are in fact highly fragile organizational entities that often fail to survive beyond three years (Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 2001; The European Commission (EC), 2013; UK Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), 2008; US Small Business Administration (SBA), 2006).…”