The interaction between contexts and entrepreneurs in a rural setting : investigating men and women entrepreneurs in the coordinated network Fjärdhundraland

Sammanfattning: Research has shown an increased interest regarding the meaning of contextual factors and their effect on entrepreneurial activities. It is shown that the entrepreneur’s surroundings possess a greater meaning to the entrepreneurial activities than what earlier research has revealed. Hence, it is an element that ought to be more thoroughly researched beyond the fact that it does affect entrepreneurship, and instead aim for research regarding how it affects entrepreneurship. Additionally, entrepreneurs are often associated with certain attributes, such as having strong driving forces, seeking independence and being risk takers. However, these are traits moreover often associated with men and masculinity, which may be founded in norms and stereotypes created in society. At the same time, there is an increase in women entrepreneurs, leading to speculations regarding differences in how the genders perform entrepreneurial activities. If differences are frequently present – what are they and are they affected by stereotypes created in social and institutional contexts, or other? This thesis illustrates how rural, social entrepreneurs may interact with spatial, social and institutional context. The aim of the study is to with a “lens of gender” investigate how three different levels of contexts interact with rural entrepreneurs in a coordinated network and thus affect the entrepreneurial process. The investigated coordinated network Fjärdhundraland is an association aiming at increasing entrepreneurial activity in the area around Enköping, Örsundsbro and Uppsala, as well as maintaining a prosperous countryside. Networks exist in different forms (for example in the form of friends or business relations) and are vital success factors in the entrepreneurial process. They have the ability to provide credibility, serve as intermediary to key persons or events, help create an insight of the industry and more. The study is a single case study with embedded units and is moreover performed through interviewing 11 entrepreneurs in 8 firms (members in Fjärdhundraland). It is shown that the interviewees have gained positive effects, such as more customers, social interaction and collaboration benefits with other members. Moreover, through the network exists a united way to communicate the message of a vibrant rural area. Also, the entrepreneurs are not competitors, but co-workers. They are deeply spatially embedded in the area and the place is shown to be as important as the business itself. Furthermore, ever since the network was initiated the area has been reshaped and developed to become a tourist destination offering a holistic experience of the nature, history and places to visit. The entrepreneurs are perceived to be not directly, but rather indirectly affected by societal norms, stereotypes and values. However, since they are part of society, they also influence societal norms. There are more women than men who are members in the association as well as there are more women than men who run businesses stereotypically associated with women, such as cafés and Bed and Breakfasts. Also, women seem to be more drawn to networks and to the feeling of group belonging. Suggestions for future research are to examine contextual aspects in combination with personal characteristics to gain a broader understanding of individuals’ entrepreneurial intentions, and to perform a longitudinal study of same type since entrepreneurship and context are phenomena that characterize by complexity and processing over time.