The Entrepreneurial Environment in Greek Rural Areas: The Entrepreneur’s Viewpoint

Charisia Vlachou, Olga Iakovidou, Panagiota Sergaki and Georgios Menexes
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Charisia Vlachou: Faculty of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Olga Iakovidou: Faculty of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Panagiota Sergaki: Faculty of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Georgios Menexes: Faculty of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-15

Abstract: The business environment that prevails in a region has a significant influence on the businesses operating in that geographical area. A strong business environment can enhance not only the growth and success of businesses, but also their retention and sustainable development in the area. The literature review shows that a small number of empirical studies have examined the business environment in rural areas. This research attempts to highlight the factors (road access, technology infrastructure, etc.) that make up the business environent in rural areas, as well as to clarify the degree of satisfaction that the entrepreneurs themselves derive from them. For the purposes of the survey, a questionnaire was filled in by 240 entrepreneurs from rural areas in the Regional Unit (RU) of Serres, in the northern part of Greece, who assessed their satisfaction with the business environment using a five-point Likert-type scale, through personal interviews. The principal component analysis identified six factors, which showed higher satisfaction among the categories of “infrastructure” and “social capital”.

Keywords: entrepreneurship; entrepreneurial environment/climate; entrepreneurs; rural areas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:4:p:1719-:d:494138

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