Passion over pragmatism: the motivation of Australian winery owners

Steve Charters, Beth Walker and Alan Brown

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2016, vol. 29, issue 4, 512-527

Abstract: The Australian wine industry is dominated by small and medium enterprises. Many of these businesses incorporate primary, secondary and tertiary activities which require a range of management skills to succeed in an increasingly competitive market. The motives of owner/managers for being in this industry are varied and potentially impact on the success enjoyed by their business. Using interviews with the owner/managers of small businesses this paper explores these varying motives, how they may change, and their impact on strategies and business performance. Findings suggest two possible dimensions of motivation: firstly a dimension ranging on an axis from passion for making wine to being solely interested in a 'business for profit' and secondly a dimension around being in business for personal or external reasons. Clusters of wineries are identified based on these dimensions, highlighting the diversity of small business owner/managers motivations in this industry. Further, the reasons for entering and staying in the wine industry may change over time.

Keywords: Australia; wine industry; motivation; winegrowing SMEs; small and medium-sized enterprises; business culture; passion; management skills; winery owners; wineries; winemaking. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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