Volume 10, Issue 37 (Fall 2021 2021)                   2021, 10(37): 77-96 | Back to browse issues page

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1- PhD graduate in Entrepreneurship, Business Accelerator Manager in Omid Khalaq
2- Assistant Professor, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Management, Gonbad Kavous University, Gorgan, Iran , Sanaeepour@gonbad.ac.ir
3- Assistant Professor Faculty of Humanities, , Department of Management, Gonbad Kavous University, Gorgan, Iran
Abstract:   (1646 Views)
Introduction
Economic actors must be prepared to identify and plan risks. In other words, businesses need to improve their resilience. Improving business resilience consists planning for risks and businesses capabilities for surviving and thriving despite unfavorable conditions. Business resilience is the structural and procedural dynamics that enable businesses to have the capacity to address challenges. Survival and development of businesses operating in today's unstable environment depends to some extent on their resilience. In this regard, eco-resorts call for improvement of their resilience capacity. Resilience capacity enhances the ability of eco-tourism businesses in the face of specific situations and accelerates transformational actions in the event of unexpected and important events and contributes to the long-term survival of the organization. To this end, the purpose of this study is modeling the resilience of eco resorts in rural areas of Giulan Province.  A literature review was conducted and verified the research gap in the importance of business resilience in rural areas and highlighted that no study has been conducted to address this issue. Also, it should be noted that the rural economy is not merely economic, but also social, political and security aspects, and this study can contribute to new perspectives on this matter.

Methodology

The present study is exploratory. The study uses a qualitative method and specifically a grounded theory, to model the resilience pattern of eco-tourism businesses in rural areas of Gilan Province. Semi-structured interviews with key practitioners and informants were used as the means of data collection. For this purpose, a snowball sampling was used. 18 interviewees were selected and the collected information reached saturation point. For data analysis, the systematic method of Strauss and Corbin was performed in three main steps: open coding, axial coding and selective coding. After conducting interviews and integrating common themes using the grounded theory method, the categories were divided into six groups: causal factors, context factors, axial phenomenon or component, intervening factors, strategies and consequences, and ultimately a paradigmatic model was designed. The validity of the research tool was confirmed by participants, and peers. The reliability of the results was evaluated by several experts on the topic and the final model was extracted.

Discussion and conclusion
Based on the findings, the causal factors of the research include the variables of entrepreneurial attitude (including entrepreneurial awareness and identification, discovery and creation of opportunities in rural areas), entrepreneurial orientation and leadership, entrepreneurial characteristics, technology-based entrepreneurship and strategic entrepreneurial perspective of business owners in this rural region.
Also, intervention factors were identified as variables of creative and innovative milieu, entrepreneurial culture of rural areas, customer service and networking between entrepreneurs and residents of rural areas, communication and coordination within the organization and stakeholders, social exchange of the local community.
The context factors of the research consisted of the development of public and technological infrastructure in rural areas, improving the macroeconomic and social environment, promoting institutional arrangements (government, public sector and market), rural destinations and attractions and their uniqueness.
Eco tourism business resilience strategies comprise creating virtual social networks for promoting rural businesses, financial supports, administrative supports, political supports, legal supports, advertising, marketing and branding of rural businesses, improving individual and managerial skills of rural economic actors, reviewing business plans, strategic planning of human capital, providing a sustainable competitive advantage (competitiveness) for rural businesses and knowledge management for local people.
In conclusion, the resilience of eco-tourism businesses leads to consequences such as sustainability, durability and flexibility of rural businesses, exploiting business opportunities in rural areas, creating security in rural areas by establishing sustainable development (socio-cultural, economic and environmental), job creation, social welfare, prosperity of the local economy and reverse migration to rural areas.
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Type of Study: Research | Subject: Special
Received: 2021/12/15 | Accepted: 2021/12/1

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