Thesis

Tourism entrepreneurship in transition economies : unpacking the socio-economic contexts

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Awarding institution
  • University of Strathclyde
Date of award
  • 2010
Thesis identifier
  • T13133
Qualification Level
Qualification Name
Department, School or Faculty
Abstract
  • This study combines the fields of entrepreneurship and tourism and hospitality entrepreneurship. In general, entrepreneurship and small businesses have been widely researched, whereas tourism and hospitality entrepreneurship have received less academic attention. The research has been dominated by a Western economies discourse and a positivist philosophy with a pre-conceptualised hypothesis. In addition, the data collection was carried out by researchers who are neutral and value-free. This combination of methodological factors results in knowledge and theory saturated with technical extra-disciplinary knowledge. The aim of this research was to explore the process of entrepreneurship within small hotels in the setting of the former socialist country Croatia. Therefore, account is taken of the social context where entrepreneurs operate as it is argued that entrepreneurship represents primarily a human process that is shaped within the host social setting and cultural milieu of the social actors. The methodological aim of the research was to create emancipatory knowledge. In order to achieve this goal, conventional Western wisdom is challenged and the voices of those who are marginalised in previous studies are introduced, along with the context of former socialist economies, the voice of the researcher through reflexive practice and by giving an agency to those being researched (small hotel proprietors). This results in the development of a data-generated conceptual framework which shows that Western academic orthodoxy such as: the concept of lifestyle entrepreneur; the owner-manager's intention to grow; management strategies undertaken; or preferences towards networking have to be challenged and critically analysed. The existence of such different world views is explained in the thesis by a variety of disciplinary lenses and research methodologies employed when researching both fields and by influences of the host society culture, as well as its economic and political system.
Resource Type
DOI
Date Created
  • 2010
Former identifier
  • 946745

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