Seasonality is a common phenomenon in the tourism industry around the world. Húsavík, a town on the northern coast of Iceland, has experienced tremendous growth in tourism in recent years and is sometimes recognised as the „Whale Watching Capital of Europe‟. However, Húsavík faces extreme seasonality with high demand mainly during the summer months and limited or no demand at other times of the year. As is emphasised in the tourism literature and widely in practice, seasonality is frequently seen as a problem for the tourism industry which has to be tackled. Academic research has never before been done on seasonality in Húsavík and the aim of this thesis is to understand the nature of seasonality within the tourism industry in Húsavík and discover potential ways to reduce seasonality in Húsavík tourism. In order to fulfil the aim, qualitative semi-structured interviews were undertaken with six tourism managers in Húsavík to investigate their perceptions of seasonality and if and how it could be managed. The results confirmed that the peripheral location of the destination stimulates seasonality and it poses major economic challenges for tourism businesses in Húsavík. Managers would prefer a longer tourism season. Several recommendations were provided for how to reduce seasonality such as develop other attractions than whale watching, improve accessibility, focus marketing on seasons outside the summer, and offer winter packages for foreign and domestic tourists.

During the last decades a stronger role for the regions has developed in many West European countries. To a significant degree this regionalisation trend has coincided with European integration. The key change in the role of the regional level has been with regard to its status as an agent of regional development. In most West European countries there has been a shift from an approach to regional policy that has focused on redistributive measures from the centre in which the regions play a relatively weak role to a perspective that is sometimes labelled “new regionalism” in which the focus is on the region taking responsibility for its own development. In this new regionalist perspective, which is both descriptive and normative, the region is considered as the appropriate arena for both economic activities and decision-making. In the political systems of the Nordic countries the regional level has traditionally been in a relatively weak position and regional policy has emphasized centralisation and redistributive measures. Not unexpectedly, the pan-European trend toward a stronger role for the region has also found its way to the Nordic countries. The aim of this study is to describe and analyze if and to what extent key actors in three peripheral regions, situated in countries with a strong tradition of redistribution from the centre and a weak role for the regional level, have embraced the new regionalist perspective. The three regions are Troms in Norway, Pohjois-Pohjanmaa in Finland and Västerbotten in Sweden. All are peripherally located with small populations and economies that rely heavily on natural resources. The analysis is based on interviews with regional and local politicians, civil servants, and business representatives. The empirical material is presented in the form of narratives formulated by the regional actors who express their views on regional policy and the role of the region. The results of the study show that regional actors in the three peripheries express similar narratives. To a certain degree actors have embraced the new regionalist perspective in the sense that they see the regional level as an important coordinator for development initiatives and measures. However, the actors’ claims for a stronger regional level must be understood in the context of the unitary state. In this context, the actors’ perspective combines the new regionalist and the centralist redistributive approach, one that can be labelled ‘redistributive regionalism’. The state remains the key actor and is expected to guarantee equal conditions in all parts of the country. The emphasis on strengthening the administrative region is more pronounced in Troms and Västerbotten than in Pohjois-Pohjanmaa, where instead there is a stronger focus on the functional region. Actors in the three regions do not see any contradiction between a strong state and increased regional influence on development issues. In sum, the study finds that the new regionalist perspective has been embraced to a certain extent but that it has been adapted to national characteristics, as well as to the specific conditions in the three regions.

Owing to their gigantic participation in global economic growth, the phenomenon of SMEs internationalization has become the centre of attention for numerous researchers. Starting from Uppsala model (1977) to born-global approaches today, scholars have been coming up with several theories and models time to time. An in-depth study of literature concerning SMEs internationalization, however, reveals that extant literature has primarily focused on firms that are operating from metropolitan or core regions of the world. It has largely ignored the vast peripheral and non-metropolitan regions of the world from where a great number of SMEs are operating in foreign markets. Particularly increasing number of small high-tech firms with ‘low to no demand’ in domestic market coupled with higher returns available in global markets are induced to internationalize despite intimidating challenges of periphery. Consequently, internationalization phenomenon from said locations, even in face of daunting challenges that hinder SMEs growth, turns out to be an attention-grabbing area – hence worth-investigating! The purpose of this study is to investigate the phenomenon of internationalization that is being pursued by SMEs located in non-metropolitan regions that offer unique constraints and challenges. More specifically, the objective is to explore the kind of entrepreneurial skills and talent that is required to develop networking relations with key players and to eventually internationalize from a peripheral location. To carry out this research, eight semi-structured interviews were conducted informally with key individuals from five small high-tech international firms located in North region of Sweden – a non-metropolitan region. Based on the findings, a conceptual model is developed which underlines that an entrepreneur in non-metropolitan regions should: possess global mind-set, social and team formation skills, and, industry experience; develop social, business and incessant snowball networks by efficiently utilizing his social skills; understand the peripheral challenges like: lack of financial resources, scarcity of non-tech professionals, being far away from core markets, absence of agglomeration advantage and travelling time and cost; and on the same time exploit the peripheral advantages which include loyal, hardworking, less salaried and easily retained employees, and, easy life and exotic climate that exclusively prevail in non-metropolitan regions. Having possessed skills, developed networks, and exploited the opportunities, the entrepreneur is now able to build a pool of potential and strength which minimizes the effect of constraints that he has already understood . As a result he can successfully pursue internationalization from a non-metropolitan region. We believe that this study has contributed both theoretically and practically and will inspire future empirical or conceptual research regarding this important topic. / CiiR(Centre for Interorganizational Innovation Research)

The definition of the periphery can be made in in different ways, based on the concepts emphisized in different theoretical discussions. Correspondingly, different peripheries appear in Europe from the perspectives of these different definitions. The thesis puts forward five different definitions of the periphery / definition of the periphery based on income and income growth differentials / definition of the periphery by using economic structure, employment and population potentials / definition of the periphery based on welfare conditions / definition of the periphery based on externalities / and definition of the periphery based on endogenous growth dynamics. All these definitions produce different core-periphery maps of Europe. The evidence is based on the use of cluster analysis to identify different groups of regions homogenous in terms of variables that belong to every one of these five definitions. The result confirms that there are different peripheries in Europe. One region that is categorised as core can fall into a peripheral group in a different clasification. This shows that there is not only one type of periphery in Europe, but that different peripheries appear in case of the usage of different variables. The thesis also argues that there is a need for regional policies that do not the define the periphery as a homogenous area by considering only income differentials, but that identifies different peripheries that have different needs and problems, and devise instruments accordingly.

The diploma thesis is focused on defining the peripheral regions in the Czech Republic. This topic is still very actual, both nationally, and internationally. Study of definition of unexposed regions is a part of comprehensive research of the territory polarization. Concern about this question was intensifying during the nineties. This time was characterized by growing differentiation between regions. This evoked interest about rise and progress of periphery. The theoretical part consists of important concepts, major theoretical approaches, policies and principles, which define the periphery of concern. Also development of interest in the Czech Republic is described as well as situation in foreign countries and time comparison. Practical knowledge of methods in the Czech Republic are summarized in conclusion of the thesis.

The peripheral region of South Sinai in Egypt is experiencing large-scale tourism development on the Gulf of Aqaba coast. Its Bedouin community is facing great challenges in its struggle for livelihood and transformation from a pastoral and fishing community to an urbanized one. This case study employs a political ecology approach to examine development on the coast in relation to its Bedouin community. The study revealed that the contextual sources of rapid development beginning in 1986 included urban, economic, and national defense policies; increased integration within international tourism markets; and support from international aid agencies. The study concluded that the tourism development boom contributes to Bedouin marginalization. Bedouin livelihood no longer depends on fishing and grazing as means of subsistence as expansion of tourism resorts along the coast has displaced other land-uses and denied Bedouin fishermen access to the sea. Tourism resorts and tourism operations controlled by multinational corporations leave little economic benefits to local Bedouins who engage in marginal tourism-related activities. Migrant entrepreneurs from other parts of Egypt compete with Bedouins over work opportunities. Regional and local plans point to increased tourism development and in-migration. This will result in further marginalization of Bedouins if development planning does not consider Bedouin interests. This research comes at a critical time to address some of the issues related to Bedouin marginalization and to recommend alternative development approaches and Bedouin community-based projects. It sets the stage for further research on regional development of South Sinai; the role of national parks in sustaining Bedouins; and future role of civil society. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning

Dans le cas des DOM, singulièrement la Guadeloupe, qui sont à l'aube de l'expérimentation de réformes profondes de politiques économiques, l'élaboration d'un outil de simulation macroéconomique tel qu'un MEGC apparaît naturellement comme une exigence plus que souhaitable. Ce recours à la construction de modèles spécifiques pour les DOM est en parfaite cohérence avec l'une des principales conclusions du rapport d'information diligenté par le Sénat aux lendemains de la crise sociale du début de l'année 2009. Les appels à projet de la Commission europèenne et du Ministère de l'Outre-mer vont justement dans le sens de pallier celte carence puisque la politique économique des RUP de façon générale est conduite à vue sans aucun outil d'investigation ex ante. Nous avons conçu plusieurs modèles. Parmi eux, CloDyn est le premier modèle macroéconomique pour les DOM à vocationopérationnelle. Composée de plus de 2000 équations, ce modèle d'équilibre général calculable tient compte de nombreuses rigidités sur les marchés des biens et services et du travail et se décline sous deux versions: statique et dynamique. Les élasticités ont fait l'objet d'estimations économétriques. Il tient compte de nombreuses spécificités tant au niveau de la fiscalité de ces régions (octroi de mer, taxe sur les carburants, subventions à l'exportation) que du coût des facteurs (exonérations des charges sur les bas salaires, sur rémunératio des fonctionnaires). Il repose sur une formalisation des mécanismes en oeuvre dans ces économies que nous avons appelé le DOM disease pour expliquer les dysfonctionnements persistants sur le plan macroéconomique. / In the case of the French overseas regions, particularly of Guadeloupe, which are just beginning to experiment with economic policies radical reforrns, the development of a macroeconomic simulation tool such as a CGE model appears naturally as a highly desirable requirement. The use of the construction of specifie models for DOM is fully consistent with a major finding of the report commissioned by the Senate in the aftermath of the social crisis of the early 2009. As a malter of facts, the purpose of the calls for project initiated by the European Commission and the Ministry of Overseas is to remedy this deficiency, since the RUP economie policy is generally to conduct no investigation tool ex ante. We designed several models. Among them, CloDyn is the first operational DOM-based macroeconomic rnodel. Composed of more than 2000 equations, this computable general equilibrium model takes into account many rigidities in the markets for goods and services and labor and is available in two versions: static and dynamic. Elasticities have been econometrically estimated. lt rests on many features of both taxation (dock dues, fuel tax, export subsidies) and the cost factors (exemption from charges on low wages, remuneration of civil servants). Il is based on a formalization of the mechanisms at work in these economies we calied the DOM disease to explain the persistent failures in such economies. lt also evaluates the monetary poverty among households with the use of a block of microsimulation model and we allow a profane in GAMS to use this tool and conduct its own analytical work thanks to a user friendly interface.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:51:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 FelicidadeJC_DISSERT.pdf: 1319475 bytes, checksum: 2ded949f816fffa65b74a382748d9b1d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-13 / The current debate on rural development focuses on the territorial approach, recognizing the multifunctional character of rural areas. Emphasize the use of endogenous forces, the need of implement policies which valorize local specificities, the participation of social actors in revitalization of rural areas. In this context tourism enters as a means to induce a new dynamic to rural areas, since the activity is regarded as a channel for the upgrading of the natural and cultural resources and the rural way of life. This study focuses on local-based tourism as a promoter of rural development, giving an analysis of the social reality and potential for this tourism in the district of Dondo. In it, is proposed to analyze the potential for development of local-based tourism in the district of Dondo, assessing the extent to which local reality enables the inclusion of the community in the management of local tourism resources. For this, was showed the inclusion of local-based tourism in the current context of rural development, was identified and organized systematically the factors that influence the implementation of local-based tourism in the study area and was verified as far as possible the study area corresponds to the constraints identified, showing how local-based tourism can best been encouraged. Was adopted a qualitative methodological approach to both the procedures and data processing, but also by critical approach, using bibliographical research, semi-structured interviews that fell on the group of public administrators who work in tourism and community leaders. The critical analysis was based on the principles of sustainability o Sachs particular ecological, social, cultural, economic, space, beyond the analysis of political and institutional aspects. The survey results show that the district of Dondo has a potential for implementing a model of tourism development on a local basis, since it is rich in natural and cultural research, benefits from good network accessibility in the context of the market in the region, the population live according to their habits and customs and value their identity. There is also a good cooperation between community members, although not in tourism, a fact which is observed through the lever of community participation in associations, cooperatives, working in areas such as agriculture, fishing, environment, civic education etc. It also has public funding sources to augment or stimulate local investment. Despite obstacles such as inexistence of policies and local plans for tourism development, lack of awareness of tourism, lack of basic infrastructure, as well as equipment and facilities to support tourism, the results shows that these problems can be solved through a public commitment from both government, and community through a joint planning and participation / O atual debate sobre desenvolvimento rural focaliza a abordagem territorial, reconhecendo o car?ter multifuncional do espa?o rural. Enfatiza o aproveitamento das for?as end?genas, a necessidade de implementa??o de pol?ticas que valorizem as especificidades locais, a participa??o dos atores sociais na dinamiza??o e revitaliza??o do espa?o rural. ? neste contexto que o turismo entra como um dos poss?veis meios para induzir uma nova din?mica no espa?o rural, visto que a atividade ? tida como um canal para a revaloriza??o dos recursos naturais e culturais, bem como do modo de vida rural. Este estudo trata do turismo de base local como indutor de desenvolvimento rural, traduzindo-se numa an?lise da realidade e das potencialidades no distrito de Dondo. Nele se prop?s analisar as potencialidades para a implanta??o do turismo de base local no Distrito de Dondo, avaliando at? que ponto a realidade local possibilita a inclus?o da comunidade na gest?o dos recursos tur?sticos locais. Para tal mostrou-se a inser??o do turismo de base local no atual contexto de desenvolvimento rural; identificou-se e organizou-se sistematicamente os fatores que condicionam a implementa??o do turismo de base comunit?ria na ?rea de estudo; e verificou-se at? que ponto a ?rea estudada corresponde aos condicionantes identificados, mostrando como o turismo de base local pode ser melhor incentivado. Adotou-se como recurso metodol?gico a abordagem qualitativa, tanto pelos procedimentos e tratamento de dados, como tamb?m, pela abordagem cr?tica, utilizou-se tamb?m, a pesquisa bibliogr?fica e documental, as entrevistas semi-estruturadas direcionadas ao grupo de gestores p?blicos que atuam em turismo e lideres comunit?rios. A an?lise critica foi feita com base nos princ?pios de sustentabilidade, nomeadamente sustentabilidade ambiental, social, cultural, econ?mica e espacial, para al?m da an?lise dos aspectos pol?tico-institucionais. Os resultados da pesquisa mostram que o distrito de Dondo apresenta um potencial para implementa??o de um modelo de desenvolvimento de turismo de base local, pois ele ? rico em recursos naturais e culturais, beneficia-se de uma boa rede de acessibilidade no contexto do mercado da regi?o, a popula??o vive segundo os seus h?bitos e costumes e valorizam a sua identidade. Constata-se tamb?m uma boa coopera??o entre os membros da comunidade, embora n?o seja em turismo, fato que se observa atrav?s do n?vel de participa??o da comunidade em associa??es, cooperativas e n?cleos atuando em ?reas como agricultura, pesca, extra??o de carv?o vegetal, ambiente, educa??o c?vica, etc. Possui tamb?m fontes de financiamento p?blico para incrementar ou estimular o investimento local. Apesar de obst?culos como inexist?ncia de pol?ticas e planos locais para o desenvolvimento do turismo, falta de consci?ncia em rela??o ao turismo, insufici?ncia em infra-estruturas b?sicas, bem como em equipamentos e meios de apoio ao turismo, denota-se que estes problemas podem ser solucionados por meio de um comprometimento tanto do setor p?blico, como da comunidade atrav?s de uma planifica??o conjunta e participativa

The rapid growth of the global economy in the last two decades has created a new economic reality in many municipalities in peripheral regions of Sweden. Having earlier relied on traditional industry as the source of employment, today municipalities in peripheral regions are struggling to survive in a completely changed economic landscape, with new conditions for development. The dismantling of trade barriers, accessibility of new markets for production, and faster and cheaper modes of communication and transportation have combined in changing the conditions for development. While historically peripheral regions have depended on manufacturing firms as a source of employment, indications today show that local and regional development is enhanced through the development of locally acquired relationships that promote knowledge creation and transmission. In the past, the Swedish government had put in place measures to promote a degree of regional parities. These included enticement schemes to industry and the relocation of public bodies. Faced with the global winds of change that have arisen in the last few decades, this approach is becoming unsustainable. The overall aim of this dissertation is to contribute to the research aimed at enhancing regional economic development and to increase the understanding of as well as give insights into local economic development processes aimed at meeting global challenges in a peripheral region. In it I explore the two interrelated questions of 1) what are the mechanisms influencing location of economic activities and industrial policy in peripheral regions? 2) How do these mechanisms manifest themselves in a peripheral region? In this study, three case studies of local development processes in the two municipalities of Ljusdal and Söderhamn, in the geographical region of Hälsingland are presented. The case studies are named the business case, the policy case and the hybrid case to reflect the mechanisms that induced them. / Den globala ekonomins snabba tillväxt under de senaste två decennierna har skapat en ny ekonomisk verklighet i många svenska periferiregioner. Från att tidigare ha kunnat förlita sig på traditionell industri som grund för sysselsättningen, så måste dessa regioner idag kämpa för sin överlevnad i ett mycket annorlunda ekonomiskt landskap, med nya förutsättningar för utveckling. Avvecklingen av handelshinder, tillgång till nya produktionsmarknader samt snabbare och billigare sätt att kommunicera och transportera har tillsammans förändrat förutsättningarna för utveckling. Historiskt sett har sysselsättningen i periferiregioner varit beroende av tillverkningsindustrin, men idag finns tecken som tyder på att den lokala och regionala utvecklingen förstärks av lokalt förvärvade relationer som stödjer skapande och överföring av kunskaper. Förr vidtog den svenska regeringen mått och steg för att befrämja regional jämlikhet. Till exempel skapade man lockmedel för industrin och förflyttade statliga verk. De senaste decenniernas globala förändringar gör dessa metoder otillräckliga. Det övergripande syftet med den här avhandlingen är att bidra till den forskning vars syfte är att gynna regional ekonomisk utveckling och att öka förståelsen av och ge insikt i lokala ekonomiska utvecklingsprocesser som försöker möta dagens globala utmaningar för periferiregioner. Följande två sammanhängande frågor utforskas: 1) Vilka mekanismer påverkarlokaliseringen av ekonomiska aktiviteter och industriell politik i periferiregioner? 2) Hur visar sig dessa mekanismer i lokala utvecklingsprocesser i en periferiregion?I den här avhandlingen presenteras tre fallstudier som beskriver lokala utvecklingsprocesser i de två kommunerna Ljusdal och Söderhamn, båda belägna i Hälsingland. För att reflektera demekanismer som framkallat dem, kallas de tre fallstudierna för företagsstudien, policystudien och hybridstudien. / QC 20100616

This is a study of how industries develop in regions that are industrially weak, exemplified by Norrbotten, the northernmost province of Sweden. Developing industries are represented by three companies manufacturing prefabricated wooden houses, situated in the municipalities Övertorneå, Kalix (Morjärv) and Älvsbyn in the interior of Norrbotten.For the period ending in 1918, the economy of Norrbotten is analysed in terms of staple theory. Thereafter, an analysis in dependency theoretic terms is judged to be more relevant. The communities in which the house factories are located are described similarly.Övertorneåand Mor j ärv are in the periphery of a peripheral region. There has never been any locally generated economic life of any importance. The house factory in the community first mentioned was established there in 1970 by AMS (The Swedish Labour Market Board). The other one was started by a local entrepreneur in the 1930's. It has changed hands several times, being incorporated into ever larger conglomerates. The third company studied was started by a local carpenter who still controls it. The factory is located in Älvsbyn, near Piteå, which has to be considered the center of the periphery.The integration of these three companies with other local firms, and their economic importance was studied in terms of their buying behavior. The method of investigation was a study of the internal records of the firms.All three of the companies showed that a decrease in the local and regional shares of their total purchases took place between the sample years studied. A comparison of the companies showed the Älvsby factory, the one locally initiated and controlled, to have by far more solid local and regional foundations than the other two. This could partly be explained by firm-related theories but the most important factor seemed to be the industrial tradition in the communities. Industrial tradition is a factor mostly determined by the position of a community in a dependency hierarchy, in part however, it is controllable by local decision-makers and individual entrepreneurs.Even for the company with the best local foundations, there was a drop in local and regional shares of purchases. The reason for this is the size of the company in relation to other local industries. The company has reached the limits of the capacity of the local community to support it. Such limits exist everywhere but their exact level depends on the status of the community and region they are in, the line of industry, the nature of ownership, etc.A series of implications for regional politics can be derived from the present study. Economic measures designed to improve weak industrial areas should be undertaken with utmost care in order not to damage existing local economy. Much greater efforts should be made to study the conditions of existing economic life and its potential for change, i.e. to study the historical development. / digitalisering@umu