Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2008. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains x, 202 p. : ill. (some col.), col. map. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 170-185).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2006. / Title from title screen (site viewed May 22, 2007). PDF text: v, 165 p. : ill. ; 1.54Mb UMI publication number: AAT 3237053. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Thesis (Ph. D.) -- Lincoln University, 2009. / Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M. Econ.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Xeror copy of typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 89-90).

Thesis (M.Econ.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 89-90). Also available in print.

The rate of adoption of renewable energy (RE) production and associated enterprises onfarms in the UK has been lower than expected suggesting that the UK government’s energy, agricultural and climate change objectives may not be achieved. The aim of this research is to investigate why this is the case by assessing the uptake, motivations, constraints and the factors affecting farmers’ RE investment intentions. Building on extant research literature (institutional theory, social cognition theory, theory of planned behaviour and the resource based view) a novel comprehensive and multidimensional model of entrepreneurial intentions was developed and tested using principal component, path and multivariate regression analysis techniques. Data were collected to test the model through a sample of 2000 farmers in the West Midlands Region of the UK. Of the 393 farmers who responded, 14% adopted RE enterprises, with half of adopters reporting slight to significant improvements in farm business performance in 2009. Solar panels were the most popular of the RE technologies available to farmers, compared to biomass related technologies. The study found that the most influential personal level factors contributing to the adoption of RE and associated technologies were cognitive such as the level of education. Of current 338 non-adopters, 66% might decide to invest in RE technologies over the next five years. For these potential adopters, the study shows that the type of tenure, educational attainment and the type of farm business diversification activity in which a farmer is engaged are the most significant personal and farm business situational factors which influence farmers’ RE investment intentions though contrary to expectation current non-adopters assessed the policy support framework more favourably than current adopters. The explanation of this seems to be connected with timing, in that two very positive and encouraging signals in relation to ii Feed in Tariffs (2010) and the Renewable Heat Incentive (2011) were underway or near introduction before this research took place. The study provides the first empirical evidence of the effects of the multidimensional measures of the country’s institutional profile on farmers’ RE investment intentions. Secondly, it clarifies the distinct role played by national formal and informal institutions on farmers’ investment intentions showing that informal institutions and not formal regulatory factors have a direct effect on farmers’ intentions to invest in RE enterprises. Thirdly, the investigation reveals that social acceptability of entrepreneurship in the RE sector is negatively related to investment intentions and moderates the efficacy of formal government policies in influencing entrepreneurial behaviour in the RE sector. The study concludes that any study that relies only on one type of institution will be making significant prediction mistakes. This study provides further support for cognitive based process models of intentions by showing strong significant positive effects of perceived self-efficacy and perceived desirability of RE enterprises on investment intentions. In fact, the study shows that farmers’ attitudes towards RE explain the highest amount of variance in investment intentions over and above the combined effect of external resource and institutional factors. The study illustrates that perceived self-efficacy and perceived desirability of RE enterprises mediate the effect of the rich set of exogenous variables investigated in this study on investment intentions and argues that policy makers need to focus on improving the regulatory, cognitive and normative institutional environments as a way to improve attitudes towards RE and consequently their intentions to invest in these enterprises.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Entrepreneurship))-University of Pretoria, 2004. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Abstract Currently there is a significant change occurring in the area of Finnish agriculture. The amount of farms is decreasing while the average farm size is increasing. Farms have sought for additional income sources outside of agriculture. Already one third of Finnish farms take part in other business activities in addition to agriculture. The main objective of this doctoral thesis is to increase the understanding of the activities of farm related businesses and to find factors by which their development can be promoted. The subject is analysed from a business management point of view. The thesis covers strategies, business models, resource based theory, business development, factors affecting development, problems, and a need for external support. This study follows the hermeneutic approach. The subject under study is complex and diversified, thus, it is approached qualitatively. The farm related case firms (18 in all) represent food processing, tourism, and machine contracting. Farm related enterprises are a heterogeneous group. Some common features were, however, identified in the case firms. The research confirms earlier knowledge indicating that farm related firms have stronger skills in production than in marketing. There are no official strategy processes in use and the strategic planning and strategy implementation are closer to those of the entrepreneurial school. The resource analysis shows that the resources giving competitive advantage to firms with different business ideas vary even within the same business sector. The research confirms the viewpoint that additional business is not simply a transition stage from agriculture to other business activities, but both of them can be active in parallel. The research shows that there are differences between additional business sectors relating to how easy it is to run the business. Machine contracting seems to pose the least problems compared to the other sectors analysed in this study. The research shows that the entrepreneurs do not recognise the reasons behind the problems. The diversified business practises result in a feeling of being insufficient, especially when the farm takes a part of the resources. Farm related businesses should, even to a greater extent than other small firms, focus their business activities. This research lays a foundation for understanding the business models, resources, and development paths of the farm related businesses and gives recommendations for how to promote additional businesses on farms. / Tiivistelmä Suomen maataloudessa on meneillään voimakas rakennemuutos. Maatilojen määrä vähenee ja tilojen keskikoko kasvaa. Tilat etsivät uusia toimeentulolähteitä maatalouden ulkopuolisista toiminnoista. Jo kolmannes Suomen maatiloista harjoittaa myös muuta yritystoimintaa maa- ja metsätalouden lisäksi. Tämän väitöskirjan päätavoitteena on lisätä ymmärrystä maatilakytkentäisten yritysten toiminnasta ja kehittymisestä sekä löytää tekijöitä, joilla niiden kehittymistä voidaan edistää. Asiaa lähestytään liikkeenjohdon näkökulmasta, minkä sisällä tarkastellaan strategiaa, liiketoimintamalleja, resurssiperusteista teoriaa, muun yritystoiminnan kehittymistä, kehittymiseen vaikuttavia tekijöitä, ongelmia sekä ulkopuolisen avun tarvetta. Tässä väitöskirjassa esitettävä tutkimus on lähtökohdiltaan hermeneuttista. Tutkittava aihe on moni-ilmeinen, joten sitä lähestytään kvalitatiivisesti. Tutkimus on pääosin deskriptiivistä, vaikka lopussa esitetään suosittelevia johtopäätöksiä. Aineistossa mukana olevat maatilakytkentäiset yritykset (yhteensä 18) edustavat elintarvikkeiden jatkojalostusta, matkailua ja koneurakointia. Maatilakytkentäisten yritysten joukko on heterogeeninen. Aineiston yrityksistä tunnistettiin kuitenkin joitain tyypillisiä piirteitä. Asiakaskunta on maantieteellisesti suppealla alueella ja strategiavalintana on erikoistuminen. Yritysten strategia ja toiminta ovat rönsyileviä. Tutkimus vahvistaa aikaisempaa tietoa siitä, että maatilakytkentäiset yritykset ovat enemmän tuotanto- kuin markkinointiosaajia. Yrityksissä ei ole käytössä virallisia strategiaprosesseja, vaan strategian suunnittelu ja toteutus ovat lähimpänä yrittäjyyskoulukuntaa. Tutkimus vahvistaa aikaisempaa tietoa siitä, että muun yritystoiminnan pääasiallisena tavoitteena on jatkuva ja vakaa tulovirta viljelijäperheelle. Resurssien tarkastelu osoittaa, että eri liikeidealla toimivilla yrityksillä kilpailuetua tuovat resurssit vaihtelevat myös toimialan sisällä. Tutkimus vahvistaa näkökantaa, että muu yritystoiminta ei ole pelkkä siirtymävaihe maataloudesta yritystoimintaan, vaan niitä voidaan harjoittaa myös yhdessä. Tutkimus osoittaa muun yritystoiminnan toimialan vaikuttavan toiminnan ongelmallisuuteen sekä maatilan kehittymiseen. Urakointi vaikuttaa ongelmattomimmalta muihin aineistossa mukana olleisiin aloihin verrattuna. Yrittäjät kokevat useimmiten ongelmalliseksi markkinoinnin, pääoman sitoutumisen ja ajan puutteen. Tutkimuksen mukaan yrittäjät eivät tunnista ongelmiensa syitä. Aineiston perusteella voidaan todeta, että avuntarpeen taustalla on liikkeenjohdollisten työkalujen käytön puute ja toimintatapa. Toiminnan hajanaisuus johtaa riittämättömyyden tunteeseen, varsinkin kun maatila vie osan resursseista. Maatilakytkentäisten yritysten tulisikin jopa normaalia pienyritystä tarkemmin rajata toimintaansa. Tutkimus luo pohjaa maatilakytkentäisten yritysten toimintatavan, resurssien ja kehityspolkujen tuntemukselle sekä esittää suosituksia, millä tavoin maatilojen harjoittamaa muuta yritystoimintaa tulisi edistää.