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Highlights •We question the presentation of rural life as idyllic.• We present five stories of illegal rural enterprise.• We argue that roguery is endemic in rural culture.• We theorise that rural culture is criminologically distinct from urban culture. AbstractIn rural sociology and rural studies, rurality in many countries is commonly constructed as an idyllic space in which crime is perceived as an urban problem. In other countries, however, rurality is constructed as a place where the individual is vulnerable and the population is socially beyond the urban. This article questions the construction of rurality as idyllic by reporting on research in rural areas which demonstrates that crime, in particular illicit and illegal enterprise based crime, is becoming more prevalent in the UK countryside. In urban areas, illicit and illegal forms of entrepreneurship are distinctive in terms of how they are construed and enacted -so why would it not be similar in rural areas? The paper presents a theoretical framework based on the work of Ferdinand Tönnies which demonstrates that contemporary examples of roguery exist in the UK countryside. We make more visible what previously was invisible, or ignored in the literature. Five stories of illegal rural enterprise are presented which provide a counterargument to Mingay's rural idyll. Since illicit and/or illegal rural enterprise is under-researched this constitutes an original attempt to frame an emerging phenomenon of interest.

Citation for the version of the work held in 'OpenAIR@RGU': SMITH, R., 2010. Masculinity, doxa and institutionalisation of entrepreneurial identity in the novel Cityboy. Available from OpenAIR@RGU. [online]. Available from: http://openair.rgu.ac.uk Citation for the publisher's version: SMITH, R., 2010. Masculinity, doxa and institutionalisation of entrepreneurial identity in the novel Cityboy. ABSTRACT Objectives: As a result of a plethora of scholarly articles by feminist scholars of entrepreneurship it is now widely accepted that the notion of entrepreneurship is ideologically skewed towards masculine ideology. Although this body of work has been quietly acknowledged it has not invoked a reply, or refutation, from male entrepreneurship scholars. Nor has it led to an increase in studies about the influence of masculinity on entrepreneurial behaviour or identity. Therefore the objective of this paper is to begin to address this by analysing an alternative social construction of entrepreneurship relating to how masculinity influences entrepreneurial identity in print. The data used is text from the thinly veiled biographical novel 'Cityboy' written in an aggressive and unashamedly masculine style. Whilst the focus is not upon entrepreneurs per se it is upon the male orientated entrepreneurial institution that is the 'City'. Approach: The methodological approach used in this paper is that of biographical analysis; supported by a supplementary analysis of similar biographies of Traders; this is triangulated by photographs downloaded from the internet. This approach allows rich data to be collected from practical sources permitting a comparative approach to be adopted. The approach has obvious limitations but is a practical method. Results: The results from this empirical study are tentative but illustrate 1) That the socially constructed nature of the 'City Trader' as an entrepreneurial identity is portrayed as being a manly pursuit; and 2) How such discrimination is inherent within an institutionalised systemic behaviour in which men are encouraged to be risk-takers and players. This institutionalised 'boyish' behaviour is used to build up a masculine identity rooted in Thatcherite enterprise culture. Although no clear conclusion can be articulated because of the subjective nature of the interpretation, links with accepted entrepreneurship theory are drawn. It is thus an exploratory study into the pervasiveness of masculine doxa in constructing entrepreneurial identity. The study makes an incremental contribution by acknowledging the power of male dominance in shaping entrepreneurial realities albeit the conclusions are mainly drawn from one book. Implications: This study opens up the field for further studies of skewed masculine entrepreneurial identities under the rubric of the 'bad boy entrepreneur'. Value: In critically discussing and acknowledging the male genderedness of entrepreneurial identity in a particular system this paper makes a contribution to our understanding of the socially constructed nature of ...

CopyrightItems in 'OpenAIR@RGU', Robert Gordon University Open Access Institutional Repository, are protected by copyright and intellectual property law. If you believe that any material held in 'OpenAIR@RGU' infringes copyright, please contact openair-help@rgu.ac.uk with details. The item will be removed from the repository while the claim is investigated. CLASSIFYING THE STRATEGIC CAPABILITY OF FARMERS:A Rob Smith is Reader in Entrepreneurship AbstractThis paper examines the capability of farmers to diversify and outlines the barriers and challenges that confront farmers. It suggests that not all farmers have a high level of 'strategic awareness capability'.The paper describes how a segmentation framework can be used to provide coherent understanding of the entrepreneurial farming business. A segmentation framework, will be presented.The segmentation framework classifies farmers by their personal characteristics, the characteristics of the farm enterprise, activities and processes undertaken by the farmer and specific needs of the farm enterprise. Criteria from this framework are chosen to identify different types of entrepreneurial farmers. The resulting framework shows different types of entrepreneurial farmers reflecting the strategic orientation of the farm.Different strategic orientations in farming may require different skills. The framework provides the opportunity for individual rural ventures to determine what these skills are. This paper is primarily concerned with an initial attempt to provide a segmentation framework for better understanding types of farm diversification, utilising an earlier segmentation framework initially devised and designed by Atherton and Lyon (2001) for the Small Business Sector. This concept was developed from earlier work conducted by Macfarlane (1996). In this paper we use the term segmentation framework to describe the completed framework we assembled from a reading of the original data building on work conducted in Rudmann (2008 This paper will be helpful to scholars of rural entrepreneurship, rural policy advisors and to consultants advising on farm diversification strategies as well as to farmers aware of the benefits of following current trends in academic thinking. Indeed, the segmentation framework could well be used by such farmers to plan their farm diversification strategies or in starting related businesses. This would greatly improve the "strategic capability of farmers" and an understanding of the classification in terms of how such typologies reflect the farmers' personal characteristics, the characteristics of the farm, and specific needs of the 3 farm help practice? These are very practical applications. In addition the framework is an "iterative device" which can in itself be used as a predictive strategic tool. Key WordsThe literature on business segmentation is largely positioned to deal with and explain corporate type businesses. There is however, an expanding generic literature in relation to issues surrounding segmentation (See Taylor, 1983;Jenkins ...

Renewable portfolio standards have proliferated at the state level, with mixed results. Policy advocates and policymakers might consider this state experience as debates over the possibility and design of a federal RPS continue.