Mid Sweden University

Purpose – The aim of the study is to investigate whether there are any differences between the attitudes towards participation in development programmes of entrepreneurs who are immigrants and those who are native-born. Design/methodology/approach – Several statistical methods, including a binary logistic regression model, were used to analyse a unique, firm-level dataset collected by the Swedish Small Business Forum in October and November 2012. The dataset was based on a questionnaire composed of 60 closed questions that was completed by 531 participants representing 395 companies. Findings – Based on the analysis of 15 different attitude variables, the empirical findings are that immigrant managers/owners are more likely to show a positive attitude to participation in development programmes, in terms of nine of those attitude variables, than their native counterparts. Because there are no data about second generation of immigrants in the sample, thus, this category may have had an impact on the results. However, there is no possibility to identify any impact on the results. Originality/value – There is no prior research focusing specifically on this question, and to the authors' knowledge, this study is the first that has attempted to deal with the issue. This study is based on a recent and unique database, and provides new evidence on the relationship between ethnicity and attitude towards participation in development programmes among entrepreneurs. Its context is different from that of prior research.

Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to provide empirical evidence which identifies the impact of ethnicity and other relevant variables on external capital acquisition among Swedish women-owned businesses at start-up. Design/methodology/approach: Several methods have been employed to analyze the sample including a binary logistic regression model. The sample consists of 836 women-owned businesses in southeast Sweden; 97 immigrant-owned, 739 native born-owned. Findings: The results indicate that there are partly significant differences between native women-owned firms and immigrant woman-owned businesses at start-up. Unlike the native-owned firms, the immigrant woman-owned businesses rely more on loans from family members and less on bank loans. Practical implications: The results reveal that age has a positive impact on loans from family members, while the additional job outside one's own business, the amount of the owner's personal start-up capital and firm size positively influenced access to capital from banks. The owners' level of education, previous business experience, the legal form taken by the firm and the industry affiliation conversely played no significant role in explaining the women owners' attitudes toward loans from either friends or the bank. Originality/value: To the authors' knowledge, this study is the first empirical investigation addressing this issue in the Swedish context. 

This research explores the differences in informal capital acquisition between female- and male-owned firms in the start-up stage in Sweden. A binary logistic regression model is used to analyse a sample including 836 female- and 1928 male-owned firms in 2008, providing 47,022 observations. The results indicate that the main explanatory variable, gender, is significant in distinguishing between female- and male-owned firms with regards to the use of informal capital in terms of loans from family members. Thus, female-owned firms tend to rely more on loans from family members than male-owned firms. The findings also indicate that one control variable, namely owners previous experience of starting up a company, negatively influences the use of loans from family members as a financing source in the start-up stage. This study is based on a unique and large sample including many different variables compared with previous research. Knowledge on the differences between Swedish female- and male-owned firms in using informal capital in the start-up stage is limited and ambiguous. The presented results contribute to research into small firm financing by adding insight into the relationships between informal capital acquisition, gender, and other relevant variables.

Small firms in general have limited access to funding, which is a major problem for entrepreneurs. In particular, this problem is evident for women and ethnic minority groups. The purpose of the study is to examine empirically the impact of gender, ethnicity and other relevant variables on the access to external financing of new small firms. A sample of 2,764 female- And male-owned small businesses, based on a unique and large database gathered through interviews, was investigated employing binary logistic regression models. The results suggest that both gender and ethnicity are significant explanatory variables influencing the access to external capital at the start-up stage. Entrepreneurs' age, experience of starting businesses and education, as well as additional jobs beside their own business, are other variables that influence the way in which entrepreneurs finance their business. Moreover, firm characteristics in terms of personal start-up capital, firm size and legal form have an impact on financing behaviour at start-up. Since the knowledge about this issue is limited, the results of this study add to our understanding of the variables affecting the behaviour of small business endeavours in seeking funding at start-up.

There has been a strong discourse in public policy aiming at transforming rural places from venues of primary production into truly diverse socioeconomic landscapes. Yet conceptualisations of the rural as envisioned in the policy and politics of the ‘new economy’ are often difficult to see materialise on the ground. However, post-productive activity in rural areas has become a major focus for rural studies scholars. This paper investigates the ideas of post-productivism and post-production in existing literature, and argues for a holistic understanding of post-productivism as an idea and political ambition rather than a manifest change of rural economic activity. The purpose of the study is to make clear the division between the related concepts in order to better understand processes of rural change in relation to different geographical contexts. It is argued that post-productivism as a concept stands apart from de facto post-production and should be regarded as part of broader regional development discourses. The paper outlines several important fields in which post-productivism is a necessary component for rural transformation and development. While it is not always easily captured in indicators or empirical studies in rural locations, post-productivism exists at the level of discourse and planning and thus has real effects on the ground. The paper concludes by offering suggestions on how to empirically investigate the concepts of post-production and post-productivism.

Sammanfattning

Uppsatsen undersöker användandet av informationsskyltar och moderna teknologier i tolkning av kulturarv samt dess potentiella påverkan på turistens upplevelsemiljö. Syftet med studien är att få en förståelse för hur destinations aktörer och turister uppfattar informationsskyltar och kompletterande mobila tjänster angående deras attraktivitet, hållbarhet och tillgänglighet. Mixed methods användes som tillvägagångssätt för datainsamlingen. Syftet är att identifiera eventuella problem och att upptäcka om det finns några gap mellan olika aktörer eller mellan aktörer och turister. Den kunskapen kan bidra till en förbättring av en destinations interna och externa attraktivitet och besökarnas tillfredsställelse.

Baserat på de kvalitativa intervjuerna framgår det att det finns många aktörer inblandade i produktionen och underhållet av informationsskyltar, speciellt inom offentlig sektor och att ansvarsfördelningen ofta är otydlig. Dessutom visar studien att den sociala dimensionen av hållbarhet är den viktigaste för många av aktörerna. Speciellt eftersom lokalbefolkningens stolthet kan manifesteras med en informationsskylt. Ett annat resultat är att aktörerna ofta saknar kunskap om besökarnas faktiska upplevelse av, preferenser och behov beträffande informationsskyltar och mobila tjänster. Samtidigt finns det en vilja bland aktörerna att modernisera turistens upplevelse genom att komplettera traditionella informationsskyltar med moderna teknologier.

Resultaten från den kvantitativa pilotstudien gjord i enkätform visar att många turister vanligtvis läser informationsskyltar vid kulturhistoriska sevärdheter under resa i ett annat land. Dessutom att de i stor utsträckning vill få tillgång till fler funktioner eller mer information angående sevärdheten via mobila tjänster såsom en Smartphone. Därutöver avslöjas att bland respondenterna finns en relativt ansenlig betalningsvilja för att använda dessa funktioner.

By Swedish authorities, noise is perceived as a management issue of growing importance. For example, the Swedish EPA has declared that the level of unwanted sounds is increasing while areas with natural sounds of quality are diminishing. This concerns several stakeholders (e.g. visitors) within outdoor recreation, who perceive the minimizing of noise of particular value. However, whether the visitors actually are experiencing noise, if they experience noise as a conflict, and what management tools are used to handle potential conflicts, remain to be examined more closely.

In the present study, noise and natural quiet in the mountain region of Jämtland, Sweden are examined from a visitor perspective. Skiers and snowmobilers have been identified as twostakeholder groups of particular interest. Based upon a web-based questionnaire in spring 2015, their attitudes and experiences of noise, conflicts and activities are examined. Are there any conflicts between these two groups? What are their attitudes to handle noise conflicts? How do they experience and define natural quiet? The results may also be compared with an earlier study in southern Jämtland (Lindberg et al., 2001). To get a planning and management perspective, semi-structured qualitative interviews with various authorities in Jämtland are to be executed in spring and fall 2015. This study is part of a project in the research programme A magnificent mountain landscape for future generations financed by the Swedish EPA.

This project investigates conflicts over land use in the context of the Jämtland mountain region, Sweden where tensions due to snowmobiling and free riding are increasing. The study takes a planning and management perspective.

The study consists of a web based survey that generated responses from 862 snowmobilers in the region in 2015. Organizations and snowmobile clubs distributed the survey through social media. In 2015, twelve semi-structured interviews were carried out with fifteen representatives from the public sector and the tourism industry. Moreover in 2018, additional interviews will be conducted. The study is also based on information found on webpages and in local media.

There has been a new development of snowmobile activities for planning and management to handle in the Swedish mountains, not least in terms of conflicts but also because of security issues e.g. avalanches. One can get a deeper understanding of the conflicts and the reasons behind them. Nevertheless, more knowledge is needed about the different strategies of planners, managers and other stakeholders as well about the users and the underlying social motives behind their attitudes and activities. To handle conflicts related to snowmobiling and free riding will require continued dialogue, negotiation and further research.

The language is central to all learning in higher education, such as analytical independence, critical thinking and theoretical understanding. Many university students no longer master the language tools required, according to numerous representatives of the university world. The issue of students’ knowledge of the Swedish language is a topic of discussion on the higher education agenda. Apart from poor spelling and grammar, students’ problems with analyses and deeper understanding are worrying. However, more support in scientific thinking and writing in education may help to overcome language problems. Another important issue for language development is reading skills – for both studies and/or pleasure. To integrate academic writing and exercises in all teaching at the undergraduate level is undeniably one means for improvement. University studies include important social and academic codes that might be difficult to understand, especially for students from non-academic homes. By developing reading and writing skills, students will also overcome different barriers.

In the bachelor programme: Tourism and destination development, at Mid Sweden University, the students’ academic writing and reading is of particular interest. In this paper, the possibilities of improvements of the students’ academic writing with concrete examples from our tourism programme is discussed, but also highlight the challenges teachers face and the need of central support from the university. Using concrete examples (e.g. examinations and exercises), the discussion will further expand on issues regarding the language’s significance for the individual and society.

Systematically collected information on outdoor recreation participation, motives and behaviors can improve recreation opportunities and reduce the risk of user conflicts. There are many uses of this type of information for managers of recreational areas including analyses of environmental, social and economic impacts, development of infrastructure, and marketing to appropriate audiences. One key component in building this knowledge is the application of visitor monitoring. This study takes an exploratory approach by analyzing managers' experiences on different on-site monitoring methods at 12 recreational areas in Sweden. Results show that knowledge of these methods and their use are strongly linked to individual managers' skills and competence. Contemporary changes in recreation behavior calls for more innovative monitoring approaches, but managers included in this study primarily work with rather traditional methods, which is likely representative of the overall situation in Sweden. Networking, educational programs and closer collaborations with universities could facilitate some of the challenges identified.

Management implications

● The study showed the relevance of improved visitor monitoring practices, and tailor-made monitoring guidelines, based on actual use and experience-based data.

● Adequate visitor monitoring practices:- help to better incorporate recreation activities and values in natural resource management decisions,

● increase the awareness of possible conflicts between recreational and other resource users,

● show the possible need for increased management capacity, additional training or new ways of visitor management and provide a better foundation for decision making.

Practically all Swedes enjoy being out in nature and engaging in outdoor recreation activities. An important reason behind this is that they benefit from the Swedish Public Right of Access (Allemansrätten). Outdoor recreation is highlighted as a major contributor to good health, leads to a higher level of understanding of nature in an urban society, and can function as a means of integration and sustainable development. However, society and our constant search for new experiences are changing as does the practice of outdoor recreation.

It is of interest to identify how different users participate in outdoor recreation and use nature. Previous studies show that outdoor recreation often is conducted close to where we live. Planning and management, along with information, are vital components leading to the accessibility and development of outdoor recreation. Accessibility for outdoor recreation relate to both physical and socio-economic conditions. Today, outdoor recreation for urban dwellers is highly dependent on access to natural areas close to cities, yet open spaces are increasingly under threat due to urban growth and development density. The Public Right of Access places new demands on future planning and management, for example in order to prevent conflicts with private landowners as there may be increased pressure on specific natural areas.

The above issues are analyzed from the results of an online survey conducted in autumn 2016. The survey was sent to 3,000 randomly selected residents in Östersund, Sweden (response rate 32%). Additionally, municipal planning documents are examined. The results show that the respondents do not consider that access to nature is constrained. Rather they feel they lack the time to make full use of this accessibility. They also express a need for more information about nature areas. The results also show that those with higher education and higher income value outdoor recreation higher, but that they also have less time.

The environmental connectedness perspective posits that direct encounter with generalized, or non-specific "nature," leads to environmental connectedness and subsequent pro-environmental behavior. This article examines this perspective and proposes a place-based application of the nature encounter-environmental behavior relation. An empirical study using data from a national survey on outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism is presented. Results show a minimal relationship between measures of environmental connectedness and self-reports of environmental behavior. The following examination of the environmental connectedness perspective reveals that environmental connectedness is rooted in a material/objective perspective, neglecting the human domain of perceptions, values, and representations. The environment as "nature" is portrayed as a geographically undefined agent with the inherent power to change human attitudes and behavior. Based on this, the article concludes with a proposed replacement of the elusive concept of nature for the relational concept of place. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Income constitutes one important constraint for the degree of participation in outdoor recreation. The effect of this constraint can be measured by the income elasticity of outdoor recreation demand, which is of policy interest when the distribution of recreation opportunities across socioeconomic groups is a concern. This study investigated income elasticity of expenditures for three types of outdoor recreation in Sweden, at the individual level: outdoor recreation as an aggregated composite good, outdoor recreation close to home (less than 100 km away from the permanent residence), and hunting. The findings indicated that outdoor recreation as a composite is a luxury good with elasticity in excess of unity (i.e. a relative increase in income will lead to a greater relative increase in demand). The elasticities of the specific activities were found to be lower. Outdoor recreation close to home was characterized as a necessity with elasticity less than unity (i.e. a relative increase in income will lead to a smaller relative increase in demand). The results further suggested that an increase in income could lead to either a decrease or an increase in the demand for hunting, indicating that hunting might be an inferior good or possibly a necessity. Management implications Based on data from national surveys in Sweden, this paper explores the relationship between income and demand for different types of outdoor recreation activities. The analysis reveals that: The total demand for outdoor recreation opportunities can be expected to increase with increasing income levels in society. An increase in total demand does, however, not imply that demand for all types of outdoor recreation will increase simultaneously.The relationship between income and outdoor recreation demand differs among various types of recreation activities. Outdoor recreation close to home and hunting provided two examples of such diverging patterns in this paper. This, in turn, leads to different policy implications.Policy measures should, therefore, be adapted to the specific type of outdoor recreation under consideration.Managers need to be aware of the underlying factors affecting demand, such as socioeconomic characteristics, substitutability, motivations and different types of constraints.Future analysis should consider also the following factors potentially affecting outdoor recreation demand:- The distinction between recreation enjoyed during overnight trips (i.e. tourism related), as opposed to day based recreation activities where income may be less important.- The time available for outdoor recreation and the family situation.- Recreational activities must be regarded within the regulatory national framework. For example hunting in Sweden is guided by bag limits, reduced mobility because of limited access to specific hunting grounds, and specific national management of hunting opportunities. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

The use of social media has exploded over the last five years and has changed the way

travellers and tourists search, find, read and trust information about activities,

accommodation and destinations. Little is known about how to use social media as a

communication tool in the context of Norwegian national parks. This thesis sets out to

explore the visitors use of social media as an informat ion source and to what extent they

share their experiences through social media. It does so by collecting quantitative data from

the visitors in Rondane National Park and buffer zones. The material is then analysed by

using the visitor experience model. Findings show that the visitors do use social media as a

source of information and a place for where they share their experiences. However, due to the

low respons rate it is difficult to make any final conclusions. Future research is recommended

before making any final decisons regarding the implementation of social media as an

information tool.

Tourism has emerged as an important part of the economy in the Circumpolar North. Many northern communities grew as outposts of capitalism and prospered through primary sector activities such as agriculture, mining, fishing, and forestry. Recently, entrepreneurial and institutional efforts have resulted in increasing tourism employment in the Arctic. While the contribution of tourism to Arctic economies is well-understood, other questions remain. Communities are not only dependent on what happens in the economy in the broader sense but also on endogenous generation of creative and innovative initiatives. This paper examines tourism in three Arctic communities and introduces the concept of creative outposts – communities in peripheral areas which manage to develop tourism despite difficult structural preconditions. Three cases from across the Circumpolar North, and at different stages of development, are presented and main themes explored include: the endogenous nature of tourism development and its potential for employment and entrepreneurship, the contribution of tourism to the local leisure space, and the potential of tourism as a diversification strategy. The paper utilises an innovation systems approach and highlights that tourism activity can act as a catalyst for the development of positive local social capital. The study is positioned within the Arctic Tourism Innovation System framework, highlighting how some northern communities manage not just to survive but to thrive with tourism and community resilience being complementary in creative outposts. The paper calls for future comparative studies across the Circumpolar North.

Evolutionary economic geography (EEG) is an emerging theoretical framework whichattempts to better understand long-term economic change and why it differs betweenregions. Tourism geographers are showing increasing interest in EEG with a growingnumber of publications and conference presentations on EEG applications withintourism studies. This article briefly sets out the conceptual background to EEG andhow it relates to extant studies within tourism, drawing on examples from theliterature on tourism studies and evolutionary research. A concise list of someactionable areas for EEG studies within tourism is presented as well as an appraisal ofthe theoretical particularities of applying EEG within tourism studies. EEG is shownto be a new path with much potential for tourism research.

This paper presents the extant literature on evolutionary economic geography (EEG) and tourism studies and briefly reviews what has been produced thus far. There are two main areas addressed: path dependence (and how to break from a path) and co-evolution (of tourism paths within a given region and of regional paths including tourism). The papers already published on EEG and tourism feature cases from resort communities, mass tourism destinations and rural and peripheral areas with all cases from highly developed countries (Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Italy and Australia). Next, the papers of the special issue are explored and show a broadening of the geographical reach (to include China and Spain) and a move to apply EEG theory as part of a hybrid theoretical framework. Finally, the paper concludes with a call for broader evolutionary approaches in tourism studies beyond strictly business development studies. This ultimately requires the development of EEG measures in line with the goals of sustainable tourism development.

Evolutionary economic geography (EEG) is receiving increasing attention from tourism geographers with over 30 publications explicitly incorporating EEG into tourism between 2011 and 2016. Many of these contributions are conceptual, which is not surprising given the novelty of EEG within economic geography, in general, and tourism, in particular. However, a sizeable number of these are built on detailed case studies, using EEG as an analytical lens rather than as a conceptual point of departure. Thus, many tourism researchers have found that EEG has great potential for understanding change in tourism destinations. In this Research Frontiers paper I critically reflect on this early research of EEG in tourism geographies from a sustainable development perspective. In the cases presented, EEG offers a fresh understanding of two related challenges in each of two separate aspects of sustainable tourism development. First, pro-growth governance models can be disrupted by engaged local stakeholders in order to make tangible sustainability gains but these gains remain precarious over time as pro-growth governance models prove tenacious in the very long-term. Second, regional institutional legacies hamper new path emergence in two ways - through institutional inertia which keeps the region's focus on past success in other sectors and through the (possibly competing) institutional imperatives of the dominant and emerging tourism sub-sectors or sub-regions. These challenges are illustrated through two complementary Canadian cases drawn from the extant literature - the mass tourism destination of Niagara and the resort community of Whistler. I highlight how a sustainable tourism perspective can also help to critique EEG theory and empirics in line with other recent political economy critiques in economic geography. I conclude that sustainable tourism, at its best, is an established reflexive lens which will help to develop, validate, and challenge aspects of EEG theory within tourism studies, in particular, and economic geography, in general.