Rural entrepreneurship in Wales

What are the important issues to consider when starting up or running a small business in a rural environment? This free course, Rural entrepreneurship in Wales, will introduce you to some concepts and models that will help you work out what you want to do with your business idea and to consider the impact of living in a rural location.

• Introduction
• Learning outcomes
• Unit structure
• 1 Setting the scene for rural business
• 1 Setting the scene for rural business
• 1.1 What does rural mean?
• 1.2 Why start a business?
• 1.3 Values
• 1.4 The rural entrepreneur
• 1.5 Behavioural characteristics of entrepreneurs
• 1.5.1 Further information
• 1.6 Summary
• 2 Exploring the business idea
• 2 Exploring the business idea
• 2.1 The business idea
• 2.1.1 Case studies – business ideas
• 2.2 Sources of innovative business ideas
• 2.2.1 Generating innovation
• 2.2.2 Further information
• 2.3 Steps to success
• 2.4 Company structure
• 2.5 Environmental scan
• 2.5.1 Case study: STEEP factors
• 2.5.2 Further information
• 2.6 Stakeholders
• 2.6.1 Case study: Stakeholder analysis
• 2.7 Competitive advantage
• 2.8 What is a strategy?
• 2.8.1 Case study: Operational versus strategic thinking
• 2.9 Formulating strategy
• 2.10 Summary
• 3 Customers, markets, competition and pricing
• 3 Customers, markets, competition and pricing
• 3.1 What is a customer?
• 3.1.1 Customer needs
• 3.2 The purchasing pathway
• 3.2.1 Stages of adopting innovation
• 3.3 Market research – segmentation
• 3.3.1 Stages in the market research process
• 3.3.2 Secondary sources of research data
• 3.3.3 Case study: Market research
• 3.3.4 Further information
• 3.4 Marketing mix
• 3.4.1 Product (or service)
• 3.4.2 Price
• 3.4.3 Cost-based pricing
• 3.4.4 Customer-based pricing
• 3.4.5 Competition-based pricing
• 3.4.6 Place
• 3.4.7 Distribution
• 3.4.8 Local
• 3.4.9 Supply chain
• 3.4.10 Effects of the internet
• 3.4.11 Promotion
• 3.4.12 Networking
• 3.4.13 Network audit model
• 3.4.14 Seven Ps
• 3.5 Social marketing
• 3.6 Summary
• 4 Capabilities and resources
• 4 Capabilities and resources
• 4.1 Transformation model
• 4.2 Transformation process
• 4.3 Resources
• 4.3.1 People skills
• 4.3.2 Job analysis
• 4.3.3 Your capital base
• 4.3.4 What resources?
• 4.4 Capabilities
• 4.4.1 Extended enterprise value cycle
• 4.5 SWOT analysis
• 4.5.1 Completing SWOT analysis
• 4.5.2 Further information
• 4.6 Summary
• 5 Finance and information
• 5 Finance and information
• 5.1 Financing your business
• 5.1.1 Types of finance
• 5.1.2 Non-bank finance
• 5.2 Essential accounts
• 5.2.1 Cash flow
• 5.2.2 Profit-and-loss account
• 5.2.3 Profit-and-loss estimate
• 5.3 Financial management tools
• 5.3.1 Profit, costs and break-even
• 5.3.2 Risk calculation
• 5.3.3 Budget statements
• 5.3.4 Balance sheet
• 5.4 Conclusion
• Resources
• Links
• References
• Acknowledgements