An Empirical Analysis of the Opportunity-Based Concept of Rural Entrepreneurship

Empirical studies on the concept of rural entrepreneurship are neglected in the literature. This study aimed to analyze this concept empirically through investigation of the businesses related to rural areas and distinguish them into three groups including “rural entrepreneurship”, “entrepreneurship in rural areas” and “rural business”. Two questionnaires were designed for this survey research: one general, filled by owners of businesses, and the second was specific, filled by the research group. A total of 496 Iranian businesses related to rural areas supported by Omid Entrepreneurship Fund in Fars Province were categorized into three groups of businesses. The results of ANOVA indicated that “rural entrepreneurship” and “entrepreneurship in rural areas” were statistically more entrepreneurial than “rural business”. The values created by different groups of businesses were analyzed and the results showed that “rural entrepreneurship” was the only group whose profitability was dependent on value creation for rural areas.