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Sustainability and the Rural Enterprise Economy: Economic, Environmental and Social Transformation book cover

1st Edition

Sustainability and the Rural Enterprise Economy Economic, Environmental and Social Transformation

Edited By Susanne Gretzinger, Birgit Leick, Teemu Makkonen Copyright 2026
230 Pages 9 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

230 Pages 9 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge
Also available as eBook on:
Enterprises in rural regions must now act in a globalized world and face global challenges, such as climate change, resource scarcities and social inequalities or the sustainability preferences of consumers. Rural start-up enterprises often strive to contribute to the solutions of global-scale problems, for example, the issues expressed by the United Nation´s Sustainable Development Goals, and... Read more

 

List of tables and figures

List of contributors

Forewords

 

Part 1: Sustainability and Rural Enterprise Economy: Introduction

Susanne Gretzinger, Birgit Leick and Teemu Makkonen

Part 2: Current sustainability issues in the rural enterprise economy

1.       Mapping social enterprises in Finland: Rural–urban differences?

Teemu Makkonen, Simo Rautianinen

 

2.       Digitalisation promoting environmental and social sustainability in startups: Embedded in rural and urban ecosystems

Thomas Schøtt, Mahasa Samsami, Ignacio Mira Solves, Jesus Martinez

3.       Sustainability management complexities and trade-offs of forest manufacturing enterprises in Finnish peripheries

Maija Halonen

 

Part 3: Sustainability as opportunities for business models for rural enterprises

4.       Sustainability changes of food systems: opportunities for rural enterprises and rural revival through change agency

Susanne Kujala, Seija Virkkala

5.       Sustainable Business Model Innovation of Small Firms in Rural Areas – the Case of Agri-Food Producers in Northern Germany

Maike Simon, Susanne Royer

 

Part 4: Human resources and sustainability management in rural enterprises

6.       Human resource acquisition (recruitment) practices and its impact on sustainable development and growth of construction businesses

Inessa Laur, Jan Velvin, Eivind Fauskanger, Nadja Gregorec

7.       Between office and home – Coworking spaces in rural areas

Wenzel Matiaske, Hartmut Seifert

Part 5: Project management and sustainability in the rural enterprise economy

8.       Entrepreneurial project management for rural social enterprise sustainability: A developing country perspective

James Elvis Mbiru, Desmond Tutu Ayentimi, Mark Wickham

9.       Using teamwork quality for managing stakeholder participation in rural development projects: Findings form the Danish-German border region

Susanne Gretzinger, Simon Jebsen

Part 6: Sustainability and Rural Enterprise Economy: Conclusion and Implications

Susanne Gretzinger, Birgit Leick and Teemu Makkonen

 

Index

Biography

Susanne Gretzinger is an Associate Professor of BtoB Marketing and Regional Development in the Department of Business and Sustainability, University of Southern Denmark, Sønderborg, Denmark.

Birgit Leick is a Professor of innovation and entrepreneurship in the Department of Business and IT, School of Business, University of South-Eastern Norway, Bø, Norway.

Teemu Makkonen is a Professor of regional studies and economic geographer at the Karelian Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland.

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