8. Recommendations

benefits of digitalisation. About digital methods used by respondents, social media with 246 (49%) is dominating with high number, followed by text messages with 110 (22%). These findings indicate clear picture that digitalisation of the rural business is at the fancy stage, and therefore, need to be encouraged and managed more effectively. A large number of respondents

Method of digitalization Benefits of rural entrepreneurial

246 49 Increase

110 22 Reduce

40 8 Easy

25 5 Increase

37 7 Minimise

251 50 Promote

Variables Frequency Percentage Variables Frequency Percentage Variables Frequency Percentage

291 58 Emails 85 17 Access to

media

message

marketing

marketing

digitalization

factors

factors

factors

Table 5. Variables tested on other critical issues on digitalisation of rural entrepreneurship.

40 8 Legal factors 25 5

25 5 Social factors 37 7 Reduce

Factors affecting rural entrepreneurial

Variables Frequency Percentage Variables Frequency Percentage Variables Frequency Percentage

150 30

digitalization

international markets

brand popularity

marketing costs

business networking

sales

digitalization

costs

brand

advertising costs

210 42

30 6

100 20

55 11

105 21

Implications of rural entrepreneurial

40 8

170 34

291 58

Attitude towards rural entrepreneurial

58 Entrepreneurship - Trends and Challenges

55 11 Social

75 15 Text

80 16 Viral

501 100 Affiliate

Table 4. Variables tested on digitalisation of rural entrepreneurship.

110 22 Political

65 13 Economic

261 52 Technological

digitalization

Costs of Internet are very high

Internet is timeconsuming

entrepreneurship can do without digitalization

entrepreneurship requires special skills

Total number of participant

Modern technologies

Forms of electronic media

Viral marketing

Internet marketing

Using all business activities electronically

Knowledge and understanding of rural entrepreneurial digitalization

Rural

Rural

This study recommends that due to the various challenges such as lack of broadband availability and electricity in many rural places, there is a lot of improvements need to be done to improve rural business and lifehood of rural communities as well. It has been found that rural entrepreneurs are also faced with barriers including poor telecommunications infrastructure, management incompetence, lack of marketing skills and insufficient entrepreneurial knowledge, therefore, this study recommends that governments and private sector should be encouraged to work together to improve ICT co-ordination and its policy development for the rural places. National governments should establish steering agencies responsible for championing and ordinating rural entrepreneurial digitalisation and modern technologies networking systems for rural communities. Since the use and awareness of social media and social network gained significant growth in many countries thus, can be good promotional tool for rural enterprises, as these will help in minimising marketing while speeding up the sales of the products. The study recommends the use of digitalisation to an able rural business to reach out international market and enhance competitive advantage. Digitalisation will improve entrepreneurial knowledge skills, will help them to know their customers better, to know their customers need, who they are, where they buy, when they buy and how they buy.

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