ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a discussion of the key methodological issues followed by a review of the relevant national literature. It also provides an outline of the locality. The chapter explores the incidence and characteristics of rural entrepreneurship and enterprises, as well the issue of entrepreneurial embeddedness. In the case of indigenous entrepreneurs other important sources of information include other businesses in the same industry and trade journals, whilst in-migrants rely heavily on market research and trade fairs. The identification of a specific demographic group that demonstrates lower than average incidence of entrepreneurship lends support to the thesis that supply-side rather than demand-side considerations may provide a large part of the explanation. The chapter argues that differential access between the Eastern and Western parts of rural Cumbria constitutes one aspect of a profound divide between the Eastern and Western parts of the study area.
