ABSTRACT

This paper aims to discover new small business clusters in the Southern Coast of West Java. Even though the location is gifted with a beautiful beach landscape and rich Sundanese culture, the majority of local people around the beach are poor. A new small business cluster managed by local people may help to reduce poverty and contributes to environmental sustainability. To accomplish the goal, fact and information are retrieved from an online interview session and an online survey. The result of the triangulation of data and observation has been the basis of a new business cluster. In Saganten village, the communities and the government can establish a village-owned enterprise that specifically gathers and fosters fishing groups. This village-owned enterprise also provides fishing boats to sail far. Besides, this village-owned enterprise can also establish a fish auction market and help promote seafood products made by housewives. The new business unit can help the housewives to produce the banana chips in a bigger scale. The main implication of the study is to establish a village-owned enterprise as soon as possible. The village-owned enterprise should apply cooperation, transparency, participation, accountability, and sustainable principles. Some challenges are waiting for the villages to develop the village-owned enterprises. First, improvement of business knowledge of local people; second, the intensive application of information technology and IT infrastructure development; and third, the development of high-quality tourism infrastructure in both locations.