The main goal of the paper is to investigate the real possibility of improving web use in Marche region (Central Italy) to upgrade the competitiveness of the agricultural sector and improve the quality of life in rural areas and encouraging diversification of the rural economy. Most part of the european population (over 56%) lives in rural areas, which cover 91% of the entire territory, so that rural development is an important policy area for the EU. The fundamental rules governing rural development policy for the period 2007 to 2013 are set out in Council Regulation (EC) No. 1698/2005 that focuses on “improving the competitiveness of the agricultural and forestry sector; improving the environment and the countryside; improving the quality of life in rural areas and encouraging diversification of the rural economy”. Websites, blogs and SNSs are the most important tools implemented by “active” web users who are willing to build their own “social network”. Many SME are seemingly using some of these tools in a non active manner that refers to an “adaptive behavior” instead of a more aggressive “proactive behavior”. The paper is articulated in two sections. The first has the aim to investigate the actual use of web tools by private entrepreneurs acting in the rural tourism sector to achieve their own marketing and communication program. The authors refer on actual situation of the Rural Tourism as an opportunity for improving the quality of life in rural areas and encouraging diversification of the rural economy (the third of the “thematic axes” of the rural development policy for 2007 to 2013) in Marche region (Central Italy). The Rural Tourism in Marche region demonstrates great developing potentialities but still faces difficulties due to digital divide and lack of a common strategy. In particular the authors analyze the use of the web by local SME acting in the Rural Tourism sector (agritourism, country houses and others) and refer data collected from SNSs, search engines and blogosphere. In this particular, the aim is to enucleate some proactive behavior among local entrepreneurs in order to delineate future common and feasible economic choices. The current evolution of marketing tends to relationship marketing in private firms, organizations as well as in rural communities. The real acting of SME in the web seems to be non active and in danger to loose the main opportunities coming from huge enlargement and deepening of markets. The probably best practice to be adopted in the future is the building of durable relations with customers in order to achieve their retention and satisfaction by improving SNSs use in conjunction with others Web2.0 tools.

Web and Social Network Sites for Rural Development. A case study in Marche Region (Italy)

CORINTO, GIAN LUIGI;
2010-01-01

Abstract

The main goal of the paper is to investigate the real possibility of improving web use in Marche region (Central Italy) to upgrade the competitiveness of the agricultural sector and improve the quality of life in rural areas and encouraging diversification of the rural economy. Most part of the european population (over 56%) lives in rural areas, which cover 91% of the entire territory, so that rural development is an important policy area for the EU. The fundamental rules governing rural development policy for the period 2007 to 2013 are set out in Council Regulation (EC) No. 1698/2005 that focuses on “improving the competitiveness of the agricultural and forestry sector; improving the environment and the countryside; improving the quality of life in rural areas and encouraging diversification of the rural economy”. Websites, blogs and SNSs are the most important tools implemented by “active” web users who are willing to build their own “social network”. Many SME are seemingly using some of these tools in a non active manner that refers to an “adaptive behavior” instead of a more aggressive “proactive behavior”. The paper is articulated in two sections. The first has the aim to investigate the actual use of web tools by private entrepreneurs acting in the rural tourism sector to achieve their own marketing and communication program. The authors refer on actual situation of the Rural Tourism as an opportunity for improving the quality of life in rural areas and encouraging diversification of the rural economy (the third of the “thematic axes” of the rural development policy for 2007 to 2013) in Marche region (Central Italy). The Rural Tourism in Marche region demonstrates great developing potentialities but still faces difficulties due to digital divide and lack of a common strategy. In particular the authors analyze the use of the web by local SME acting in the Rural Tourism sector (agritourism, country houses and others) and refer data collected from SNSs, search engines and blogosphere. In this particular, the aim is to enucleate some proactive behavior among local entrepreneurs in order to delineate future common and feasible economic choices. The current evolution of marketing tends to relationship marketing in private firms, organizations as well as in rural communities. The real acting of SME in the web seems to be non active and in danger to loose the main opportunities coming from huge enlargement and deepening of markets. The probably best practice to be adopted in the future is the building of durable relations with customers in order to achieve their retention and satisfaction by improving SNSs use in conjunction with others Web2.0 tools.
2010
9788888276182
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11393/43912
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