Passion over pragmatism: The motivation of Australian winery owners
Abstract
The Australian wine industry is dominated by small and medium enterprises. Many of these businesses incorporate primary, secondary and tertiary activities which require a range of management skills to succeed in an increasingly competitive market. The motives of owner/managers for being in this industry are varied and potentially impact on the success enjoyed by their business. Using interviews with the owner/managers of small businesses this paper explores these varying motives, how they may change, and their impact on strategies and business performance. Findings suggest two possible dimensions of motivation: firstly a dimension ranging on an axis from passion for making wine to being solely interested in a 'business for profit' and secondly a dimension around being in business for personal or external reasons. Clusters of wineries are identified based on these dimensions, highlighting the diversity of small business owner/managers motivations in this industry. Further, the reasons for entering and staying in the wine industry may change over time.
Document Type
Journal Article
School
School of Management
RAS ID
24444
Copyright
subscription content
Publisher
Inderscience Enterprises Ltd
Comments
Charters, S., Walker, B., & Brown, A. (2016). Passion over pragmatism: The motivation of Australian winery owners. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 29(4), 512-527. Available here.