Rural survive and grow

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Main objective : Rural based businesses mostly consist in small enterprises, which are particularly affected by the current economic crisis. The micro-project RURAL SURVIVE AND GROW aims to help smaller businesses survive and grow in the areas involved in the project. It offers to compare best practice in rural-based small business diversification, to identify opportunities for cross trading, and eventually to understand the issues facing these businesses in order to develop joint Anglo/French suggestions. Main actions : - Creation of a database of small rural-based businesses in Lower Normandy and Hampshire. - Design of a bilingual questionnaire survey targeting employers in France and the UK. - Analysis of responses from businesses to identify differences between French and English companies. - Production of a joint report on identified needs and best practice from France and the UK in combating the recession. - Development of a joint cluster of rural companies. - Identification of barriers to economic performance and development of innovative solutions to tackle issues such as: initiatives to improve commuting times to rural areas, diversification of a rural-based business' products etc.

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