Title: Changing business strategies of reindeer husbandry in Finland

Authors: Hannu I. Heikkinen

Addresses: Lempiniementie 25 90900 Kiiminki, Finland

Abstract: My area of focus generally comprises the adaptation of reindeer husbandry in the Reindeer herding area of Finland. Study comprises both indigenous Sami and Finnish reindeer herders. Reindeer herding is an old and impressive livelihood that supports a unique cultural continuity of both Sami and Finnish populations in northern Finland. Through centuries both have adapted to the changing social, cultural and ecological circumstances. This article focuses on reindeer herders as active conformists who search personally and communally sustainable adaptation strategies to changing environments. Main focus is on the adaptation models of full time reindeer herders, especially on the rather new cultural trait that is called neo-entrepreneurship in this article as distinct from traditional reindeer herding as economical behaviour. I shed light to the benefits and weaknesses of emergent neo-entrepreneurship as sustainable adaptation strategy for reindeer herding in Finland by presenting five different neo-enterprise case studies.

Keywords: reindeer cooperatives; neo-entrepreneurs; Finland; entrepreneurship; small business; Sami; indigenous firms; reindeer husbandry; culture; sustainable adaptation; business strategy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBPM.2007.013313

International Journal of Business Performance Management, 2007 Vol.9 No.3, pp.301 - 326

Published online: 20 Apr 2007 *

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