Business Survival of Rural Entrepreneurs: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda
Kelangsungan Perniagaan Usahawan Luar Bandar: Ulasan Literatur Sistematik dan Agenda Penyelidikan Masa Depan

Universiti Malaya Business School
Level 4, Azman Hashim Building
Universiti Malaya
50603 Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA

safwanpauzi@gmail.com

Universiti Malaya Business School
Level 4, Azman Hashim Building
Universiti Malaya
50603 Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA.

aida.idris@um.edu.my

Cardiff Business School
Cardiff University
Aberconway Building, Colum Drive, Cardiff CF10 3EU, UNITED KINGDOM.

BowenR16@cardiff.ac.uk

Abstract

Despite increasing academic interest in the topic, a broad synthesis of research on rural entrepreneurs’ survival does not exist. This study thus provides a comprehensive review of the literature on rural entrepreneurs’ business survival, identifying key influencing factors, research gaps and future research directions. Using the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic literature review was conducted on 55 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2020 and 2024 in the Web of Science, EBSCO and Scopus databases. The findings indicate that most studies have concentrated on developing countries and depended on singular theoretical frameworks, with some neglecting theory altogether. As such, there is a noticeable lack of consistent theoretical grounding in the literature. Although the concepts of human capital, financial literacy and social networks have received attention in relation to rural entrepreneurs’ survival, newer themes such as psychological capital, digitalisation and sustainability are beginning to gain ground. By synthesising these insights, this study not only offers a more coherent conceptual structure of rural entrepreneurs’ business survival but also sets the stage for future research to adopt multi-theory and cross-country approaches. It also provides practical insights that support policymakers and practitioners in developing targeted strategies to ensure the survival of rural entrepreneurship.

Keywords

business survival; entrepreneurship; PRISMA; Rural entrepreneurs; systematic literature review
https://doi.org/10.17576/pengurusan-2025-74-3

Citation

Ahmad Pauzi, S., Idris, A., & Bowen, R. (2025). Business Survival of Rural Entrepreneurs: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda. Jurnal Pengurusan, 74, –. https://doi.org/10.17576/pengurusan-2025-74-3

@article{pauzi2025business,
  title={Business Survival of Rural Entrepreneurs: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda},
  author={Ahmad Pauzi, Safwan and Idris, Aida and Bowen, Robert},
  journal={Jurnal Pengurusan},
 

volume={74},
  number={},
  pages={—},
  year={2025},
  doi={https://doi.org/10.17576/pengurusan-2025-74-3},
  publisher={Penerbit UKM},
}

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74 (2025) –

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