Survey Instrument
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This study relied on primary data collected by the survey method. The survey instrument was a questionnaire which consisted four sections: profile of the business
owner, the business background, internal success factors and external success factors. Success items (in the form of statements) comprising internal and external dimensions listed in the questionnaire were derived extensively from Wijewardena and Tibbits (1999) and Rogoff et al. (2004). A five-point Likert scale ranging from 1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree was used to measure the extent to which respondents agree or disagree to each of the statement. Internal factors that refer to the inherent characteristics of the business or the entrepreneur were measured in the questionnaire by variables such as innovativeness, business knowledge, hard work, strong financial resources, product competitiveness and business networking. Government assistance as an external contributing factor to rural entrepreneurs’ success was measured by items such as financial assistance, training and extension services, marketing, moral support, technical assistance, infrastructure, and business-related policies.