Doctoral dissertation: Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir

On Friday March 25th, at 14:00 pm Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir will defend her PhD thesis from School of Business Administration at University of Iceland. The defence takes place at the Aula at University of Iceland and will also be broadcasted on line: Link to streaming
Dissertation title: “Equestrian tourism in Iceland: Cluster development and innovation opportunities. “
Main supervisor: Dr. Runólfur Smári Steinþórsson, Professor at the School of Business Administration at the University of Iceland.
Expert in the doctoral committee: Dr. Anne Mette Hjalager, Professor at Department of Entrepreneurship and Relationship Management, University of Southern Denmark, dr. Dorhe Eide, Professor at Business School, Nord University, Norway and dr. Guðrún Helgadóttir, Professor at Department of Business and IT, University of South-Eastern Norway.
Opponents are: dr. Birgit Leick, Professor at Department of Business and IT, University of South-Eastern Norway and dr. Erika Anderson Cederholm, senior lecturer at Department of Service Management and Service Studies, Lund University, Sweden.
Dr. Gylfi Magnússon, Head of Faculty of Business Administration at University of Iceland will conduct the ceremony.

About the dissertation:
The research looks into Equestrian Tourism from a business administration perspective. It seeks answers to questions such as what characterizes the industry in Iceland and in what way the industry itself, linked branches and clusters, business environment and available resources can promote improved competitiveness. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were implemented in the research.
Main conclusion is summarized in a model showing important aspects of the competitiveness of Equestrian Tourism. In the model basic elements of related industries are considered. It shows the fundamental importance of horsemanship (e.g. breeding, training, teaching, events) and tourism (e.g. destinations, infrastructure, branding, marketing) for the industry of Equestrian Tourism. Governmental actions, as well as externalities (e.g. education, research, support system, economic indicator monitoring, taxation system, legal system, exchange rate) are also of great importance. Accessibility to resources such as the Icelandic horse, nature, culture, history, assess to wilderness, pristine nature and riding paths, grassland for grazing and hay, and qualified employees, are essential for further development of the industry. The actions of the industry itself and related branches are also of huge importance and can for example include increased specialization, visibility, innovation and the use of technological innovations, risk analysis, joint strategic planning, increased collaboration and reinforced social system.
By applying the models´ basic components, the competiveness of the industry can be expected to increase and it is suggested that the model should be used as the base for strategic planning for the industry and as a guide for further research within Equestrian Tourism as industry.
About the candidate:
Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir was born in Skagafjörður, north Iceland in 1973. She finished a diploma in Agriculture, Department of Equine Science, Holar College and a Diploma in Rural Tourism, Department of Rural Tourism, also at Holar College. She has a B.Sc. in Business studies from University of Akureyri and a M.S. in Business Administration and Management from the University of Bifrost. Ingibjörg is currently a lecturer at the Holar University and department head of the Department of Rural Tourism.