摘要：There is a significant relationship between social capital, functional competences and social identity which forms the environment of rural tourism. This complexity was studied using the PLS-SEM approach, applying the initial corrected bias method based on direct questionnaire surveys among rural tourism entrepreneurs in Tunisia. The results of the bias-corrected primer model revealed that the entrepreneur’s social identity mediated the link between social capital and functional competencies. Managerially, social capital supports rural lodge entrepreneurs in the process of defining their marketing strategy and optimizing the different components of their marketing mix, focusing on the differentiation of their products and services. A strong link within the entrepreneur’s social capital network will encourage them to strengthen their social identity, leading to the enhancement of their different functional competencies.
