Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons^™

Mentoring Women Entrepreneurs: Perceived Needs And Benefits, David W. Whitlock, Ashley J. Hampton, Kitty Campbell

Journal of Business & Entrepreneurship

Women entrepreneurs are a rapidly growing demographic. Mentoring is a recurring theme in the literature as a valuable contribution in helping women entrepreneurs succeed. The roles of mentoring as well as the literature of mentoring relationships is presented, followed by a study in which the demand and perceived benefit for mentoring was conducted among women currently engaged or self-identified as aspiring small business owners and entrepreneurs. Women who participated a conference for female entrepreneurs, jointly sponsored by Southeastern Oklahoma State University and the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center, were surveyed. The survey consisted of five sections: the first gathered respondent’s …

Digital Platforms And Entrepreneurial Support: A Field Experiment In Online Mentoring, Saurabh A. Lall, Li-Wei Chen, Dyana P. Mason

Management Faculty Publications

The benefits of entrepreneurial mentorship are well documented, but there is limited research on how entrepreneurs connect with mentors, especially in digital settings. We partnered with an online platform that connects entrepreneurs to potential mentors to conduct a field experiment in online mentoring. Drawing on literature on entrepreneurial mentorship and Social Cognitive Theory, we compared the effects of three interventions on the likelihood of reaching out and making a connection with a mentor in a digital setting. We find that showing entrepreneurs a video of a successful mentor–mentee relationship increases the chances that they will reach out to a potential …

Transitional Entrepreneurship: Unleashing Entrepreneurial Potential Across Numerous Challenging Contexts, Golshan Javadian, Anil Nair, David Ahlstrom, Kaveh Moghaddam, Li-Wei Chen, Younggeun Lee

Management Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] We are pleased to publish the special issue of the New England Journal of Entrepreneurship on transitional entrepreneurship. Transitional entrepreneurship refers to the practices of entrepreneurs from communities facing adversity who navigate substantial life transitions as they launch and manage new ventures in response to various changes and challenges in their environment. Entrepreneurship is not only a critical driver of economic growth and social development (Ahlstrom et al., 2019; McCloskey, 2010) but can also represent a life-changing transition for most, if not all, of the entrepreneurs themselves. Transitional entrepreneurship entails strategic pivots or transformations that enable entrepreneurs to …

Financial Strategies For Long-Term Success In Women-Owned Small Businesses, Melissa R. Dyer

The Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance

Failure of small businesses many times is because of poor implementation of long-term financial strategies. Women small business owners face many challenges in financing their small businesses because they may not have a financial plan. Interviews with 11 women small business owners in Cleveland County, North Carolina were completed to discuss ways to fund and sustain their small business. The success of women small business owners can strengthen the local economy by stimulating economic growth, increase the quality of life for the owner and their family, and can improve the standard of living in their community.

Evaluating Microfinance And The Potential To Economically Empower Women In The Sacred Valley Of Peru, Allison Mcnamara

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

In the past 30 years, microfinance loans have become a highly popular strategy to reduce poverty and economically empower people in developing countries. Women in particular have become the primary recipients of microfinance loans. However, recent studies show that the loans only have short-term benefits, and ultimately contribute to the indebtedness of the Global South. This paper studies the effectiveness of microfinance loans in the Sacred Valley of Peru (Cusco), and their ability, or lack thereof, to economically empower women in this region.

Family Firms In The Developing Context: Essays On Internationalization, Women, And Generational Changes, Maria Lapeira

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite a plethora of research discussing the effect of context on internationalization of firms, the family business literature has only recently begun to acknowledge contextual characteristics as important factors shaping family firm behavior (i.e. Carney, Duran, Van Essen, and Shapiro, 2017). The first essay, a literature review, adds to this conversation by unpacking how internationalization decisions in developing country family firms are affected by a number of resources, industry and institutional characteristics. This systematic review of family firm internationalization uses the strategy tripod perspective to understand characteristics that might have either a negative or a positive valence with respect to …

Strategies Used By Military Spouse Small Businesses During A Military Relocation, Sandra D. Heredia, Patricia Fusch

The Qualitative Report

There are over 615,000 women military spouses and 1,786 known military spouse business owners who relocate every 2 to 3 years to follow their active duty spouse. The research problem addressed was the lack of strategies military spouse small business owners used to sustain their business during a mandatory military relocation. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies 5 women military spouse small business owners, located at military installations in the Midlands and Pee Dee regions of South Carolina, used to sustain their businesses during a relocation. The sampling method used was census sampling. The …

Women Leaders In Social Entrepreneurship: Leadership Perception, And Barriers, Almas Aldawood

Educational and Organizational Learning and Leadership Dissertations

Social entrepreneurship increases women’s social inclusion and empowerment by providing self-employment opportunities (Datta & Gailey, 2012). There is growing attention, locally and globally, to social entrepreneurship from economic, social, environmental, and industrial lenses (Cornforth, 2014.) Grounded by feminist and empowerment theories, this phenomenological case study investigated the perceptions of women social entrepreneurs about leadership. In addition, the study explored the barriers to effective leadership in social entrepreneurship.

A total of five participants participated in this study. The participants were five women leaders in social enterprise with experience in the field ranged from 3-40 years. Data was collected through multiple avenues …

Factors Of Women-Founded High-Growth Technology Startup, Renee Gillard

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to identify and describe critical startup factors of high-growth technology startups as identified by women founders in Seattle, Washington.

Methodology: This mixed-method study identified and described 15 women founders of high-growth technology startups in Seattle. Participants were chosen based on specific criteria and recommendations of a sponsor and expert panel. Interviews were conducted with the participants and they completed an online survey.

Findings: Ten major findings emerged from the data. Founders fostered a strong network of professional and personal relationships to help develop and solidify their identity; they also …

Gender, Social Networks, And Microenterprise: Differences In Network Effects On Business Performance, Seon Mi Kim

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article aims to find if female micro-entrepreneurs have different social networks that affect their business performance from males. This article uses the longitudinal Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamic (PSED) II data set (2005-2011) in the U.S. The key finding is that even in cases where female micro-entrepreneurs gained the same number of weak ties and resources from their networks as their male counterparts, their weak ties and gained resources did not help them to improve their business performance unlike their male counterparts. Implications for Microenterprise Development Programs and future studies are informed.

Financial Strategies For Long-Term Success In Women-Owned Small Businesses, Melissa Renee Dyer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, many small businesses fail within the first 5 years due to poor implementation of long term financial strategies. Researchers and business practitioners indicated that women small business owners face challenges in financing their small businesses beyond 5 years due to a lack of long-term financial strategies. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore long term financial strategies women use to sustain their small businesses beyond 5 years. The general theory of entrepreneurship was the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 11 women small business owners in …

Barriers To Women Leadership Of Small And Medium Enterprises In Nigeria, Roseline Iruoma Ojinta

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Management literature lacks a deeper understanding of barriers to Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) leadership among women entrepreneurs in Nigeria focusing on women leaders' daily business experiences, their agency, and their entrepreneurial context. Women in Nigeria seeking promotion to leadership roles in SMEs continue to look for answers on how to surmount the multiple barriers hampering their leadership aspirations. To address this need, this study was designed to explore how women entrepreneurs in Nigeria describe barriers to SME leadership through narratives about their daily business experiences, their agency, and their entrepreneurial context. The women's entrepreneurial development in Nigeria, the Nigerian …

Lighting The Flame Of Entrepreneurship Among Agribusiness Students, Christiane Schroeter, Lindsey Higgins, Carlyn Wright

Christiane Schroeter

Standing Out: Women In The Marriott School, Shelby J. Anderson

Marriott Student Review

No abstract provided.

Look Before You Leap: 4 Questions Every Woman Should Ask While Job Searching, Hannah Y. Olvera

Marriott Student Review

Despite women’s preparation and effort during the job searching process, women are disproportionately dissatisfied with their employers. According to a Crain’s Report conducted in 2016, 42 percent of women left because they “didn’t feel recognized and didn’t see opportunities for advancement,” 43.6 percent believe their compensation is less compared to their male peers, and only 50.4 percent believe their companies have a fair family leave policy. To overcome these challenges, women must ask various questions to lead them to their ideal career from an equal opportunity employer. As women become more assertive in their job searching, they will create a …

Women's Professional Sports: A Case Study On Practices That Could Increase Their Profitability, Danielle H. Mcardle

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Women’s professional sports leagues have often been considered a risky business endeavor. Critics cite low attendance, lack of sponsorships, lack of media rights deals, and numerous other reasons for why women’s professional sports leagues are not profitable. In analyzing the current landscape of women’s professional sport leagues, this paper uses a case study approach to develop a strategy that will highlight lessons learned from past women’s professional sports leagues, current professional sports leagues, sponsorship agreements, fans, social, digital, and mobile marketing strategies, and management practices to show how the business of women’s sports could be made into a more profitable …

Diversity And Innovation: The Effects Of Diverse Creator Teams On Video Game Characteristics And Sales, Jill C. Rosok

CMC Senior Theses

I analyze the effects of gender diversity on video game production teams. I hypothesize teams with greater gender diversity produce more games with uncommon characteristics than less diverse teams, and the games these teams develop generate higher revenue and unit sales compared to games developed by less diverse teams. I find teams with more women disproportionately develop games that are non-violent and have playable female leads. I examine whether there is an optimal ratio of women to hire for each game genre in order to maximize revenue by analyzing the relationship between the percentage of women on a team in …

Women Entrepreneurs: Keys To Successful Business Development And Sustainability Beyond Five Years, Delores Duncan Foster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Women-owned businesses are one of the fastest growing entrepreneurial populations, accounting for 8 million of the 28 million small businesses in the United States. Small businesses fail at a rate of 55% by the 5th year of operation and women, who own over 30% of all small businesses, contribute significantly to the 55% small business failure rate. Using Schumpeter's framework, this single exploratory case study investigated how women entrepreneurial small business owners use strategies to sustain their business operation beyond 5 years. A purposeful sample identified 2 women salon small business owners located in the Macon, Georgia metro area. Data …

Social Structure, Reasonable Gain, And Entrepreneurship In Africa, Gerard George, Reddi Kotha, Priti Parikh, Tufool Alnuaimi, Abubakr S. Bahaj

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In the context of desperate poverty, characterized by households at subsistence level that experience economic loss and social fracture, explanations for why individuals undertake entry into entrepreneurship are limited. We find that individuals rely on their social relationships to enable entrepreneurial activities that have the potential to create a reasonable income gain. In a sample of 1,049 households in rural Kenya, we test whether the disintegration of social structure attenuates entrepreneurial behavior. When coupled with factors such as income loss, gender of the household head, and access to communal resources, social structure plays a pivotal role in entrepreneurial action. We …

Women As Leaders In Differing Microfinance Models, Rae M. Randleman

Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought

One of the original microfinance institutions (MFIs) is Grameen Bank in Bangladesh and the founder of the bank is Muhammad Yunus (2007). Yunus (2007) initiated a discourse that stated that microloans granted to women resulted in, among other things, increased female empowerment. Much of the global microfinance industry (MFI) has mimicked Yunus’ focus on women and thus created a global master narrative which stated that the capitalist system of credit provided to marginalized women can alleviate poverty and empower women. Other development organizations contend that by itself microfinance cannot empower women; empowerment also requires long-term efforts to influence change in …

Jayaashree Industries: Revolutionising Sanitary Pad Use In India, Arcot Desai Narasimhalu, Christopher Dula

Arcot Desai NARASIMHALU

Arunachalam Muruganantham is a social entrepreneur dedicated to solving India’s menstrual health problems. He developed an unprecedented product as a solution: a low-cost, locally produced sanitary pad. In a paragon effort of frugal innovation, he reverse-engineered the industrial processes used to make sanitary-pads. The result was a small-scale, low-cost machine that could manufacture quality pads sold at a retail price 20% lower than the cheapest mass-produced brands. However, no one bought his pads until his wife began to sell them. After which, the two were unable to keep up with demand. This triggered his realization concerning the importance of including …

Resilience And Economic Empowerment: A Qualitative Investigation Of Entrepreneurial Indonesian Women, Min Ing Loh, Rayini Dahesihsari

Research outputs 2013

The development of female entrepreneurs in Indonesia is an integral part of Muslim women's economic contributions and empowerment. However, there is a lack of reliable research about female entrepreneurship and how gender may affect the experiences of business ownership in Indonesia. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the challenges encountered by these women entrepreneurs on a daily basis. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 30 female Indonesian entrepreneurs. Participants were recruited using theoretical and maximum variation sampling techniques. Content analysis was then used to analyze the data. Results revealed high levels of variations, both within and between …

Agenda: 2012 Energy Justice Conference And Technology Exposition, University Of Colorado Boulder. Center For Energy & Environmental Security, University Of Colorado Boulder. Colorado European Union Center Of Excellence, University Of Colorado Boulder. Presidents Leadership Institute

2012 Energy Justice Conference and Technology Exposition (September 17-18)

Co-sponsored with the Colorado European Union Center of Excellence and the Presidents Leadership Institute at the University of Colorado Boulder.

The ability to harness energy is fundamental to economic and social development. Worldwide, almost 3 billion people have little or no access to beneficial energy resources for cooking, heating, water sanitation, illumination, transportation, or basic mechanical needs. Energy poverty exacerbates ill health and economic hardship, and reduces educational opportunities, particularly for women and children. Specifically, access to efficient and affordable energy services is a prerequisite for achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) relating to poverty eradication.

In response, the UN …

Slides: Meeting The Needs Of Women Through Clean Cooking Solutions, Corinne Hart

2012 Energy Justice Conference and Technology Exposition (September 17-18)

Presenter: Corinne Hart, Program Manager, Gender and Markets, Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves

20 slides

The Anatomy Of A Helping Hand: Women-Owned Small Businesses And Federal Contract Procurement, Lillian F. Mcmanus

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Australia’S Dennis Family Corporation, Justin Craig, Ken Moores

Justin B. Craig

This paper details how the Australia Dennis family has been able to professionalize their family business while still retaining their family values and realizing the founders’ vision. We detail how Bert and Dawn Dennis and their four adult offspring decided to amalgamate their associated businesses with the parent company and take on the challenge of professionalizing this new entity. We highlight that, although the four siblings had learnt business, they had to now learn their family business. In addition, the CEO, Grant Dennis, had to learn to lead the business. As well, the Dennis family had to learn to give …

Developing Entrepreneurship Programmes For Female Members Of The Irish Traveller Community, Thomas Cooney

Articles

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the distinctive challenges faced by female travellers (Roma, Sinti and Gypsy) in starting their own business. Design/methodology/approach – The paper details a pilot “start your own business” programme that was delivered in Ireland to 12 women from the traveller community. Findings – Four distinct categories of entrepreneurship barriers faced by female travellers were recognised: self-esteem, traveller identity, welfare trap and family responsibilities. Research limitations/implications – The findings are based on just one programme and so no general conclusions can be drawn. Practical implications – The paper identifies the successes and …

We've Got The Power: Rise Of Women Entrepreneurs, Phyllis Swersky, Aileen Gorman, Jessica Reardon

New England Journal of Public Policy

The authors address women’s recent entrepreneurial successes in local, national, and international settings, offering, as a case study, one nonprofit organization whose mission is to support women entrepreneurs and help them grow: The Commonwealth Institute. In examining The Commonwealth Institute, the authors provide insight into the challenges facing some of the women entrepreneurs they work with in Massachusetts. They also offer some strategies to make sure women continue to make a significant contribution to New England’s economy.

Feminist Tigers And Patriarchal Lions: Rhetorical Strategies And Instrument Effects In The Struggle For Definition And Control Over Development In Nepal, Coralynn V. Davis

Faculty Journal Articles

This article offers an analysis of a struggle for control of a women’s development project in Nepal. The story of this struggle is worth telling, for it is rife with the gender politics and neo-colonial context that underscore much of what goes on in contemporary Nepal. In particular, my analysis helps to unravel some of the powerful discourses, threads of interest, and yet unintended effects inevitable under a regime of development aid. The analysis demonstrates that the employment of already available discursive figures of the imperialist feminist and the patriarchal third world man are central to the rhetorical strategies taken …

Entrepreneurial Women And Life Expectancy, Jeannette Oppedisano, Sandra Lueder

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

This article explores whether the longevity phenomenon experienced by entrepreneurial women born between 1720 and 1940 can be explained by the life circumstances of these women or whether other research may provide better insights into their remarkable tenacity. The characteristics of hardiness, resiliency, and self-efficacy should be examined as well as the newly developing research theories of perseverance in the face of adversity to determine which are most appropriate in explaining what is clearly female entrepreneurial endurance.