Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons^™

Growing ‘Black Diamonds’: The Role Of The Government In Small Business Development And Black Entrepreneurship, Will Houghteling

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

One of the most damaging and threatening legacies of the Apartheid system is the enormous wealth inequality gap that still persists today. The gulf between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ perpetuates problems of crime, educational attainment gaps and racial isolation and therefore minimizing this inequality is central to future economic stability and national success. In an effort to reconcile past injustices and create a more even and just wealth distribution the post Apartheid government focused on aiding black small business development and spurring entrepreneurship to as a sustainable route to economic growth and job creation. However, as various reports indicate, …

“Con Paciencia” : El Proceso Y Los Desafíos De La Textilería Mapuche, Julie Dorian

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Every culture boasts craftsmanship that reflects the philosophies, passions, interests, needs, and stories of its people. Such craftsmanship not only represents a culture, but also embodies many facets of the collective identity of that culture. In the case of the Mapuche, traditional craftsmanship holds an important place in their history as a people and the preservation of their culture in the modern world. However, the primary reason that artisans today continue to make their goods is the income it brings to their families. The problem that arises is that an artisan’s handmade goods cannot compete with the cheap, mass-produced products …

Unemployment, Women, And Taxis: A Study Of The Taxi-Sister Program In Its Test Phase, Mackenzie Israel-Trummel

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In May of 2007, the Senegalese Ministry for Family and Female Entrepreneurship in collaboration with a private car dealership, Espace-Auto, announced plans for the Taxi-Sister program, which introduced ten women into the taxi driving profession. The first ten women, who hit the streets in September 2007, are considered a test-run for the program, as the Ministry seeks to expand women’s roles in Senegalese society and presence in the economic sector. The program is considered to be both an effort to address women’s poverty and to establish a feminine presence in professions formerly reserved for men.

This study attempts to describe …

Entrepreneurship And “Conscientious Capitalism”? Economic Solidarity Within The Banco Palmas Network, Caroline Whistler

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Capitalism is often thought of as a struggle between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’. Although the very nature of the economic system is to reward innovative ideas that can survive competition and the ‘free market’, many ‘have-nots’ do not have the same opportunities to succeed as those born with economic resources. The gap between those with capital and those without has gradually widened into a gaping hole that few can cross. While there are certainly enough resources in Brazil to keep all citizens above the poverty line, the reality is that economic survival has been replaced by one of the most …

Faleoloa Laititi: The Role Of Small Shops In A Developing Samoa, Nicholas K. Courtney

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Samoa presently finds itself caught between the wave of development and an unyielding tie to its culture. Development in Samoa consists of a multitude of efforts including, but not limited to, commercial agriculture, tourism, environmental protection, and private sector business. In all of the areas, the struggle between the Western view and the Samoan internalization of the Western view proves readily apparent. More so, the way of life in Samoa somehow drips its way through the cracks of all these ideas, creating protocol for development which is uniquely Samoan. The research examines the strength and weaknesses of the small roadside …

La Economía Solidaria: Ayudando A Las Mujeres A Cambiar Su Destino De Pobreza, Michele Frix

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the last two decades in Latin America many social movements have arisen in response to the permeation of neo-liberalism throughout. These movements have many different labels (economía solidaria, economía comunitaria, economía social, solidaridad social, etc) but are all centered around the objective of forming a network of groups in the fight for economic justice, joining in solidarity, cooperation and mutual support. The idea of “economía solidaria” has become an alternative method of development in Latin America on the micro level, alleviating the effects of poverty that result from neo-liberal policies. Many non-governmental organizations have adopted the beliefs of “economía …

El Impacto De Micro-Crédito En Superar La Pobreza, Magda Tsaneva

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The present study is a microeconomic investigation, based on personal interviews with different microentrepreneurs and functionaries of credit institutions. It evaluates the impact of micro-credit, investigates the challenges the micro-credit programs have to confront, and suggests some potential improvements. In a qualitative analysis the following conclusions have been reached: the micro-credit is very limited in scope, it is not focused on really poor people, and neither has it been effective in helping the beneficiaries it has had to grow. Thus, while micro-credit has had many positive effects and has been useful to maintain and develop the microenterprise sector, it has …