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The paper explores the role of entrepreneurship education and training amongst women entrepreneurs to promote agritourism sector of the Indian economy. This study employ qualitative and quantitative approaches to gather data questionnaires survey and in-depth face to face interviews, based on a semi-structured questionnaire. The research involved a matched sample of 10 registered farmers (from the Punjab Heritage Tourism Promotion Board) and 200 unregistered male and female farmers selected randomly from the Indian State of Punjab. Quantitative analysis suggests that there is a direct and significant impact of EET on the management, efficiency, and use of farming land. The findings also suggested that the fall in the agricultural productivity due to labour shortages; revenue losses are rising as commodity prices are falling. Therefore, it is not a surprise that farmers seek to supplement income through alternative means to enhance their socio-economic stability and viability. The findings suggest that there is high incidence of migration amongst male farming population and female farmers lack EET and reluctance on their part to work with external male population. However, analysis of male owner-managers of micro and small agritourist firms also reported to have lower levels of EET and hence the need for EET male and females; thus, EET and adequate access to finance were two major determinants of agritourist firms' success in Indian Punjab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The women's education and its potential impact on entrepreneurship and innovation represent a growing interest in socioeconomic academic research (Paoloni and Manzo, 2023; Pereira, 2020; Bishu and Alkandry, 2017). The present paper makes a systematic literature review based on the topic of Gendered Education and Innovation in female entrepreneurship, considering the evolution over almost the last two decades and the current state of the art. The study is based on the Scopus database. It examines articles, books, and indexed conference proceedings that have focused on the influence of women's education on their entrepreneurial journey and innovative capabilities. The studies having in Abstract, Title, or Keywords "education" AND "innovation" AND "entrepreneur" OR "enterprise*" AND "gender" are 257. Source types, year of publication, field of research, source title, keywords, country/territory, and language classify studies. After this, the most cited studies were analyzed to answer the RQs. The studies reviewed show a positive correlation between women's level of education and the likelihood of engaging in entrepreneurial activities. Education provides technical and managerial skills, boosts self-confidence and expands networking, facilitating access to resources and opportunities (de las Mercedes Barrachina Fernández et al., 2021; Gupta et al., 2009). From a theoretical point of view, the research contributes to gender studies about female entrepreneurship, focusing on the relationship between education and innovation. Analyzing how education influences women's entrepreneurship can help identify and address educational and socio-cultural barriers that limit women's access to entrepreneurship and active participation in innovation. From a managerial perspective, the results of such research can inform public policy, guiding government and organizational efforts in promoting specific educational programs that encourage women's entrepreneurship and innovativeness. Promoting women's innovativeness and entrepreneurship can contribute to overall economic development, as greater inclusion of women in the business landscape can lead to increased diversity, competitiveness and innovation (Minniti and Nardone, 2007; Morton et al., 2016; Pereira, 2019; Pereira and Salaris, 2019;). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This working paper aims to explore and critique the entrepreneurship financial ecosystem facing female entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland. Recently, the impact of the entrepreneurial eco-system on entrepreneurial levels has emerged as an important area of research, however, this research suggests that entrepreneurship policies and initiatives are highly gendered (Henry, Foss and Ahl, 2016; Brush et al., 2019; Bosma et al., 2020). This paper seeks to review and critique the financial ecosystem facing female entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland, (NI) as part of the UK, faces a number of specific challenges, both economically and socially and hence developing entrepreneurship is recognised as hugely important as a source of job creation and economic and social development. The paper reviews the current financial supports and initiatives within the financial ecosystem and is consistent with the view that the financial entrepreneurship ecosystem in NI is highly gendered. The research is at an early stage but provides the basis of a more detailed review of the role of the financial eco-system in promoting or limiting female entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the adequacy of research on cross-gender cross-cultural conflict within the scholarly domain of entrepreneurship. As disparate elements of management and sociology research, it appears that, up till now, the coterminous areas of gender, conflict, culture and entrepreneurship have been ignored. The research reveals a weak link among entrepreneurship research, gender research and cross-cultural conflict theory as these connections are either not developed or non-existent. Despite clear evidence for scholarly interest in gender research, notably recently, such studies have failed to go beyond equality issues to address the unique conflict scenarios that may arise when unidentical genders form entrepreneurship ventures. Whilst cross-gender conflict is extensively studied in mainstream organisations, similar studies are sparse within entrepreneurship literature, particularly ventures that straddle across different cultural boundaries. In effect, the observation seems to indicate an incomplete picture of gender theory as it relates to enterprise theory on one hand and cross-cultural theory on the other. An ideal research pattern should include four different elements that bring together the hitherto separate fields that are vastly important yet unconsciously disequilibrated. This paper, therefore, serves as a pivot for initial intellectual debate and future research essentially around the four propositions offered. The overarching conclusion is that conflict will tend to increase when cross-gender partnerships are formed outside of national borders, whereas less cross-gender conflict is likely among entrepreneurship ventures that occur within national borders. These assumptions remain falsifiable and should form the basis of the next spate of research in the gender domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise of women entrepreneurship as an economic stimulator globally as seen recently is not only heard in social or economic debates, but also in gender related issues. Thus, this paper argues the need for WomEntrepreneurs contribution to the economy and society in general to be recognized and at the forefront. Women are one of the groups that are underrepresented and under-researched in entrepreneurship studies. They are classified and treated under the same umbrella of beings with no capability of managing and growing a business beyond profit making with employees than their male counter-parts. Even though, they have different backgrounds, are brought up differently, accessed opportunities (including their access to different market) and resources differently. Research indicate, women are better educated, skilled and start businesses that have growth potential. That is, there are a select few High-Growth and Impact WomEntrepreneurs among the female population. These High Growth and Impact WomEntrepreneurs, even strive under great resource scarcity and high uncertainty. This is despite the challenges of stereo types that want women to constantly prove themselves. The word "WomEntrepreneur, High Growth and Impact WomEntrepreneur and WomEntrepreneurship" has been coined by the researcher to identify opportunity driven women entrepreneurs within the "high growth" women entrepreneurship space which adds as a contribution, and might also prove useful in entrepreneurship studies. Gender plays a huge role in society, as men tend to have easy access to education, business, family and financial support and their businesses are growth driven and perform very well financially. While on the other hand, data indicate that, women find it difficult to secure financial resources. Hence, the aim of this paper is to discuss High-Growth and Impact WomEntrepreneurs, as a recognized gender of recent times in growing global economies and the individual factors (tested: confidence and risk-taker, reliability and determination) that drive this phenomenon. The paucity of studies addressing women theories and individual WomEntrepreneurs entrepreneurial attributes has led the call for incorporating the validated SIGMO Model, which considers the individual, the firm and the environment, as tested in South Africa which is considered as an economy that is still developing, using data collected from WomEntrepreneurs. WomEntrepreneurs are identified as highly educated than their male counter-parts. The paper addresses High Growth and Impact WomEntrepreneurship as a gender issue and also looks at the individual factors that influence and propel WomEntrepreneurs into High-Growth and Impact WomEntrepreneurs. Thus, in order to answer the research question of this study: How High-growth and Impact WomEntrepreneurs contribute to economic growth? The study undertook a quantitative research method, where online surveys were undertaken to access High Growth and Impact WomEntrepreneurs individual factors that positively contribute to High Growth Formation in firms managed by High Growth and Impact WomEntrepreneurs. Recommendations to policy makers have been drafted, which will encourage and support such an activity to sustain, grow and remove stereo types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I situate the Instagram ‘momfluencing’ industry within Betty Friedan’s framework of the feminine mystique, specifically the sexual sell. The sexual sell is the concept of targeting housewives for profit, promising identity and fulfilment in exchange for product purchase. I bring this into conversation with the momfluencing industry by integrating Friedan’s research on the impact of 1950s women’s magazines with modern research on the impact of social media advertisements (specifically through influencers) on women. Then, I apply my comparative work to some of the most popular momfluencers. I claim that while advertisements today do not appeal so explicitly to a woman’s rightful place in the home, the sexual sell has not been eradicated—it has mutated. What makes the momfluencer different (and more dangerous) than the straightforward magazines of the 1950s is her marketing approach: she is not just selling products. Rather, she brands herself and she is the product. Furthermore, I illustrate how momfluencing has armed and mobilized the sexual sell by exploiting the existing identity crises in women. Their lack of fulfilment is what feeds, and has always fed, the feminine mystique. I then state that because the momfluencer can only succeed at the financial and emotional expense of other women, the industry is ultimately destructive. While the momfluencing industry has the potential to be a powerful feminist play with its opportunities for women entrepreneurs, its rampant success must be interrogated: Why is the flawless housewife who ‘has it all’ still the picture of achievement for women? This leads to my conclusion that despite isolated empowerment to the momfluencer herself, the success of her industry limits the role of women everywhere because it squanders women’s identities while capping their potentials at housewifery, impeding progress that could be made otherwise. By showcasing unachievable domestic fantasies and capitalising on women’s lack of fulfilment, the momfluencing industry perpetuates Friedan’s feminine mystique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The gender gap in entrepreneurship persists across the globe. Although many governments are making significant efforts to change the landscape, there is still much work to close this gap, especially in developing countries. Morocco, a Muslim and patriarchal society, does not escape this reality. It has one of the lowest rates of gender equality in entrepreneurship. The entrepreneurial gender gap in Morocco is alarming since it is manifested throughout the entrepreneurial process (from the intention to action), and female TEA has been far below male TEA for many years now (GEM, 2021). By analyzing the paths of Moroccan entrepreneurs, this paper proposes exploring the characteristics of the entrepreneurial process from a gendered perspective. Through semi-structured interviews among nineteen entrepreneurs, this study explores the entrepreneurial process in its complexity and diversity of contexts. The aim is to deeply understand how female and male entrepreneurs live their entrepreneurial adventures in a patriarchal and Islamic context. The results show that the entrepreneur's gender is not the relevant factor to analyze gender gap in entrepreneurship but rather context which justifies the emergence of new typology of female entrepreneurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last few decades, researchers and policy makers have begun aiming and channeling their attention, efforts and hopes towards sustainable entrepreneurship. Thus, new businesses have increasingly started considering the interests and needs of all involved parties, in order to promote innovation for the development of new products, processes and sustainable working methods. This focus on innovation has contributed to the "creative destruction" of conventional methods, market structures and consumption patterns, whilst also being a source of/for competitive advantage. These concerns bring forth key questions which are necessary to be answered in order to develop a sustainable economy, i.e.: Are people who are concerned with environmental or social issues able to initiate successful (or at least functional) start-ups? Do industrious individuals see sustainability as a factor influencing the success chances of their business? Usually, the common opinion is that entrepreneurs endowed with high human capital are more involved in green entrepreneurship, but there is consistent empirical evidence that points to the fact that many successful "green" projects combine social involvement, the desire to make the world a better and cleaner place whilst maximizing profit and profit goals. In this paper, by using data from a survey-based research among a considerable number of start-ups from around the world, which was made available by the Entrepreneurship Database Program (EDP), we have analyzed the connections between sustainable impact, age and gender of entrepreneurs. We have found a relatively low intention of new, ambitious business owners to focus on sustainable areas, and if they do focus on such areas, this interest is focused towards sectors that can provide them with a consistent and immediate return (e.g. waste management). In terms of gender and age, it seems that women and middle-aged individuals are more in favor of focusing on sustainability and environmental protection issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to investigate if the knowledge transfer process comes from business incubators can improve the female startups' competitive advantage in terms of the attractiveness of financial resources and subsequent acquisition by larger companies. This paper is a part of ongoing research on the gender studies field and it focuses on the study of relationship evolution between the woman startup (WSU) and its business incubator (BI), during three main company lifecycle stage: i) start-up or early stage, ii) equitycrowdfunding campaign and iii) the acquisition of WSU by a larger company. The qualitative methodology of a single case study was adopted. Particularly, thanks to a dynamism approach of the CAOS model is possible to observe, during the time, how the relationships' evolution can contribute, in term of relational capital, to reach the declared goal. Assuming that variable (S) refers to the sustainability of the woman startup and identify the stages before, during, and after the equity crowdfunding campaign, it was needed to apply a triplication to the variable (S). Utilizing this framework, it is possible to recognize which types of relationships acquired by the female entrepreneur during the incubation phase, has reverberated in the following life-cycle phases until its acquisition by a larger company. Findings show that BI's knowledge transfer process plays a central role in the development of woman start-up. Especially, it is possible to appreciate how knowledge transferred not regards only to the company dimension but it increases the personal sphere of entrepreneur that, thanks to the skills acquired, she will continue to retain a strategic management role also into the new company - after the M&A. This paper contributes to the literature in three different fields: i) gender studies; ii) knowledge transfer process and the relational capital; iii) the use of alternative ways of finance. Limitations concern the SMEs (startup) dimension. Analysis of data has been available only through direct interviews with the female entrepreneur. Future research perspectives will be focused on the acquisition of more data on the topic of woman startup and crowdfunding to reply the analysis by multiple case studies and try to understand which relational capital's factors recurring for the sustainability of the start-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current state of research in Germany shows that women are significantly underrepresented in innovative startups. The important potential of female founders for the innovation culture in Germany is thus not being exploited. The visibility of innovative female founders has an impact on their success, as it facilitates their access to capital, networks and markets. In addition, visible role models can motivate young women to contribute their own innovative potential to a startup. This work-in-progress paper provides insight into the conception and the methodical approach within the project “Visibility of Innovative Female Founders in Germany” which examines the mechanisms and structures that influence the visibility of innovative female founders. On the one hand, the activity/passivity of female founders with regard to public visibility is investigated. On the other hand, the project examines selection mechanisms of media professionals as well as venture capitalists and identifies the success factors for the public visibility of (female and male) start-up founders in hightech companies. By comparing the results of these two sub-surveys, best practices will be identified and measures to improve the visibility of innovative female founders will be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, industrialization and globalization have prompted small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to implement a significant technological and managerial innovation process. In Italy, it leads to new entrepreneurial pathways, such as innovative start-ups. The new solutions' implementation becomes even more crucial for a company's sustainability during crises since it improves the organization's flexibility and encourages the development of new tools and techniques. Previous research recognized the intangible assets' relevance in the innovation's creation process, mainly referring to Intellectual Capital (IC) and its components. In particular, Relational Capital (RC) fosters reactive firms' resilience, whereas Structural Capital (SC) helps SMEs respond to challenges proactively. Focusing on the agri-food sector, it has recently reached considerable results in terms of innovation, but it still appears insufficient to stimulate female entrepreneurship. Recent data confirm a remarkable gender gap: for 107 innovative agri-food start-ups in Italy, only 14 are led by women. Given all this, the paper aims to answer the following Research Questions (RQ). RQ1: How could RC and SC promote women innovative start-ups in agri-food? RQ2: How did these factors foster proactive and reactive firms' resilience during the pandemic? The work uses an exploratory, descriptive qualitative analysis performed during the pandemic emergency and applies the CAOS model, an interpretative model widely used in SMEs' studies since it allows a deep analysis of relational capital. Moreover, the CAOS model can be helpful to observe the SC's innovation. From a theoretical point of view, the research contributes to gender studies, identifying critical, innovative elements that similar women start-ups could implement. From a managerial perspective, findings could increase the firms' competitiveness in the current crisis period and reduce gender inequality. The application of a single case study could represent a research's limit. Thus, in the future, the authors aim at replicating the analysis considering a more comprehensive sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research about women entrepreneurs is not new. In addition to the body of work on women entrepreneurship, networks and businesses, several resources, assistance, and support have been provided through various channels to assist women in their business and entrepreneurial pursuits. Although, research in these areas is popular, there is an aspect that has not gained as much attention - formal women business networks (FWBNs). FWBNs are networks that run like organisations and provide a way for women to network and pursue shared interests while gaining business benefits. These networks provide benefits such as funding, trainings, access to business resource, and are funded by various organisations as well as patronized by several women seeking the benefits they provide. Hence, there is a high expectation on these networks to not only deliver on the very much needed support for women entrepreneurs, but also, to deliver on the ROI to groups, organizations, bodies, and women that give to these networks. Furthermore, recent environmental/external influences like a pandemic have impacted the way entrepreneurs do business and increased the need for support and networks. Thus, it is important that FWBNs that serve to help women businesses be examined more closely and holistically. While literature provides some evidence of the importance of FWBNs, there is limited research about these FWBNs. This could be due to the limited number of frameworks, models or theories that holistically examines all the various possible elements in these networks, as well as the relationships between them. Therefore, a holistic and integrated framework that draws from existing frameworks and provides a lens to measure and explore all possible elements that impact a FWBN, can help provide better insights and understanding in several aspects. This paper is an attempt to provide a holistic and integrated framework that draws from different theories and literature concepts to examine the nature of FWBNs and how they contribute to the success of women entrepreneurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on in-depth interview data from women entrepreneurs, this paper explores the discursive practice of innovation as reflected in the relationship between modes of innovative behaviour and women entrepreneurship in micro business. This qualitative study illustrates and links the elements of innovativeness that focuses on how women entrepreneurs practice and implement, in new modes, as well as adopt certain innovative behaviours. In being innovative, individual entrepreneurs need new directions and make choices which help sustain or develop their entrepreneurial skills. They have to draw on the pull and push factors to shape innovations. At the same time they need to reconcile the constraints of how they construct their lives and their businesses particularly within the gender framework. The paper is part of a bigger study that explores the micro and informal small-scale businesses from four different zones in Peninsular Malaysia. Based on a thematic analysis, is the study finds that innovation could transform the desired direction of gender entrepreneurship in micro-businesses. This exploratory study also shows that it is important to explore gender entrepreneurship and innovation across stages of economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research is focused on whether female entrepreneurs face institutional discrimination based on prejudices. Therefore, in consideration of the institutional theory, this paper aims to clarify how informal institutions, such as norms, values and attitudes of society impact female entrepreneurship. To visualize these informal norms, values and attitudes of society towards women, common prejudices against women were utilized. The results revealed that the analyzed prejudices represent obsolete social perceptions against women which lack any validity and justification. However, these prejudices still negatively influence – directly or indirectly – the behavior, career choices, motivation and self-perception of female entrepreneurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers an initial perspective on the realities of female entrepreneurship in developing countries, focusing on Zimbabwe, based on research in progress. The research attempts to understand female entrepreneurship from the perspective of the female entrepreneurs themselves. Methodology - Qualitative analysis used in this paper is based on empirical findings from field-work undertaken in Harare (capital city of Zimbabwe) and Bulawayo (second largest city of Zimbabwe). In-depth face to face interviews were conducted by the researcher with forty-three female entrepreneurs running their own businesses. The sample consists of female entrepreneurs who started their entrepreneurial activities in the formal sector and have since formalised their businesses or are in the process of formalising their businesses. Further interviews, and re-interviews, are continuing. Results obtained - Preliminary findings indicate that context, in terms of culture and socioeconomic factors, shapes female entrepreneurial activities. All married women ran their businesses in partnership with spouses; this turned out to be a paper partnership, with little support, and often a lot of interference, coming from the husband. The paper offers some explanation as to why context and historical variables impact on the realities of female entrepreneurial activities. Conclusion - At a minimum, apparent or face-value collaboration with men is a necessity of culture and custom. The women interviewed construe entrepreneurship as self-fulfilling, allowing them the flexibility and freedom to balance work with family obligations whilst earning income to better their families and that of the community. Implications - To understand (female) entrepreneurship, researchers need to factor in culture, context, history and custom. This has implications for policy-making, training programmes and business support. Originality/ value- There are very few studies from a developing country perspective such as that of Zimbabwe, which take a positive stance towards culture. This paper therefore adopts an open-minded view of the role of culture as enabling, rather than disabling, in female entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to describe the ways in which the economic crisis has affected bank-firm dynamics and access to credit for male and female entrepreneurs. The issue of bank loans and access to credit has been widely covered in studies on female entrepreneurship. Countless research proves the existence of significant differences between male and female businesses, for example, regarding financial structure and the impact of debt finance. The causes of these differences, however, have not yet been clearly identified. In this context, one wonders whether male and female firms were affected by the crisis in the same way, or if bank-firm dynamics followed different trends in the two cases. This paper presents the main findings from an empirical research based on a questionnaire survey involving a sample of 300 (150 male and 150 female) sole-proprietors and owners of micro-enterprises located in the Marche region (central Italy). Data was collected in October- November 2013 and refers to the period 2008-2013. The purpose of the questionnaire was to understand if men and women entrepreneurs asked for new bank loans during the crisis, and if they obtained the required bank loans under the same conditions. Moreover we want to understand if other variables, other than gender, could have influenced access to bank credit. The empirical analysis has shown that firms were very cautious with access to finance during the crisis. In fact, only a few firms asked for new bank loans and female firms asked for bank loans more rarely than male firms. In contrast to previous studies, this analysis reveals no significant differences between male and female businesses on the possibility of attaining requested bank loans. Even the influence of other variables is statistically insignificant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academics and economists seek for directions when intoning the debate on female entrepreneurship. While some school of thought expect the gender bias within the start-up community to eventually even out as soon as societies' mindsets change with respect to women's entrepreneurial reluctances; others assert that the even out of the bias is occluded by women's lack of entrepreneurial intention and competences. However, both proclaim a need to accelerate female entrepreneurship for two reasons: gender-equality concern and economic specificity. Female entrepreneurs worldwide still face an uphill battle in some more or less severe cases. They have to carry unnecessary baggage on their rise to the top. Here, one can wonder: Who packed it? Biology? Social conditions? Nations infrastructure? The anthropological theory of entrepreneurship has identified culture as a key determinant of venture creation behaviour, practices and outcome. This paper focuses on the extent to which the rise of female entrepreneursis especially cultural determined. We conducted a comparative analysis drawing on previous empirical studies and secondary data using Europe, Asia, and Africa for 1st, 2nd and 3rd world respectively. Evidences from our analysis reveal that cultural environment features a negative correlation of entrepreneurial interest to gender. This means, males are more likely to be entrepreneurial and more successful in their ventures than their female counterparts across the globe with slightly varying differences levelled by industrialization and socio-economic development. The paper discusses our conclusions on culture entailed threats and opportunities for female entrepreneurs. It comes up with implications for further directions of research to shed lighton structural and mental concepts maintaining the start-up gender bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will report on the background and outline the progress and potential outcomes of a current research project to support young (20-35 years) female SME owners that can be described as "entrepreneurial". The work is looking to educate this body of entrepreneurs regarding the social, economic and legal position of women in business. Awareness of Intellectual Capital both in terms of legal awareness and in terms of "protected rights" is problematical for this group due to the political and historical background of the country. However as Poland is now an active member of the EU this situation needs to be redressed. This is ongoing work and it is expected that initial results will be available by May 2010. This paper will explore relevant aspects and outline the possible impact of the research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New Zealand, like other countries, is becoming an increasingly multicultural society. Diversity of New Zealand has rapidly increased in the last ten years with 34 percent of the current population being Maori, Asian and Pacific community. We can see the reflection of super diversity in many areas of productivity, investment and particularly in innovation and entrepreneurial areas. Diversity has resulted in varied personal strengths such as language skills, social, cultural and international connections that can be channelled into entrepreneurship and easily transferable to New Zealand economy. New Zealand needs to adjust fast and invest in measures and programs to ensure we maximise the benefits of super diverse women population. These calls for a multi-voiced ``diversity'' discourse that would focus attention on the local demographics, cultural and political differences that adds value for entrepreneurial activities. As a country, New Zealand has acknowledged the influence of women on its growth and prosperity. Women entrepreneurs play a crucial role in country's economy, in terms of generating revenue and jobs, and creating an inclusive society; yet the entrepreneurial research to address diversity and promote entrepreneurial activities is largely invisible or marginal in mainstream entrepreneurship research. Despite a number of barriers, migrant women entrepreneurs are the fastest-growing group of business owners in advanced economies. In this paper, we aim to address the diversity of the women entrepreneurs and an attempt to provide a better understanding of the phenomenon by identifying and providing an overview of the possible barriers faced by diverse women entrepreneurs. It also explores challenges facing women entrepreneurs and various ethnic and cultural resources utilised by them to overcome such challenges. This paper will offer insights towards building a more inclusive framework for women’s entrepreneurship at a grass root level. Practical implication for future research and practice will be outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurship is a relatively new research field and as a consequence, there is little or no research on designated research methods for this field. Within this context, Women Entrepreneurship as a new branch of Entrepreneurship is in greater need of a comprehensive review of strategies, methods and techniques used in this sub-field. In parallel, across different research fields there was an emergence of innovative ways of mixing quantitative and qualitative research methods and an effort to form the foundation of a new research method - mixed method research (MMR). This paper undertook a critical review into the research methods employed by previous studies on entrepreneurship with a focus on women entrepreneurship in particular. Additionally, the study will search for trends within the research methods used by studies on entrepreneurship and women entrepreneurship. This is a theoretical research where an extensive and systematic literature review was carried out across seven decades, with over 200 articles from more than ten ranked journals, relevant to this research field. The research paper critically evaluates the research methods used by studies on women entrepreneurs. The study attempts to answer the research question regarding the effectiveness of using mixed research methods as a research choice and the imminent trend of innovative ways in blending quantitative and qualitative methods in order to increase the validity of the research. The findings show a strong orientation towards using mixed research methods, with emphasis on the use of case studies as a qualitative approach. Also, there is an increasing use of triangulation of both data collection methods and data analysis. The findings of this research discuss the advantages of using mixed method approach in the research field of women entrepreneurship. Moreover, the results will enhance the body of foundational theoretical work for the third research methods - mixed method research. Further, this research will be of benefit for academics and researchers in the field of women entrepreneurship in particular and management in general and a contribution to knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study conducted in the context of South Africa, aims to explore gender nuances in the performances of tourism-related businesses in the Durban Central Business District, KwaZulu-Natal, with emphases on traditional societal perceptions and access to capital. Questionnaire survey, a quantitative research method, was used to collect data from 150 tourism-related business owners and managers using purposive sampling method. Data was analysed using IBM's SPSS version 25 software. Descriptive (frequency, mean), bivariate (Spearman's Rank Correlation (two-tailed) test, Pearson's Chi-Square test, Mann-Whitney U test) and multivariate (Reliability test using Cronbach's Alpha) data analyses were applied in this study. Results shows that entrepreneurial performance is influenced by the belief system of the society, marketing capabilities, and the entrepreneur background. Hence, there may be the influence of African traditional societal perceptions on African women entrepreneurs to be more contented than men with the small size of their businesses (because society expects them not to manage large businesses). This study did not make a conclusive finding that gender plays a strong role in differentiating business success or performance. However, the study found that it is somewhat easier for female entrepreneurs to find business start-up capital. Based on this study results, authors recommend that entrepreneurial training and mentorship programmes should emphasise that gender has no role in determining entrepreneurial success. Better optimisation of marketing capability and increased awareness of entrepreneurs regarding sources of business funding, are crucial for business start-ups and success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intersection of gender and innovation is increasingly explored in entrepreneurship research. However, the existing literature on women's entrepreneurship often focuses on challenges and gender disparities. Despite the growing participation of women entrepreneurs, barriers to their innovation persist. Previous studies highlight that gender operates as a limiting factor in innovation systems, and the overall construction of innovation carries masculine connotations. Our research seeks to delve into the personal meaning's women entrepreneurs attribute to innovation. Specifically, we pose the question: How do women entrepreneurs conceptualise innovation? Employing Appreciative Inquiry (AI), we conducted interviews with 12 Finnish women entrepreneurs, emphasising strengths and positive aspects rather than problem-solving. The AI process included four stages: discovery, dream, design, and delivery. Each participant underwent two interview rounds, covering different stages. The analysis, conducted through discourse analysis, identified three discourses in women entrepreneurs' constructions of innovation: 1) Innovation is me, 2) Touch of something new, and 3) Vague concept. While prior research has often associated innovation with masculine traits, our results reveal a nuanced perspective. The positive approach of AI uncovered constructive views of innovation, such as the strong identity formation with innovation depicted in the discourse of "Innovation is me". By providing rich qualitative insights, our research contributes to a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of women entrepreneurs engaged in innovation, challenging conventional notions and highlighting positive constructions of innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2002, Saudi Arabia has experienced an economic and societal turning point in encouraging women professional and entrepreneurial initiatives. As private companies and families may still be reluctant to promote female employability, Saudi Arabia has also stimulated female entrepreneurial spirit. However, Saudi Arabia female TEA (total entrepreneurial activity) is still very low. At the same time, media have diffused different examples of Saudi women's entrepreneurial success stories. An important proportion of women though may wish to launch businesses but do not dare to concretize their projects. Therefore, we have decided to study Saudi women's entrepreneurial intentions in order to understand better the present construct of their entrepreneurial motivations. Our study is focused on student population because it may reflect some changes that can guide policy makers and educators in the implementation of new support systems. In 2012, we have conducted a quantitative study of the entrepreneurial intention of 75 female university students. This study demonstrates that young Saudi students have a very high rate of entrepreneurial desirability. However, a significant majority of these respondents are more reserved concerning the feasibility of their projects. Moreover, if they are properly supported, they are ready to negotiate a set of compromises with collective norms in order to concretize their entrepreneurial self-accomplishment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the forms of network governance adopted by formal women entrepreneurial networks (FWEN) in sub-Saharan Africa and their impact on the effectiveness of the networks. FWENs provide key resources for women entrepreneurs that may otherwise not be accessible or attainable and for these FWENs to be of value they need to have effective governance structures. The successful acquisition, control and utilization of resources as well as achievement of network goals is highly reliant on effective governance. While the importance of governance in formal networks cannot be overemphasized, there is limited knowledge about the forms of network governance adopted by FWEN and their impact on the effectiveness of the networks. Provan and Kenis' (2008) framework on modes of network governance has been adopted to examine the forms of governance in FWENs and their impact on the effectiveness of the networks. Data was collected from four networks in Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya using qualitative methods and was analysed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal while that no particular mode of governance is favoured over the other in FWENs, the FWEN with the Network Administration Organisation (NAO) mode of governance had the highest level of network effectiveness. The findings have implications for women entrepreneurs, leaders of FWENs, government, practitioners, policy makers and individual or organisational investors looking to impact women's development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the implementation of innovation management among women entrepreneurs in Klang Valley. The study highlights the issues and challenges faced by women sole proprietors and copreneurs in operating their businesses. The research also describes the differences in how female sole proprietors and copreneurs implement innovation management based on factors such as their business nature and demographic profile. The research adopts a qualitative approach to data analysis due to the small number of respondents. It is an exploratory study based on the analysis from the in-depth interview of eleven respondents who are involved in retail and service industries. The in-depth interviews were carried out in the business premises or homes of the respondents. Some of the respondents also preferred to be interviewed in a more relaxed environment. The interview was conducted face-face for at least an hour based on the semi-structured, open-ended questionnaire. From the analysis of the interview transcripts, prevalent themes that have been identified include entrepreneurial intention, issues and challenges, as well as types of innovation. On top of that, this study explained the difference in the implementation of innovation management among woman entrepreneurs involved in sole proprietorship and copreneurship respectively in Klang Valley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to examine whether mentoring is effective in supporting women in a rural context to engage in entrepreneurial activity. It seeks to contribute insights to the development of institutional support programmes, and thus bridge the gap between policy and practice as well as creating value, employment and community involvement. There is no clear definition of what constitutes rural enterprise in the UK, a rural enterprise is simply a business registered at an address in an area defined as rural by the Department of Rural Affairs. A useful classification of rural entrepreneurship distinguishes “rural entrepreneurship” (RE) and “entrepreneurship in the rural” (EIR). The latter uses the rural context simply as a location. The former is embedded in the rural context. An interpretivist approach was adopted using a qualitative research design. One-off in-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of 24 women who operate in some of the most common areas for women entrepreneurs and 6 of their mentors. Quota sampling was combined with a purposive approach to select those who had had experience of mentoring. Upbringing was found to be a major influence on whether women engaged in entrepreneurship. Most stated that there had been no suggestion that this was a possibility from their schooling. With regards to mentoring, most expressed the view that it was “vital”. Most were very pragmatic about seeking out practical advice. The most significant form of mentoring was found to be peer mentoring, from women’s business networks, professional associations and online networks. Bearing in mind the small sample size, the findings indicate a more targeted approach to mentoring programmes should be taken. Peer mentoring has not been explored in depth. More could be done to support established businesses rather than a focus on start ups. In addition, the curriculum could be broadened to include recognition of entrepreneurship as a valid career path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study, aim to explore the role of women in informal entrepreneurial finance in rural India and the impact on the subsequent growth of their microenterprise. It adopts a contextualized, less Western-centric lens to approach the phenomena being investigated and in order to conduct this qualitative study in a unique and highly gendered ecosystem – the rural parts of the Punjab, northern India. Methodology: A qualitative approach has been employed involving in-depth, face to face interviews based on a semi-structured questionnaire among 185 rural microenterprise households (demand side), and 10 informal lenders (supply side) located in five districts (Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Nawanshahr and Patiala) of the Punjab, India. Hence the primary data for this study has been collected from the five districts, representing different agro-climatic zones of the Indian Punjab. The questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were carried out face to face and in focus groups with respondents from both the supply and demand side. Results/ findings: Our study unveils some unique contextually novel insights, including particularly distinctive types of informal lenders – including arthyias, ghumihar (potters), kirana store owners (village grocers), shahukars (village goldsmith) and zamindar (landlords) – and focuses upon the actual practice of lending (in terms of how the process of decision-making to women entrepreneurs is determined by contextual factors, such as relationship lending practices on the basis of financial status, family background). For example, lenders are aligned based on caste lines and grant loans on personal recommendations and guarantee to persons known to them. This paper makes an important contribution to the literature on the role of women entrepreneurs and informal lending in a novel emerging economy context. It provides both quantitative and qualitative empirical evidence on financial lending and the borrowing structures in the Indian State of Punjab. This study also builds on extant theory by using a contextual framework for analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In FB research some studies have investigated the position of women involved as successors in the succession process, but very few studies have analysed women as incumbents. Until a few years ago, this issue would have been considered of little importance, given the very small number of women-owned businesses involved in a succession process. However, the increasing quantity of female firms raises questions about the specificities of a succession process from mother to son. This kind of process could indeed be a recurring one in the coming years. Apart from a few exceptions, in analyses of the succession process, women have often been described as mediators between family members, patient wives, mothers responsible for bringing up the future heir, or women living in the shadow of their husbands, fathers, sons, or brothers. An important role in transmitting family and business values to the children has been recognised by women. Women in this role have been defined as "chief emotional officer" (Jimenez, 2009), being that they hold the emotional leadership of the FB. But what happens when a woman, especially a mother, is the main actor of the succession process? Can she also act as emotional leader? Which behaviours reveal that she is acting as an emotional leader? And how does this role affect the outcome of the succession process? To answer these research questions, this paper presents an eight-year longitudinal case study (Yin, 2013). The main character is a woman who founded and ran a business and recently passed the leadership to her son. Results show that even if she was the founder, owner and leader of the business, she never lost her role as emotional leader. This behaviour has proven to be very beneficial for the succession process and business survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have analyzed how existing literature contributes to women entrepreneurship research in terms of theoretical, methodological and practical ways of understanding. Based on relevant contents and discourses, a main line within the trend of development can be seen as women entrepreneurship shifting from a marginalized discipline to a more multi-dimensional research concept. Certain representative issues evoke development or are even being left as "atheoretical" at some point; the "alternative" angle is accordingly significant for an in-depth exploration through the relevant materials. The literature resources are chosen with close attention to the keywords "women entrepreneurship" in current issues from academically well-known journals and books. Therefore, we plan to set three objectives in this analysis based on the following three questions: (1) Why is it important to study women entrepreneurship? (2) How does current research contribute to women entrepreneurship both from theoretical and practical points of view? (3) What are the future concerns provided by the relevant discussions? The time range has been set from 2006 to 2012, so that we can anticipate the contemporary research situation and how women entrepreneurship has evolved. Four positions ("equal opportunities", "meritocracy", "special contribution", and "alternative values") synthesized by Alvesson and Billing (2009) as "approaches to the understanding of women and leadership" will be "borrowed" to help classify and understand the theoretical background. Useful discussions and conclusions can be generalized through integrating the four positions with multiple points, which have been summarized by reading through the literature. (Seven points include "overall research development of women entrepreneurship", "empirical data gaps", "enterprising promise of women entrepreneurship", "comparisons between male and female entrepreneurs", "barriers (inequality) for female entrepreneurs", "important role of women entrepreneurs", and "cultural (national) differences for studying women entrepreneurship"). Discourses related to diverse perspectives of studying women entrepreneurship will be highlighted and concentrated on in order to conduct a meta-analysis. During the analyzing process, ATLAS.ti will be used as a support tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have shown that innovation could play an important role in fostering new business models by defining new or improved services, products or processes. In addition, more and more women are playing an important role in the country's development by starting new businesses. However, lack of competitiveness has led to a number of failures. Therefore, innovation could provide the backbone for a sustainable and competitive economy. Understanding the link between innovation and its role in enhancing entrepreneurship capabilities needs to be further investigated from a gender perspective. In Asia, specifically Thailand shows a notable high rate of women entrepreneurship in various entrepreneurial phases. Utilizing the 2012 GEM (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor) Thailand database, this paper seeks to empirically investigate the impact of gender on innovativeness in Thai entrepreneurs. This paper categorizes entrepreneurs into three groups based on their business progress: those who intend to start a business within three years, young businesses owners and established entrepreneurs. The results interestingly indicate a lack of gender difference in innovativeness for those in new business while some gender impact was present in innovativeness for those who are in the extreme case like either intending to start a business or established businesses. The significance of this study is in thus confirming that gender differences are found in innovativeness exhibited by either intending or fully established Thai entrepreneurs. While no gender difference was found in those entrepreneurs that are in the process of establishing their business for around three and half years. Furthermore, it is observed that young female business owners are consistently found to be more innovative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses entrepreneurs' access to finance in the context of Finnish public investment funding. Due to the growing economic relevance of SMEs and the rising proportion of female entrepreneurs worldwide, this access has become the focus of increasing attention. A significant number of studies have identified and reported that female entrepreneurs use less financing than male counterparts. Efforts by governments to provide financing in areas such as the SME sector that are considered risky by banks are a relevant topic for research. In this paper, I study access to finance from the constructivist structural and the gender perspective. Using Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of field and capital, I explore the principles of Finnish direct and indirect public investment funding that construct SMEs' access to finance. My data comprise legislation and guidelines for public funding, the application forms for two investment funding instruments (Development Aid for Small and Medium Sized Companies (SMEs) and Employment-Based Investment Aid), and regional statistics (for Lapland) on funding and gender-based segregation of entrepreneurship. The findings reveal hierarchical power relations between physical over non-physical assets and technological over non-technological; these relations construct restricted access to finance. The study uses regional funding and segregation statistics to show that the effects of such a structure are gendered and explains the gender gap by means of the Bourdieusian concept of capital. Gender is discussed from the segregation perspective only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, there is an increasing recognition that the competitiveness of a country relies on the active involvement of women in education, business, politics and product and service development. The growing participation of women in labor market is considered as one of the key sources of sustained economic growth. In addition, women are more and more influencing the spending decision in household; however most of the technological products, processes and services are designed by men. In the age of user centered design, there are still too many examples, around us, of systems not perfectly suited to the cognitive or physical female features; such for instance, conventional seatbelts in cars do not fit pregnant woman, user interface navigation, game design based on men's interest, cars and so forth. This conceptual paper discusses the gender diversity in management and systems design as an important element for a competitive advantage for organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under-represented groups, such as female immigrant entrepreneurs, experience entrepreneurship differently to the mainstream population. In view of this, it is necessary that entrepreneurship policies and supports are tailored, in order to effectively address their unique and specific needs, thereby becoming more inclusive. This would guarantee some degree of level playing field in entrepreneurship. Thus, if female immigrant entrepreneurs are to successfully maximise the opportunities within their host nations and manage the challenges they potentially face, especially as it relates to entrepreneurship, it is imperative that they receive the kind of support, which recognises and considers their uniqueness and entrepreneurial potentials in its design, development and delivery, and which increases the likelihood of their entrepreneurial success. Essentially, Entrepreneurship education and training (EET) has value in creating opportunities for their socioeconomic inclusion and for fostering and facilitating entrepreneurial capability development. This empirical study presents findings on the extent to which the current provision of entrepreneurship education and training in Ireland meets the entrepreneurial capability needs of female immigrant entrepreneurs. Study 1 is a systematic analysis of documentation on the current provision of EET in Ireland from 2011 - 2021, while Study 2 is based on findings from semi-structured interviews with 21 female immigrant entrepreneurs resident in Ireland. The research questions were centred on their experience of entrepreneurship in Ireland, what entrepreneurial capabilities they require to start and grow their businesses, as well as their perception of the extent to which the current EET provision meets their need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generating and selecting profitable ideas to solve complex problems, is essential to entrepreneurship. However, such choices are heavily influenced by personal bias. Entrepreneurship is framed as a "masculine world" (Bird and Brush, 2002). Entrepreneurs rely heavily on creativity, risk-taking and divergent thinking which are deemed to be predominantly masculine traits (Cropley, 2006). The majority of investment decision-makers are also male (Brush et al., 2018). Investors are critical in determining whether an idea will be further developed. The compounding effect is the inequitable distribution of funding and low rates of success for female founders. A significant factor in the divergence of treatment between men and women entrepreneurs is gender bias. However, we believe that innovative ideas are also gendered and that this is what influences selection. We conducted experiments to understand the impact of gender bias in creative group processes when using the divergent-convergent (diamond) approach for ideation. Our aim was to explore whether individuals selected ideas due to the creator's identity or whether ideas perceived as "feminine" or "masculine" influences choice. Furthermore, we examined whether males were more creative and produced more divergent ideas than females. Using an electronic brainstorming system (EBS) we engaged 230 innovation and entrepreneurship university students in vignette-style ideation and evaluation challenges. Results showed no significant differences between genders in creativity, novelty, or usefulness ratings. However, "feminine" ideas were rated higher by females on all (but one) criteria and males rated "masculine" ideas higher on all criteria. Our results demonstrate a sex-based preference for gendered ideas in both sexes. Females were rated higher on divergent ideas and males higher on convergent ideas, which conflicts with the established view of male dominance. The experiment showed that the EBS system mitigated social cues around identity and reduced the impact of gender bias on creative evaluation. This research raises concern about investment in innovation and whether "masculine" preferred solutions are inevitable in a male-dominated funding environment. This research contributes to an understanding of the influence of finance on the success of economic or profit-focused innovations (masculine) as opposed to those that address social outcomes or community good (feminine). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the issue of gender and its effect on entrepreneurship has been the subject of much debate and controversies. While some studies have shown that gender differences tend to affect intentions to become an entrepreneur other studies deny any significant differences in this regard. Among these, a significant number of studies reveal that women are less likely to engage in entrepreneurial activities than their male counterparts. One of the major reasons provided for these gender-disparities is the tendency of women to be less predisposed to taking risk than their male counterparts. This may in itself be the resultant of gender-differences in their predisposition to trust. To shed some light on these relationships, we paper review and discuss the current literature on gender, trust, risk-taking and entrepreneurship. Based of literature evidence and arguments, we propose a hypothetical model as a basis for theoretical and hypothetical development in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women reaching the top in organisations continues to be a tough challenge for individuals and businesses alike. At Ashridge we run practical management development programmes for practising managers and have noted over recent years that the number of women attendees has plateaued. In fact the total number of women attending development programmes has not changed significantly for 20 plus years and remains at around the 30 per cent mark. The number of women at senior, and board, level is small and does not reflect the growing number of women at graduate levels or the number who join organisations at junior and professional levels. We set out to explore the current landscape for women in business leadership positions with a particular emphasis on the promoters and restraints for women forging their career in today's business environment. From our survey data (of 1,400) and in depth interviews (20) with women at senior level, we can see that while business takes women more seriously with more family friendly policies there is still a disconnect between the rhetoric and the reality. Too few organisations focus on diversity and gender issues, or appreciate stereotypes which surround gender and leadership (Schein & Davidson, 1992). Too many organisations rely instead on simplistic messages and policy statements about equality. The results of our research are now available and we would like to stimulate discussion and reflect with the audience about the issues – and some solutions - for women and for organisations. We believe the findings offer some practical options that will enable employers to improve women's careers (and talent management processes more generally). The research findings identify a variety of ways that individual women can take more control for their own careers; something that we believe is important. The barriers to women's careers have not changed significantly over the past few years. What needs to change our research reveals is more action by organisations and crucially for women to take more ownership for their own career. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decade, the term “Unicorn” has captured a great deal of attention in the startup ecosystem. Unicorn startups are that elite group of privately-owned companies that have achieved a valuation of at least USD 1 billion. This fastgrowing category of highly valued startup has caught the attention of many in recent times with the number of Unicorns nearly quadrupling in just two years, from around 140 Unicorns in 2018 to approximately 600 by the end of 2020. Despite the high growth in this category, the representation of female-founded (companies with at least one female founder or cofounder) Unicorn startups still remains at less than ten percent as of 2020. Very limited examination has been done of the success or failure of Unicorn startups or on the role of women in these high growth ventures. As part of a wider project examining the contributing factors influencing the success or failure of Unicorns, this study examines the role of women in Unicorn startups, assessing the level of participation of women in the creation and management of these startups, either as a founder or a member of the senior management (VP or C-suite level). This study provides an improved understanding of the role of women in the formation of Unicorn startups, and investigates the contributions of, and barriers faced by female entrepreneurs in these high value startup journeys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women's entrepreneurship is on the rise globally. In the past few years, 163 million women were starting businesses across 74 economies worldwide, while 111 million were running established businesses, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2018/19 Women's Report (GEM, 2019). Globally, the TEA (Total Entrepreneurial Activity) rate for women was 10.2% in 2019. Numerous studies throughout the world have consistently demonstrated the positive effect of women entrepreneurs on economic growth, job creation as well as social benefits, particularly for developing economies in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. (Cuberes and Teignier, 2015; Fetsch et al., 2015; Lewis et al., 2014; Hailemariam and Kroon, 2019). A point in case is China. The economy currently has the largest population in the world, with 1.4 billion people, of which 48.7 per cent are women (World Bank, 2019). However, up until recently, female entrepreneurs were mostly unheard of in China's business environment largely due to cultural barriers and the dominant male-focused society, as noted by Lai (2017). Interestingly, social media offers enormous potential in this regard. The benefits that online social networking, e-marketing campaigns have been well documented and validated (Ukpere et al., 2014). As such, social media platforms (WeChat and Weibo), offering huge potential with minimum cost and has the potential to empower Chinese female entrepreneurs globally. Using a sample of 60 female entrepreneurs in China, the study explores how social media use benefits women entrepreneurs in an emerging market. The research points to evidence that female entrepreneurs are embracing this new marketing channel with new impetus and this has resulted in more significant economic gains (through greater market and customers' access) along with a greater feeling of empowerment. The study also points to certain challenges and disadvantages and highlights the need for supports/training in the social media space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of the increasing role of technologies for learning, e-learning became an essential tool for Women Entrepreneurs. Furthermore, women entrepreneurs are adult learners with specific methods and styles of learning. They are significant contributors to the national and global economy, and therefore, it is important to have an andragogic perspective in approaching women entrepreneurs for training and learning delivery. Entrepreneurship Education (EED) is the main competence acquired by women entrepreneurs, in view to achieve entrepreneurial success, and e-learning is a component of EED. This study undertakes an andragogic perspective on Entrepreneurship Education, with its specific styles and methods of learning and investigates its impact on success. The objectives of the study are the following: (1) To investigate the impact of Entrepreneurship Education upon Women Entrepreneurs' Success; (2) To find out the methods and styles women entrepreneurs use for entrepreneurial e-learning from an andragogic perspective, in order to achieve success. The main Research Question of the study is "What is the impact of Entrepreneurship Education on Women Entrepreneurs' Success?", and the subsidiary question is "What are the methods and styles of entrepreneurial e-learning that women entrepreneurs use in order to achieve success?" Entrepreneurship Education helps learners to understand the meaning of entrepreneurship, and the entrepreneurial responsibilities, and provides them with the entrepreneurial capabilities to achieve success. This is an exploratory research with the hypothesis tested and the prediction of the impact of Entrepreneurship Education upon Women Entrepreneurs' Success. Further, the study involves a survey with 450 questionnaires distributed both by email and face-to-face to women entrepreneurs in SE Wales. The results indicates that elearning is an essential component of Entrepreneurship Education and this is a significant predictor of Women Entrepreneurs' Success. The study demonstrates the importance of e-learning within Entrepreneurship Education and for Women Entrepreneurs' Success, and constitutes a contribution to theory. By adding to the literature on entrepreneurial e-learning, this study is a contribution to knowledge. The study constitutes also a contribution to practice by advising the policy makers to place accent on a training adapted to women entrepreneurs as adult learners, in the context of new technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In general, opportunities arise from changes in the environments in which individuals operate. These changes create an imbalance, which these individuals can exploit. Recognising these opportunities may create positive and favourable circumstances that lead to entrepreneurial actions. Given the importance of opportunity recognition as a direct antecedent - or entrepreneurial skills and training in management as mediators - of individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO), this study sought to identify and explore the possible relationships between opportunity recognition, management training and entrepreneurial skills. These can act as potential antecedents of women's IEO. The research focused on women entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs in northern Portugal in a quantitative and empirical study whose methodology consisted of the collection of primary data through a survey distributed to women in that region. After structural equation modelling was applied, the results suggested that recognition of opportunities influences IEO. This influence is expressed both directly and indirectly through training in management and entrepreneurial skills. Women's self-perceptions of having the necessary skills and training is an important factor in determining entrepreneurial participation. These findings led to the conclusion that policies promoting training for community members, in general, need to be rethought and policies need to emphasise training in management that enhances entrepreneurial skills, thereby increasing the proliferation of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship education and training should be promoted from basic education onwards in order to develop entrepreneurial skills from an early age. This is already a recommendation of the European Union. However, most southern European countries still do not focus on the implementation of entrepreneurship education in the early years of education, and only a few pilot projects have been developed with no further follow-up. Prior to this study, the relationships between opportunity recognition, management training and entrepreneurial skills have never been studied in relation to women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional Women Herb Sellers (TWHSs) deals in medicinal materials from plants' parts like leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, rhizomes and other animal parts. Despite their pivotal roles in Nigeria health care delivery system, they continue to suffer neglect and poor working capital. This study investigated women activities in traditional herb business in south- Western Nigeria. The study emphasized majorly on qualitative techniques and it was supported by quantitative analysis. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used. 3 urban/rural towns were randomly selected in each state of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states totaling 18 while one public market was targeted in each town. 4 sellers were randomly interviewed in each market totaling 72; and 27 buyers/clients were randomly interviewed among customers patronizing each of the sellers during our visits. A total of 486 clients were interviewed but only 480 were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistical techniques (frequency, percentages and weighted mean score) were used to summarize the data collected. The qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. Secondary data were extracted from, internet documents and official publications. The study revealed that TWHS were mainly elderly people (90.3%). They treated different ailments and were all married (100%). Majority of them were illiterate (54.2%) with many years of experience. They displayed their wares in the market places WITH little capital base. All the participants complained of poor funding and claimed inability to access loan due to their low level of literacy and neglect by the government. Nevertheless, the findings showed that socio-economic attributes of Women Traditional Herb Sellers (WTHSs) had significant effect on their performance, (X2=47.06; df=2; P<0.01 ). The findings also showed significant relationship between the treatment modalities of WTHSs and their performance (X2 = 48.56; df=2;P<0.01 ). Moreover, there existed significant relationship between the networking strategies of WTHSs and performance (X2=17.86; df=2; P<0.01 ). It was found that WTHSs provided health care services on both preventive and curative health care, with significant association between the performance and patronage by their clients (X2= 83.56; df=6; P<0.01 ), especially in the areas of malaria, infertility and small pox to mention a few. The study concluded that in spite of the importance of WTHSs in the society, there is inadequate financial and research assistance from government and academia. Thus, Government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and research institutions may have to increase their research budgets to modernize the traditional herbs sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we study the role of women community groups in the sectors of local cereals and juices in Senegal. Our research question is "what motivate women to choose traditional associations to engage in entrepreneurship? How their entrepreneurial process is influenced by institutions? A qualitative study case analysis based on semi-structured interviews was used to obtain answers to our research questions. So, we deeply studied four cases of women community groups in the city of Saint Louis in Senegal. Our Results show that the collective entrepreneurship is the strategy adopted by the women community groups to improve collectively and individually the women living conditions facing the constraints and opportunities resulting from formal institutions (government, regulatory authorities, development partners, NGOs, etc.) and informal institutions (e.g., social norms, conventions, self-imposed codes of conduct, etc.). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women entrepreneurship has attracted increasing attention in recent years in light of concrete evidence of the importance of new business creation for economic growth and development. Not only does women entrepreneurship contribute to economic growth and employment creation, but it is increasingly recognized to also enhance the diversity of entrepreneurship in any economic system and to provide avenues for women expression and potential fulfilment. Entrepreneurship is becoming an increasingly important source of employment for women in many developed and developing countries. Political and socio-economic changes following the inauguration of the new constitution in Kenya (2010) and the country s vision 2030 strategy have seen more women assuming greater roles in enterprise creation and economic development. Nevertheless, there are only a few studies examining the performance of women owned businesses in Kenya. This study therefore, investigated how entrepreneurial culture influences the performance of small and medium women owned businesses in Nairobi City County. Questionnaires were administered to 158 women entrepreneurs sampled from a population of 1580 women. To develop further insight, we conducted follow up, in-depth face to face interviews to assess the relationship between the participant's educational level and entrepreneurial culture. One objective guided this study: (1) Does entrepreneurial culture influence the performance of women-owned enterprises in Nairobi City County, Kenya? Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, multiple regression and ANOVA analysis techniques were used to examine relationship between entrepreneurial culture and performance of women-owned enterprises. Our results showed that entrepreneurial culture (p=0.000) was highly related to enterprise performance. The fact that majority of the respondents were graduates may have impacted on this result. Entrepreneurial culture and the direct creation of business were significantly correlated to educational level and performance. These findings imply that to perform well, Nairobi women entrepreneurs have to develop the culture of entrepreneurship. Further research is necessary to investigate how government policies and organizational strategies influence performance of women entrepreneurs in Kenya so as to give policy recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study reported on here contributes to the literature on female entrepreneurship that has emerged from the 1980s onwards. This theme is gradually becoming a major focus of attention among academics, politicians, policy-makers and other stakeholders involved in the sphere of entrepreneurship. The recent work of Carter and Shaw (2006) and Holmquist and Carter (2009) provide comprehensive and perceptive contextualisation of the key issues surrounding female entrepreneurship. Despite the fact that more recent studies of female entrepreneurship have helped to identify the factors motivating women to establish their own firms and those determining their entrepreneurial success, few analysts have attached importance to the businesswoman's profile and the influence that urban versus rural contexts may have on start-up decisions and subsequent business performance and success measures. The present study attempts to fill a part of this lacuna by focusing simultaneously on these important but under-researched dimensions. This study aims to characterize and relate the profile, motivations, success measures and environment of the entrepreneurial women. Data was gathered using a questionnaire survey of urban and rural women entrepreneurs in Portugal. In order to validate the theoretical model linking the effect of psychological and cognitive factors (profile) and their self-reported motivations propensity to establish their own firms with their success measures and to the urban/rural nature of the business environment, structural equation models (SEM) with AMOS 20.0 were employed. The study suggests that the motives compelling women to become entrepreneurs in rural contexts is distinct from those underpinning the decisions of urban women i.e. that there exists a correlation between motivation, success measures and business environment that in turn positively influences a woman's decision to establish her own firm. It also suggests that there is a correlation between cognitive factors and motivation and between these and success measures. The women entrepreneurial profile directly and indirectly influences the success measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]