Search

This study examines the strategic responses of Chinese female business owners to perceived operational barriers, integrating insights from the Resource-Based View, Signaling Theory, Institutional Theory, and Social Role Theory. Data from the World Bank Enterprise Survey (conducted in China in 2012; the sample comprises 2,700 firms from diverse China's industries) was analyzed with advanced path modeling techniques. All statistical analyses were conducted using R (version 4.0.2) and SPSS 29. The R packages lavaan and semTools were utilized for implementing Structural Equation Model (SEM) techniques. How female ownership influences diversification strategies was investigated with the mediation effect of business environment barriers and the moderation effect of international certifications. It is revealed that female entrepreneurs are more likely to pursue international diversification due to heightened perceptions of business environment barriers. Perceived regulatory barriers are positively related to product diversification, while perceived business environment barriers are positively related to international diversification. Female business owners perceive operational barriers, particularly business environment challenges, as more significant than their male counterparts, mediating the relationship between female ownership and international diversification. Furthermore, international certifications, while associated with international diversification, attenuate the positive effect of female ownership on international diversification. These insights inform policies aimed at reducing domestic barriers and enhancing access to international markets for female entrepreneurs. Support mechanisms, such as accessible international certifications, can mitigate gender gaps in domestic markets and facilitate global opportunities for female business owners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence-based decision-making is increasingly common in higher education business programs and business courses. Despite the increase in evidence-based decision-making courses, limited experiential learning exercises are available and no gamified activities could be located. Experiential learning is associated with increased learning, competency development, equity, achievement, engagement, and satisfaction while traditional pedagogies are argued not to meet the needs of a new generation of students. To fill the notable void of gamified exercises for evidence-based courses, this work introduces an adaptation of the classic egg drop exercise with gamified elements. In the gamified experiential exercise, learners navigate the acquisition of resources in a competitive auction, the construction of an egg delivery device, the test of their assembled devices, and the pitch to secure a lucrative egg delivery contract while applying evidence-based decision-making in each phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]