scholarly journals Running their own show: Malaysian women entrepreneurs’ kaleidoscope careers

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wee Chan Au ◽  
Mina Beigi ◽  
Melika Shirmohammadi
Keyword(s):  
Women Entrepreneurs ◽  
Career Choices ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Government Support ◽  
National Context ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Opt Out ◽  
Career Model ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Malaysian Women

PurposeConsiderable research has been conducted to highlight women's career decisions to opt-out of corporate positions, but little is said about those who leave to become entrepreneurs. The purpose of this paper is to theorize kaleidoscope career parameters in relation to entrepreneurship stages and demonstrate the role of macro-national context (i.e. government initiatives and cultural practices) in women entrepreneurs' career choices.Design/methodology/approachThe authors interviewed 34 Malaysian women entrepreneurs (MWEs) who were established in their careers and explored the following two research questions: (1) what career parameters are prioritized at different entrepreneurship stages? and (2) how does macro-national context influence women entrepreneurs' careers?FindingsAdopting a kaleidoscope career lens, the authors show that authenticity was prioritized during the initial entrepreneurship stage, while balance and challenge were prioritized during the establishment and business advancement stages, respectively. The authors demonstrate that government support was conducive to women's decision to opt-in and stay in the entrepreneurship path. The findings also denote that cultural practices facilitated women's pursuit of entrepreneurship by encouraging family members to support women entrepreneurs in their career choices and actions.Originality/valueThe qualitative approach enabled us to specify the context-specific meaning women entrepreneurs in our study associated with authenticity, balance, and challenge. In doing so, this research extends the kaleidoscope career model to better understand women's career patterns at different entrepreneurship stages.

Organic food women entrepreneurs-TISM approach for challenges

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shweta Dahiya ◽  
Anupama Panghal ◽  
Shilpa Sindhu ◽  
Parveen Siwach
Keyword(s):  
Women Entrepreneurs ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Organic Food ◽  
Free Food ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Food Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Expert Opinions ◽  
Total Interpretive Structural Modelling

Purpose Organic food is getting attention these days from consumers and producers, in pursuit of safe and chemical-free food. In India, there is an upsurge in entrepreneurs in the organic food sector, with women entrepreneurs signalling higher numbers. Women entrepreneurs have the potential to contribute significantly to the field of organic food; the only requirement is to address the challenges faced by them. This paper aims to attempt at exploring and modelling the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the organic food sector. Design/methodology/approach Significant challenges were identified through literature review, primary data collection and expert opinions. The identified challenges were then modelled through total interpretive structural modelling and fuzzy-matriced impact cruises multiplication applique techniques to give a meaningful contextual relationship. Findings This study identified “poor government support” and “less awareness” amongst the stakeholders, as the most strategic challenges with the highest driving power to influence other challenges. In contrast, “low funding options” and “fewer buyers” emerged as the most dependent challenges for organic food women entrepreneurs in India. Originality/value The model proposed in the study gives a roadmap for different stakeholders in the food industry to scale up organic food women entrepreneurs in India.

Exploring the normative context for women’s entrepreneurship in Pakistan: a critical analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Azam Roomi ◽  
Sumaira Rehman ◽  
Colette Henry
Keyword(s):  
Women Entrepreneurs ◽  
Career Choices ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
Institutional Factors ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Women’S Entrepreneurship ◽  
Women's Entrepreneurship ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The role of women in Pakistani society – largely embedded in its patriarchal socio–cultural environment – has important implications for women’s entrepreneurial activity in the country. This study aims to investigate and analyse the influence of informal institutional factors on women’s entry into entrepreneurship in Pakistan, and determine how women exercise agency to cope with the constraints posed by such factors. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach is used to explore the normative context and lived experiences of women entrepreneurs in relation to the influence of socio–cultural beliefs and attitudes on their entrepreneurial career choices. Findings The findings suggest that women’s entrepreneurial career choices both revolve around and are shaped by a complex interplay of socio–cultural influences. Pakistani women entrepreneurs exercise their agency as a means of negotiating gender roles within both household and society, using religious descriptions as a means to justify their entrepreneurial activity. Research limitations/implications While every effort has been made to ensure that the data were objectively interpreted, and the derived findings were robustly analysed, the research team acknowledges the many difficulties associated with adopting a social constructionist approach. As articulated by Fletcher (2011), the key issues of contextual objectivity (i.e. where the researcher judges what is important), reflexive turn (the need for the researcher to constantly reconnect with the subject) and potential multiplicity of contexts (the various contextual and potentially conflicting influences on the researcher) presents ongoing challenges for researchers in this field. Originality/value This study offers valuable insights into the impact of the informal (socio–cultural) institutional factors on women’s entrepreneurial activity, opening up new avenues for further research. The study also contributes to the women’s entrepreneurship literature from the perspective of an Islamic developing country.

Investigating entrepreneurial success factors of women-owned SMEs in UAE

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 219-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Namrata Gupta ◽  
Anita Mirchandani
Keyword(s):  
Women Entrepreneurs ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Mail Survey ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Entrepreneurial Success ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Medium Enterprises

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the key factors affecting the success of women entrepreneurs who own and manage Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in UAE. The extant literature on the relationship between determinants of entrepreneurial success points to a lack of clarification of the link between success factors (Personal, environmental and other) and performance of women-owned SMEs particularly in UAE. Design/methodology/approach A self-administered questionnaire, through mail survey, is used to collect the data. Cronbach’s α test and factor analysis have been carried out to test the reliability of data and validate the hypothesis. Findings The results suggested that the personal, environmental factors and government support affect positively and significantly to the success of women-owned SMEs in UAE. Research limitations/implications The study has some limits as to its potential for generalization owing to the sample size, wide geographic spread of respondents and time limitations with the respondents. Practical implications The results indicate that several factors including personal, environmental and government support are linked with the success of women entrepreneurs of UAE. The results of this study will provide some insights to policymakers and business practitioners to formulate the strategies intended to promote unveiled potential among women entrepreneurs in UAE. Originality/value Most of the studies focused on women entrepreneurship have taken either their motives or the hurdles faced by them into consideration. Moreover, only a few studies have been carried out in Arab world particularly in UAE. Therefore, this study is an attempt to fill the gap and contribute to a better understanding of UAE’s women-owned SMEs.

The role of export promotion programs in the internationalisation of female-owned enterprises

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gitte Ohrt Rosenbaum
Keyword(s):  
Small Businesses ◽  
Women Entrepreneurs ◽  
Export Promotion ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Female Entrepreneurs ◽  
Role Of Government ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Women Business Owners ◽  
Qualitative Research Design

Purpose While the role of government-funded export promotion programs (EPPs) on the international activities of small ventures has been previously documented, they do not appear to have been hitherto studied in a gendered context. This is unfortunate given the evidence suggesting growing numbers of female entrepreneurs with strong international orientation. Thus, this study aims to provide a better understanding of the experiences and practices of women entrepreneurs with regard to EPPs. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on personal interviews with eight female-owned international entrepreneurial ventures in the fashion design industry in Denmark. A qualitative research design was used to explore the experiences of the women entrepreneurs regarding different types of EPPs and their various providers, and the data were analysed and interpreted using the NVivo software program. Findings The results show that while the level of awareness of EPPs was generally high, the programs were overwhelmingly perceived to be overly expensive, excessively time-consuming, insufficiently specific and largely irrelevant. When the women business owners had availed themselves of their services, the usefulness of the EPPs was deemed to be largely imperceptible. Plausible explanations for these results may be found in the gendered entrepreneurial literature. The study’s findings provide important gendered insights to government support agencies charged with promoting the internationalisation of female-owned small businesses. Originality/value This study presents novel gendered findings of the experiences of female entrepreneurs regarding the role played by EPPs in the growth of their firms on international markets. It contributes to the literature on the growing phenomenon of female international entrepreneurs.

scholarly journals Exploring career choices of Emirati women in the technology sector

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-114
Author(s):  
Liza Howe-Walsh ◽  
Sarah Turnbull ◽  
Saleena Khan ◽  
Vijay Pereira
Keyword(s):  
Role Models ◽  
Role Model ◽  
Career Choices ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
National Context ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Technology Sector ◽  
The Social ◽  
Company Reputation

PurposeThe study aims to explore the factors that influence Emirati women's career choice in the UAE. This study contributes to the influence of context in career choices by investigating how Emirati women chose information technology (IT) as a profession through the lens of the social cognitive career theory.Design/methodology/approachThis study undertook in-depth interviews with 21 Emirati women working in technology in the UAE. The study considers women's career choices at three levels, i.e. from an individual, organisational and national context perspective.FindingsThe key findings include identifying the importance of national context in influencing career choices among other factors such as family centrality, desire to be seen as a role model, company reputation and government policy.Practical implicationsThe study has wider implications for women's career choices in other contexts. The findings highlight the challenges women face, such as a lack of role models and family centrality, which need to be considered in recruitment policies and practices in other national contexts.Originality/valueThe originality of the study is its contribution to the literature developing understanding of the influences on women's career choices in the Emirates. While previous studies have identified the role of patriarchal influence on women's careers, we have less understanding of the importance attributed to individual factors such as being perceived as a role model within their family and to society. Similarly, the literature provides limited evidence of the influence of factors such as government sponsorship and company reputation.

“I can, I’m doing, but I’m unfit, a tentative approach towards entrepreneurial regret”

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hira Hafeez ◽  
Qurratulain Ahsan  ◽  
Ambreen Sarwar
Keyword(s):  
Women Entrepreneurs ◽  
Career Choices ◽  
Future Orientation ◽  
Psychological Adaptation ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intentions ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Career Selection ◽  
Emerging Trends

Purpose Career choices and selections are amongst the most important predictors of a person’s perception of life satisfaction. Pursuing entrepreneurship as a career may arise as a result of psychological adaptation of career choices in addition to societal role specifications. Therefor, this study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of potential predictors which can intervene in the entrepreneurial intentions and its progression for an important group of the society. Design/methodology/approach Using semi-structured interviews, this qualitative study attempts to illuminate existing and emerging trends, barriers and future orientation of women entrepreneurs in Pakistan. Nvivo 12 was used for thematic analysis to drive specific themes of entrepreneurial regret in Pakistani women entrepreneurs. Findings The findings revealed multilevel themes influencing women’s choices of entrepreneurship as a career, including intrinsic, extrinsic and interpersonal factors. All of these factors shared the feature of social segregation and socially developed role categorisation. The findings revealed that gender roles and segregation in societies play a significant role in influencing women’s career choices. Originality/value Though similar narratives have been presented in previous studies in the context of career selection. This study, on the other hand, makes a unique contribution by identifying relative factors as determinants of regret and counterfactual thinking in Pakistan’s socially constrained culture.

scholarly journals Rough diamonds in emerging markets: legacy, competitiveness, and sustained high performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 363-386
Author(s):  
Seung Ho Park ◽  
Gerardo R. Ungson
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Emerging Markets ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
Market Potential ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Screening Tests ◽  
Institutional Voids ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Over Time

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to uncover the underlying drivers of sustained high performing companies based on a field study of 127 companies in Brazilian, Russian, Indian and Chinese (BRIC) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) emerging markets. Understanding these companies provides a complementary way of appraising the growth, development and transformation of emerging markets. The authors synthesize the findings in an overarching framework that covers six strategies for building and sustaining legacy that leads to the succession of intergenerational wealth over time: overcoming institutional voids, inclusive markets, deepening localization, nurturing government support, building core competencies and harnessing human capital. The authors relate these strategies to different levels of development using Prahalad and Hart’s BOP framework. Design/methodology/approach This study examines the underlying drivers of sustained high-performance companies based on field studies from an initial set of 105,260 BRIC companies and close to 500 companies in ASEAN. The methods employed four screening tests to arrive at a selection of the highest-performing firms: 70 firms in the BRIC nations and 58 firms from ASEAN. Following the selection, the authors constructed cases using primary interviews and secondary data, with the assistance of Ernst & Young and with academic colleagues in Manila. These studies were originally conducted in two separate time periods and reported accordingly. This paper synthesizes the findings of these two studies to arrive at an extended integrative framework. Findings From the cases, the authors examine six strategies for building and sustaining legacy that lead to high performance over time: overcoming institutional voids, creating inclusive markets, deepening localization, nurturing government support, building core competencies and harnessing human capital. To address the evolving state of institutional voids in these countries, the authors employ similar methods to hypothesize the placement of these strategies in the context of the world economic pyramid, initially formulated as the “bottom of the pyramid” framework. Originality/value This paper synthesizes and extends the authors’ previous works by proposing the concept of legacy to describe the emergence and succession of local exemplary firms in emerging markets. This study aims to complement extant measures of nation-growth based primarily on GDP. The paper also extends the literature on institutional voids in shifting the focus from the mix of voids to their evolving state. Altogether, the paper provides a complementary narrative on assessing the market potential of emerging markets by adopting several categories of performance.

scholarly journals Muḍārabah and mushārakah as micro-equity finance: perception of Selangor’s disadvantaged women entrepreneurs

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-237
Author(s):  
Reazul Islam ◽  
Rubi Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Women Entrepreneurs ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Islamic Law ◽  
Profit Sharing ◽  
Equity Financing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Disadvantaged Women ◽  
Poor Women ◽  
Microfinance Institution ◽  
Equity Finance

Purpose This study aims to gain the perception of Selangor’s disadvantaged women on the Sharīʿah (Islamic law) rules on two micro-equity financing instruments, namely, muḍārabah (profit sharing) and mushārakah (profit-and-loss sharing) (M&M). Design/methodology/approach A survey was carried out in the rural area of Selangor district in Malaysia by administering a self-generated structured questionnaire. A total of 330 completed questionnaires were retrieved from the members of an Islamic microfinance institution (IsMFI), namely, Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM). The data were analysed by using structural equation modelling. Findings The female borrowers of AIM perceive the Sharīʿah rules of M&M requiring high moral and ethical values and diligent repayment performance. They are aware of some other underlying provisions such as business liquidation, share transfer, information discloser and business termination. The overall findings of this study suggest that the perceived Sharīʿah rules are akin to those that are commonly used in general partnership businesses between Muslims. It also indicates that disadvantaged entrepreneurs would accept the rules that are easy to comprehend as well as favourable to their interests. It further suggests that respondents’ experiences of microfinance and business operation do not have a significant influence on their perception of M&M instruments. Research limitations/implications This study was limited to Selangor. So, the perception of Muslim women surveyed may not represent the views of all women in Malaysia. However, it can offer a primary understanding of the said issue. Practical implications The findings of this study can help IsMIFs take initiatives to offer M&M as micro-equity finance to poor women entrepreneurs. Originality/value So far, limited studies have been carried out on M&M-based microfinancing. This paper offers new insights presenting disadvantaged women entrepreneurs’ perception of these financing instruments.

Embeddedness and entrepreneurial traditions

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Elo ◽  
Leo-Paul Dana
Keyword(s):  
Social Ties ◽  
Extended Family ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Original Culture ◽  
New Locations ◽  
Business Entities ◽  
Time Changes ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Context Specific

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how entrepreneurship traditions evolve in diaspora. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative multiple case study examining the role of diaspora embeddedness, extended family, ethno-religious-, cultural- and social ties and relevant structures shaping diaspora entrepreneurship. Findings The authors found that social ties and diaspora embeddedness create dynamism fostering entrepreneurial identity as a part of the Bukharian culture, and as a preferred career option in the context of Bukharian Jews in diaspora. Diasporic family businesses are products of culture and tradition that migrate to new locations with families and communities, not as disconnected business entities. Research limitations/implications The ways in which families nurture a highly entrepreneurial culture that transfers across generations and contexts are context-specific and not per se generalizable to other diasporas. Practical implications Diasporans often continue their traditions and become again entrepreneurs after their settlement, or they may generate hybrid, circular solutions that allow them to employ their competences in the new contexts or connecting various contexts. This calls for transnational entrepreneurship-policymaking. Social implications Time changes diasporas. A long-term commitment to the business environment evolves and reduces the mobility of the individual diasporan; typically the children of these migrants become more integrated and develop divergent career paths. Hence, their plans are not necessarily including family entrepreneurship creating a challenge for continuation of the original culture of entrepreneurship. Originality/value Despite a notable tradition in Jewish studies, there is limited research on Jewish entrepreneurial diaspora and its contemporary entrepreneurial identity and tradition. Furthermore, the population of Bukharian Jews is an unknown and under-explored highly entrepreneurial group that may offer instrumental views to larger diasporic audiences being concerned about maintaining notions of ethnic heritage and identity.

Examining the influence of mindfulness on organizational role stress (ORS): a monitor acceptance theory perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Uma Warrier ◽  
Cyril Foropon ◽  
Melinda Chehimi
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Role Stress ◽  
Role Overload ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Role ◽  
It Organization ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Personal Inadequacy

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of mindfulness on organizational role stress (ORS) based on the Monitor Acceptance Theory (MAT) perspective.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on a cross-sectional data analysis collected from 137 employees working at an Indian IT organization located in Bangalore (India). ORS and MAAS scales have been used for measuring ORS and mindfulness, respectively.FindingsOverall, the study findings have indicated a negative relationship (r = −0.588) between mindfulness (M) and ORS. First, both personal inadequacy (PI) and self-role distance (SRD) are found to be predominantly impacted by M, whereas both role erosion (RE) and role overload (RO) appear to be less affected by mindfulness. Second, SRD appears to be the highest ORS sub-dimension among IT employees. Third, building on the extant literature, it can be inferred that “no one size fits all”, ORS is both organization and context specific.Originality/valueThis study pioneers to establish empirical evidence between M and ORS. Training employees on M can help in effectively handling ORS.

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