An exploration of the challenges facing women starting business at fifty

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Logan
Keyword(s):  
Older Women ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Enabling Factors ◽  
Female Entrepreneurs ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Self Actualization

Purpose – The paper aims to investigate the motivations, goals, challenges, successes and needs of older women starting new ventures. Design/methodology/approach – In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten successful female entrepreneurs who had created their businesses at age 50 or over. The key areas of focus included the women's motivation for starting a business, their previous work experience, potential barriers/enabling factors (including their human, social and financial capital), and the performance of their ventures. Responses were taped, transcribed, coded, grouped and analyzed. Findings – The primary trigger for older women to start a new venture appears to be the need to find a creative outlet (self-actualization). Further, more than half the women stated that because they now had significantly reduced family responsibilities, this was the time for them to pursue their own goals. Interestingly, a majority of the women had started new ventures in an area completely unrelated to their previous work experience. Family support, particularly from their spouse/partner, was acknowledged by virtually all the women as an important factor contributing to the success of their ventures. All the ventures were profitable and growing. Research limitations/implications – The findings suggest that well-trained mentors could make a significant difference to this older cohort of female entrepreneurs, particularly in terms of helping them to grow their businesses. Originality/value – This study fills a gap in the literature by providing an understanding of the motivations and needs of older female entrepreneurs.

Empowering Jordanian women through entrepreneurship

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muntaha Banihani
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Women Entrepreneurs ◽  
Social Perceptions ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Female Entrepreneurs ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Physical Mobility ◽  
The Impact

Purpose A strong correlation has been found across several countries between women’s positions in society and economic development, suggesting that there is a relationship between women’s empowerment and countries’ economic development. Despite the impact women have in terms of economic activity and job creation, however, the role of women entrepreneurs is often underplayed and undervalued. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the challenges women entrepreneurs face in Jordan to uncover ways to empower them. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative research used in-depth interviews with 15 women to investigate their perceptions regarding the challenges affecting their businesses. Semi-structured interviews were used to allow participants flexibility in expressing their views and experiences. The results from the interviews were analysed using NVIVO software to identify themes and categories. Findings It was found that women entrepreneurs in Jordan still face many challenges, primarily related to family responsibilities, networking and physical mobility. Research limitations/implications Recommendations for scholars and decision makers are presented to reduce the impact of the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in Jordan. Originality/value This research contributes to the current entrepreneurial literature as it provides a deeper understanding of the experiences of women entrepreneurs in Jordan. Thus, it heeds the call for more research on women entrepreneurs in developing countries. In shedding light on the experiences of female entrepreneurs in Jordan, this paper provides strong arguments for challenging the traditional social perceptions regarding the roles of women.

Antecedents of growth-oriented entrepreneurship before and during the Greek economic crisis

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 528-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioannis Giotopoulos ◽  
Alexandra Kontolaimou ◽  
Aggelos Tsakanikas
Keyword(s):  
Work Experience ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
High Growth ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Crisis Period ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Level Data ◽  
The Social ◽  
Before And After

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore potential drivers of high-growth intentions of early-stage entrepreneurs in Greece before and after the onset of the financial crisis of 2008. Design/methodology/approach To this end, the authors use individual-level data retrieved from Global Entrepreneurship Monitor annual surveys (2003-2015). Findings The results show that high-growth intentions of Greek entrepreneurs are driven by different factors in the crisis compared to the non-crisis period. Male entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs with significant work experience seem to be more likely to be engaged in growth-oriented new ventures during the crisis period. The same appears to hold for entrepreneurs who are motivated by an opportunity and also perceive future business opportunities in adverse economic conditions. On the other hand, the educational level and the social contacts of founders with other entrepreneurs are found to drive ambitious Greek entrepreneurship in the years before the crisis, while they were insignificant after the crisis outbreak. Originality/value Based on the concept of ambitious entrepreneurship, this study contributes to the literature by investigating the determinants of entrepreneurial high-growth expectations in the Greek context emphasizing the crisis period in comparison to the pre-crisis years.

Online teaching benefits and challenges during pandemic COVID-19: a comparative study of Pakistan and Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sahib Khatoon Thaheem ◽  
Mohamad Jafre Zainol Abidin ◽  
Quratulain Mirza ◽  
Habib Ullah Pathan
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Research Society ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference

PurposeThe shift from physical class to online classes in the pandemic COVID-19 situation has posited opportunities as well as challenges for teachers and students. The primary purpose of this research is to investigate challenges faced and benefits availed by the teachers at the tertiary level in universities of Pakistan and Indonesia.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the purpose a mixed-method approach is employed to answer the three research questions of the present study. The quantitative data is obtained from the responses of 66 teachers, teaching online in Mehran UET Pakistan and 102 teachers from Indonesian university. The personal, technological, and pedagogical challenges were analyzed by descriptive statistics on SPSS. Thus, the independent-samples t-test was run to test for statistically significant differences faced by teachers in both countries.FindingsThe findings revealed that there were no statistically significant differences found in personal, and pedagogical challenges faced by both countries' teachers, whereas there is a significant difference in facing technological challenges between Pakistani and Indonesian teachers. The benefits of online teaching were investigated qualitatively by conducting semi-structured interviews with 10 teachers 5 from each country. There are very positive aspects of online teaching revealed in the interviews.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper includes implications for the development of Computer Assisted Language Learning, the development of technology integrated courses, and for managing the balance between physical and online classes.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study have implications on finding out the solutions of the derived challenges, further it suggests to concentrate on students of public and private universities in Pakistan and Indonesia so that a comparison of challenges faced by teachers and faced by students can be researched and evaluated and it can generate significantly different results.Social implicationsThe implications on the research society and the teachers and designers' communities are very clear in this research because it paves the way forward towards the blending of technology in any way either synchronously/ asynchronously into education, further researches can be done on designing the new concepts, courses, instructional platforms for students and investigate the new dimensions and effects of them.Originality/valueFindings have value, because two countries' context (developing countries) with respect to the comparison of the challenges and benefits is better understood, it would have different results if had done in the developed countries.

scholarly journals International new ventures market expansion through collaborative entry modes

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 890-913 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pushyarag N. Puthusserry ◽  
Zaheer Khan ◽  
Peter Rodgers
Keyword(s):  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Entry Mode ◽  
Foreign Market ◽  
International New Ventures ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Entry Modes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Market Expansion ◽  
The Uk

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the role that different collaborative entry modes play in how international new ventures (INVs) expand into international markets.Design/methodology/approachThe paper’s arguments are based on the INVs and social network literatures. In order to investigate the entry modes adopted by British and Indian small and medium information and communication technology (ICT) firms into each other’s markets, the paper outlines the results of qualitative semi-structured interviews with the key decision makers of ten British and ten Indian ICT firms.FindingsThe findings contribute to the relatively under-researched area of how INVs enter foreign markets through collaborative entry mode. The findings suggest that INVs utilize both equity and non-equity modes of collaboration to expand their international operations. The findings also indicate that financial and non-financial resources always limit the market expansion and internationalization of such companies. Against this background, the INVs rely on building collaboration as one of the safest methods for foreign market expansion and successful internationalization. The collaborative entry mode is enhanced by entrepreneurs’ prior experience, social ties and knowledge of the foreign market.Research limitations/implicationsSet against the backdrop of an ever-increasing trend of internationalization of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the paper offers important implications for understanding the conditions and factors behind the choice of collaborative and non-collaborative entry modes by INVs in particular and SMEs more broadly.Originality/valueThe paper is one of the few studies that have examined the role of collaborative entry modes choice adopted by INVs from two of the largest economies – the UK and India.

Youth high unemployment/unemployability in South Africa: the unemployed graduates' perspectives

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zethembe Mseleku
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cooperative Effort ◽  
Content Type ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
Skills Mismatch ◽  
Graduate Unemployment

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore youth graduate unemployment and unemployability as a development problem in South Africa.Design/methodology/approachThis exploratory study applied a qualitative research method to elicit the perspectives of youth graduates regarding their unemployment and unemployability. A total of 30 face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with unemployed youth who recently graduated from five South African universities.FindingsThe results indicate that, as youth graduate unemployment increases in South Africa, graduates become hopeless in terms of securing employment. The participants attributed their unemployment to multidimensional factors that include limited demand in the labour market, skills mismatch and lack of work experience.Research limitations/implicationsThis research exclusively focused on graduates from five South African universities; hence, the results of this small qualitative study cannot be generalised to the entire South African population. However, this paper offers important insights that may form the foundation for a nationwide study on a related topic.Originality/valueThis paper presents important insights that influence policy makers, government and other relevant stakeholders to develop alternative solutions to youth graduate unemployment. This paper recommends that government should play a critical role in bridging the gap between higher education and industry in order to address youth graduate unemployment. It also calls for a more cooperative effort between government, higher learning institutions and employers in order to create job opportunities for youth graduates in South Africa.

Partnership with stakeholders as innovative model of work-integrated learning for unemployed youths

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Celestin Mayombe
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Market Entry ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Transition ◽  
Global Concern ◽  
Stakeholder Partnerships ◽  
Work Integrated Learning ◽  
Labour Market Entry

PurposeThe unemployment rate among disadvantaged youths (aged 15–34 years) in large parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America has become a global concern. The concern in this article is that most WIL programmes could not facilitate a smooth WIL-to-work transition. The purpose of the article is to examine the roles of partner stakeholders in the features of an innovative WIL model influencing the labour market entry of the disadvantaged youths.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach was suitable for examining the features of an innovative WIL model. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from seven managers of different firms and institutions, and ten trainees to examine the roles of partner stakeholders in the features of an innovative WIL model influencing the labour market entry of disadvantaged youths.FindingsThe main findings reveal that local businesses and enterprises played important roles in participating in the design of the WIL curriculum, providing adequate mentorship for work experience and micro-placement to the trainees. Based on the findings, the author concludes that the partnership with stakeholders as an innovative WIL model contributed to the employability of disadvantaged youths through the acquisition of work experience and work-readiness.Practical implicationsThe implication of the findings is that the commitment of partner stakeholders ensures that WIL graduates continue to be employed. The commitment of partner stakeholders evident in this study is likely to continue creating better employment prospects for WIL graduates.Originality/valueThough stakeholder partnerships are common in WIL programmes and TVET, the innovativeness of this model lies in the features of WIL programmes, the roles and commitment of stakeholders including the outcomes of the partnerships.

scholarly journals Motivation of female entrepreneurs: a cross-national study

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 684-705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Solesvik ◽  
Tatiana Iakovleva ◽  
Anna Trifilova
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Economies ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
National Study ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Female Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Outcomes ◽  
The Social ◽  
Different Levels

Purpose This paper focuses on the motivation of females to start businesses in developed and emerging economies. Although the issues related to the motivation of entrepreneurs have been widely studied, there are a few studies focusing on the differences in women’s entrepreneurial motivation in countries with different levels of market economy development. Furthermore, existing studies on female founders mainly adapt the concepts that have often been developed in male-dominated paradigm. The purpose of this paper is to explore in depth motivations of female entrepreneurs in different contexts and discover the dissimilarities in women’s entrepreneurial motivations in countries with different levels of economic development. Design/methodology/approach The qualitative research approach is applied in this study to explore the social-driven and profit-driven motives of female entrepreneurs. The authors have employed purposeful sampling to select cases. The authors investigated the motivations of 45 female entrepreneurs in Norway (12), Russia (21) and Ukraine (12). Semi-structured interviews were used to collect primary data. The authors have also triangulated the data collected from interviews with the data available on the internet, company reports and newspaper publications. Findings The findings indicate that women often pursuit business opportunities to satisfy social needs, rather than focusing on traditional business outcomes such as growth or profit. However, different contexts – the emerging economies context of Russia and Ukraine and the developed one of Norway – seem to influence the motivation to establish new ventures differently. The study found a stronger desire to contribute to a society’s needs among female founders in Norway compared to their counterparts in Russia and Ukraine. This indicates that cultural and social context in developed countries, such as in Norway, probably provides more possibilities for female entrepreneurs for self-realisation elsewhere leaving more room for focusing on societal issues in business in comparison with emerging countries contexts. Originality/value A novel conceptual contribution is the exploration of links between the social-driven and profit-driven motives of female entrepreneurs in emerging and developed economises. The study also adds to debates relating to context embeddedness of smaller firms.

Barriers and enablers to women in fire and emergency leadership roles

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debra Parkinson ◽  
Alyssa Duncan ◽  
Frank Archer
Keyword(s):  
Role Models ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Leadership ◽  
Senior Women ◽  
Qualitative Component ◽  
In Fire

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand what (if any) actual and perceived barriers exist for women to take on fire and emergency management leadership roles within the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, Australia. Design/methodology/approach An anonymous quantitative online survey was used to collect data about opinions and thoughts of staff. This informed the qualitative component of the research – in-depth, semi-structured interviews and a focus group. The combination of these techniques provides deeper insight into the nature of the barriers for women. Findings Respondents identified real barriers for women accessing leadership roles in fire and emergency. Reflecting the wider literature on barriers to women in executive roles, those identified related to sexism, career penalties not faced by men for family responsibilities, and assumptions of women helping other women’s careers. There were more men in senior roles, leaving senior women isolated and often overlooked. Women had fewer role models and sponsors than men and less developed networks, finding it harder to access training and deployments. The context was described by most as “a boys’ club”, where men were seen to dominate meetings and stereotype the abilities of women. Originality/value This paper analyses the barriers to women in fire and emergency leadership roles within a masculine workplace and is rare in including a qualitative aspect to the issue in the Australian context.

Using dispute settlement partnerships for capacity building

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-38
Author(s):  
Amrita Bahri ◽  
Toufiq Ali
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Dispute Settlement ◽  
World Trade Organisation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Working Paper ◽  
Civil Society Organisations ◽  
Wto Dispute Settlement ◽  
Small Market

Purpose World Trade Organisation grants rights to its members, and WTO Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU) provides a rule-oriented consultative and judicial mechanism to protect these rights in cases of WTO-incompatible trade infringements. However, the DSU participation benefits come at a cost. These costs are acutely formidable for least developing countries (LDCs) which have small market size and trading stakes. No LDC has ever filed a WTO compliant, with the only exception of India-Battery dispute filed by Bangladesh against India. This paper aims to look at the experience of how Bangladesh – so far the only LDC member that has filed a formal WTO complaint – persuaded India to withdraw anti-dumping duties India had imposed on the import of acid battery from Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach The investigation is grounded on practically informed findings gathered through authors’ work experience and several semi-structured interviews and discussions which the authors have conducted with government representatives from Bangladesh, government and industry representatives from other developing countries, trade lawyers and officials based in Geneva and Brussels, and civil society organisations. Findings The discussion provides a sound indication of the participation impediments that LDCs can face at WTO DSU and the ways in which such challenges can be overcome with the help of resources available at the domestic level. It also exemplifies how domestic laws and practices can respond to international legal instruments and impact the performance of an LDC at an international adjudicatory forum. Originality/value Except one book chapter and a working paper, there is no literature available on this matter. This investigation is grounded on practically informed findings gathered with the help of original empirical research conducted by the authors.

Marketing activity of international new ventures – application of the EMICO framework

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 779-791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Izabela Kowalik ◽  
Lidia Danik
Keyword(s):  
Business Processes ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
International New Ventures ◽  
Minor Importance ◽  
Marketing Activity ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Entrepreneurial Marketing ◽  
Qualitative Data Analysis Software ◽  
Eastern European Countries

Purpose One of the approaches to study entrepreneurial marketing (EM) is the EMICO framework. The extant studies have not yet explored the application of this framework by international new ventures (INVs). To address this research gap, four Polish INVs from medium-tech sector have been studied to check whether this tool can be applied to investigate the companies from Central and Eastern European Countries and identify the hierarchy of elements in the EMICO framework. Design/methodology/approach Using semi-structured interviews and the card game method, the understanding and importance of the EM concept elements by the Polish entrepreneurs have been explored. The collected text has been analyzed using qualitative data analysis software. Findings The studied INVs in their international marketing activity attributed most importance to understanding and responsiveness toward customers, networking, innovation introductions based on gathering of information and on the constant communication with clients. Most of the EMICO framework dimensions were confirmed; however, the concepts of “exploiting markets” and “integration of business processes” had minor importance for marketing. Research limitations/implications Research findings are relevant mainly for the B2B companies. Originality/value The paper recommends a modified list of EMICO elements for use in future studies concerning the small- and medium-sized enterprise internationalization.

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