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Women-owned MSMEs -Startup to Survival
Abstract
Despite the significant contributions of women entrepreneurs in various socioeconomic advancements of a country, only a few studies explain how women entrepreneurs manage to sustain their business performance for a longer run. Under the premise of Triple Bottom Line (TBL), this study intends to provide a detailed insight into the multidimensional perspectives of women entrepreneurs' sustainable performance (WESP). This conceptual paper contributes to the existing women entrepreneurship literature by highlighting the under-researched issues associated with women-owned micro, small and medium enterprises' long term survival, particularly in the context of Pakistan. In addition, by providing a direction to business researchers and economists, the study serves as a basis for future research in the field of sustainable entrepreneurship.
... De hecho, según la ANIF (2021), en Colombia, el 99,6 % de los emprendimientos son mipymes y generan el 79,1 % del empleo y aportan el 40 % del PIB nacional. Y, según el género, el estudio es importante porque las mujeres son propietarias de cerca de diez millones de pymes en el mundo, o sea, que más del 30 % de las pymes del mundo son propiedad de mujeres (Anum et al., 2020). ...
El proyecto de investigación GEM, se realiza a través de un consorcio internacional de
investigadores y de instituciones que estuvo compuesto en el 2021, por representantes de
50 países en los cinco continentes. En Colombia este proyecto se desarrolla a través de un
convenio integrado por las universidades fundadoras: Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de
Cali, Universidad del Norte y Universidad Icesi y como universidades aliadas Universidad
EAN, Corporación Universitaria Americana e iNNpulsa Colombia. Durante la edición del
2021 para GEM Colombia se contó con la colaboración financiera de la Dirección de Investi�gación de la Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali, Universidad del Norte, Universidad Icesi
Universidad EAN, Corporación Universitaria Americana e iNNpulsa Colombia.
Este trabajo es el resultado del proyecto de investigación concluido “GEM Colombia
2021-2022”. Este proyecto de investigación fue aprobado en la convocatoria de capital se�milla con financiación externa del 2021.
The lack of women’s economic participation and financial independence is a major contributor to gender inequality in India. The creation of women-owned MSME businesses in the cottage and F&B industry not only provides women with job opportunities, but also empowers them in the sense that they no longer need to be socioeconomically subordinate to their male representatives. Towards this need, the aim of this study was to understand the factors that impact the financial independence of India’s urban-based women entrepreneurs owning small F&B businesses, as well as evaluate the impact of entrepreneurship on their social and economic empowerment. The sample set of the data were 21 urban India-based female entrepreneurs, between the ages of 20-60 years of age, owning small (less than 10 employees) businesses. The interviews and surveys were conducted in English. The results of this research study have established that the creation of MSME enterprises results in a significant increase in Indian women’s financial independence and social empowerment. While the 95% entrepreneurs aspire to upscale their business ventures, they are being held back by a lack of access to mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs and financial support. Qualitative analysis evidenced the ability of entrepreneurship to socially empower Indian women, through the formation of a professional identity, as well as newfound economic self-sufficiency. These findings imply that entrepreneurship is a tool that can be leveraged by government and non-profit organizations to radically increase Indian women’s financial independence and economic participation, leading to an increase in social empowerment as well.
The emerging field of entrepreneurship in 20th century has made women entrepreneurs to be creative and innovative. However, in Africa especially Nigeria, women have historically been disadvantaged in accessing not only material resources, but also have been deprived of resources like finance, market information and modern technology. This study examined the influence of women entrepreneurs on sustainable economic development in Nigeria. Other specific objectives were to assess the perceived contributions of women entrepreneurs to economic sustainability in Nigeria; ascertain the ways in which women entrepreneurs have been empowered; determine the factors motivating women
into entrepreneurship and to identify the major challenges facing women towards entrepreneurship development in Nigeria. This research work was carried out among the three thousand one hundred and fifty (3,150) women entrepreneurs registered with ministry of commerce and industry in the South-Western geo-political zones of Nigeria. A total of six hundred and eighty (680) participants were selected as sample size for the study. The data collection instruments for the study were structured questionnaire and personal interview. Data analysis was performed with the aid of simple percentage, mean, chi-square and linear Regression. Results revealed that involvement of women in entrepreneurship (β = 0.310, t = 17.175, P<.001) have positive and significant influence on sustainable economic development. Results also indicated that majority of women have been empowered by voting in elections, have access to education, and they have benefited from empowerment training. Furthermore, result indicated that involvement of women in entrepreneurial activities accounted for
30.3% of the variation which was explained by the model while extraneous variables accounted for about 69.7%. Results so revealed that lack of access to finance, work/home conflict and lack of moral support from family members are major challenges facing women entrepreneurs in Nigeria. The study concluded that involvement of women in entrepreneurship is a catalyst to the sustainable economic development. The study recommended the establishment of Women Entrepreneurship Development Centre (WEDC) by the federal/state government in collaboration with private sector to provide financial assistance, business advice, mentorship and other practicable support in order to empower the
Nigerian women towards realization of the self-employment aspirations.
Organizations can play a significant role in the advancement of Sustainable Development, and companies with Quality, Environmental, and Occupational Health and Safety (QEOHS)-certified management systems address the three Sustainability Dimensions (economic, environmental, and social). This research aims to map the present level of engagement of those companies in contributing and reporting to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda. By publicly disclosing their sustainability reports on their institutional websites, they can, therefore, support this agenda implementation. The content of the company reports that were available by 31 December 2017 in the institutional websites, from a total of 235 Portuguese organizations with QEOHS-certified management systems was analyzed. The results show a moderate reporting of SDGs by those companies, with the top five being SDG 12—Responsible consumption and production (23.8%); SDG 13—Climate action (22.1%); SDG 09—Industry, innovation, and infrastructure (21.3%); SDG 08—Decent work and economic growth (20.0%); and SDG 17—Partnerships for the goals (19.6%). The results of the statistical tests indicate that the communication of SDGs is more prominent in organizations (QEOHS) with the following characteristics: have a high business volume, are members of the United Nations Global Compact Network Portugal, and disclose their sustainability reports on their website. This study can be useful for both managers and decision makers who aim to support organizations in contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals and achieving a better and sustainable future for all.
The answer to the question, “Which factors determine the sustainable growth of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)?” is still fragmented. While previous studies have paid attention to a firm’s entrepreneurial orientation (EO) as a key driver of SME growth, it is often overlooked that contextual factors can be crucial in order for EO to be effective in yielding sustainable growth in SMEs. This paper focuses on the role of relative performance as a boundary condition in the relationship between EO and sustainable growth of SMEs. We predict that the effect of EO on SMEs’ sustainable growth would differ depending on performance feedback based on their past performance. Our empirical analysis based on panel analysis shows that SMEs strongly pursue sales growth immediately after they achieve lower levels of performance than historical aspiration. However, when their performance goes beyond the historical aspiration level, their growth patterns appear to show a different pattern depending on their level of EO. SMEs with greater EO are more likely to pursue firm growth when performance is above historical aspirations while those with lesser EO are not. Our findings suggest that relative performance is an important boundary condition in the relationship between EO and SMEs’ sustainable growth.
Micro, Small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) plays a catalytic role in the development of any economy. MSMEs are considered as nurseries for entrepreneurship and innovation around the globe. India is no exception. MSMEs in India are extensively dispersed across the country and produce around more than 6000 diverse range of products and services. There are more than 63 million MSME units operating in different parts of India. These MSME establishments employ around 11 crore people. Given the dynamic and flexible nature of MSMEs, they are considered an essential sector in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by United Nations. MSMEs have a huge role to play in achievement of SDGs, especially the goals of Poverty Alleviation (Goal 1), Decent Work and Economic Growth (Goal 8) and Industry Innovation and Infrastructure (Goal 9). MSMEs contribution is not restricted to these three goals, they also directly or indirectly help in achieving other goals. In this paper, an attempt has been made to study the role of MSMEs in achieving the SDGs. We have categorized the role of MSMEs by different activity attributes in the achievement of different goals. We have also outlined some suggestive measure which is helpful in making MSMEs more sustainable, which in turn, would help achieve SDGs.
Entrepreneurship plays a significant role in socioeconomic growth of a country and is a major concern to both scholars and policy makers. Within entrepreneurial ecosystem, women entrepreneurs are also regarded as new growth engine of socioeconomic development. Therefore, based on liberal feminist theory the present study intends to examine those factors that affect the growth of women entrepreneurs in Pakistan. The study adopts qualitative research design and data was collected through semi-structured interviews from sample of fifteen women entrepreneurs, who work behind the veil due to different issues in Rawalpindi, Punjab Pakistan. The interviews were content analyzed. The result of content analysis reveal that socio-cultural, education, experience, personal, and financial factors influence the growth of women entrepreneurs in Pakistan. The findings of this study have clear implications for policy makers in making policies to address women's entrepreneurial issues.
Entrepreneurship is often considered a male-gendered concept, and carries masculine connotations. However, the importance of women entrepreneurs and their contribution to the economy has recently been realized. Nonetheless, there is limited research about female entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship in the developing countries context. This paper challenges the implicit masculinism of the traditional entrepreneurship research, and aims to explore the enablers and constraints of female social entrepreneurship within the context of a developing country. Our theoretical focus is based on institutional and feminist perspectives, thus developing logic through reconciling predictions from these two competing theories. This integration contributes by offering novel insights about social entrepreneurship. Utilising an interpretive qualitative research approach, data from in-depth interviews with ten female social entrepreneurs of KP, Pakistan were analyzed using thematic analysis. Empirically, we identify and discuss a number of interesting and explanatory themes affecting female entrepreneurship such as “women empowerment, patriarchal culture, role of culture and societal norms, religious extremism and terrorism, forced entrepreneurs, change creators, unique institutional constraints, institutional corruption and security issues”. The findings highlight female entrepreneurs’ struggle for sustainability, and explain how this occurs. The paper also provides an interesting insight into how context determines social entrepreneurship in KP, Pakistan.
This paper investigates the impact of formal networks on women entrepreneurial performance in Pakistan. The prevailing environment of building formal networks along with their importance has also been discussed. The problems faced by women entrepreneurs in building formal networks and the role performed by reputable institutes in networking have been inspected in detail. The paper also explores the concept of women entrepreneurship in Islamic perspective by citing verses from the Holy Qur’ān; it also discusses the famous Muslim Entrepreneurs in Islam. The study employed a research design where self-administrative questionnaires were used to collect data from two groups of women entrepreneurs; Registered and Non- Registered. The Registered members were selected from the list provided by seven running women-led chambers of
commerce and industries of Pakistan, whereas, the non-registered members were selected from the groups on Facebook. The quantitative method of research has been employed using a sample size of 506, which was derived using a simple random sampling. The Multiple Regression analysis reveals that formal networks have a significant impact on women entrepreneurial performance on both the groups. Furthermore; the history of
Islam reveals that there are no religious barriers in Islam, which restrict women not to choose entrepreneurship or carry out entrepreneurial activities. Suggestions have been given to create environment of building formal networks for both registered as well as non-registered women entrepreneurs
The three-pillar conception of (social, economic and environmental) sustainability, commonly represented by three intersecting circles with overall sustainability at the centre, has become ubiquitous. With a view of identifying the genesis and theoretical foundations of this conception, this paper reviews and discusses relevant historical sustainability literature. From this we find that there is no single point of origin of this three-pillar conception, but rather a gradual emergence from various critiques in the early academic literature of the economic status quo from both social and ecological perspectives on the one hand, and the quest to reconcile economic growth as a solution to social and ecological problems on the part of the United Nations on the other. The popular three circles diagram appears to have been first presented by Barbier (Environ Conserv 14:101, doi: 10.1017/s0376892900011449, 1987), albeit purposed towards developing nations with foci which differ from modern interpretations. The conceptualisation of three pillars seems to predate this, however. Nowhere have we found a theoretically rigorous description of the three pillars. This is thought to be in part due to the nature of the sustainability discourse arising from broadly different schools of thought historically. The absence of such a theoretically solid conception frustrates approaches towards a theoretically rigorous operationalisation of ‘sustainability’.
Women entrepreneurs in Pakistan face numerous diff iculties in their successful business career and poses unusual status and intensity. These challenges affect women entrepreneurs differently depending on diverse situations. This study is aimed to shed light on the challenges affecting women to get success in business and to point out the issues faced by them while being entrepreneurs. It highlighted the challenges confronted by Pakistani business women and to open discussion which may empower researchers to get the clear scenario of occupations and industry down to the four-digit code. Gathering primary data from Labor
This paper seeks to understand why Pakistani SMEs are not reporting on sustainability
practices. Also, this paper aims to understand the sustainability reporting patterns of SMEs
worldwide. Out of 190 sustainability reports, published by SMEs around the world, there
is not even a single report published by any Pakistani SME. This paper employs mixed
methodology that includes the use of quantitative content analysis for understanding the
reporting patterns and the use of questionnaire based survey and qualitative interviews for
understanding the reasons for non-reporting. This paper concludes that there is a lack of
awareness about sustainability reporting. Also, there are some implementation issues, lack
of training and skills, lack of regulation, government support and sustainability
infrastructure. Furthermore, the stakeholder pressure and demand for sustainability
reporting is missing in the context of Pakistan. In the absence of all these pressures and in
the presence of limited resources, SMEs are least interested in sustainability reporting as
perceived benefits are far less than perceived costs.
SME 's contributes to over 55% of GDP and over 65% of total employment in high-income countries. SME 's and informal enterprises, account for over 60% of GDP and over 70% of total employment in low-income countries, while they contribute over 95% of total employment and about 70% of GDP in middle-income countries. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are non-auxiliary, autonomous firms which employ less than 250 number of workers in Pakistan or having paid-up capital up to Rs.25 million & sales up to Rs.250 million per annum. Moreover, SME segment is the foundation of Pakistan's economy as far as its commitment towards GDP, work era and fare improvement. economy related access is a key driver in building up the SME division which thusly prompts economic growth of the country. SMEs constitute about 90% of the considerable number of ventures in Pakistan; utilize 80% of the non-rural work constrain; and their contribution in the yearly GDP is upto 40%, roughly it has proportion of 30% in Pakistan's all exports. SMEs are spread in all areas of Pakistan with a noteworthy fixation in Punjab (65.4%). The contribution of Balochistan in the nation's SME part happens to be the littlest (2.3%) while those of Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are 18% and 14.3%, separately. Despite of significant contribution of SMEs to the economic growth of Pakistan, more than 90% young people in the biggest city i.e. Karachi, believe they do not have enough economic opportunities for their professional growth. The studies reveal that, SMEs not only impacts GDP. It also helps to enhance the livelihood of people of the country by creating more economic opportunities. The study focuses on structural analysis of SMEs and its role on economic and socioeconomic growth of Pakistan. It also discusses the socioeconomic challenges faced by Pakistan.
Large- as well as small-scale firms are quickly reorienting their information technology (IT) to include cloud computing (CC). This study's purposefulness is to examine the determinants of CC adoption by the service-sector Pakistani SMEs, according to innovation diffusion theory (IDT). Data were collected both online and through a manually distributed and filled questionnaire, from a total of 101 study participants. Structural-equation modeling (SEM), and reliability and validity tests were employed to test the study's hypotheses and measurements. The results show that three determinants, i.e., relative advantage, compatibility and cost reduction, can positively affect CC adoption, while dynamic complexity can impact it negatively, with relative advantage possibly being the most influential CC-adoption determinant. Our study could be the first to investigate CC-adoption determinants in Pakistani SMEs, yet the findings improve comprehension of the CC-adoption process across different industries in a developing country, namely Pakistan. Also discussed are the study's implications for SME researchers and managers.
The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of corporate social responsibility on firm performance using a longitudinal design in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The reported study was conducted in a Sub-Saharan African developing country, Zambia. Data were collected from 153 entrepreneurs in two surveys and changes in CSR and firm performance measures were analysed over a 12-month period using SmartPLS structural equation modelling. The findings show that the relationship between CSR and financial performance is significant. Further, the association between CSR and the two measures of firm performance (corporate reputation and employee commitment) was only partially significant over time. We discuss the relevance of these results for entrepreneurs, researchers and policy makers in understanding the outcomes of sustainability practices in SMEs in developing countries, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Organizational sustainability in manufacturing industry is an essential milestone towards the creation of greener environment. In last two decades, firms have taken serious sustainable initiatives to combat the apprehension of environmental and societal hazards due to increased industrialization. Small firms exhibit a non-congenial and skeptical approach towards climate change challenges. This study is an attempt to understand the motivation of Micro, Small and Medium enterprises (MSMEs) toward organizational sustainability in such a competitive environment. A conceptual framework is developed to test the link among entrepreneurial commitment, organizational sustainability and business performance. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and other standard statistical analysis have been used to analyze the data collected through questionnaire survey from 262 manufacturing MSMEs in India. The study findings highlight that organizational sustainability emerged as a driving source of motivation to improve the business performance among manufacturing MSMEs in India. In addition, there is significant mediation effect of organizational sustainability on entrepreneurial commitment and business performance. It has also proves the vitality of organizational sustainability as a strategic action towards green and clean environment.
The woman plays a significant role in the economic development of any country. This is a considerable factor with great emphasis on any developing scenario. Women contribute and support the economy extensively in different ways by being employed in many different sectors. Many successful businesses are run by women some of whom are very skilled in entrepreneurial activities. Some of these women are well educated and are aware of correct application of theory in business. It is a known fact that many of the most successful and world's largest enterprises are owned and run by women today. In developing countries, some women are running small enterprises many of which have proven to be successful. Women entrepreneurs in both developed and developing countries are socially powerful in terms of education and making a positive impact on the society. It is important to study how women in business and their skills can be utilized to achieve a sustainable economy in a developing nation. Objectives of this study cover an extensive range from the study of the development of women entrepreneurs to a sustainable economy, social system, and ecology. A descriptive research methodology has been used for this study and administered to a selected sample from a specific population that include women in businesses and executives who represent both private and public sectors of selected developing countries. The Study has been carried out over a period of six months and has used a questionnaire as the survey instrument. The survey has indicated how women entrepreneurs can be positioned to play an important role in promoting sustainable practices in the economy, the social system and the ecology. The researcher concludes the study by observing that given the positive effect made by women on the economy and development, women entrepreneurship is key to the developing world in promoting sustainable practices in business socially, economically and ecologically.
Assuming that sustainable entrepreneurship leads to business performance, the present paper intends to investigate the standpoints of SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) entrepreneurs on different facets. The emphasis is laid on the entrepreneurs’ approaches towards people, planet and profit and on their prioritization within business dynamics. The aforementioned dimensions are deemed important factors engendering business performance in terms of turnover, customer attraction and retention and market share. With a view to testing the advanced hypotheses, we employed a quantitative perspective relying on a questionnaire-based survey. As the results posited, the proposed model accounts for almost 50 percent of variance in business performance, whereas sustainable entrepreneurship approaches towards the people and profit dimensions have a significant positive influence on business performance.
This study uses the model of Patzelt and Shepherd (2011) to examine the factors influencing the identification of sustainable opportunities among SMEs in a developing country, Zambia. The factors under investigation include knowledge of the natural/social environment, perception of threats to the natural/social environment, altruism towards others and entrepreneurial knowledge. We interviewed 220 owner-managers in the trading and service sector who supply goods and services to the mining industry in Zambia. We found that altruism towards others was partially supported by our empirical results while the positive effects of knowledge of the natural/social environment and perception of threats to the natural/social environment on the identification of sustainable opportunities were not supported. Contrary to our expectations, entrepreneurial knowledge does not positively moderate the relationship between explanatory variables and the identification of sustainable opportunities. In sum, we found only limited empirical support for the model of Patzelt and Shepherd (2011) concerning the identification of sustainable opportunities. Our findings contribute to literature on entrepreneurship and sustainable opportunity identification by showing what factors influence the identification of sustainable opportunities. This can help us to create awareness among entrepreneurs regarding the effects of entrepreneurial activities on the environment and society; consequently, stimulating entrepreneurs to identify sustainable opportunities.
This paper reviews the literature in a thorough manner in a bid to propose a model proposing that Innovation (technological and non-technological) and Relational learning can greatly influence the performance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in a developing country like Pakistan. On the basis of literature review, research hypotheses have been formulated. In order to test the hypotheses, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) has been employed to analyze the study conducted in 352 SMEs in Pakistan. The proposed model leads to very useful insights as it proposes that SMEs must not ignore the importance of Innovation especially technological innovation and Relational learning in order to achieve higher performance. Results indicate that Technological Innovation and Relational Learning have a positive significant effect on firm performance; whereas the effect of non-technological innovation on firm performance has been found as insignificant. The paper concludes with the discussion of managerial implications and recommendations for future research.
This study is generated in pursuit of emerging global need to optimize economic growth through women technopreneurship development. The direct effect of psychological capital and indirect effect through innovative capability was envisaged for assessment of sustainable growth of women-owned technoprises in Malaysia. For survey, convenience sampling technique was employed to collect data from 150 women owned technoprises (SMEs) in Johor Bahru. Findings from hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed positive and significant relationship of risk propensity and internal locus of control with innovation capability and sustainable growth. However, paradoxical results regarding women entrepreneurs' need for achievement and self-efficacy were established. Nevertheless, no mediating role of innovative capability was found. Policy implications and future research re-commendations are also discussed.
How firms grow forms a key question in the research on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Based on a survey amongst 1,535 SMEs, we show that the presence of growth capability factors, such as, innovation capacity, financing capacity and human capital, offers inadequate explanation for differences in the level of growth between SMEs in a specific period of time. The utilisation of different growth paths however does seem to elucidate differences between low and high growth. Remarkably, we found that growth paths that are most commonly used by SMEs (market penetration and increasing efficiency) hardly lead to growth. Rather growth paths that are infrequently utilised like setting up a new additional venture and entering foreign markets lead to significantly higher growth levels. It seems however that these growth paths are not attainable for SMEs due to the more extensive investments required. Increasing the firms' brand awareness was found to be the only path to growth that was both used frequently and that yields actual growth. Therefore, investing in this path to growth seems to be a sensible investment choice for SMEs that want to grow.
Ecosystem degradation and social sustainability have become important issues in the corporate sphere during the last few decades. However, research discussing corporate social responsibility and related concepts has often focused on larger companies, sometimes neglecting the specifics of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The main purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between two common strategic orientations, market orientation (MO) and entre-preneurial orientation (EO), in relation to sustainability commitment, sustainability practices and management values in SMEs. Questionnaire responses from 450 Swedish SMEs were analyzed, confirming the influence of MO, EO and sustainability practices on commitment to sustainability, implying that firms committed to sustainability see both market and entrepreneurial advantages of sustainability. The results also show that different parts of MO and EO differ in importance for commitment to sustainability among SMEs. Implications concern the importance for firms and policymakers to work with sustainability issues using both internal and external perspectives.
Over the past years, the issue of sustainable entrepreneurship has coagulated multiple research interests due to the fact that it integrates three main pillars, namely human resource management (people) and the concerns for planet protection and for the economic effectiveness sustained by profit. The rapid social and economic transformations have imposed the assumption of an integrative perspective, especially to the organizations oriented to ensure their viability on the market and industry. Hereby, researchers believe that such an approach should be indicative of start-ups which should advance feasible solutions to market imperfections through innovative products and services and through effective marketing models. Against this backdrop, the present paper aims to investigate the correlations between sustainable entrepreneurship and the marketing types articulated by the Contemporary Marketing Practices (CMP) research program, relying on a questionnaire-based survey conducted with 104 start-up entrepreneurs in Romania. As the findings show, the discussed marketing types often discretionary correlate in practice with the most important dimension of sustainability that is people.
The OECD estimates that small and medium enterprises account for 90% of firms and employ 63% of the workforce in the world (Munro: 2013). Small and medium enterprises account for that amount of businesses that the arbitrariness with which they are defined is senseless. Language mainly used for definition is numbers, but it is difficult to find two institutions, statistical agencies or countries who speak the same language in terms of small and medium enterprises. Academics, authors, policy makers apply SMEdefinitions in terms of dichotomy between universality and standardization of a unique definition and relativity and sectored specialization. Although qualitative criteria-characteristics of SMEs easily distinguish them from large businesses, quantitative criteria are mainlyused for their dimensional classification. This paper deals with a critical approachto the definition of small and medium enterprises, inconsistencies in criteria and various proposed approaches to the definition towards universal acceptance.
The economic significance of SMEs in employment creation, poverty alleviation and income redistribution in South Africa is well documented in literature. However, SMEs suffer from a very high failure rate and weak performance. One factor improving SME performance is networking. The study investigates the impact of entrepreneurs and firm characteristics on networking of SMEs in South Africa. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data in a survey. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and regression analysis. Results indicate that some entrepreneurs' and firm characteristics impact positively on networking by SMEs.
Purpose: The principle purpose of this study is to identify the major problems faced by women entrepreneurs in Pakistan and also find the impact of these problems on the working efficiency of these women entrepreneurs. Research design/Methodology: The data collected was subjected to quantitative analysis Total, Average and Percentage/frequency to find the major problematic factors and test is applied to find the 2 statistical significance of the hypotheses for possible acceptance or rejection. Findings: Results of the analysis indicate that women entrepreneurs in Pakistan generally face three types of problems like entrepreneurial/business problems, social/personal problems and technical problems. And all these three types of problems have negative relation with the working efficiency of women entrepreneurs. Practical Implication: The study might help the government regulators in addressing the problems of women entrepreneurs in Pakistan to take actions to towards developing their performance and in turn to elevate poverty from Pakistan. Originality/Value: This research article adds to the literature on the determinants of problems faced by the women entrepreneurs in Pakistan. In particular, it is the first study of its own type in case of Pakistan which has categorized the problems faced by women entrepreneurs in entrepreneurial/business problems, social/personal problems and technical problems. Key words: Entrepreneurial/business problems Social/personal problems Technical problems INTRODUCTION the agriculture sector, circumstances are worst in contrast
Purpose
– Increased participation of women in the labor force creates challenges for them to balance work and family obligations. The situation becomes more complicated in patriarchal societies such as Pakistan due to women's stereotypical domestic roles, religious prescriptions as well as cultural norms and values. This study aims to explore different influencing factors on women's work and family roles in the unique Pakistani socio‐economic and cultural environment.
Design/methodology/approach
– Based on the interpretive phenomenological approach (IPA), this study explores different influencing factors on women's work and family roles in the unique Pakistani socio‐economic and cultural environment. The methodology helped to analyse data about challenges faced by women entrepreneurs to achieve work‐life balance as well as to have an insight about some of the techniques and effective strategies they use to balance work and family obligation.
Findings
– The results show that among other motivational drivers to start their own businesses, achieving work‐life balance is one of the most significant ones. Their own businesses give them flexibility, control and freedom to juggle with their family and social responsibilities. Lack of sufficient time, gender bias, social and cultural norms as well as family responsibilities are the most significant challenges women face to achieve balance in a patriarchal Islamic society. Strategic planning, organising and delegating are the most effective strategies women use to cope with competing roles of work and family.
Originality/value
– This ground‐breaking work in Pakistan on women entrepreneurs' work‐life balance may also inspire other women who want to start their entrepreneurial career.
This paper elucidates the link of dynamic capabilities upon the relationship between entrepreneurial competencies and small firm performance. It is based on the pertinent literature as well as the theoretical foundations of the entrepreneurial competencies, dynamic capabilities and small firm performances. Underpinning by the Resource Based View and Dynamic Capabilities View, a framework is formed based on the economic environment in various countries where in spite of the gigantic economic contribution to the country's economy, the small firms are undergoing a low growth trap. For the better performance of small firms, entrepreneurial competencies and dynamic capabilities are perceived as the prospective solutions. Moreover, the economic fluctuations with the turbulent and unpredictable markets, the dynamic capabilities are considered as an imperative factor to influence the performance of small firms. This paper proposes a conceptual framework in scrutinizing the small firm's performance affected by the entrepreneurial competencies and mediated by the dynamic capabilities.
Despite environmental and social goals being identified as key objectives for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the literature has not provided an explanation of how these goals can be achieved alongside stable economic outcomes. Several researchers have argued that sustainability performance should be addressed through a process of constant adjustment, which can be facilitated by dynamic capabilities. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of integrative dynamic capabilities on the social, environmental and economic performance of SMEs. This study is among the first to investigate this effect and uses unique survey data from 297 SMEs in the Netherlands. The empirical results highlight the importance of external integrative dynamic capabilities for all three pillars of sustainability performance in SMEs. These findings contribute to the debate on the ability/inability of SMEs to balance social, environmental and economic objectives by integrating new insights from the dynamic capabilities literature.
The study aimed at determining the effect of perceived desirability through perceptions on normative, regulatory, and cognitive profile; and perceived feasibility through effectiveness in marketing, innovation, management, risk-taking, and financial control measures to the sustainable growth intention of micro, small, and medium tourism establishments in an untapped tourism destination in the Philippines. Data was gathered through a survey of 95 respondents using a survey questionnaire, and was analyzed through multiple linear regression. Results indicate that only the perception on the cognitive profile was significant among the perceived desirability measures, and the effectiveness of financial control, among the perceived feasibility measures.
Innovation management is vital for the growth and development of the
global economy. Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) have emerged as a dynamic and vibrant part of the economy of the developing countries. MSMEs are auxiliary units of large organisations, and this segment contributes towards the development and growth of developing countries and also contributes to the socioeconomic development. In the past, the majority of researches on innovation management were concentrated on large organisations of developed countries. Therefore, in this study, the critical factors (CFs) of innovation management have been identified which influence MSMEs of developing countries and after that develop a model of CFs utilising Interpretive Ranking Process (IRP) approach that helps in improving the competitiveness of MSMEs. IRP result shows that the governance followed by funding has the high dominating power which drives the other CFs. This study gives an insight and overall idea about the innovation management of CFs. Understanding CFs and performance variables of innovation management in MSMEs is
essential for both academicians and practitioners for the growth and the development of the organisation as well as the economy of developing countries as a whole.
This study explores the constraints on women entrepreneurs running SMEs in conflict zones. The research is carried out in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), a conflict affected province in Pakistan close to the border of Afghanistan. The findings reveal that women in the region are in a complex family situation exacerbated by terrorism, which has created stress, depression and fear of failure. Better understanding of their circumstances may aid those seeking to help such businesses in Pakistan and other regions beset by conflict.
Purpose
In the past decade, various types of organizations all over the world have made numerous efforts to include sustainability in the management systems. These efforts have only partly been able to manage sustainability since these were focused to address specific needs of different type of organizations; mostly to comply with regulations. Therefore, a holistic consideration of sustainability in management systems was neglected. The current study is an attempt to fill this gap and highlight the imperative features of sustainability management from organizational point of view.
Methodology
This research is designed to conduct a comprehensive and systematic literature review which targets three different dimensions of sustainability management at organizational level; sustainability management and assessment frameworks published in academic journals, and standardized international guidelines for incorporating sustainability in management systems.
Findings
The findings of the literature review reveal that the operational parameters required to systematically undertake the essential elements of sustainability in management systems, and the inter-relationship of those parameters, have been largely ignored. Furthermore, integration of sustainability assessment in the management models has been overlooked.
Originality value
In order to fill this gap, a generic sustainability management framework is proposed with a three-dimensional insight on organizational sustainability management. The threefold focus ensures that the proposed framework is: (1) fundamentally correct, (2) consistent with the established international standardized guidelines, and (3) embedded with an assessment tool which keeps the focus of sustainability management system in the intended direction. The contribution of this paper is unique from existing relevant studies for two main reasons: (1) the authors have undertaken the management of sustainability as a distinct concept rather than the integration of existing MSs and MSSs, which many authors have done in past; and (2) the proposed framework establishes clear and distinct connections between the processes required to systematically manage sustainability, rather than trying to stitch what exists in the ad hoc systems.
Implications
The advantages of this framework include extensive involvement of stakeholders, enhanced transparency, adaptiveness, and organized development and assessment of the sustainability management system. Moreover, multi-dimensional focus of the proposed framework is one of its strengths; economic, quality, environmental, health and safety, and social challenges can all be managed through the application of this framework.
Purpose
Women entrepreneurship has been growing and contributing significantly to economic activities, and it may also reduce unemployment, especially in developing countries. Many women entrepreneurs have begun to experience problems, including within their socio-cultural environment, in the beginning of or when they run their businesses. Among those developing countries, Indonesia has been recognized as having diverse ethnic groups, traditions, religions and languages. The purpose of this paper is to analyse how the socio-cultural environment affects women entrepreneurs in Indonesia.
Design/methodology/approach
This study aims at exploring the impact of the socio-cultural environment on entrepreneurial behavior, including the involvement of women in entrepreneurial activities in Indonesia as a multicultural country. A theoretical framework is empirically tested to identify the impact of the socio-culture environment on behavior and on women entrepreneurial activity through an integrated analysis.
Findings
A quantitative method with a causal descriptive approach is used in this study. The data are analyzed by using a descriptive statistics with the structural equation modeling technique. This study is intended to focus on women entrepreneurs in micro, small and medium enterprises in Bandung, Indonesia. A total of 210 women entrepreneurs have participated in this study. Practical implications include useful information for women entrepreneurs to overcome the impact of the socio-cultural environment in their entrepreneurial activities, and suggest insights for future research.
Originality/value
The development of women entrepreneurship in emerging economies may continuously face challenges, particularly in countries with multicultural attributes.
Abstract
The degree at which entrepreneurship affects the economy depends on numerous
factors, including the quality, gender composition, and type of entrepreneurial
activity. Gender equality and female entrepreneurship are key factors in economic
development. In order to study the relationship between gender equality and the
rate of female entrepreneurship, this paper investigates how gender-related economic
development and women entrepreneurial activity are related. We characterize the
relationship between gender-related development indices (introduced by the United
Nations) and different stages of women entrepreneurial activity (created by Global
Entrepreneurship Monitor, GEM) through a correlation analysis. Our results suggest that
female entrepreneurial activity is not significantly correlated with gender equality.
Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Women entrepreneurship; Gender equality; Economic
development
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges facing female entrepreneurs in Kenya
Design / methodology / approach – The study draws on primary research conducted through face-to-face interviews with female entrepreneurs in Kenya in a wide range of sectors, each of whom has their own micro enterprise. It draws on the framework of Brush et al. (2006) and Baughn et al. (2006) to look at the entrepreneurship landscape in Kenya and the barriers and constraints faced by women entrepreneurs as well as the support and opportunities available.
Findings- It was found that female entrepreneurs in Kenya face far fewer barriers to starting micro–enterprises now than ever before. It is proving to be a widely successful model which they use to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. There remain, however, a number of barriers to growth within the micro-enterprise sector. On the basis of these, the paper argues that in order for female entrepreneurship to have a greater impact on economic growth within Kenya, the country needs to introduce more effective policies, regulation of the informal sector and further support to women entrepreneurs. For example support could take the form of business training, mentoring and financial support.
Originality / value – The paper presents original research on the growing phenomenon of female entrepreneurship in Kenya as a means of alleviating poverty. It considers how this trend relates to the growing availability of micro-finance.
We review the literature that links institutions, entrepreneurship, and economic growth outcomes, focusing in particular on empirical research. Most of the literature has an economics orientation, but we also review relevant literature from other social science and from management research. The review helps identify a number of conceptual, theoretical and empirical gaps, calling for further research. For example, the literature narrowly identifies entrepreneurship with start-ups and self-employment; does not theorize many potentially relevant inter-level links and mechanisms; and suffers from sample limitations, omitted variable biases, causality issues, and response heterogeneity. We argue that theories in management research, such as the resource-based view, transaction cost economics, and strategic entrepreneurship theory, can fill some of the conceptual and theoretical gaps.
Måns Nilsson, Dave Griggs and Martin Visbeck present a simple way of rating relationships between the targets to highlight priorities for integrated policy.
The study investigates the obstacles face by Small and medium enterprises in Pakistan. The Principal source for collecting data was the questionnaire survey. The data was collected from 107 SMEs firms located in Islamabad and Rawalpindi region. A principal component analysis approach was used to rank the highest and lowest obstacles factor for doing business in SMEs sector of Pakistan. Among six major obstacles, "Financial constrains" was raked highest whereas the second highest ranked obstacles was "corruption" The other obstacles respectively determined by the principal component analysis included "social and technological obstacles, Training obstacles, Management and Infrastructure obstacles". Hope so, the findings of the study will have practical implications for policy maker to overcome major obstacle for SME sector in Pakistan.
There is a need to rethink and redefine the social value added of entrepreneurial activities to society. In this paper we develop five pillars on which the evolving social role of entrepreneurship can rest and have its impact: (1) connecting entrepreneurial activities to other societal efforts aimed at improving the quality of life, achieving progress, and enriching human existence; (2) identifying ways to reduce the dysfunctional effects of entrepreneurial activities on stakeholders; (3) redefining the scope of entrepreneurial activities as a scholarly arena; (4) recognizing entrepreneurship's social multiplier; and (5) pursuing blended value at the organizational level, centering on balancing the creation of financial, social and environmental wealth. In a final section we discuss implications for practices and for further research. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Purpose
– This paper aims to examine how some leading companies are integrating sustainability into their planning of future direction and growth. Readers will have a strong interest in sustainability and how it should be managed within organizations. Creating and maintaining sustainable organizations is of high priority to companies planning their future in a turbulent and difficult-to-predict operating environment. Readers will learn how sustainability may be better integrated into the strategic thinking and management processes. This article will be cited in the future for its early discussion on the importance of integrating sustainability discussion and planning into mainstream strategic management.
Design/methodology/approach
– This paper draws on secondary data from seven international organizations to show how they are beginning to embrace sustainability issues into mainstream strategic management. This background is used to propose a process that integrates business and sustainability strategy processes that will deal with issues that emerge in more turbulent operating environments.
Findings
– Secondary research findings suggest that it would be timely to embrace sustainability issue processing with mainstream strategic management processes.
Research limitations/implications
– Information collected in this paper is based upon a small sample of seven international organizations; hence, observations and recommendations are not representative of the wider business community.
Originality/value
– Recommendations presented in this paper will be useful to senior practicing managers as they seek to integrate sustainability management into mainstream strategic management processes.
This paper shows how the productive interplay of theory and experimental work has
furthered our understanding of credit markets in developing countries. Descriptive facts motivated
a body of theory, which in turned motivated experiments designed to test it. Results
from these experiments reveal both the success and the limits of the theory, prompting new
work to refine it. We argue that the literature on credit can be a template research in other
domains.
- S Terjesen
- J Hessels
- D Li
Terjesen S, Hessels J, Li D. Comparative International
Entrepreneurship: A Review and Research Agenda. Vol. 42, Journal of
Management. 2016. 299-344 p.
Can competitive advantage be achieved through knowledge management? A case study on SMEs
- V H Lee
- Atl Foo
- L Y Leong
- K B Ooi
Lee VH, Foo ATL, Leong LY, Ooi KB. Can competitive advantage be
achieved through knowledge management? A case study on SMEs
[Internet].
Strategic Planning and Business Performance : A Study of SMEs in Malaysia
- W Kee-Luen
- K Thiam-Yong
- O Seng-Fook
- L Wong
- Y Kuek
- F Ong
Kee-Luen W, Thiam-yong K, Seng-fook O, Wong L, Kuek Y, Ong F.
Strategic Planning and Business Performance : A Study of SMEs in
Malaysia. In: Proceedings of 3rd Asia-Pacific Business Research
Conference. 2013. p. 1-12.
World Bank SME Finance
- Worldbank
WorldBank. World Bank SME Finance. 2020.