In this chapter literature on women entrepreneurs and social incubators is discussed. It also explains the conceptual framework and conceptual map of the study..
2.1 Concept of Women Entrepreneur
Women or a group of women who initiate, organize and operates a business enterprise is defined as Women Entrepreneurs’. The Government of India has defined women entrepreneurs as an enterprise owned and controlled by women having a minimum financial interest of 51 per cent of the capital and giving at least 51 per cent of the employment generated in the enterprise to women. “Women Entrepreneur” is a person who accepts challenging role to meet her personal needs and become economically independent” (Meenu Goyal and Jai Prakash, 2011, pp. ). In India, these entrepreneurs are part of the larger sustainable development strategy employed by the policymakers. Evidence shows that Women entrepreneurship has already contributed to the economic growth across the world and women led enterprises are increasing in every country.. These enterprises also created a large number of job opportunities in their respective economies. Apart from this, these enterprises also created new business solutions for the pressing social problems.Further in whole enterprises scenario, number of enterprises owned by women is very less compared to men. Government of India has implemented various schemes for development of such enterprises but impact is yet to be seen. Over the past few decades role of
Feminist social theory ought to challenge the ideals of Classical social theory embodied by the work of authors, such Marx, Durkheim, Weber and Simmel. Such traditional values tend to exclude women from their social analysis of the modern world, as women were considered non social agents. In support of this, Durkheim claim that men were product of society, whereas women belonged to nature, (Harrington: 2005, p.236). Thus, feminist social theory embrace post-enlightenment principles, focusing on values associated to “difference”,”particularism” and “specificity” (Harrington: 2005, p. 233). In order to do so, Feminist social theory has been feed by feminist theories which have similar concern about the study of social world, as both
Lesley Gillespie, the cofounder of Australia’s most successful bakery, Baker’s Delight, has shown many, if not all, of the traits required to be a successful entrepreneur, and is now on the BRW Rich Women 2015 list. In an equal partnership with husband Roger, her position as joint chief executive puts her on the list of a minority of business owned by women, especially in the 1980’s when Bakers Delight was opened. Though she has said that she has not faced many barriers to being a woman in business, apart from a few instances, a woman would likely not have made it to be so successful without focus, thinking of those around her, passion, self motivation and without being a hard worker, all of which are traits required to be an entrepreneur.
Although much research has been launched into women entrepreneurship and immigrant and minority entrepreneurship as separate topics, there does not seem to be much focus on entrepreneurs who fit into both categories, the ethnic female entrepreneur. This profile covers a woman of ethnic background who launches an organization to create innovative solutions for profit. Owing to the fact that they belong to two categories that face the most challenges in entrepreneurial pursuits, it is necessary to find out how their special circumstance acts as a barrier to their
This question is posed to open a more balanced knowledge on the apparent differences in culture and socio-economic environment of countries, seeing that different business models are only applicable to certain environments. Furthermore, this would help explain the gender dimensions of the business environment and the broad constraints revolving around entrepreneurship that affect women more than men. An example can be seen between developed countries like the
Women are slowly break through the invisible glass ceiling, that had been placed by male business owners to prevent women’s independence. With more women showing new entrepreneurs how to succeed and to run their business in the way that they feel is best, by either sharing the work load with their employees, or by acting more like a male proprietor is up to the person as there is no right or wrong way to run a successful business. Women have overcome many hurdles in supporting their families because given the choice, they will provide well not just for their families but for other families as well. Hoping that the future generations of women do not have to settle for what they are given, but go out and take what they want in the way of independence and future prosperity. It is up to us to change the minds of men and succeed in shattering the glass ceiling that they have put into
Traditionally, females come under the category of ‘minority’ entrepreneurs while male entrepreneurs are considered the dominant force in entrepreneurship. However, does this theory hold true in the female liberated world of fashion? After discovering the pioneering works of Natalie Massenet (creator of Net-A-Porter) in the world of luxury online retailing, this has opened the window of curiosity as to how females are such prominent figures yet are branded as minorities in entrepreneurship. In an industry which reaches and affects
Nothing can be nobler than wanting to improve the conditions of the world both on an environmental and sociological level. Those individuals and businesses that choose to take on society 's problems are a special breed and they face an uphill battle not only in performing their work, but finding the financial resources to grow the business so that it can fulfill its mission. This paper will examine the industry of social entrepreneurship and how venture capital funding is playing a role in improving life for all.
There are many attributes an entrepreneur should possess, leadership, confidence and the willingness to take risks are three of the most important. Some other attributes are determination, responsibility, competitiveness, knowledge, persuasion and great communication skills. Women have been stereotypes with not possessing these characteristics and in return the female entrepreneurs and their businesses are treated differently. Woman have a much harder time receiving loans than men do or if they do receive them then the terms of their loans are
In a country like India starting an entrepreneurship is not an easy task. There are many factors which influence the initial stage of the start up. When someone starts a new enterprise or tries to get into entrepreneurship they face many problems like finance, land permissions, environmental clearance, foreign investment proposals, family support, team, marketing strategy, legal aspect, resource allocation, censorship, accurate advice and information, fear of failure.
With the increasing presence of globalisation and rapid emergence of new markets, entrepreneurship is becoming more prevalent. According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), there is usually high Total Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) in countries like Australia, Canada and United States, whereas there is low TEA in Norway and United Kingdom . Generally, entrepreneurship can be defined as “a purposeful activity to initiate, maintain and develop a profit-orientated business” . However, for one to succeed as an entrepreneur, they must go beyond the ‘norm’ and differentiate themselves from other competing entrepreneurs; this may be achieved by embracing both social and ethnic diversity. Social diversity refers to the different factors that set individuals apart in a society like gender, age or religion, whereas ethnic diversity looks at different ethnic groups and cultures . This report will first look at how ethnic diversity contributes to the development of an entrepreneur, and the limitations to this using Hofstede’s framework. It will also look at social diversity and entrepreneurship, particularly focusing on gender. Finally, the report will conclude whether social and ethnic diversity may be beneficial to entrepreneurship and development in general overall.
This starts by acknowledging and assisting female-owned enterprises and business achievements, as women still face many obstacles in business and in the workplace.
The dream of owning and successfully running a business is restricted by significant barriers for any person that wishes to become their own boss. Financial capital may be one of the only true barriers that prohibit a male from beginning a business; while depending on the country, a woman may face financial constraints in addition to religious, legal and cultural limitations. These obstructions will not only limit the financial independence of women, but also limit the growth and personal freedom for the entire country. According to the Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan, achieving gender equality is fundamental to economic development. Nations that oppress the personal freedoms of women have laws in place to restrict
While many investors and business owners do insist that an idea is the important element of any business entity, they also do concur that it is quite challenging to start, operate and sustain any business venture without capital. The situation gets even more complicated given the gender-based issues still affecting communities not just within America but also worldwide. However, following the continuous creation of awareness around such critical concerns the situation is gradually gaining the attention of both governmental and non-governmental institutions alike. The goal is to enable women-owned businesses get funded to maintain and expand their operations and this has facilitated a tremendous and commendable increase in the number of
Researchers have known since the 1970s that female entrepreneurs are motivated by a desire for
For women to become a successful entrepreneur, she needs access to capital, technical and managerial know-how and market. The essence to empower rural women lies in catalyzing appropriate economic activities at the grass root level and creating new opportunities for them to earn higher income in order to improve their standard of living. This objective could be accomplished by establishing enterprises that are based on the locally available resources and preferably indigenous knowledge.