The purpose of this thesis is to explore the emerging characteristics of Asian women entrepreneurs in South Australia. This research also aims to improve current understanding of the existing literature of ethnic entrepreneurship and female entrepreneurship, especially as Asian women are rising in entrepreneurship. Business ownership is a significant opportunity for women in the business world. While there have been studies of ethnic entrepreneurship with partial concentration on women's participation in their family businesses, the majority of studies assume that ethnic women are a homogeneous group. Asian women entrepreneurs appear to bring together not only ethnic opportunities but also personal characteristics to enhance their business performance. It is, therefore, important to examine what contributes to the success of Asian women entrepreneurs in South Australia and understand how these Asian women entrepreneurs balance Australian and Asian business and personal values. This research is designed to be a simple and descriptive study using the experiences of 16 Asian women entrepreneurs, while not comparing the samples with anyone else's. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2007.

Thesis (M.B.A.) - Carleton University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 80-85). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Universiteit Leiden, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [323]-339).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Universiteit Leiden, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [323]-339).

This study examines female self-employment in British Columbia from 1901 to 1971. Entrepreneurial women comprised a small proportion of the total female labour force but they exhibited differences from the rest of the labour force that deserve attention. The study relies on the Census of Canada to gain perspective on trends in female self-employment over a broad time period; qualitative sources are also utilized, including Business and Professional Women’s Club records, to illustrate how individual businesswomen reflected patterns of age, marital status, and family observed at a broad level. The role of gender in women’s decisions to run their own enterprises and in their choice of enterprise is also explored. While the research focus is British Columbia, this study is comparative: self-employed women in the province are compared to their counterparts in the rest of Canada, but also to self-employed men, and to other working women, in both regions. Regionally, women in British Columbia had higher rates of self-employment than women in the rest of the country between 1901 and 1971. Self-employed women in both British Columbia and Canada were, like wage-earning women, limited to a narrow range of occupational types, but they were more likely to work in male-dominated occupations. Self employed women were also older and more likely to be married, widowed or divorced than wage-earning women; in these aspects, they resembled self-employed men. But there were gender differences: whether women worked in female or male-dominated enterprises, they stressed their femininity. The need to take care of their families, particularly if they had lost a spouse through death or desertion, provided additional rationale for women’s presence in the business world. Family, marital status, age, gender and region all played a role in women’s decisions to enter into self-employment between 1901 and 1971. / Graduate

Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Business Administration (Entrepreneurship) in the Faculty of Business at the CAPE PENINSULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY / The South African government, to accelerate economic growth and development, has identified the Small Medium Micro Enterprises (SMME) sector, and female entrepreneurs, as vehicles capable of bringing about this change. Unfortunately, this growth has been stifled due to the high failure rate of entrepreneurial businesses in the SMME sector. A possible solution for female entrepreneurs is the introduction of start-up support services to empower them to be successful. Empowering entrepreneurs is the function of nurturing and supporting entrepreneurs by providing them with professional skills development and moral support, to impact positively on the business’s sustainability. There is a clear need to widen access to business start-up training and advice to encourage larger numbers of women to embrace self-employment. This implies offering a wide range of start-up support services which encourage women to go into business. Women enter business from a variety of backgrounds and with a wide range of experience. The provision of business start-up training and advice needs to accommodate these very different experiences. Women attending entrepreneurship programmes have often criticised these programmes as being male-orientated and prescriptive. Women are expected to conform to male models and standards of behaviour. While this study relates specifically to female entrepreneurs in the Western Cape, it is set in the context of female entrepreneurship in South Africa. The target population for the research was 150 female entrepreneurs in the Tourism industry in the Western Cape. The study is quantitative in nature, using the survey method for better understanding of the research problem. The study aimed to understand the needs of female entrepreneurs, and to underscore the significance of skills and knowledge transfer from the government to female entrepreneurs. The research explored the role of government in empowering female entrepreneurs in the Tourism industry in Western Cape, and identified support services that can be used to promote the growth and development of female entrepreneurs. Possible solutions to failure rates of female entrepreneurship are also addressed, with specific models for improved business support services for all female entrepreneurs in the Tourism industry in the Western Cape. This will help them to run sustainable businesses as well as provide more jobs. This research recommends that management capability and financial management acumen be regarded as key to success for funding by the entrepreneurs themselves, and the parties involved in supporting and promoting them.

Thesis (MComm)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to determine the type of decision-making approaches used by businesswomen, both intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs, under conditions of uncertainty, and how the human and social capital they possess influence their strategic entrepreneurial behaviour (SEB). Entrepreneurial decision making often takes place under uncertain conditions, in which rational models provide little guidance for decision makers. Effectuation is proposed as an alternative decision model to rationality, particularly for emerging opportunities. Although some exploratory work has been conducted on this school of thought, research gaps remain. Particularly, there is a lack of research on businesswomen, despite the fact that they are an important group of entrepreneurs within the economy with great potential to contribute to economic growth, development and employment generation. The study population was South African businesswomen, and the membership register of the South African Businesswomen's Association (BWA) was used as a sampling frame. An online survey was sent to all members and a total of 269 usable responses were obtained. Data were analysed with SPSS using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The findings indicate there are no significant differences between the decisionmaking approaches of intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs, and that they use both effectuation and causation when shaping and implementing new initiatives, while the literature argues that these two approaches are distinct and dichotomous. In using a causal approach, the respondents value planning and a systematic approach to new, uncertain projects, although they realise the benefit of flexibility and of limiting the downside loss to their decisions; therefore they also incorporate elements of effectual logic. Furthermore, businesswomen's ability to cultivate relationships plays an integral role in the SEB process for both effectuation and causation, with businesswomen emphasising their relationships with key stakeholders. Concerning businesswomen's human capital, the study finds that self-efficacy plays an important role in terms of businesswomen's confidence, and that it has an impact on both SEB decision-making approaches. Several theoretical, practical and educational implications arise from these findings. Theoretically, this study contributes to the decision-making literature by showing that businesswomen utilise both decision-making styles and do not merely rely on one or the other. Furthermore, it also shows that relationship cultivation and self-efficacy are significantly related to both SEB approaches. Practically, both businesswomen and other stakeholders, such as financial institutions, should recognise the relevance and importance of using both styles and not stress causation above effectuation, as is the case currently. Furthermore, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, which is relevant for both approaches to SEB, can be raised through investing in targeted training and education in female entrepreneurship. For entrepreneurship educators, these findings emphasise that courses should incorporate both decision-making styles and that these skills should be developed in students. Business management students should be taught that, while logical, planned and prediction-based causal approaches are appropriate under stable conditions, effectuation provides resources to approach uncertain conditions more effectively. In addition, entrepreneurial initiatives with a low degree of innovativeness also would be more suited to a predictive, casual approach, while initiatives with a higher degree of innovativeness would benefit from using effectual principles. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie was om die besluitnemingsmetodes van sakevroue, beide intrapreneurs en entrepreneurs, onder omstandighede van onsekerheid te bepaal en te bestudeer hoe die menslike en sosiale kapitaal wat hulle besit hul strategiese entrepreneuriese gedrag (SEG) beïnvloed. Entrepreneuriese besluitneming vind dikwels onder onsekere omstandighede plaas waar rasionele modelle min leiding aan besluitnemers verskaf. Effektuasie ("effectuation") word voorgestel as 'n alternatiewe besluitnemingsmodel tot rasionaliteit, spesifiek vir ontluikende geleenthede. Hoewel daar reeds verkennende navorsing in die veld gedoen is, is daar steeds navorsingsgapings. Daar is veral 'n tekort aan navorsing oor sakevroue ten spyte van die feit dat hulle een van die belangrikste groepe entrepreneurs binne die ekonomie is, met groot potensiaal om 'n bydrae tot ekonomiese groei, ontwikkeling en werkskepping te lewer. Die studiebevolking was Suid-Afrikaanse sakevroue, en die lederegister van die Suid-Afrikaanse Sakevrouevereniging (BWA) is as steekproefraamwerk gebruik. 'n Aanlynopname is aan al die lede gestuur en 'n totaal van 269 bruikbare antwoorde is ontvang. Data is ontleed met behulp van SPSS deur gebruik te maak van beskrywende en inferensiële statistiese tegnieke. Die bevindinge dui aan dat daar geen betekenisvolle verskil tussen die besluitnemingsbenaderings van intrapreneurs en entrepreneurs is nie en dat beide effektuasie ("effectuation") en kousaliteit ("causation") in die vorming en implementering van nuwe inisiatiewe gebruik word. Volgens die literatuur is hierdie twee besluitnemingsbenaderings egter duidelik onderskeibaar. In die gebruik van 'n kousale ("causal") benadering heg die respondente waarde aan beplanning en 'n sistematiese benadering tot nuwe, onseker projekte. Hulle besef egter die voordeel van buigsaamheid en die beperking van besluite wat met kousaliteit gepaard gaan; hulle neem dus ook elemente van effektuasie-logika in ag. Verder speel sakevroue se vermoë om verhoudings te kweek 'n integrale rol in die SEG-proses vir beide effektuasie ("effectuation") en kousaliteit ("causation"), met sakevroue wat hulle verhoudings met sleutel rolspelers beklemtoon. Met betrekking tot sakevroue se menslike kapitaal het die studie gevind dat self-doeltreffendheid 'n belangrike rol in terme van sakevroue se vertroue speel en dat dit 'n impak op beide SEGbesluitnemingsbenaderings het. Verskeie teoretiese, praktiese en opvoedkundige implikasies ontstaan uit hierdie bevindinge. Teoreties het hierdie studie bygedra tot besluitnemings-literatuur deur aan te toon dat sakevroue gebruik maak van albei besluitnemingstyle en nie net op een staatmaak nie. Die studie het ook gevind dat die kweek van verhoudings, asook selfdoeltreffendheid, beduidend verband hou met beide SEG-benaderings. Prakties moet sakevroue en ander belanghebbendes, soos finansiële instellings, die toepaslikheid en belangrikheid van die gebruik van beide style herken, en nie op kousaliteit klem lê bo effektuasie nie. Verder kan entrepreneuriese selfdoeltreffendheid, wat vir beide benaderings tot SEG relevant is, verhoog word deur in geteikende opleiding en onderrig oor vroulike entrepreneurskap te belê. Vir entrepreneurskapopvoeders beklemtoon hierdie bevindinge dat kursusse beide besluitnemingstyle in ag moet neem en dat hierdie vaardighede in studente ontwikkel moet word. Ondernemingsbestuurstudente moet leer dat hoewel logiese, beplande en voorspellingsgebaseerde kousaliteitsbenaderings onder stabiele omstandighede toepaslik is, effektuasie maniere bied om onsekere situasies meer effektief te benader. Entrepreneuriese inisiatiewe met 'n lae graad van innovasie is meer geskik vir 'n voorspellende, kousale benadering, terwyl inisiatiewe met 'n hoër mate van innovasie voordeel sal trek uit die gebruik van effektuasiebeginsels.

M. Tech. Business Information Systems / In the last decade, Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs), and Women-owned SMMEs in particular, have significantly increased in many parts of the world. The growing contribution of SMMEs towards the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), job creation, poverty reduction, social and economic development, can no longer be ignored. In recognition of the significance of SMMEs, many countries in the world have created special mechanisms to enhance and facilitate the creation and growth of SMMEs. Lately, the main support services offered to small enterprises include both business development services and financial services by using the cutting edge of Information Communication Technologies (ICT). However, a review of various writings has revealed that despite efforts by numerous governments to establish a support structure for SMMEs, their efforts have not been very rewarding. SMMEs still complain about the lack of access to government support and services. Issues of accessibility were worsened as female business owners face different challenges than their male counterparts. A review of those challenges was conducted in the context of Rwanda. By using a multiple case study design and an interview method for the collection of data, the study identified the support and services provided by the government and the challenges that women-owned SMMEs encountered in their attempts to access them.

Since China's introduction of economic reform and adoption of market-oriented programs, more and more people are going into business. China registered an average annual GDP growth of over 8% in the past ten years. Moreover, during the past ten years (1995-2005), the number of women-owned businesses in China has increased significantly, and these businesses are just as successful as those owned by men. With an increasing number of them participating, women have become a major force in China's economic development, even in Shaanxi. The need for a better understanding of this emerging economy and of women entrepreneurs in small firm motivated the researcher to undertake this study. Moreover, this study was guided by the following research objectives: Primary objectives • Determine the motivations underpinning entry of women into small business in Shaanxi • Examine the barriers and challenges that female entrepreneurs face and how can these be addressed • Examine the contribution of female entrepreneurs to the regional development of the province with regard to employment • Consider the determinants of the employment growth of women-owned business as in Shaanxi • Examine the determinants of the performance of female entrepreneurs in Shaanxi • Make suggestions regarding further research on entrepreneurship development in Shaanxi province, China • Examine whether source of funding is associated with the education of the entrepreneurs. Secondary objectives • Examine whether perceptions of support for women entrepreneurs vary with marital status and education. • Examine whether perceptions of support for women entrepreneurs vary with training and networks. • Examine whether belonging to a business network is related to the marital status and education of the women entrepreneurs. According to surveyed entrepreneurs, the quest for personal development (pull) and a feeling of not "fit in" with the organisation (push) are two main factors which motivated women to go into business as self-employed persons. The main barriers to them start-up in business are availability of funds and family support. Problems still exist, but women entrepreneurs made a great contribution to Shaanxi's provincial economic development, especially in terms of employment creation opportunities. The regression analysis shows that education and experience of the entrepreneurs contribute significantly to employment growth. Moreover, efficient business networks, availability of funding with training opportunities and the support from government are seemingly rather weak in Shaanxi, China. Results of the hypotheses tests indicate that training, networks, business location, family member employees and prior working experience of the women entrepreneurs contribute significantly to better performance in business. / Thesis (M.Comm.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

This study investigated the contribution of women entrepreneurs to the economic growth of the North West Province. The aim of the study was to identify the contribution of women entrepreneurs in the economic growth, to determine forces driving women to become entrepreneurs. The study also aimed at examining future challenges for women entrepreneurs as well as strategies to advance women entrepreneurs . The Quantitative research method was chosen for the study and the targeted population was women entrepreneurs and women interested in entrepreneurship in Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp in the North West Province. A total of200 participants were selected for the study, 100 women entrepreneurs and 100 women interested in entrepreneurship. Stratified random sampling was used to randomly select a subset of 50 women entrepreneurs and 50 women interested in entrepreneurship. The primary instrument used to collect data from the selected respondents was the questionnaire. Data were collected, analysed and presented in tables and figures. The findings of the study reveal~ that women entrepreneurs made positive contributions on the economic growth of the North West Province. They create employment, reduce poverty, initiate businesses, build self-employment and expand their businesses. The study confirmed that women entrepreneurs lack skills, knowledge and experience in business. They do not get support in infrastructure, finance and education to run their businesses. The researcher recommended that women entrepreneurs should get training and education with regard to running a business. There should also be infrastructure, accessibility of technology, funding and support for women entrepreneurs. Women entrepreneurs should get support from local governments and appropriate information should be made available to them. / (MBA) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2006