Thesis (M. Ec.) -- Department of Economics, University of Adelaide,1982. / Typescript (photocopy).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Tufts University, 1972. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 172-177).

This thesis explores the factors affecting the aspirations for, and the perceptions of acceptability and feasibility of business-ownership as an economic/career option by middle-income, educated urban women in Bangladesh. In response to the world-wide growth of women's entrepreneurship, there has been increased attention given to women's businesses, both from a practical development perspective and a research point of view. The group of women who has attracted researchers attention in the developed economies is educated, with access to resources and contact networks and therefore in principle, capable of starting up more significant businesses. The corresponding category of women in the developing countries, however, has received little attention either from the development planners or from the academic researchers. In Bangladesh, since the existence of middle-income, educated urban women in business appear to be small compared to that of un/less educated, poor, rural women in income-generating type of enterprises, the women business-owners have not only been unrecognised in statistics and policy documents, but also in academic research. In order to fill this research gap, and to identify some of the possible reasons for the relative paucity of women business-owners in Bangladesh, this thesis addresses the research question, "Is Entrepreneurship/Business-Ownership an Attractive/Desirable, Acceptable and Feasible Option for Middle-Income Educated Urban Women in Bangladesh". To address the research issues about business-ownership by middle-income, educated urban women in Bangladesh, a conceptual framework was developed incorporating the major factors affecting the aspirations, the acceptability and the feasibility of business-ownership as well as those influencing the process of business start-up. This study has examined the research issues based on the data collected through interviews with 154 potential and 75 actual women business-owners, and 10 CEOs of support agencies in the Dhaka city, which has the highest concentration of middle-income, educated urban population, and is the heart of all commercial activities. Overall, the findings of the study indicate that it is the "family roles" or the "gender roles" and not family entrepreneurial role models that influence the aspirations of women to set-up their own businesses in Bangladesh. The study also indicates that 'gender', demographics of the women concerned, and the type of business are the key explanatory factors determining the acceptability of business-ownership. It further shows that years of formal education, work experience, socio-economic class, network and supporters, and the type of business influence the feasibility of business ownership as an economic option for women in the context of Bangladesh. The findings highlight negative social attitude towards women in business, lack of security and freedom of mobility, and exposure of role models by media and promotional agencies as some of the major hindrances to women's business-ownership. This thesis demonstrates that women entrepreneurs in developing countries are not a homogenous group, that the aspirations, the acceptability and the feasibility of business-ownership by women are highly interactive, and that business-ownership by women is a combination of motivation, personal characteristics as well as environmental factors. In particular, it highlights that 'gender' definitely plays a role not only in enabling or hindering women in starting own business, but also in women's choice of business in the developing country context, as opposed to studies on women entrepreneurs in Western countries, which present conflicting results about the extent to which gender is an issue in women's business-ownership. This study emphasises the importance ofpolicy and legislative initiatives for bringing about the needed change in the environment in order to augment women's business-ownership. In doing so, the implications of the research are that efforts should be made to encourage wide spread media exposure of role models, ideas for product and market development, and gender sensitivity training for the personnel of agencies working for the promotion of entrepreneurship.

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

This study was conducted in Dhaka and Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh to examine grass-roots cyclone vulnerability and the government policies and cross-scale linkages that address this vulnerability. After conducting surveys with local villagers, it was determined that while the majority of people understand the cyclone is impending, the options available to them for safe evacuation are limited, as there are not enough cyclone shelters, not all shelters are maintained and in usable condition. Also, budget constraints and improper relief distribution impair the country's ability to mitigate cyclone vulnerability. It was realized that the NGOs act not only as a liaison between villagers and government, but they are the major stakeholder in local level capacity building. It was recommended that additional NGOs for a presence in Cox's Bazar to alliviate the pressure felt by the Cyclone Preparedness Program and Red Crescent, but also to increase the ability of local villagers to work with disaster management stakeholders that are not government representatives.

This study was conducted in Dhaka and Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh to examine grass-roots cyclone vulnerability and the government policies and cross-scale linkages that address this vulnerability. After conducting surveys with local villagers, it was determined that while the majority of people understand the cyclone is impending, the options available to them for safe evacuation are limited, as there are not enough cyclone shelters, not all shelters are maintained and in usable condition. Also, budget constraints and improper relief distribution impair the country's ability to mitigate cyclone vulnerability. It was realized that the NGOs act not only as a liaison between villagers and government, but they are the major stakeholder in local level capacity building. It was recommended that additional NGOs for a presence in Cox's Bazar to alliviate the pressure felt by the Cyclone Preparedness Program and Red Crescent, but also to increase the ability of local villagers to work with disaster management stakeholders that are not government representatives.

Safe water options for five arsenic-affected villages (Sarupie, Manikganj; Daniapara, Shirajdekhan; Babutepara, Muradnagar; Iruaien, Laksham; Rahulllabad, Nabinagar) in central Bangladesh were studied in order to assist the local people and to obtain an indication of general solutions to the arsenic problem that is currently affecting ~100 million people on the Indian subcontinent. Arsenic concentrations were measured in all drinking waters believed to be safe and in a random sample of "red" (unsafe) tubewell waters. Depending on geography, history of safe water sources and availability of pond/river, the options of dugwells, deep tubewells and sand filters were recommended for core village areas, combined with sustainable output testing and a distribution system to maximise the benefits of sustainable water output. Very shallow tubewells were recommended for testing in villages where dugwells were successful. Rainwater harvesting was not recommended, due to expense, small storage capacity and summer dry periods. Two dugwells of optimised design were constructed in Iruaien and Daniapara, each serving 50-100 families. The knowledge gained in the villages was incorporated into the first draft of a "Safe Water Book" for dissemination of honest and accurate information about solutions to the arsenic problem. An air/iron treatment system was developed for removal of arsenic from tubewell water in locations where water treatment is the only option available. The system is based on the Bangladeshi "three kalshi" method, but optimised for efficient contact of water with air and iron. It can be constructed like a sand filter, and requires no chemical input, except for clean scrap iron. Spent scrap iron containing arsenic can be incorporated into concrete for safe disposal. A model air/iron system was constructed and run for two years to demonstrate the long-term viability of the device. A colorimetric method, using silver diethyldithiocarbamate, was developed for determination of arsenic in the villages of Bangladesh. The equipment was adapted for rugged field use, and performed successfully without electricity or running water in improvised laboratory space in villages, providing linear calibrations 0-500 ??g/L and a 2σ limit of detection of 5 ??g/L. The appropriate technologies that should be developed or optimised for the arsenic affected region are described and preliminary suggestions are given about means by which self-propagating solutions might be developed in villages to solve the arsenic problem.

Safe water options for five arsenic-affected villages (Sarupie, Manikganj; Daniapara, Shirajdekhan; Babutepara, Muradnagar; Iruaien, Laksham; Rahulllabad, Nabinagar) in central Bangladesh were studied in order to assist the local people and to obtain an indication of general solutions to the arsenic problem that is currently affecting ~100 million people on the Indian subcontinent. Arsenic concentrations were measured in all drinking waters believed to be safe and in a random sample of "red" (unsafe) tubewell waters. Depending on geography, history of safe water sources and availability of pond/river, the options of dugwells, deep tubewells and sand filters were recommended for core village areas, combined with sustainable output testing and a distribution system to maximise the benefits of sustainable water output. Very shallow tubewells were recommended for testing in villages where dugwells were successful. Rainwater harvesting was not recommended, due to expense, small storage capacity and summer dry periods. Two dugwells of optimised design were constructed in Iruaien and Daniapara, each serving 50-100 families. The knowledge gained in the villages was incorporated into the first draft of a "Safe Water Book" for dissemination of honest and accurate information about solutions to the arsenic problem. An air/iron treatment system was developed for removal of arsenic from tubewell water in locations where water treatment is the only option available. The system is based on the Bangladeshi "three kalshi" method, but optimised for efficient contact of water with air and iron. It can be constructed like a sand filter, and requires no chemical input, except for clean scrap iron. Spent scrap iron containing arsenic can be incorporated into concrete for safe disposal. A model air/iron system was constructed and run for two years to demonstrate the long-term viability of the device. A colorimetric method, using silver diethyldithiocarbamate, was developed for determination of arsenic in the villages of Bangladesh. The equipment was adapted for rugged field use, and performed successfully without electricity or running water in improvised laboratory space in villages, providing linear calibrations 0-500 ??g/L and a 2σ limit of detection of 5 ??g/L. The appropriate technologies that should be developed or optimised for the arsenic affected region are described and preliminary suggestions are given about means by which self-propagating solutions might be developed in villages to solve the arsenic problem.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1984. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-78).

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