Women's Entrepreneurship

Bangladesh like many other countries of the world is facing the adversities arising from climate change for no fault of its own. There is a growing concern all over the world on the issue of climate change and its adverse impact on countries more vulnerable owing to their respective geographical locations. The country is frequently subjected to cyclones, floods, and storm surges due to the adverse impact of climate change. The purpose of this study is to facilitate local authority, local people, especially women and other most vulnerable people to climate change in developing and implementing adaptation visioning. Developing the participatory architectural design of adaptive infrastructural solutions and livelihood demonstration is another objective. After that, to develop the climate adaptive land-use planning, and resilient structure of the Latachapli Union and Deluti Union. Finally to ensure the environmental, gender and social standards of the resilient infrastructure design. A field survey is the key approach of the study. Primarily climate change impact issues and site morphologies were investigated based on secondary data provided by UNDP and archival research. Later on resiliency indicators were understood respecting site by focus group discussions and semi-structured questioners collaborating with stakeholders as public representatives, common people of all ages and marginality, especially women. Risk measures, vulnerable areas, implication locations have been identified and mapped through discussion and participation of all stakeholders. Design solutions and guidelines generated through co-production with general people. Finally, all recommendations were justified with public hearing in presence of public representatives, selective beneficiaries from localities. The outcome of this study is two climate-resilient landscapes of Latachapli Union and Deluti Union including the design of two women centers as resilient rural infrastructures in both Union. The design of hydroponics is provided as an alternative livelihood option for Deluti Union. Additionally, the design of a gender-responsive rural infrastructure as a social platform is provided.

The drive for change is transcending all layers of society. The call for more social justice spreads throughout research, policy, industry and civil society. Practices are flourishing from the individual to the territorial level, creating heterogeneous communities of practitioners. People are juggling with many forms of innovation to reshape in parallel many dimensions of systems, looking for more equity, sustainability, and comfort. It has become necessary to reflect at the innovation ecosystem level, to better understand the current dynamics of these changes and better frame, design and evaluate the interventions we are co-creating and the impacts we are generating by acting in our close environments. In this paper, we present the Shemakes project as a fertile ground for the maker movement and associated partners to reflect on gender gaps, proposing a series of interventions that raise awareness and empower women in lab environments, in the Textile and Clothing industry, and more widely in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policy frameworks. After giving a short overview of our research methodology based on action research, we present our work in four parts, starting with the contextualisation of the gender gap at different scales, mapping the emerging shemakes innovation ecosystem, proposing a series of interventions through labs-based activities and projects, and reflecting on key lessons learnt and future actions for the (women's) maker movement.

This research explores the influence of Islamic spirituality on Muslim women’s entrepreneurship in Malaysia, showing the effects of spirituality on their careers, business ventures and general entrepreneurial behavior. An empirical study consisting of open-ended interviews with women entrepreneurs in Malaysia was undertaken to explore the impact of spirituality on shaping their entrepreneurial activities, ethical choices, decision-making, and enhancing work-life satisfaction. The findings of this study highlight the position and key role of spirituality in the success of Muslim female entrepreneurs. This study underscores not only the religious compatibility between work and women success, but also highlights significant prospects for the untapped societal potential of Muslim women, in light of their spiritually-backed competencies, and with respect to harnessing their creative and entrepreneurial talents. This study reinforces the connection with God as a common denominator to the definition of spirituality and further shows that spirituality plays significant role in the prioritizing of the needs of family and life, motivation, social responsibility, and decision-making of Muslim women entrepreneurs in Malaysia.

This study is done against a background of perennial negative variances between the projected and actual tax collections in Zimbabwe. Studies that look at the influence of mental accounting, perceived trust and power of tax authorities on tax compliance seem to be lacking in Africa. The target population comprise of self-employed tax payers because these currently comprise the highest form of employment among Zimbabweans. Their compliance depends to some extent on their mental accounting practices, perceived trust and power of the tax authorities. The study objectives are therefore to i) examine the influence of mental accounting on tax compliance ii) examine the influence of trust in revenue authorities on tax compliance and iii) examine the influence of perceived authority of revenue officers on tax compliance. This study used mental accounting theory, slippery slope framework, perceived trust and perceived power of tax authorities to explain tax compliance behaviour among SME owners in Harare, Zimbabwe. A questionnaire is used as the data collection tool, with constructs adopted from some scholars. Self-employed tax payers registered under the Small to Medium Enterprises Association of Zimbabwe (SMEAZ). Those which are based in Harare are selected using simple random selection method. The STATA software package is used to analysis data. The nature of relationships that exist among the variables under study are established and reported on. It is on the basis of these findings which include that there was a strong positive relationship between perceived trust in tax authorities and voluntary compliance that recommendations are made.

Purpose – The role of women in Pakistani society – largely embedded in its patriarchal socio–cultural environment – has important implications for women’s entrepreneurial activity in the country. This study aims to investigate and analyse the influence of informal institutional factors on women’s entry into entrepreneurship in Pakistan, and determine how women exercise agency to cope with the constraints posed by such factors.
Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach is used to explore the normative context and lived experiences of women entrepreneurs in relation to the influence of socio–cultural beliefs and attitudes on their entrepreneurial career choices.
Findings – The findings suggest that women’s entrepreneurial career choices both revolve around and are shaped by a complex interplay of socio–cultural influences. Pakistani women entrepreneurs exercise their
agency as a means of negotiating gender roles within both household and society, using religious descriptions as a means to justify their entrepreneurial activity.
Research limitations/implications – While every effort has been made to ensure that the data were objectively interpreted, and the derived findings were robustly analysed, the research team acknowledges the many difficulties associated with adopting a social constructionist approach. As articulated by Fletcher(2011), the key issues of contextual objectivity (i.e. where the researcher judges what is important), reflexive turn (the need for the researcher to constantly reconnect with the subject) and potential multiplicity of contexts (the various contextual and potentially conflicting influences on the researcher) presents ongoing challenges for researchers in this field.
Originality/value – This study offers valuable insights into the impact of the informal (socio–cultural) institutional factors on women’s entrepreneurial activity, opening up new avenues for further research. The study also contributes to the women’s entrepreneurship literature from the perspective of an Islamic developing country.
Keywords Pakistan, Women’s entrepreneurship, Islam, Institutional theory, Institutional factors

Introducción
La oportunidad de analizar la experiencia de mujeres empresarias mexicanas y de profundizar en el estudio sobre los vínculos que ellas han establecido para forjar su trayectoria en el marco de los negocios familiares, da pie a incorporar esta investigación sobre élites empresariales a este valioso compendio sobre redes femeninas en la historia y en la actualidad. La disertación se integra al documentar el análisis relacional que desarrollan siete mujeres de tres generaciones como parte de un grupo mercantil que tiene sus inicios en el giro agropecuario. Se indaga en sus familias, parentesco, amistades y patronazgo, los lazos personales que han establecido, tanto con mujeres y hombres de estos mismos grupos a nivel horizontal y con otros a nivel vertical, en su mayoría de tipo local, regional y solo en algunas a nivel nacional. Para algunas empresarias los lazos fuertes representan conexiones –masculinas, en su mayoría– con personas de dichos grupos que las han fortalecido y asesorado para lograr su desenvolvimiento empresarial o político, así como vínculos fuertes y cotidianos –femeninos, regularmente– que las auxilian en las cuestiones domésticas y de cuidado, como tareas que asumen en su rol de mujeres madres y esposas.
El acercamiento a esta biografía colectiva de mujeres empresarias en negocios familiares, permite echar un vistazo a las alianzas que han heredado y las que han surgido en sus trayectorias de intercambio, tratando de confrontar esa posición metafórica tradicional al considerarlas como bisagras intergeneracionales de la élite. Puesto que eran fundamentales en las élites al instrumentar la tecnología social, al ser las centralizadoras de las relaciones de las redes familiares y, en esta ocasión, se analiza su actuar individual y su capacidad de echar a andar sus vínculos para generar su estructura de apoyo. Además, esta mirada permite valorar la estrecha relación que existe en su condición social como mujeres del sector de negocios y en el tipo de red de relaciones que acostumbran establecer para lograr el objetivo de acceder a los recursos económicos y poder continuar como élite en la dirección empresarial.
Al estar indagando en la zona de los Altos de Jalisco sobre cómo se han gestado los negocios familiares agropecuarios –en específico los del giro avícola, que representa la actividad con mayor relevancia en Tepatitlán de Morelos– y, sabiendo con antelación que la participación femenina en este sector era escasa, se perfila el presente estudio; surgiendo los siguientes cuestionamientos: ¿Cómo han conformado las mujeres sus trayectorias individuales al pertenecer a estas organizaciones familiares? y ¿qué tipo de relaciones, vínculos y redes han establecido? Por lo que se presenta como respuesta un panorama de las concepciones que han emitido las propias mujeres integrantes de las empresas familiares, identificando su posición familiar y empresarial, así como las características de su familia nuclear o extensa; igualmente se detallan las opiniones generacionales sobre su participación, desde las percepciones de las personas que llevan el liderazgo en las empresas, siendo en su mayoría hombres.
Con el objetivo de saber sobre las experiencias femeninas individuales, se ha llamado desentramando lo alteño y lo chapeteado, porque con estos calificativos se relaciona metafóricamente a las mujeres de la región. Se mencionan a las élites femeninas de tres grupos: el primero como las empresarias consolidadas, resaltando a la empresaria con liderazgo y a la de trayectoria política; el segundo como empresarias en formación, una con trayectorias diversas y la otra ingresando al negocio y el tercero grupo de empresarias de tres generaciones de una familia extensa. Se abordan entonces a las élites femeninas subrayando el aporte empresarial de mujeres de tres generaciones y sus redes de apoyo. Se parte de contemplar sus redes egocentradas, las alianzas que han heredado y las que han autoconstruido entre su propia familia o en otro tipo de vínculos sociales, predominando las relaciones de negocios y de apoyo a las labores de cuidado. Así también se centra el objetivo de estas vinculaciones en lo que les representa, las más frecuentes y trascendentes. Consecuentemente, se consideran sus vínculos –enmarcando sus voces y experiencias– como pertenecientes a la élite empresarial alteña, caracterizada por un nudo inextricable de factores: por su capacidad de dar respuesta y enfrentar las situaciones, y de combinar actividades económicas para evitar riesgos de especialización. Por último, este análisis contribuye a los estudios de las mujeres en empresas familiares, así como al análisis de género bajo la mirada de redes.

Through is lens, photographer Alex Attard gives a new life to documents which were found in a pitiful state at the Notarial Archives, Valletta. This volume also contains a number of multi-disciplinary academic papers whose common factor is research at the Notarial Archives.

Back cover text: Real Social Science presents a new, hands-on approach to social inquiry. The theoretical and methodological ideas behind the book, inspired by Aristotelian phronesis, represent an original perspective within the social sciences, and this volume gives readers for the first time a set of studies exemplifying what applied phronesis looks like in practice. The reflexive analysis of values and power gives new meaning to the impact of research on policy and practice. Real Social Science is a major step forward in a novel and thriving field of research. This book will benefit scholars, researchers, and students who want to make a difference in practice, not just in the academy. Its message will make it essential reading for students and academics across the social sciences.

Entrepreneurship is a very promising opportunity if well considered on economic, sociocultural and policies levels and women entrepreneurs are playing a very vital role in achieving economic development and social progress. The emergence and development of women entrepreneurship largely depends on the supporting conditions of different factors such as economic, social, cultural, and psychological. The gender gap is large in Palestine, and can be minimized through encouraging entrepreneurship among women. So the purpose of this paper is to describe the reasons for women entrepreneurs in Gaza Strip to start up an entrepreneurial activity and identify the obstacles they faced and opportunities for them to integrate in the development process. Most Palestinian women in the sample were driven by necessity when starting their business, they still lack the managerial skills and access to information about available ways to expand their projects. There is a positive attitude towards women entrepreneurship but still need to formulate appropriate policies and introduce effective measures to improve their status and decrease the gender gap.