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Article
Publication date: 11 September 2017

Ravi Chinta, Anthony Andall and Shawn Best

For women entrepreneurs, personal wealth is seen as a promoter, but lack of affordable child care is viewed as an inhibitor. Based on data from 1,284 nascent women entrepreneurs…

Abstract

Purpose

For women entrepreneurs, personal wealth is seen as a promoter, but lack of affordable child care is viewed as an inhibitor. Based on data from 1,284 nascent women entrepreneurs in the state of Alabama, the authors aim to investigate the linkage between personal wealth and barriers to start a business for women entrepreneurs in the state of Alabama. The mediating effect of affordable child care is also examined. Results reveal that lack of personal wealth can thwart business start-ups, and lack of affordable child care mediates this adverse relationship. The authors conclude their study with implications for policy makers and future research.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a quantitative survey-based study. This is the largest survey ever done in any state in the USA on the subject of nascent women entrepreneurs. The sample size is 1,284 aspiring women entrepreneurs. (Baron and Kenny 1986) method is used for testing mediating effects. Main effects are tested using regression and ANOVA analyses.

Findings

Results reveal that lack of personal wealth can thwart business start-ups, and lack of affordable child care mediates this adverse relationship. The mediating effect is strong and, thus, becomes a focus for any proposed structural reforms that are suggested in the discussion section of the paper.

Research limitations/implications

No experimental design. Findings pertain to the state of Alabama and hence generalizability is low. Variables are measured as perceptions of respondents.

Practical implications

To mitigate the lack of personal wealth, policy makers should increase resource allocations that will increase external funding for women entrepreneurs through such mechanisms as small business administration grants, minority purchase programs, guaranteed loans, government subsidies, angel investments and venture capital, capturing the amount of capital available to start a business (Jennings et al,, 2013). Even infrastructural support such as incubators and university based entrepreneurial programs would reduce the barriers to start a new business. Affordable child care, via its mediating effect, is another issue that needs to be looked into to promote women entrepreneurship in state of Alabama. Less-expensive community-based child-care programs could provide the necessary fillip to encourage women entrepreneurships to take the initial leap into entrepreneurship. Government funded incubators should include onsite child-care facilities to mitigate the concern about affordable child care.

Social implications

Promoting women entrepreneurship is an integral part of promoting entrepreneurship in the state of Alabama. This study suggests some directions for structural reforms to promote women entrepreneurship in the state of Alabama.

Originality/value

The largest survey on aspiring women entrepreneurs in any state in the USA. In total, 1,284 women completed responses from the survey. This paper provides empirically rooted suggestions for structural reforms to promote women entrepreneurship in the state of Alabama. This paper corroborates a priori hypotheses drawn from extant literature.

Details

International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, vol. 9 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-6266

Keywords

Case study
Publication date: 3 March 2021

Heatherjean MacNeil, Amanda Wiehe Lopes, Banu Ozkazanc-Pan and Anne Douglass

The information presented in this case was gathered through interviews and observations carried out during the time Ms Joy attended the Initiative for A Competitive Inner City…

Abstract

Research methodology

The information presented in this case was gathered through interviews and observations carried out during the time Ms Joy attended the Initiative for A Competitive Inner City business support program in 2017. In addition, focus groups that took place after the program provided important information and insights into her decision-making process and business goals. Additional interviews were conducted in 2018 and 2019 after the business program ended to gain in-depth knowledge of Ms Joy’s entrepreneurial journey.

Case overview/synopsis

This case details the experiences of Winsome Joy in recognizing market opportunities in the child care industry and then expanding into the educational materials industry. The case focuses on challenges related to founding and sustaining her business and the ways in which Ms Joy engaged in “opportunity recognition” and “effectuation” to become a successful entrepreneur. The case points out the challenges of the child care and early education field in terms of professional training, hiring practices and retaining qualified staff. It provides an aspirational role model who has overcome these challenges by finding and recognizing new market opportunities.

Complexity academic level

This case is relevant for undergraduate and graduate courses in entrepreneurship.

Details

The CASE Journal, vol. 17 no. 5
Type: Case Study
ISSN:

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1990

Judith Bischoff

Given current demographic changes in the natureof the population, employers are increasinglyattempting to find ways of retaining or attractingwomen into the workforce. A number…

Abstract

Given current demographic changes in the nature of the population, employers are increasingly attempting to find ways of retaining or attracting women into the workforce. A number of companies have now taken steps to provide childcare arrangements which will hopefully encourage women with children to remain in or re‐enter employment. Developments in a number of countries are reported, and four separate options available to employers for resolving the childcare dilemma are outlined.

Details

Employee Relations, vol. 12 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Abstract

Organizational researchers studying well-being – as well as organizations themselves – often place much of the burden on employees to manage and preserve their own well-being. Missing from this discussion is how – from a human resources management (HRM) perspective – organizations and managers can directly and positively shape the well-being of their employees. The authors use this review to paint a picture of what organizations could be like if they valued people holistically and embraced the full experience of employees’ lives to promote well-being at work. In so doing, the authors tackle five challenges that managers may have to help their employees navigate, but to date have received more limited empirical and theoretical attention from an HRM perspective: (1) recovery at work; (2) women’s health; (3) concealable stigmas; (4) caregiving; and (5) coping with socio-environmental jolts. In each section, the authors highlight how past research has treated managerial or organizational support on these topics, and pave the way for where research needs to advance from an HRM perspective. The authors conclude with ideas for tackling these issues methodologically and analytically, highlighting ways to recruit and support more vulnerable samples that are encapsulated within these topics, as well as analytic approaches to study employee experiences more holistically. In sum, this review represents a call for organizations to now – more than ever – build thriving organizations.

Details

Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80455-046-5

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 22 May 2017

Melissa K. Van Dyke

Often overlooked in discussions related to how to ensure accessible and affordable high-quality early childhood education is the heavy burden that has been carried by the early…

Abstract

Often overlooked in discussions related to how to ensure accessible and affordable high-quality early childhood education is the heavy burden that has been carried by the early childhood workforce; the data reveal a level of exploitation of this workforce that must be considered and addressed. This chapter will focus attention on the economic realities of the early childhood workforce as a key element to achieve equitable access to affordable high-quality early childhood services.

Details

African American Children in Early Childhood Education
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78714-258-9

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 25 February 2016

Martha H. Stinson and Peter Gottschalk

We investigate the question of whether investing in a child’s development by having a parent stay at home when the child is young is correlated with the child’s adult outcomes…

Abstract

We investigate the question of whether investing in a child’s development by having a parent stay at home when the child is young is correlated with the child’s adult outcomes. Specifically, do children with stay-at-home mothers have higher adult earnings than children raised in households with a working mother? The major contribution of our study is that, unlike previous studies, we have access to rich longitudinal data that allows us to measure both the parental earnings when the child is very young and the adult earnings of the child. Our findings are consistent with previous studies that show insignificant differences between children raised by stay-at-home mothers during their early years and children with mothers working in the market. We find no impact of maternal employment during the first five years of a child’s life on earnings, employment, or mobility measures of either sons or daughters. We do find, however, that maternal employment during children’s high school years is correlated with a higher probability of employment as adults for daughters and a higher correlation between parent and daughter earnings ranks.

Details

Inequality: Causes and Consequences
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78560-810-0

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 September 2008

Tony Brown

Trade unions, like many other membership‐based social movement organisations, are confronted by the challenge of growth and revitalisation. Declining membership numbers, an…

995

Abstract

Purpose

Trade unions, like many other membership‐based social movement organisations, are confronted by the challenge of growth and revitalisation. Declining membership numbers, an increasingly restrictive legislative framework, and dramatic changes in modes of employment have combined to challenge many unions to rethink the way they work. In response to these challenges some unions adopted what has been referred to as the “organising model”, comprising new methods of recruiting, campaigning, educating, fostering activist members, and developing community and international alliances. It is changing the way union staff work, and requires a new understanding of their roles. The purpose of this paper is to examine an organising campaign conducted by one of Australia's largest unions.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on semi‐structured interviews with a pivotal group of lead organisers, union reports and planning documents, participant observation, and published data on the major private childcare employer.

Findings

The efforts to organise the childcare workers proved successful and a new collective agreement was endorsed, confirming for the union that its approach could work. However, the model remains new and whether it achieves the desired outcomes of changing the culture and ways of union work, creates new learning opportunities and activates new layers of workers, is yet to be seen.

Originality/value

There is a burgeoning literature on new organising approaches. There are fewer detailed descriptions of the practice of organising and its impact on organisational change and learning. Therefore case studies such as this, which locate the decision to organise this sector, reports on how the campaign unfolded, and discusses the union's interest in understanding the learning associated with these new ways of working, provide an opportunity to examine connections between the theories and practices of organising.

Details

Journal of Workplace Learning, vol. 20 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-5626

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1997

Scott Holmes, Sharyn Smith and Georgie Cane

Recent research has shown that home‐based businesses (HBBs) are increasing, and that a significant number of women are seeking such self‐employment. Summarizes the results of a…

802

Abstract

Recent research has shown that home‐based businesses (HBBs) are increasing, and that a significant number of women are seeking such self‐employment. Summarizes the results of a recent large‐scale survey examining various aspects of HBB operation in Australia. Finds that there are significant gender differences associated with HBB operation, including reasons for HBB start‐up, life stage and age of operator, business assistance, and the perceived negative factors associated with HBB operation. Also notes that some training issues differ significantly with respect to the propensity to undertake training and the type of training preferred and finds that the majority of female operators are operating their HBB with children at home. Calls for more research into the implications of HBB operators working at home with their children.

Details

Women in Management Review, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0964-9425

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 1989

David W. Rhodes and Margaret Regan

If employers are having a hard time finding capable employees today, just wait until tomorrow. Those responsible for recruiting entry‐level staff in the 1990s and beyond will have…

Abstract

If employers are having a hard time finding capable employees today, just wait until tomorrow. Those responsible for recruiting entry‐level staff in the 1990s and beyond will have their hands full. Demographic studies show that companies will be hard pressed to find an adequate supply of properly skilled young people from the generation that is about to enter the job market.

Details

Journal of Business Strategy, vol. 10 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0275-6668

Article
Publication date: 22 March 2013

Susan Clark Muntean

While numerous comparative studies have measured women's participation in starting or owning a business, the factors stimulating their engagement in highly productive…

Abstract

Purpose

While numerous comparative studies have measured women's participation in starting or owning a business, the factors stimulating their engagement in highly productive entrepreneurial activity have been understudied. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap in the literature.

Design/methodology/approach

This study compares country‐level data on the institutional and cultural factors that affect a woman's decision to start and grow a business with country‐level measures of the entrepreneurial environment, innovative activity and access to opportunity.

Findings

It was found that three institutional and cultural factors influence the decision calculus of women to found and expand enterprises: legal and social status; institutional presence; and economic empowerment. Women who have the requisite support exploit market opportunities and translate their ideas, creativity and skills into high potential, high growth ventures. This in turn generates entrepreneurial activity, job creation and prosperity at the country level.

Research limitations/implications

Comparable data on variables of interest, including the number of female‐founded high‐growth businesses and child care support, for example, are not available across countries. This study uses proxies and indices where data are missing and makes recommendations on improving data collection for future scholarship.

Practical implications

Improving access to collateral by strengthening the property rights of women, increasing the representation of women in banking, business, government and academia, and providing greater economic empowerment of all women produces more productive entrepreneurial activity and prosperity for the entire population.

Originality/value

Women entrepreneurs are a missing link that explains variation among countries in the quality and quantity of entrepreneurial activity.

Details

International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, vol. 5 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-6266

Keywords

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