Opportunity recognition during the COVID-19 pandemic: a case study of Ghanaian women entrepreneurs in the beauty industry

PurposeThis paper aims to develop insight into the impact the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis had on female entrepreneurs in Ghana's beauty industry and their ability to recognize opportunities. The authors also ascertained characteristics of the women that seemed to have influenced opportunity recognition.Design/methodology/approachUsing the case study approach, the authors collected data via in-depth interviews and open-ended questionnaires from sixteen women entrepreneurs in the beauty industry. The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis.FindingsThe data show that women entrepreneurs encountered challenges during the pandemic;however, some of the women were able to identify opportunities. Creativity and social media inclination were perceived to have influenced opportunity recognition. It was also observed from the demographic data that women who identified opportunities and women who could not differ in the level of education, age and firm age.Practical implicationsWomen entrepreneurs are encouraged to capitalize on social media and virtual platforms to enhance their marketing, services and operations. COVID-19 aid for businesses must be distributed equitably to all entrepreneurs in need.Originality/valueThe findings from this study provide novel insights into opportunity recognition during a crisis, focusing on a specific industry in a developing country.

Female Agri-Food Start-Ups: Mapping the Italian Context During the Coronavirus Era

In recent years COVID-19 has led the world into a deep crisis, claiming numerous victims and causing uncertainty in the economic scene. During the coronavirus' lockdown, the only economic activities allowed to operate were the ones from primary sector, such as the agri-food. Recent literature asserts that during emergency period the main factors that allow the organizations to be resilient are the structural and relational capital, two of intellectual capital components. To support innovation, since 2012, Italian law has provided the possibility for companies to obtain the status of an innovative start-up, promoting technological transition through several fiscal and tax benefits. However, delving into gender issue, the role of female entrepreneurs within agri-food sector is not very clear. In this stream, focusing on the field of innovation to overcome the crisis, the present chapter aims to map the innovative female farms during the coronavirus period. To reach the declared goal a EDQ analysis on the innovative Italian start-ups was developed. Findings show that the role of female entrepreneurship in agri-food sector is still very poor from the point of view of innovation and technology, and only 10 innovative farms are led by women (11% of the sector;0.08% of Italian start-ups). The present chapter contributes to the literature on gender studies in the business innovation field, during periods of crisis. The main limitation concerns the availability of data related to this particular kind of Italian SMEs (start-ups). The main future research perspectives will address case studies on the female agri-food start-ups identified in this first exploratory study and will aim to investigate the proactive role of structural capital and the reactive role of relational capital. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Adoption of electronic commerce as a resilience strategy for women's entrepreneurship in the Democratic Republic of Congo

PurposeThe present article aims to determine the factors that explain the intention to adopt electronic commerce among women traders in a developing country like Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during a health crisis period.Design/methodology/approachThis study was conducted in the DRC, in Bukavu Town. A convenience sample of 282 respondents consisting of solely women entrepreneurs (importing traders) in Bukavu Town was selected and the structural equation model was used to test the research hypotheses resulted from Ajzen's theory of planned behaviour.FindingsThe finding results showed that only the factors attitude towards electronic commerce adoption and subjective norms which predict women traders' intention to adopt electronic commerce. The analysis shows that about 38.9% of the variation in the dependent variable is explained by the above variables.Originality/valueFew studies have presented technology and electronic commerce adoption as resilience of women entrepreneurs in a time of crisis, despite the abundance of the review literature on adoption. This study provides a new approach to assist women entrepreneurs as well as researchers in understanding the drivers of electronic commerce adoption factors in the DRC.

Women microbusiness owners' entrepreneurial marketing decision-making during a crisis

Understanding effective marketing decision-making is key to driving business performance. However, knowledge of marketing decision-making by microbusiness owners is limited. Moreover, little is known about how microbusiness owners make marketing decisions under crisis conditions. This article explores entrepreneurial marketing decision-making by women microbusiness owners during the COVID-19 pandemic, through qualitative interviews with providers of children's activities, who migrated their services online during lockdown. Findings shed light on their marketing decision-making by highlighting transitions between causation and effectuation approaches and identifying key resources leveraged in effectuation decision-making. We also observe how distinct principles of effectuation may be combined to make effective marketing decisions. In addition, we discern interactions within networks and membership of communities of practice as collective influences on women microbusiness owners' entrepreneurial marketing decision-making. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Prioritizing health and productivity to support urban and informal women entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa

Urban women entrepreneurs (WEs) in the informal sector play a largely overlooked role in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). WEs also leverage collective action strategies to support each other. The COVID-19 pandemic has severely hampered the activities of WEs in the urban informal sector. The detrimental health and economic implications of sidelining urban WEs in Sub-Saharan Africa can be avoided by bridging the gap between the needs of urban WEs in the informal sector and the policies developed. This paper outlines strategies to fully integrate the experiences of urban WEs into state interventions to improve their wellbeing and economic productivity. © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Empowering Women Entrepreneurship During and After Covid-19 Pandemic- A Study in South India

Aim: Examining the success of women's entrepreneurship, during and after Covid-19 pandemic, in South India. Methodology: The study adopts the quantitative method. Data is acquired through 'survey' as the tool. The regression and percentage analysis are used for examining the data with SPSS as software. The targets are the women entrepreneurs (SMEs) in South India. The sample size (n) is 254. Association of the variables is found through hypothesis testing. Findings: The outcome from analyses indicates both internal and external factors impact the success of women entrepreneurs in India amid Covid-19. More than external factors, during Covid-19, the motivation, need-for-achievement, self-confidence and risk-taking were found to be more impactful in a woman entrepreneur's success. Value/Originality: The paper examined and investigated the impact of Covid-19 on women entrepreneurs and found that technological implications in businesses and social networking in entrepreneurship during Covid-19, highly assisted the women entrepreneurs and supported their sales and operations which the traditional business lacked and was limited during Covid-19. Conclusion: Research concluded that internal and external factors indeed impact the small-and-medium entrepreneurs where during the Covid-19, internal factors impacted more than external factors. Though external factors like socio-cultural and economic hindrances impacted the women entrepreneurs, the willingness, risking capability and level-of-confidence to compete and survive was found to be the key drivers that kept the women entrepreneurs to sustain.

Finding Feet on Trade Agreements: Empowering Women Entrepreneurs Amidst a Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has deepened the existing gender inequalities. In particular, it has dealt a significant blow to women entrepreneurs, as it has magnified the pre-pandemic disadvantages women have faced in the economic, social, financial and regulatory ecosystems they operate in, particularly due to the nature and size of their businesses. The article outlines three main reasons that explain why women entrepreneurs have been disproportionately impacted during this health pandemic. It then explores how trade agreements can help women overcome the barriers that impede their entrepreneurial potential and help their businesses sustain the pandemic-inflicted market disruptions.

Contribution to a praxeological reading of the entrepreneurial crisis leadership of female SME managers: the example of the Covid-19 health crisis

The Covid-19 pandemic crisis was an adverse situation for all economic actors. By mobilising the concept of entrepreneurial leadership, this article aims to analyse the organisational actions and leadership postures adopted by senior women managers to guarantee the continuity of their economic activity, and even, to ensure the survival of their company. We will try to show that their actions and practices are not univocal. They are characterised, on the contrary, by a form of contingency crossed by fields of tension and a subtle balance between strategic decisions of exploitation and exploration, and a strategic implementation based on both operational and relational processes. This research work will allow us to grasp the contours of a singular form of entrepreneurial leadership linked to the crisis. We will also question the limits of the use of the notion of gender to apprehend entrepreneurial behaviours and decision-making processes deployed by women entrepreneurs in contexts of adversity.

Women entrepreneurs during COVID-19 pandemic: does their social capital matter?

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to the role of bonding and bridging social capital of women entrepreneurs in dealing with the business crisis induced by the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachA total of 24 women entrepreneurs from Deoria district from the state of Uttar Pradesh in India are selected through the snowball sampling technique. Out of these 24 female entrepreneurs, 14 belong to some network and 10 are not a part of any network. A qualitative methodology based upon in-depth personal interviews is used to get insights about the personal views of the female entrepreneurs on the role played by their bonding and bridging social capital to deal with the problems during the current business crisis.FindingsContrary to the general belief that women-owned businesses succumb easily to business crises and respond to reduce risks, the findings suggest that women business owners confidently faced the adverse business conditions. The bonding social capital of women entrepreneurs provided emotional support and motivation through internal interactions and responsibility sharing, and business networks (bridging capital) facilitated identification of new opportunities. The respondents emphatically mentioned the role of peer entrepreneurs as sources of information and resources.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study in the Indian context that seeks to investigate the role of bonding and bridging social capital during the business crisis induced by the current pandemic using qualitative data generated through in-depth interviews.

Establishing a resilient, economically prosperous and inclusive world by overcoming the gender digital divide in the new normal

There has been a widespread proliferation of digital technologies in the last few decades with worldwide usage increasing to 4.66 billion active internet users in 2021. This amounts to 59.5% or half of the overall population and is significant. On the one hand, the changing digital state of affairs means that there are greater opportunities for businesses, economies and societies to flourish since 92.6% (4.32 billion) access the internet through mobile devices (Statista, 2021). On the other hand, this digital revolution has not percolated equally, with women having less access to resources and capabilities to utilise digital tools. This phenomenon is known as the 'digital gender divide' (OECD, 2018). Correspondingly, the COVID-19 pandemic has not had favourable outcomes for women, with many losing jobs, downscaling their careers or leaving the workforce. Generally, it has disadvantaged women both economically and socially to the extent of slowing their progress towards gender equality and empowerment. With the new normal, following the COVID-19 pandemic and the acceleration of the digitalisation process, possessing digital skills and know-how will be an essential must-have. Digital working offers possibilities for women to become business owners, work flexibly and remotely, be connected to the rest of the world, and have easy access to information and education. For this to happen, the digital gender divide must be resolved by quick, concerted and inclusive pragmatic global policy-level actions to empower women to play a significant part in the digital landscape that would lead to economic prosperity and resilience, equal societies and a much better world. © 2022 Kemi Ogunyemi and Adaora I. Onaga. All rights reserved.

African women entrepreneurs and COVID-19: Towards achieving the African Union Agenda 2063

Research on the challenges facing African women entrepreneurship and the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is scant. This article explored the challenges and the impact of COVID-19 on African women-owned businesses and the effect thereof on the 17th goal of the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063. African women entrepreneurs experience many social inequalities, ranging from cultural norms to family to legal and regulatory measures to accessing finance. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these challenges as many African women entrepreneurs have been forced out of business because of measures taken by African governments to halt the spread of the disease. The article reviewed current literature on African women entrepreneurs and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic using two databases and is based on a total of 104 published articles. The article provided a foundation for post-COVID-19 policy directives in Africa. The authors recommend measures to mitigate these challenges and discuss strategies for policymakers to re-position African women entrepreneurs for the post-COVID-19 era towards achieving AU Agenda 2063 and realising the Africa we all want. Contribution: The study aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of ending poverty in Africa and the AU Agenda 2063 goal of achieving gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls to achieve the Africa we all want. © 2022. The Authors.

United we stand: the entrepreneurs network and its role in overcoming crisis situations

PurposeThe present study aims to understand the role of the network of a woman entrepreneur in helping the business during a crisis with a focus on the stakeholders, namely, the suppliers and the customers. Design/methodology/approachCase study method is used to address the research objectives and a case of a woman entrepreneur based in India is selected for the same purpose. An interpretive approach is used to understand the underlying phenomenon. FindingsThe analysis of the case illustrates how the three major aspects of the network, i.e. content, governance and structure, manifest from the supplier and the customers' side and how do the same change during a crisis and may help the entrepreneur to overcome the crisis. Research limitations/implicationsThe present study contributes to the theory of "network success hypotheses of entrepreneurship theory" by offering a manifestation of the same during a crisis faced by the entire network of the entrepreneur. Practical implicationsThe findings provide insights on how an entrepreneur can use innovative ways of rethinking of the strategies during a crisis without compromising on the basic philosophy of the company. Originality/valueThe present study is one of a kind to identify the interplay between the entrepreneurial networks both from the customer and supplier sides of the firm during a crisis.

Women entrepreneurs in Tunisia within the context of the covid-19: Constraints, dilemmas and resilience behavior.

This study examines the resilience behaviors of women entrepreneurs (WE) in Tunisia during the covid-19 crisis. We explore this question through the life stories of nine WE. An in-depth interview attempted to identify the repercussions of the crisis on WE and their businesses. The field study showed that this pandemic has imposed several constraints. The results obtained made it possible to identify the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities experienced by the interviewed WE in the management of their businesses. They faced the following dilemmas: Audacity Vs Caution, Stability Vs Flexibility, Effectiveness Vs Efficiency and Individual Vs Collective.

The role of age and business coaching in the relationship of lean startup approach and innovative work behavior of women entrepreneurs during COVID-19.

The purpose of the startup approach is to find an appropriate course of action that adds value to the economy's development. This study is aimed to determine the effect of the lean startup approach with mediating effect of business coaching to foster innovative work behavior in women entrepreneurs. Additionally, the study also examines the moderating effect of age on the lean startup approach and innovative work behavior. A quantitative approach was employed. The findings show that the relationship between the lean startup approach and innovative work behavior is significant. Moreover, the findings also revealed a significant mediating effect of business coaching and moderating effect of age. This research encourages practitioners and scholars to deal with women entrepreneurship incubation initiatives in the lean startup methodology. Furthermore, this study also leads to a deeper understanding of women's ideas for business exploration, growth, and implementation. The study contends that guidelines and directives are critical for creative entrepreneurial behavior.

Competences of Rural Women Entrepreneurs and Their Quality of Life

Background: Women entrepreneurs, especially those from the rural areas, often struggle to develop balance between business decisions and their well-being. Objective: To examine the relationship between rural women entrepreneurs’ competence and their quality of life. Methods: A questionnaire survey measuring life competencies and the quality of life was carried out on a group of 152 women entrepreneurs from rural Perak using the purposive sampling technique. The main research method was quantitative using survey design. The collected data were subjected to statistical analysis using frequency, mean, standard deviation and correlation coefficient were used to assess the relationship between entrepreneurial competence and quality of life. Results: Findings showed that rural women entrepreneurs have a higher level of life competencies and achieved a good quality of life. There is a strong relationship between their life competencies and quality of life and similarly, between rural women entrepreneurs’ entrepreneurial skills and spiritual skills and their quality of life. Implication: The applicability of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Spencer and Spencer’s theory is highly proven by the evidence of a relationship between life competencies and rural women entrepreneur’s quality of life. These findings have implications for enhancing the efficiency of rural women entrepreneurs through the implementation of competency development programs.

Women entrepreneurs’ persistence at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic: a decision-making perspective

Purpose: Decision-making is of utmost importance for entrepreneurs. One of the most important entrepreneurial decisions is the decision to persist, which under certain circumstances such as a high level of adversity may seal the fate of entrepreneurs’ businesses. Nevertheless, the main antecedents of the decision to persist among entrepreneurs have remained understudied. This dearth of research is more obvious with respect to women entrepreneurs, especially in developing countries. To address this gap, this paper aims to explore the main antecedents of the decision to persist among women entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach: By adopting a narrative approach, data were collected through a combination of semi-structured and in-depth questions with a sample of Iranian women entrepreneurs founding and running small businesses offering services in a variety of sectors and analysed by narrative data analysis. Findings: According to the findings, the pandemic-emanated uncertainty, personal attachment to one’s venture as well as the reluctance of being blamed by one’s family, and the fear of the unknown future were the main drivers of the decision to persist among the entrepreneurs. Originality/value: This paper offers two novel contributions to the extant literature. This paper is a pioneer not only in exploring entrepreneurs’ decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic but also in studying the decision to persist in the context of the developing nations. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

The impact of COVID-19 on refugee women's entrepreneurship in Jordan

Purpose This study aims to extend the current debate on refugee entrepreneurship in Jordan. It empirically investigates the impact of COVID-19 on refugee women's entrepreneurship, highlighting their experiences, constraints and opportunities. Design/methodology/approach The study design is epistemologically grounded in the heuristic 8Ms extended gender-cognisant entrepreneurship framework. An interpretive qualitative approach was used involving 30 semi-structured interviews with refugee women entrepreneurs across Jordan, with manual thematic data analysis. Findings Some of the main opportunities available to refugee women were linked with high levels of resilience and push and pull factors. The constraints were mainly pandemic induced and included access to funds;mobility restrictions;access to business knowledge, training and online learning platforms;rising xenophobia and discrimination;exhaustion;and stress. Practical implications The study findings can be used by non-governmental organisations to support refugees in realising their full potential. They also provide practical insights into refugee women entrepreneurs' lived experiences for better policymaking. Originality/value This empirical study contributes to the existing knowledge on refugee women entrepreneurs' constraints and opportunities by presenting a sensitive, in-depth analysis of their current trends and dynamics in the context of Jordan. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to empirically test the extended 8Ms entrepreneurship model to capture the voices and shared experiences of Jordanian refugees.

The embarking of COVID-19 and the perishable products' value chain in Ethiopia.

The aim of this paper is analyzing the impact of COVID-19 on the perishable products' value chain in Ethiopia. As a methodology, both data sources and types: primary and secondary, qualitative and quantitative, were used to achieve the objective of the study under consideration. The primary data sources used in this work is mainly phone survey, expert opinions and judgments based on real situation observation, and that of secondary data were collected through review of materials published on lessons learned from previous pandemics by different reputable sources. Therefore, this work is based on systematically reviewing and retrieving secondary sources through Google search, library plus harvesting and word type searching. The findings of the study revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic cut the full functioning of the value and supply chain of perishable products due to social distance restrictions imposed by the government, fear of the disease, cutoff transportation and even lock-down of market centers. This led to price changes, gross domestic product loss, the start-up of agro-industrial parks was delayed, reduced export and more women become out of work due to their high participation in perishable products' value chain. To mention, Ethiopia has lost about $25 million-almost 10% of annual revenue-just over $10 million within the horticultural sector and around 50,000 workers lose their jobs-mostly female labourers. Based on the results, the authors forwarded the collective engagement of the concerned bodies to reduce the negative impacts of COVID-19 on perishable products by using the possible mechanism.

Women entrepreneurs in fnb sector faces covid-19 pandemic

Covid-19 pandemic has catches global attention and caused huge impact in all sectors. Micro and Small Medium Enterprises (MSME) viewed as one of the economic entities that struggle during economic crisis, yet vulnerable if failed to adapt the situation. According to data from the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (2020), up to ninety-eight percent of business actors are micro and ultra-micro, with daily income and many of them were unable to run a business during the pandemic. In fact, about sixty percent of the number of MSME are managed by women whose dominant sector is fashion, craft and Food and Beverages (FNB) (The Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, 2021). However, the FNB sector are actually growing and developing amid this pandemic (Deloitte, 2020). Technological change is one of the key strategies to win competition and increase company performance (Akman and Dagdeviren, 2018). Therefore, by using a literature study with a theoretical approach, this study aims to find out what technological innovations are used by women entrepreneurs on the MSMEs scale in the FNB field, so that they can improve business performance and adapt toward disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The results of this study obtained a mapping model of the use of types of technological innovations ranging from production processes, storage, packaging, marketing, delivery processes, financial stages and human development processes that can help women entrepreneurs to be sustainable during the pandemic. © 2021, Academic Conferences and Publishing International Limited. All rights reserved.

Entrepreneurial bricolage: crowdfunding for female entrepreneurs during COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose The crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic has had unprecedented effects around the world and particularly on vulnerable populations, such as female entrepreneurs in developing countries. They are facing a new normal, characterized by high uncertainty and resource constraints. This paper aims to use the experiential learning theory applied to entrepreneurship to propose the entrepreneurial bricolage approach to study how female entrepreneurs can overcome this type of crisis. Design/methodology/approach Within the research designs of conceptual papers, the study is situated within the model approach because the authors propose novel relationships between constructs to answer the research questions through the development of theoretical propositions. Findings The analysis suggests that the entrepreneurial bricolage process represents a type of strategy that allows these women to adapt to this new normal. Based on this approach, the authors suggest that crowdfunding represents a financial resource at hand for both pre-existing female entrepreneurs and new female entrepreneurs. Practical implications The theoretical implications suggest an alternative conceptual framework of the entrepreneurial bricolage process to analyse the female entrepreneurial activity in developing countries and during crisis' contexts. The managerial implications suggest that crowdfunding is a financial resource at hand for female entrepreneurs that allow them to perform well, innovate or implement growth strategies and have more chances of surviving and growing during the crisis. Finally, the policy implications are oriented to the promotion of this kind of financial alternative and the generation of trust for users, along with the strengthening of a regulatory framework to attract more investors and entrepreneurs. Originality/value This study provides useful information on how the crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting female entrepreneurs in developing countries. It also expands on the literature on crowdfunding in terms of its advantages as a non-traditional funding source for women.