Behind the veil: women-only entrepreneurship training in Pakistan

Practical implications – For women entrepreneurs living in an Islamic society, this analysis has implications for understanding the importance and effectiveness of entrepreneurial training especially in a women-only setting. For policy makers, it turns the spotlight on the need for creating an environment conducive to female entrepreneurship consistent with socio-cultural structures and gender asymmetries. Originality/value – There are no comparable previous data on the learning preferences and outcomes of this particular demographic group.Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the gender-related challenges of Pakistani women entrepreneurs, to explore these women's particular capacity-building needs, and to assess the impact of capacity-building programs on the establishment and performance of the women's enterprises. Design/methodology/approach – The paper begins with a review of various theoretical contexts through which to understand women's entrepreneurship in an Islamic socio-cultural context. From this, the paper derived two working propositions: women in Islamic Pakistan face particular barriers to becoming entrepreneurs; these barriers can be reduced by women-only training in entrepreneurial competences. These propositions are examined in a three-part longitudinal process: a field survey to gather information about the training needs of current and potential women entrepreneurs, the design and delivery of a women-only training module, a follow-up survey with participants, 18 months later. Subjects and participants were randomly selected, and segmented according to entrepreneurial factors and characteristics. Findings – Results confirm that the barriers perceived by women entrepreneurs in Islamic Pakistan can be alleviated through women-only training that allows participants to develop capital and competences. Greater clarity about learning outcomes desired and achieved by women entrepreneurs in an Islamic socio-cultural context can be a basis for designing improved training and education programmes, with a view to women's economic empowerment

Entrepreneurial leadership: what is it and how should it be taught?

Main ArticleWe offer a comprehensive review of the literature relating to entrepreneurial leadership, noting that there are diverse understandings of the concept and little exploration of how best to teach it. We next present empirical data from a survey of teaching practices at 51 HEIs in the UK that indicate little explicit teaching of entrepreneurial leadership. Drawing on this literature and data, we make recommendations for the design of teaching materials that emphasise the relevance of leadership in entrepreneurship education and of entrepreneurship in leadership education

Breaktime matters: an investigation into the management of school playtimes of children aged 11-14 years

This investigation appraises the context, developments and process of change in primary school breaktimes. The inquiry assesses how schools are dealing with innovation in this domain and evaluates the effectiveness of outcomes. A theoretical perspective to underpin the research is derived from literature relevant to the field of study. The investigation is located within the bounds of one Local Education Authority (LEA). A largely qualitative inquiry has been completed in four separate but interlinked stages. At the second stage a questionnaire survey was distributed to all primary sector headteachers in the borough concerned. One infant school formed the basis of a long-term in-depth case study. Additional data came from both the link junior school and the most recently opened primary school within the LEA. Further evidence was obtained via six small-scale case studies involving schools identifying good practice in the area under review. Multiple methods of data collection included direct observations at all relevant sites plus interviews with headteachers and samples of staff, midday supervisors, pupils and parents. Photographic and documentary evidence were also obtained. Reflections on action for improvement in the main focus school completed the inquiry at the final stage. Concepts obtained from educational management literature were additionally used for the data analysis. This study enabled the production of fresh insights into numerous issuesof concern. These include: the impact on breaktimes of campus facilities; the appraisal of recent innovations such as zoned playground regions and pupils' social support systems; difficulties arising from climatic conditions; playtime induction; and human resource management in respect of breaktime supervision, together with significant changes to the supervisory role. This results in an inquiry which takes into account a number of under-explored elements and leads to new knowledge in this domain. It is concluded that a constellation of factors contribute to the effective management of change in primary school breaktimes and that the individuality of schools is an important feature affecting favourable outcomes. Recommendations, emanating from the evidence presented, are made for further research and future practice

Training needs for women-owned SMEs in England

Originality/value – The study offers original primary research into the contributory growth factors for women-owned enterprises in a representative area of Britain, identifies key issues, maps survival and success factors, and assesses women entrepreneurs' training needs and preferences.Purpose – The purpose of this research is to investigate the needs and preferences for training among growth-oriented women-owned SMEs in the East of England. Design/methodology/approach – Quantitative data were collected through 108 on-line questionnaires, and the means analysed using SPSS. Qualitative data collected in response to open-ended questions were inductively analysed and interpreted. Findings – Only one fourth of respondents received growth-oriented training in the previous two years, with an average duration of 3-5 days per year. Programmes most in demand concerned innovation and opportunity recognition, business evaluation and growth considerations, developing strategic customers and customers care, customer relationship management, as well as selling, networking and negotiation skills. High demand for these programmes corresponds to others results identifying contributory factors to higher enterprise performance and growth: product/service quality, new product/service development, appropriate marketing, effective use of websites, selling skills and informal networking. Research limitations/implications – The scope of the project is limited to service sectors and sole proprietorships. Geographic scope is limited to the East of England. These limits nonetheless provide a reasonable base and rationale for the scope of the study. Practical implications – With a better understanding of the capacity building requirements of women entrepreneurs in growth businesses, appropriately designed training programmes can be developed to help women achieve higher levels of entrepreneurial success

Women-owned small and medium enterprises in England: analysis of factors influencing the growth process

Practical implications – This research has implications for government or other business development agencies seeking to understand the growth patterns and problems of women-owned enterprises in the East of England. Originality/value – There are few British studies that have focussed on growth oriented women-owned businesses. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by attempting to understand the nature and activities of such business, by analysing the main growth factors and their influence on different growth strategies.Purpose – This study attempts to understand the nature and activities of growth-oriented women-owned businesses in the East of England by highlighting the problems faced by women entrepreneurs during the growth process. Design/methodology/approach – The approach analysed the main growth factors and their influence on the adoption of different growth strategies. An online questionnaire was designed using Snap survey software™, with results exported to SPSS™ for analysis. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected via a variety of scaled, open-ended, rank order, dichotomous, multiple choice and open questions. Findings – The research indicates that most do not opt to develop growth-oriented businesses, choosing instead small, non-scalable, locally focused businesses providing services or operating in low-tech industries. Women who are growth-oriented appear to be inhibited due to a lack of access to, and control over such resources as, capital, business premises, information and technology, production inputs, appropriate childcare, qualifications, experience, training facilities and appropriate assistance from business development agencies. Non-effective accumulation and use of social capital hinders access to appropriate decision-making circles, and limits the probability of accessing critical management and financing resources, especially through the venture capital industry

Regulatory Stewardship and Intermediation: Lessons from Human Rights Governance

The regulator-intermediary-target (RIT) framework exposes the potential for intermediaries to provide alternative channels for capture. In this article, I argue that the risk of capture can be mitigated through what I call regulatory stewardship—a novel conception of regulatory management that involves the intermediaries themselves monitoring the performance of one another. I explore regulatory stewardship by examining a new generation of human rights treaty innovation: the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). These instruments differentially formalize relations among intermediaries. I use their contrasting experiences to identify three factors central to effective regulatory stewardship: (1) the nature of the task environment; (2) the quality of rule frameworks; and (3) the approaches adopted by potential stewards in practice. This study argues for the importance of regulatory stewardship within RIT arrangements, particularly where targets are strongly motivated to resist implementation

An Examination of the Key Factors that Impact the Gender Gap in Reading

This dissertation was designed to provide information on the factors that impact the male gender gap in reading. Disparities between the reading achievement of boys and girls have long been a concern for educators. There are many reasons boys are lagging behind in reading such as the lack of male role models, stereotyping, lack of interest in reading material, and differences in brain development in boys and girls. Peer pressure also plays a role in the reading success of boys and reading may be considered a feminine activity. Another reason boys do not perform well in reading is their great need for physical movement on a regular basis. Students and teachers in three elementary third-grade classrooms were given a reading motivation survey. The constructs of the survey include reading efficacy, reading challenges, reading curiosity, reading involvement, the importance of reading, reading work avoidance, competition in reading, recognition for reading, reading for grades, social reasons for reading, and compliance. The 10 teachers also participated in an interview conducted by the researcher. An analysis of the data revealed there was no significant difference in reading motivation between boys and girls. The data also showed that the reading motivation score had no impact on the end-of-grade reading score. In the teacher interviews, there were several factors teachers felt impacted the reading scores of boys. The lack of male role models and the classroom behavior of boys were two of the factors that were mentioned most often when talking with teachers about the reading performance of boys

S01RS SGR No. 17 (Women\u27s Center)

A RESOLUTION To show student support for the University administration to find a permanent space for the LSU A&M Women’s Center, with the suggestion of using the Helen M.Carter House as a possible location

F01RS SGR No. 6 (Enrollment)

A RESOLUTION To show student disapproval of increasing enrollment by 5000 students (bringing the total enrollment to 35,000 students) as a means in which to enlarge the strained operating budget and increase the lack of other sufficient revenues at the university

F01RS SGR No. 10 (Disability Access Day)

A RESOLUTION To declare Wednesday 28 November 2001 “Disability Access Day” at Louisiana State University