Women entrepreneurs’ opportunity identification of digital platform start-ups : emerging evidence from South Africa

PURPOSE : Cognitive drivers of opportunity identification and development are important in entrepreneurship. This study examines antecedents of opportunity development among women founders of digital platform start-ups, defined as technology-mediated sites that facilitate user interactions, processing of transactions or other innovative practices. The opportunity identification and development literature framed our exploration of drivers into digital entrepreneurship among women in a middle-income economy, an area under-represented in prior research. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH : This research uses in-depth interview data with women founders of five digital platform start-ups in South Africa. The authors supplemented primary interviews with secondary data from a global big data site to provide context for how investors are funding women-owned start-ups in the country. FINDINGS : Entrepreneurs’ heightened alertness to opportunity developed from a confluence of factors such as personal values, impatience at the slow pace of change in post-Apartheid South Africa, corporate ennui and building for-profit business models driven by social purpose. Respondents had multiple identities, including gender, culture and generation that influenced their development as entrepreneurs and their adoption of digital platform strategy for start-up ventures. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS : Multiple factors influence women entrepreneurs during the opportunity identification and development process as they enact the creation of digital platform start-ups. The authors recommend additional research linking opportunity identification and development to gender in emerging markets. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS : South Africa is witnessing the emergence of women-owned digital platform start-ups that attract risk capital investment. These entrepreneurs are university educated and use prior corporate experience to create growth-oriented companies that government should support. ORIGINALITY/VALUE : The study contributes to opportunity identification theory building based on context, specifically how the concepts and strategies can inform new models that include women entrepreneurs.The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Granthttps://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/issn/1756-6266hj2022Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS

Framing Second Generation Gender Bias: Implications for Women\u27s Entrepreneurship

The effect of second generation gender bias or \u27implicit bias\u27 on women\u27s careers is receiving greater attention. Recent research has linked second generation gender bias to the entrepreneurial process - in particular, term sheet negotiations and female entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship researchers have not integrated the labor economics literature on the gender wage gap - a structural impediment that shapes the options that women have in terms of careers and entrepreneurship, including negotiation. This paper proposes an interdisciplinary analytical framework for understanding second generation gender bias female entrepreneurs encounter as a barrier to success

Higher Education in South Africa: The Skills Debate

Looks at the nature of undergraduate education in South Africa. Claims that the differing views held by government with limited resources for education, academics with a desire to maintain discipline integrity, industry which requires graduates able to increase economic competitiveness and students who wish to improve their own position in the new South Africa will require a sensitive resolution. A similar debate in the United Kingdom has led to many recent developments in undergraduate skills teaching. Considers these changes and reviews the benefits and problems which have arisen to provide a useful contrast to the situation currently facing South Africa. Argues that the appropriate development of skills can help to achieve academic benefits as well as making students better able to meet the needs of industry. Suggests that student learning can be enhanced and that drop–out rates in an expanding mass educational system can be reduced. Highlights the ability of students to better utilize their knowledge in industry

Ubuntu - the Spirit of African Transformation Management - A Review

The idea of “African Management” is compelling when considering the complex social and organizational changes under way in South Africa today. Sets out to critically evaluate the concept of “African Management” as used by Mbigi and Maree (1995). Argues that, while the book contains many weaknesses, it documents an idiosyncratic, but valuable view for interpreting the world. Further argues that it is important to compare this view with management theory which has been developed in the West in order to understand the similarities and differences that may exist, and how these might best be exploited to achieve healthy organizations

Through a Fractured Lens: Women Entrepreneurs and the Private Equity Negotiation Process

Access to financial resources remains an important aspect of new venture start-up and growth strategies. While women still obtain a small amount of total private equity investment, they are increasingly involved in developing high growth ventures which may be attractive investment opportunities for venture capitalists and business angels. Contract, or term sheet, negotiation is an important stage of the investment process. Although gender-related differences in negotiation styles are well documented in other fields, they have not been examined in entrepreneurship. This research utilizes a mixed method study of gender and negotiation strategies employed during the private equity investment process

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: The Limitations of Traditional Information Systems Planning

Offers a crisis management critique of the information systems and contingency planning literature and puts forward recommendations for disaster recovery. The internal and hardware focus of disaster recovery permits only partial examination of the causes of disasters and seeks to treat their effects or symptoms rather than to prevent them. Concludes with a series of recommendations for information systems planners. Information systems crises should be perceived as the result of an interaction between a number of internal and external factors. Preventing information systems crises, therefore, requires attention to complex system issues

Using a Multiple Method and Mixed Mode Approach to Examine Women Entrepreneur Negotiating Styles

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore an optimal research design for research on women entrepreneurs involved in negotiating term sheets for private equity capital. This research explores new ways for researchers to connect with such current “invisibles” through the use of a mixed method and mixed mode research design to expand sampling options and secure respondent participation. The authors discuss existing data sets that have been used as secondary sources for data on financing of companies and consider their inadequacy for research questions about process issues in negotiation. The authors present process-related findings regarding the efficacy of the research design. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews research on research methodology, incorporating a discussion of practices outside of the entrepreneurship discipline to discover effective practices for identifying respondents and data not currently captured in entrepreneurship data sources. The respondents were found through social media sites, angel networks, University networks and via identification through a proprietary financial intelligence database. Findings – An optimal research design to identify women business owners of growth-oriented firms who have negotiated private equity should consider mixed methods designs and mixed modes, including the use of digital networks that signal to potential respondents that research is being done. Research limitations/implications – Although the authors developed the multi-method, mixed mode (MMMM) research design, the sample size is still relatively small. This raises concerns about generalizability to the larger population and limits statistical analysis more suitable with larger data sets. However, the MMMM research design has enabled the authors to reach a difficult target sample. It has proven effective, although a longer time frame would have been helpful. Research limitations/implications – All of the large scale databases in entrepreneurship have limitations in providing optimal sampling frames for process-related research. The present research study was able to use conventional networks, social media sites and angel networks to connect with women business owners who have raised private equity, but who lack visibility in current data sets. The study shows that through the use of multiple methods, women entrepreneurs can be researched and some will share their experiences about process issues. The sample size was small and the quantitative data cannot be generalized. However, the methodology works and allows researchers to explore experiences that are not captured in existing data sets. Social implications – Entrepreneurship researchers can connect with “invisibles” by becoming more “social” and using social media sites that are used by women entrepreneurs. Researchers may not have immediate access to women entrepreneurs through these means, but rather they need to develop interpersonal contacts, build a social presence and trust to recruit respondents to complete online questionnaire studies about substantive topics such as negotiating term sheets for equity investments in their companies. Originality/value – This paper summarizes the “research on research methodologies” in entrepreneurship, reviews secondary data sources and discusses their limitations for specific types of research questions. A review of the value of MMMM research designs and best practices in online survey research outside of entrepreneurship provides insights into the incorporation of digital tools in other disciplines