The entrepreneur is synonymous with the developer, the factor that organizes the production process, is responsible for economic decisions concerning what is produced, what quantities and by what methods of production. In the United States entrepreneur isentrepreneurship, female entrepreneurship, development

Bodog Simona

Bugnar Nicoleta

English

Research Papers in Economics

100 
 
ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND FEMALE ENTREPRENEURSHIP 
 
Bugnar Nicoleta 
Universitatea  din  Oradea,  Facultatea  de   tiin e  Economice,  Str.  Universită ii  Nr.  1,  410087 
Oradea, email: nbugnar@uoradea.ro,  tel:07224744922 
Bodog Simona 
Universitatea  din  Oradea,  Facultatea  de  Inginerie  Electrică   i  Ingineria  Informa iei,  Str. 
Universită ii Nr. 1, 410087 Oradea, email: sbodog@uoradea.ro, tel:0740091828 
 
The entrepreneur is synonymous with the developer, the factor that organizes the production process, is 
responsible for economic decisions concerning what is produced, what quantities and by what methods of 
production. In the United States entrepreneur is often defined as “someone who starts his own small scale 
business”; in England was associated with business firms operating in new areas, innovative; France 
assumed small enterprises, sometimes reduced to the level of families. On the other hand, if you look at 
entrepreneurship in terms of news brought - in products, system management, technology - it is clear that 
should be the corporate privilege to be able to make major strategic changes. 
 
Keywords: entrepreneurship, female entrepreneurship, development 
 
Cod JEL lucrare: F53 
 
Size and development of entrepreneurial phenomenon  
Classification of a company or economic entity in the category of entrepreneurial knew different 
views; for example, in the United States entrepreneur is often defined as “someone who starts his 
own small scale business”; in England was associated with business firms operating in new areas, 
innovative; France assumed small enterprises, sometimes reduced to the level of families. On the 
other  hand,  if  you  look  at  entrepreneurship  in  terms  of  news  brought  -  in  products,  system 
management, technology - it is clear that should be the corporate privilege to be able to make 
major strategic changes. In these circumstances, we can say that entrepreneurship should not be 
characterized  by  the  size  of  a  company,  but  by  the  spirit  of  initiative,  creative  attitude, 
innovation, risk taking; entrepreneurship that can occur at the firm, individual, social group or 
community level, being evaluated by the performance that they generate and by the ability to 
cope with changes that may occur in the market.  
 As defined in the MacMillan Dictionary of Modern Economics
58 the entrepreneur is synonymous 
with the developer, the factor that organizes the production process, is responsible for economic 
decisions concerning what is produced, what quantities and by what methods of production.  
Among  the  causes  that  lead  to  the  emergence,  development  and  success  of  entrepreneurial 
initiatives we can include: obtaining a profit, a gain corresponding effort, obtaining the so-called 
“independence”  in  financial  terms  and  the  activities  developed  (entrepreneurs  have  the 
opportunity to truly respect what they want to deal with and what they believe that generate a 
significant profit), the ability to implement and capitalize on an idea, a niche market, a category 
of  customers,  an  opportunity  for  other  business  unknown  by  other  entrepreneurs,  desire 
innovation. However, we can say that the defining element of entrepreneurship is the innovation 
and change, whatever that is manifested in the economic, social, technological, etc. 
In the study conducted by GEM (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor) and presented in the country 
report  of  Romania  2007  -  Monitoring  the  global  entrepreneurship,  are  taken  into  the  record 
business from Romania in international comparison:  
- lack of tradition, of business and entrepreneurship education before 90’s, during the socialism;  
- unfavorable business environment in the transition period of 90’s; 
                                                       
58 *** - MacMillan Dictionary of Modern Economics, 1999, p. 216. 101 
 
- the period of growth after 2000: the acceptance by the population of jobs offered by large firms, 
being perceived as being at low risk.   
 
 
Figure no. 1 
Entrepreneurial activity from Romania in international comparison 
 
   
Source: Global Entrepreneurship Monitor - Global Report 2007.  
 
Explanation for the relatively low level of development of entrepreneurship in Romania can be 
found in the restrictions faced by small firms, in terms of resources and their vulnerability to 
environmental change and uncertainty, good understanding of the factors and mechanisms that 
explain the development of firms (CEBR - Human Capital in Romania). 
 
Factors of influence of female entrepreneurship  
To demonstrate the directions and guidance in business of the entrepreneurial European firms, 
there was a research whose results were presented in the publication Key figures on European 
business with a special feature on the factors of business success
59. Target of this study were 
enterprisers from the 15 Member States, companies established in 2002 with an activity at least 
until  2005  and  who  were  led  by  original  founders  or  entrepreneurs.  The  main  results  and 
conclusions obtained will be present below.
 60  
One  of  the  issues  investigated  relate  to  the  relationship  between  business  success  and  it’s 
innovation - see figure 2 and figure 3. Most entrepreneurs (among those who were the subject of 
research)  have  developed  businesses  based  on  innovations  in  terms  of  products  (14%  of  all 
enterprises that have survived), following innovations in terms of market (10%) innovation in 
                                                       
59 http://ec.europa .eu / Eurostat / europeanbusiness. 
60  Key  figures  on  European  business  with  a  special  feature  on  the  factors  of  business  success, 
EUROSTAT, 2008, p. 116 – 130. 
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AR: Argentina               
AT: Austria                 
BE: Belgia                 
BR: Brazilia                  
CH: China                
CL: Chile                 
CO: Columbia                
DK: Danemarca               
DO: Rep. Dominicană     
ES: Spania                   
FI: Finlanda                 
FR: Fran a                                          
GR: Grecia                  
HK: Hong Kong               
HR: Croa ia                 
HU: Ungaria                
IE: Irlanda                
IL: Israel                
IN: India                   
IS: Islanda                
IT: Italia                   
JP: Japonia
KZ: Kazahstan              
LV: Letonia                  
NL: Olanda           
NO: Norvegia                 
PE: Peru                    
PR: Porto Rico                           
PT: Portugalia               
RO: România                 
RU Rusia                  
SE: Suedia                  
SI: Slovenia                
SW: Elve ia           
TH: Tailanda
TR: Turcia                  
UAE: Emiratele Arabe Unite    
UK: Marea Britanie                    
US: Statele Unite ale Americii                  
UY: Uruguay                 
VE: Venezuela               
YU: Serbia                                             102 
 
terms of processes (7%) and organizational innovation (6%). If innovation processes, there are 
some  similarities,  namely,  the  inclination  toward  innovation  among  entrepreneurs  with 
managerial experience, also this type of innovation has been influenced considerably by age and 
sex - men or individuals under the age of 30 years are more willing to seek innovation process. In 
this respect, it should mention that at the innovation processes are associated with industry and 
construction activities in which women are not too involved. 
 
 
Figure no. 2  
Enterprises established in 2002, which survived until 2005: 
the percentage of entrepreneurs that have introduced innovative products (%) (1) 
  
 
Source: Eurostat (FOBS) 
 
   103 
 
Figure no. 3  
Enterprises established in 2002 which survived until 2005:  
entrepreneurs’ percentage reporting that they have introduced innovative processes (%) (2)  
 
 
Source: Eurostat (FOBS) 
 
From research done on the relationship between entrepreneurship success and the field of activity 
results that a much higher percentage of male entrepreneurs (unlike women) have established 
businesses in construction, the same was true for most Member States with regard to industry, 
with women entrepreneurs who opt for trade and services. Regarding the educational level of 
entrepreneurs, it is notable that those with higher education were not setting up businesses in the 
construction  field.  Regarding  experience,  experienced  entrepreneurs  were  tempted  to  open  a 
business in industry or construction, and those without experience were focused on other areas. 
Another  segment  of  this  research  concerns  the  link  between  business  success  and  some 
characteristics of entrepreneurs. Thus, we find differences between countries and that women are 
more entrepreneurs in the new member states (who have joined EU in the period 2004-2007), 
also show clear differences in level of education of entrepreneurs from different countries. In all 
countries,  except  Luxembourg,  most  entrepreneurs  had  no  previous  managerial  experience. 
Instead, most entrepreneurs who had experience in a field have decided to open business in that 
area. The largest proportion of experience in the field is observed in Luxembourg and Portugal, 
while  the  highest  percentage  of  entrepreneurs  without  experience  in  the  field  of  activity  is 
recorded within the new Member States, Bulgaria and Romania 
 
   104 
 
Table no. 1  
Enterprises established in 2002 which survived until 2005:  
the type of entrepreneurs (%) 
  Gen  Industriy  Construction  Fields 
distributive  Other services 
Avarage (1)   Men  13.1   21.0   27.4   38.5  
 
  Women  8.6   2.2   41.4   47.9  
BG   Men  12.5   5.2   52.3   29.9  
 
  Women  7.6   2.6   63.4   26.3  
CZ   Men  21.1   20.8   25.2   33.0  
 
  Women  7.4   0.6   33.7   58.3  
DK   Men  8.0   18.7   22.7   50.7  
 
  Women  8.1   1.9   32.2   57.9  
EE   Men  11.8   9.6   39.1   39.4  
 
  Women  11.3   3.2   34.5   51.1  
FR   Men  14.6   45.6   19.7   20.1  
 
  Women  21.1   15.0   25.3   38.6  
IT   Men  9.5   27.5   22.8   40.3  
 
  Women  10.3   3.1   36.7   50.0  
LV   Men  16.9   8.0   37.1   38.0  
 
  Women  8.6   2.9   46.6   41.9  
LT   Men  18.7   10.6   39.2   31.4  
 
  Women  12.0   2.9   47.4   37.7  
LU   Men  1.7   10.1   20.1   68.2  
 
  Women  3.8   2.9   31.8   61.5  
AT   Men  8.2   14.3   23.2   54.2  
 
  Women  5.0   2.1   27.5   65.4  
PT   Men  15.9   19.5   29.9   34.6  
 
  Women  14.9   5.0   42.4   37.7  
RO   Men  13.6   6.3   42.8   37.3  
 
  Women  6.7   1.6   55.6   36.1  
SI   Men  14.0   21.4   23.0   41.6  
 
  Women  7.1   3.2   29.5   60.2  
SK   Men  22.4   27.2   27.5   22.9  105 
 
(1)  Average based on data for: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, 
Austria, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden.  
Source: Eurostat (FOBS) 
 
One of the most complex field studies on female entrepreneurship in Romania was developed by 
CEBR - Center for Entrepreneurship & Business Research in 2007. The main conclusions of this 
study reveal us several factors that influence the activity of a female entrepreneur
61: 
- prospective women entrepreneurs have an average age of 35 years, and work experience of 
about 8 years. Most of them (62%) have education or training in management and business 
management; 
-  while  new  and  potential  women  entrepreneurs  says  that  their  main  motivation  to  go  into 
business is the opportunity to obtain higher incomes, SMEs women owners believe that their 
main motivation is the detection of business opportunities that they wanted to take advantages 
from them; 
- the social status associated with the developer and the feeling of respect for these are the factors 
influencing the perception of positive decision to become entrepreneurs;  
-  the  existence  of  a  positive  entrepreneurial  models  stimulates  the  activity  of  women 
entrepreneurs in Romania; 38% of women who have not yet started a business but intends to do, 
declares that they have friends who are entrepreneurs in their social circle (family, friends); 
compared with men entrepreneurs, women still have fewer examples of entrepreneurship; this 
result confirms results obtained in empirical studies at the international level and supports the 
idea that women, due to their exclusion in time of economic and social life, have fewer examples 
of entrepreneurship; 
-  women  tend  to  establish  business  smaller  than  those  established  by  men  entrepreneurs. 
Considered as criterion for the size of the business the initial number of employees, it is 3 in 
women case and 4 in men’s. However, businesses of women entrepreneurs in Romania tend to 
grow faster, with a growth rate of 39% compared to a 31% in men case; 
- women entrepreneur from Romania involves more than entrepreneurs in international business. 
13.2% of the products or services of the companies created by women are dedicated to exports 
while this percentage is 13.14% for men. 
 
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ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND FEMALE ENTREPRENEURSHIP

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND FEMALE ENTREPRENEURSHIP

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