Lene Foss

Gender and entrepreneurship research: A review of methodological approaches

This article presents the findings of a systematic literature review (SLR) of the gender and entrepreneurship literature published in 18 journals over a 30-year period. The SLR sought to identify methodological trends in the field of gender and entrepreneurship and to critically explore the type of methodological innovations needed in future scholarship. Findings reveal a proliferation of large-scale empirical studies focused on male/female comparisons, often with little detail provided on industry sector or sampling methods and with either a weak, or no feminist critique whatsoever. We argue that future scholars must develop the methodological repertoire to engage with post-structural feminist approaches; this may require a radical move towards more innovative, in-depth qualitative methodologies such as life histories, case studies or discourse analysis.

Research on entrepreneur networks: The case for a constructionist feminist theory perspective

Purpose – The paper aims to clarify how a gendered analysis of entrepreneurial networks may benefit by the use of a constructionist (post‐structuralist) perspective.Design/methodology/approach – The paper makes use of a discourse analysis: first, the paper reviews a selection of empirical research articles from 1980 to 2008 on gender and networks in entrepreneurship research in order to convey the main research question, the hypotheses, the methodology and the main findings. Second, the paper identifies in a broader literature the hegemonic statements that characterize the discourse of gender and networks.Findings – The main findings of the studies reviewed is that there are no major differences in the networks of female and male entrepreneurs. Research on the significance of gender for entrepreneurial success indicates that there is probably more variation within than between sex categories with regard to network activities. This may be an indication that empiricist feminism and standpoint feminism have ...

Case sensitive? A review of the literature on the use of case method in entrepreneurship research

This is the accepted manuscript version of the article. Published version is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-03-2014-0054

Entrepreneurial Leadership and Gender: Exploring Theory and Practice in Global Contexts

This article reflects on extant scholarship on entrepreneurial leadership and gender, as published in both the ournal of mall usiness anagement and elsewhere. As such, it lays the foundation for the special issue, and contributes to current knowledge in the field. Our selected papers—summarized and critiqued in this article—collectively offer a contemporary view of womens entrepreneurial leadership at the global level that should usefully contribute to extending scholarly debates. In this regard, we highlight the diversity and complexity of womens entrepreneurial leadership, and demonstrate that it is both economically and contextually embedded, worthy of further scholarly attention.

Women’s entrepreneurship policy: a 13-nation cross-country comparison

Purpose Government attention to women’s entrepreneurship has increased in the past two decades; however, there are few cross-cultural studies to inform policy development. This paper aims to draw on gender and institutional theory to report on the status of female-focused small and medium-sized enterprises/entrepreneurship policies and to ask how – and to what extent – do women’s entrepreneurship policies differ among countries? Design/methodology/approach A common methodological approach is used to identify gaps in the policy-practice nexus. Findings The study highlights countries where policy is weak but practice is strong, and vice versa. Research limitations/implications The study’s data were restricted to policy documents and observations of practices and initiatives on the ground. Practical implications The findings have implications for policy makers in respect of support for women’s entrepreneurship. Recommendations for future research are advanced. Originality/value The paper contributes to extant knowledge and understanding about entrepreneurship policy, specifically in relation to women’s entrepreneurship. It is also one of the few studies to use a common methodological approach to explore and compare women’s entrepreneurship policies in 13 countries.

In Search of Alignment: A Review of Impact Studies in Entrepreneurship Education

This study uses the concept of alignment as a framework to examine empirical research on the impact of entrepreneurship education interventions on students. Alignment assumes that effective instruction requires congruence between three instructional components: intended outcomes, instructional processes, and assessment criteria. Given the extant diversity and complexity of entrepreneurship education impact, scholars have not been able to explain how teaching approaches and methods are being adjusted to the variety of expected outcomes. In order to address this gap, we critically reviewed the published empirical studies on entrepreneurship education impact in 20 journals over a 15-year period (2000–2015). We found 16 empirical studies that met our inclusion criteria. Our findings revealed that teaching objectives, teaching methods, and teaching content receive scant attention from researchers. This study will be of value to scholars researching the impact of heterogeneous entrepreneurship education practices and approaches on individuals. Our analytical framework could contribute to less contradictory findings of entrepreneurship education impact studies. We also identify research limitations and suggest avenues for future research.

Action-Based Education in Academic Entrepreneurship: A New Role of the Student?

The scope of entrepreneurship programs offered by academia has expanded significantly in many areas around Europe, Asia, North America, Australia, and New Zealand (Gartner and Vesper 1994). With reference to the theory of planned behavior and the literature on entrepreneurship education, research has confirmed that students taking entrepreneurship programs increase their competencies and strengthen their intention towards self-employment (Fayolle et al. 2006; Mwasalwiba 2010; Sanches 2010). In examining the literature, more economic oriented studies with ex ante and ex post survey responses find that students learn about their entrepreneurial aptitude through entrepreneurship education (von Graevenitz 2010). Based on previous research, Dutta et al. (2011) conclude that specialized entrepreneurship education has a significant positive impact on the likelihood of future venture creation. However, a diverse and broad-based educational experience seems to make a critical difference in terms of the entrepreneurs’ personal income and net worth. Thus, the former facilitates venture creation, whereas the latter adds to entrepreneurial success. Further, it has been noted that academic entrepreneurship is regarded as an experience or outcome, rather than a clearly defined role (Jain et al. 2009). Interestingly, in research on entrepreneurial universities (83 studies in all) revealing organizational designs that enhance commercialization of university innovations, a focus on entrepreneurial education is totally missing. The term academic entrepreneurship has been treated as a task academics can perform, but not as a role in itself (Jain et al. 2009). Thus, a blank spot in previous literature is knowledge on how the new action-based entrepreneurship programs offered by universities affect the role of students (Foss and Lozano 2012; Ollila and Williams-Middleton 2011; Rasmussen and Sorheim 2006).

The effects of entrepreneurship education - does gender matter?

This article asks whether entrepreneurship education have the same impact on women and men with regard to perceptions of business skills, career preferences and belief in local business opportunities. We examine the company programme (CP), a programme taught to 250,000 secondary school pupils in 37 European countries. The data includes interviews with 1,187 24 to 25 years old in Norway, and half of the sample had formerly participated in CP. Controlling for competing explanations, CP has a positive impact on womens perception of business skills, but no impact on males perceptions of business skills. CP has a positive impact on mens preference for self-employment, but no impact on womens career preference. Finally, CP had no impact on belief in local business opportunities. Females are underrepresented vis-a-vis males on all dimensions investigated whether they have participated in CP or not. CP ought to be adjusted to have an even stronger influence on women.

Women’s entrepreneurship policy: a 13-nation cross-country comparison: A Comparative Analysis

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Henry, C., Orser, B. & Coleman, S. & Foss, L. (2017). Womens entrepreneurship policy: a 13 nation cross-country comparison. International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship , 9(3), 206-228. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJGE-07-2017-0036, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1108/IJGE-07-2017-0036 .

Doing gender in innovation: a thematic review and critique of the literature

3 Women’s innovation in Germany – empirical facts and conceptual explanations 51 Teita Bijedić, Siegrun Brink, Kerstin Ettl, Silke Kriwoluzky and Friederike Welter 4 Three faces of innovation: institutions, gender and entrepreneurship in LatinAmerica 72 Ruta Aidis 5 Self-employed women’s everyday innovations in EastAfrica 91 Malin Tillmar 6 Gendered understandings of innovation in nursing and entrepreneurship: an exploratory study in the Portuguese context 107 Selma Martins, Emília Fernandes and Regina Leite