IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i22p6230-d284364.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Women Entrepreneurship in International Trade: Bridging the Gap by Bringing Feminist Theories into Entrepreneurship and Internationalization Theories

Author

Listed:
  • Mansura Akter

    (Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics, Lincoln International Business School, University of Lincoln, Lincoln LN67TS, UK)

  • Mahfuzur Rahman

    (Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics, Lincoln International Business School, University of Lincoln, Lincoln LN67TS, UK)

  • Dragana Radicic

    (Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics, Lincoln International Business School, University of Lincoln, Lincoln LN67TS, UK)

Abstract

Participation of women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in international trade is gaining more importance in the transformation of institutional changes. Although women entrepreneurs contribute to the social and economic development, the role of social, cultural, and legal institutions in fostering women entrepreneurship is still debatable. This argument remains controversial as there is no single theory that has explained the phenomenon of women-owned firms in international trade. Because of the missing link between gender sensitivity and the existing theories of entrepreneurship and internationalization, there is a significant research gap. To fill up this research gap, this study revisited existing theories from three research domains: feminism, entrepreneurship, and internationalization. Factors derived from revisiting theories of entrepreneurship and internationalization were evaluated based on findings from the review of the feminist theories. Finally, key parameters were selected to assess the internationalization of women-owned SMEs, which require future empirical investigation.

Suggested Citation

  • Mansura Akter & Mahfuzur Rahman & Dragana Radicic, 2019. "Women Entrepreneurship in International Trade: Bridging the Gap by Bringing Feminist Theories into Entrepreneurship and Internationalization Theories," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-28, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:22:p:6230-:d:284364
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/22/6230/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/22/6230/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nan Langowitz & Maria Minniti, 2007. "The Entrepreneurial Propensity of Women," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 31(3), pages 341-364, May.
    2. Bates, Timothy, 1998. "Survival patterns among newcomers to franchising," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 113-130, March.
    3. Warren J Bilkey & George Tesar, 1977. "The Export Behavior of Smaller-Sized Wisconsin Manufacturing Firms," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 8(1), pages 93-98, March.
    4. Martina Musteen & Deepak K. Datta & Marcus M. Butts, 2014. "Do International Networks and Foreign Market Knowledge Facilitate SME Internationalization? Evidence from the Czech Republic," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 38(4), pages 749-774, July.
    5. Mitchell, J. Robert & Shepherd, Dean A., 2010. "To thine own self be true: Images of self, images of opportunity, and entrepreneurial action," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 138-154, January.
    6. Thomas Grebel & Andreas Pyka & Horst Hanusch, 2004. "An evolutionary approach to the theory of entrepreneurship," Chapters, in: John Foster & Werner Hölzl (ed.), Applied Evolutionary Economics and Complex Systems, chapter 7, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    7. Verheul, Ingrid & Uhlaner, Lorraine & Thurik, Roy, 2005. "Business accomplishments, gender and entrepreneurial self-image," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 483-518, July.
    8. Bellucci, Andrea & Borisov, Alexander & Zazzaro, Alberto, 2010. "Does gender matter in bank-firm relationships? Evidence from small business lending," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(12), pages 2968-2984, December.
    9. Jeffrey C. Shuman & John A. Seeger, 1986. "The Theory and Practice of Strategic Management in Smaller Rapid Growth Firms," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 11(1), pages 7-18, July.
    10. John Watson, 2002. "Comparing the Performance of Male-and Female-Controlled Businesses: Relating Outputs to Inputs," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 26(3), pages 91-100, April.
    11. Unger, Jens M. & Rauch, Andreas & Frese, Michael & Rosenbusch, Nina, 2011. "Human capital and entrepreneurial success: A meta-analytical review," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 341-358, May.
    12. Tatiana Tsyganova & Galina Shirokova, 2010. "Gender Differences In Entrepreneurship: Evidence From Gem Data," Organizations and Markets in Emerging Economies, Faculty of Economics, Vilnius University, vol. 1(1).
    13. Ardichvili, Alexander & Cardozo, Richard & Ray, Sourav, 2003. "A theory of entrepreneurial opportunity identification and development," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 105-123, January.
    14. Jan Johanson & Jan-Erik Vahlne, 2009. "The Uppsala internationalization process model revisited: From liability of foreignness to liability of outsidership," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(9), pages 1411-1431, December.
    15. Peter W. Liesch & Lawrence S. Welch & Peter J. Buckley, 2011. "Risk and Uncertainty in Internationalisation and International Entrepreneurship Studies," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 51(6), pages 851-873, December.
    16. Julie Steinkopf Rice, 2010. "Free trade, fair trade and gender inequality in less developed countries," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 18(1), pages 42-50.
    17. Raymond Vernon, 1966. "International Investment and International Trade in the Product Cycle," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 80(2), pages 190-207.
    18. Ronald K. Mitchell & J. Brock Smith & Eric A. Morse & Kristie W. Seawright & Ana Maria Peredo & Brian McKenzie, 2002. "Are Entrepreneurial Cognitions Universal? Assessing Entrepreneurial Cognitions across Cultures," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 26(4), pages 9-32, July.
    19. Peter J. Buckley & Mark Casson, 1991. "The Future of the Multinational Enterprise," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, edition 0, number 978-1-349-21204-0, December.
    20. Rebel A. Cole & Hamid Mehran, 2009. "Gender and the availability of credit to privately held firms: evidence from the surveys of small business finances," Staff Reports 383, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
    21. Helene Ahl, 2006. "Why Research on Women Entrepreneurs Needs New Directions," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 30(5), pages 595-621, September.
    22. Maw–Der Foo, 2011. "Emotions and Entrepreneurial Opportunity Evaluation," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 35(2), pages 375-393, March.
    23. Stan D Reid, 1981. "The Decision-Maker and Export Entry and Expansion," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 12(2), pages 101-112, June.
    24. Emile Loza, 2011. "Female Entrepreneurship Theory: A Multidisciplinary Review of Resources," Journal of Women's Entrepreneurship and Education, Institute of Economic Sciences, issue 1-2, pages 26-64.
    25. Leo-Paul Dana, 1995. "Entrepreneurship in a Remote Sub-Arctic Community," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 20(1), pages 57-72, October.
    26. Scott Shane, 1994. "The effect of national culture on the choice between licensing and direct foreign investment," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(8), pages 627-642, October.
    27. Fischer, Eileen M. & Reuber, A. Rebecca & Dyke, Lorraine S., 1993. "A theoretical overview and extension of research on sex, gender, and entrepreneurship," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 8(2), pages 151-168, March.
    28. Rachel S. Shinnar & Olivier Giacomin & Frank Janssen, 2012. "Entrepreneurial Perceptions and Intentions: The Role of Gender and Culture," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 36(3), pages 465-493, May.
    29. Nelson, Richard R & Winter, Sidney G, 1973. "Toward an Evolutionary Theory of Economic Capabilities," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 63(2), pages 440-449, May.
    30. Bates, Timothy, 2002. "Restricted access to markets characterizes women-owned businesses," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 17(4), pages 313-324, July.
    31. Johanson, Jan & Mattsson, Lars-Gunnar, 1987. "Interorganizational relations in industrial systems : a network approach compared with the transaction cost approach," Working Papers 1987:7, Uppsala University, Department of Business Studies.
    32. Bruce Kogut & Udo Zander, 1993. "Knowledge of the Firm and the Evolutionary Theory of the Multinational Corporation," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 24(4), pages 625-645, December.
    33. Havnes, Pers-Anders & Senneseth, Knut, 2001. "A Panel Study of Firm Growth among SMEs in Networks," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 293-302, June.
    34. Paul D Ellis, 2011. "Social ties and international entrepreneurship: Opportunities and constraints affecting firm internationalization," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(1), pages 99-127, January.
    35. Joachim Wagner, 2007. "What a Difference a Y makes-Female and Male Nascent Entrepreneurs in Germany," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 28(1), pages 1-21, January.
    36. Dawn R. DeTienne & Gaylen N. Chandler, 2007. "The Role of Gender in Opportunity Identification," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 31(3), pages 365-386, May.
    37. Baskerville, Rachel F., 2003. "Hofstede never studied culture," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 1-14, January.
    38. Child, John & Hsieh, Linda & Elbanna, Said & Karmowska, Joanna & Marinova, Svetla & Puthusserry, Pushyarag & Tsai, Terence & Narooz, Rose & Zhang, Yunlu, 2017. "SME international business models: The role of context and experience," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(5), pages 664-679.
    39. Calabrò, Andrea & Campopiano, Giovanna & Basco, Rodrigo & Pukall, Thilo, 2017. "Governance structure and internationalization of family-controlled firms: The mediating role of international entrepreneurial orientation," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 238-248.
    40. Ali Dehghanpour Farashah, 2015. "The effects of demographic, cognitive and institutional factors on development of entrepreneurial intention: Toward a socio-cognitive model of entrepreneurial career," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 13(4), pages 452-476, December.
    41. Phillips McDougall, Patricia & Shane, Scott & Oviatt, Benjamin M., 1994. "Explaining the formation of international new ventures: The limits of theories from international business research," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 9(6), pages 469-487, November.
    42. Saskia Vossenberg, 2014. "Beyond the Critique: How Feminist Perspectives Can Feed Entrepreneurship Promotion in Developing Countries," Working Papers 2014/14, Maastricht School of Management.
    43. Dunning, John H, 1979. "Explaining Changing Patterns of International Production: In Defence of the Eclectic Theory," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 41(4), pages 269-295, November.
    44. Sexton, Donald L. & Bowman-Upton, Nancy, 1990. "Female and male entrepreneurs: Psychological characteristics and their role in gender-related discrimination," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 29-36, January.
    45. David J. Collis, 1991. "A resource‐based analysis of global competition: The case of the bearings industry," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(S1), pages 49-68, June.
    46. Parida, Vinit & George, Nerine Mary & Lahti, Tom & Wincent, Joakim, 2016. "Influence of subjective interpretation, causation, and effectuation on initial venture sale," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(11), pages 4815-4819.
    47. Cliff, Jennifer E., 1998. "Does one size fit all? exploring the relationship between attitudes towards growth, gender, and business size," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 13(6), pages 523-542, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mansura Akter & Mahfuzur Rahman & Dragana Radicic, 2022. "Gender-Aware Framework in International Entrepreneurship: How Far Developed?—A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-23, November.
    2. Audretsch, David B. & Belitski, Maksim & Chowdhury, Farzana & Desai, Sameeksha, 2022. "CEO gender, institutional context and firm exports," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(5).
    3. Tulin Dzhengiz, 2020. "A Literature Review of Inter-Organizational Sustainability Learning," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-52, June.
    4. Nicolás Contreras-Barraza & Juan Felipe Espinosa-Cristia & Guido Salazar-Sepulveda & Alejandro Vega-Muñoz, 2021. "Entrepreneurial Intention: A Gender Study in Business and Economics Students from Chile," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-14, April.
    5. Kabbara, Diala & Zucchella, Antonella, 2023. "Transnational entrepreneurship. Insights from female entrepreneurs in the modest fashion industry," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(5).
    6. Alfonso Expósito & Amparo Sanchis-Llopis & Juan A. Sanchis-Llopis, 2022. "Manager gender, entrepreneurial orientation and SMEs export and import propensities: evidence for Spanish businesses," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 12(2), pages 315-347, June.
    7. Alfonso Expósito & Amparo Sanchis-Llopis & Juan A. Sanchis-Llopis, 2021. "The effect of the manager gender on SMEs export and import decisions: Evidence for Spain," Working Papers 2115, Department of Applied Economics II, Universidad de Valencia.
    8. Akter, Mansura & Akter, Shahriar & Rahman, Mahfuzur & Priporas, Constantinos Vasilios, 2023. "Mapping the barriers to socio-economic freedom in internationalisation of women-owned SMEs: Evidence from a developing country," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(6).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cristina Pérez-Pérez & Diana Benito-Osorio & Susana María García-Moreno, 2021. "New Puppets in the Old School: The Applicability of Traditional Internationalisation Theories in the Sharing Economy," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-24, September.
    2. Justo, Rachida & DeTienne, Dawn R. & Sieger, Philipp, 2015. "Failure or voluntary exit? Reassessing the female underperformance hypothesis," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 775-792.
    3. Gina Santos & Carla Susana Marques & João J. Ferreira, 2018. "A look back over the past 40 years of female entrepreneurship: mapping knowledge networks," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 115(2), pages 953-987, May.
    4. Gammeltoft, Peter & Cuervo-Cazurra, Alvaro, 2021. "Enriching internationalization process theory: insights from the study of emerging market multinationals," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(3).
    5. Franczak, Jennifer & Lanivich, Stephen E. & Adomako, Samuel, 2023. "Filling institutional voids: Combinative effects of institutional shortcomings and gender on the alertness – Opportunity recognition relationship," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 155(PB).
    6. Mohd Yasir Arafat & Javed Ali & Amit Kumar Dwivedi & Imran Saleem, 2020. "Social and Cognitive Aspects of Women Entrepreneurs: Evidence from India," Vikalpa: The Journal for Decision Makers, , vol. 45(4), pages 223-239, December.
    7. Luca Pistilli & Alessia Paccagnini & Stefano Breschi & Franco Malerba, 2023. "Gender Bias in Entrepreneurship: What is the Role of the Founders’ Entrepreneurial Background?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 187(2), pages 325-346, October.
    8. Aparicio, Sebastian & Audretsch, David & Noguera, Maria & Urbano, David, 2022. "Can female entrepreneurs boost social mobility in developing countries? An institutional analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    9. Child, John & Hsieh, Linda & Elbanna, Said & Karmowska, Joanna & Marinova, Svetla & Puthusserry, Pushyarag & Tsai, Terence & Narooz, Rose & Zhang, Yunlu, 2017. "SME international business models: The role of context and experience," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(5), pages 664-679.
    10. Gupta, Vishal K. & Goktan, A. Banu & Gunay, Gonca, 2014. "Gender differences in evaluation of new business opportunity: A stereotype threat perspective," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 273-288.
    11. Xuemei Xie & Jiuchang Lv, 2016. "Social networks of female tech-entrepreneurs and new venture performance: the moderating effects of entrepreneurial alertness and gender discrimination," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 12(4), pages 963-983, December.
    12. Dzikowski, Piotr, 2018. "A bibliometric analysis of born global firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 281-294.
    13. Nicole Coviello & Liena Kano & Peter W Liesch, 2017. "Adapting the Uppsala model to a modern world: Macro-context and microfoundations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 48(9), pages 1151-1164, December.
    14. Linda Scott & Catherine Dolan & Mary Johnstone–Louis & Kimberly Sugden & Maryalice Wu, 2012. "Enterprise and Inequality: A Study of Avon in South Africa," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 36(3), pages 543-568, May.
    15. Daniela Giménez & Andrea Calabrò, 2018. "The salient role of institutions in Women’s entrepreneurship: a critical review and agenda for future research," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 857-882, December.
    16. Desirée Blankenburg Holm & Martin Johanson & Pao Kao, 2015. "From outsider to insider: Opportunity development in foreign market networks," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 337-359, September.
    17. Hamid Etemad, 2022. "Towards an integrated and longitudinal life-cycle framework of international entrepreneurship: Exploring entrepreneurial orientation, capabilities, and network advantages overcoming barriers to intern," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 503-536, December.
    18. Francisco García-Lillo & Enrique Claver-Cortés & Bartolomé Marco-Lajara & Mercedes Úbeda-García, 2017. "Mapping the Intellectual Structure of Research on ‘Born Global’ Firms and INVs: A Citation/Co-citation Analysis," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 57(4), pages 631-652, August.
    19. Sara Poggesi & Michela Mari & Luisa Vita, 2016. "What’s new in female entrepreneurship research? Answers from the literature," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 12(3), pages 735-764, September.
    20. Nuno Calheiros-Lobo & José Vasconcelos Ferreira & Manuel Au-Yong-Oliveira, 2023. "SME Internationalization and Export Performance: A Systematic Review with Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-36, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:22:p:6230-:d:284364. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.