Research Proposal

Topic:
THE IMPACT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL NETWORKING TO ENHANCE WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN SMEs

Introduction

In this dynamic business world entrepreneurship has inferred special significance, as it is a key driver to economic development. The objectives of industrial development, regional growth, and employment generation depend upon entrepreneurship. Consequently entrepreneurs are, thus the seeds of industrial development and the fruits of this development are greater employment job opportunities to unemployed people. Entrepreneurship leads to higher income, increases in per capita income, higher standard of living, and individual saving, revenue to the government in the form of various taxes.

The recent concept of “entrepreneurial networking/social networking” has emerged as one of the contributing factors to growth of enterprises (Davidsson and Honig, 2003; Lam, Leibbrandt, & Mlatsheni, 2007). Information is a major resource for men and women entrepreneurs and can connect to marketplaces, suppliers; costs, technology, and networking have appeared as valuable for contributing assistance to entrepreneurs. The networking is becoming popular and a valuable way to get hold of relevant information to get competitive advantages. Networking provides entrepreneurs a variety of priceless sources not previously in ownership and assist to accomplish their goals (Hansen, 1995; Jenssen, 2001; Ripolles and Blesa, 2005; Welter and Kautonen, 2005).

Networking can be of immense help to an entrepreneur, which can be established efficiently by an external organization to support entrepreneurs. In the 80s it was the starting and nature of the networking began to pull significant consideration in the management and entrepreneurship literature (Aldrich & Whetten, 1981; Aldrich & Zimmer, 1986; Birley, 1985; Jarillo, 1988; Johanisson & Mattson, 1987; Thorelli