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Rural Women Microentrepreneurs:
An Empirical Study on Their
Social Profile, Business Aspects and Economic Impact
-- B Tamilmani
Self Help Groups (SHGs) have been a popular grassroots strategy to eradicate rural poverty
through the advancement of socioeconomic interests of the weaker sections, non-bankable and
neglected segments of the society. Self Help Group is a small, economically homogenous and affinity group of
rural poor, who are voluntarily ready to contribute to a common fund to be lent to its members as per
the group decision, which works for group solidarity. The SHGs are considered as a suitable
mechanism for strengthening the microcredit system as well as the microenterprises. The practice of
tapping microsavings and lending microcredit, the two major functions of the SHG, has now emerged as
a popular financial strategy at the grassroots level, especially among the non-bankable. Over the last
two decades, microcredit has acquired a greater dimension and recognition as an instrument for
meeting the credit needs of the poor for starting up their Income Generating Activities (IGAs) or
Microenterprises (MEs). An enterprise is called a micro enterprise, whose investment in plant and machinery does
not exceed Rs. 25 lakhs in case of production unit and Rs. 10 lakhs if it is a service organization. A
micro entrepreneur is one who takes the risk of organizing and managing a ME for earning profit.
Greater attention is being given by all means to promote MEs in rural areas. This research study is all
about such MEs promoted by three different institutions and the effect created on rural entrepreneurs.
© 2009 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Women Entrepreneurship Development: The
Catalytic Role of NGOs
-- Sujata Mukherjee
The rapidly changing economy has forced women to venture out as entrepreneurs.
Although there are no concrete evidences of discrimination against women micro entrepreneurs, failure to provide collateral
or guarantees reduces the likelihood of obtaining credit. Further, lack of marketing skills and
technological know-how also act as impediments to the growth of their businesses. The present paper discusses the
factors impeding the growth of women micro entrepreneurs and the catalytic role played by
the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in creating appropriate
entrepreneurial environment. The paper also discusses
the supporting role in the process of entrepreneurship development among women.
© 2009 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Enterprise Domain and Venture Capital Experiences
of Women Entrepreneurs: A Study of Sikkimese Women Entrepreneurs
-- H G Joshi
Women entrepreneurship in Sikkim is a new concept from research point of view. There are a
few published works about the contribution of women to the overall development of the state in
particular, and the nation in general. It was observed that majority of the business, either conventional or
non-conventional, were owned and managed by women in the eastern district of Sikkim. Moreover, in
most of the market places of eastern Sikkim, women participation as traders was common. Therefore, a
study was done to develop the existing concept in a more meaningful manner and thereby throw light on
the profile of such enterprising women.
© 2009 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Attitude of Youth Towards Entrepreneurship: A Case Study of Varanasi
-- Krishna Kumar Agarwal and Rajesh Kr. Upadhyay
India is moving fast to emerge as one of the strongest economies in the world by 2020. But at the
same time, as per Dorothea Schmidt of the International Labour Organization (ILO) employment trend
team, around 34.3% of the Indian population are still living below the benchmark of $1/day set by the
United Nations Development Program (UNDP). One of the best ways to solve the problem of poverty
in developing countries like India is to promote Small Scale Industries (SSI). It can play a vital role
in income distribution, economic self-dependence and economic uplifting. The Central as well as
State Governments in India are taking so many steps to promote emtrepreneurial activities. One
untested assumption in policy making is the impact of attitude. Attitude formation is highly influenced by
the family background of an individual as well as his/her educational background. Hence, this
paper hypothesizes that an individual's family background and educational
qualification influences his/her attitude towards entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship. This hypothesis was tested on more than
100 respondents in Varanasi using an appropriate questionnaire and suitable statistical
tools.
© 2009 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Case Study
Mahindra & Mahindra (A): Transformation of
an Indian Family Business into a Globally
Competitive Firm
Most of the Indian family businesses, which have been in existence since the
pre-independence era, were presented with opportunities and challenges post-liberalization. While
foresighted family businesses renewed themselves, there were many others, which could not
sustain themselves. Unlike other family businesses, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M), under
Anand G Mahindra (Mahindra) was able to address rightly the challenges brought about
by liberalization. Aptly enough, he has also been called as the `Renaissance Man' by the
Harvard Business Review for bringing about the renaissance at M&M, his family business.
© 2009 IBS Case Development Centre. All Rights Reserved. |
