Research Summary

Center Awards Best Paper on Women’s Entrepreneurship

Center for Women’s Business Research  ·  September 10, 2002

Center for Women’s Business Research, together with the Academy of Management, selected the winning paper from among papers submitted to the Academy’s Entrepreneurship Division. The Center’s “best paper” award is intended to: encourage the scholarly analysis of women’s entrepreneurship; enhance understanding about the attitudes, behaviors, and characteristics of women business owners and their enterprises; and increase the visibility of research conducted in this area.

Dr. Nancy Carter, Endowed Chair and Director of the John M. Morrison Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas, and a Director on the Center’s Board, presented Dr. Mueller with a plaque and a $1,000 cash award on August 12th in Denver, Colorado at the Academy’s annual conference.

The seed funding for this annual best paper competition has been provided by three of the Center’s past Chairs, Lois Haber, Laura Henderson, and Nina McLemore. These leading women business owners recognize the value of encouraging greater academic interest in women’s entrepreneurship issues, and of generating a higher level of public awareness for such research findings.

“The Center is pleased to recognize Dr. Mueller’s paper, ‘A Cross-National Study of Gender Gaps in Potential for Entrepreneurship,'” said Dr. Myra M. Hart, Chair, Center for Women’s Business Research. “His research identifies a vital starting point for encouraging women to engage in entrepreneurial activities. Over the past 12 years, research has demonstrated that women’s entrepreneurial activity is a key factor affecting a country’s economic growth. This new prize, awarded for the first time at the Academy of Management’s 2002 international meeting in Denver, is intended to stimulate high quality research about cultural and gender issues in entrepreneurship. It is just one more step in increasing understanding of this vitally important social, economic, and cultural phenomenon."

In his paper, Dr. Mueller explores the motivational processes of women and men prior to the creation of their ventures. Drawing upon a sample of university students in 17 countries, Dr. Mueller analyzed gender differences in such factors as propensity for innovativeness and risk-taking, as well as cultural and economic characteristics in the countries, to determine their influence on venture creation. His analysis shows that there are gender differences in levels of innovativeness and risk-taking that may impact business creation, with men generally scoring higher on these measures than women. Cultural factors such as the level of development of a market economy and the social empowerment of women in general also influence enterprise creation. Gender gaps in the prevalence of these entrepreneurial traits are greatest among advanced economies and least among less developed economies. While this research was conducted among a population of university students who may or may not start entrepreneurial ventures, it nonetheless offers compelling insights into both the gender and cultural characteristics impacting entrepreneurship.

Center for Women’s Business Research, founded as the National Foundation for Women Business Owners, is the premier source of knowledge about women business owners and their enterprises worldwide. The Center provides original, groundbreaking research to document the economic and social contributions of women-owned firms. To maximize the benefits of this knowledge, the Center has a comprehensive strategy to distribute its research through the media, publications, seminars and consulting. Corporations, government policy makers, educators, organizations, the media, and individuals rely on the Center’s leading-edge knowledge to strengthen their support of women business owners.

The Academy of Management is a leading professional association of scholars dedicated to creating and disseminating knowledge about management and organizations. The Academy’s central mission is to enhance the profession of management by advancing the scholarship of management and enriching the professional development of its members. The Academy’s membership consists of scholars at colleges, universities, and research institutions, as well as practitioners with scholarly interests from business, government, and not-for-profit organizations. The Academy is committed to shaping the future of management research and education. Management is defined broadly to encompass all processes, structures, and behaviors that are related to the work of organizations, as well as the dynamics of industries, economies, cultures, and other environmental forces that affect organizations and their employees.

Award Underwriters: The Center’s “Best Women’s Entrepreneurship Paper Award” is underwritten by three of the Center’s past Chairs. Lois Haber, CLU, ChFC, is the President and CEO of Delaware Valley Financial Services, Inc. of Berwyn, PA, which provides insurance and investment services to corporations. Laura Henderson is President of Prospect Associates of Silver Spring, MD, a health care research and consulting firm. Nina McLemore is President of Regent Capital, a venture capital firm headquartered in New York City, which focuses on the retail sector.

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