This paper looks at perceptions of entrepreneurial networks and the gender differences in networking. Women's networks tend to be more limited and to focus on family and friends, whereas male entrepreneurs generally have wider networks. The results of the study indicate that female entrepreneurs have a significantly more positive attitude towards networking, especially once the business has been established. The main benefits of networks for both men and women are better business contacts, sharing knowledge, problem solving and social aspects. Female entrepreneurs also believe that networks can provide them with learning opportunities and enable them to develop management skills.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to outline the authors' experiences of designing and implementing an enterprise development programme for female entrepreneurs. The programme targets those women who already have a business and wish to grow it further. Design/methodology/approach -The paper describes the motivation for the programme and the range of issues which is encountered in its design and delivery. It concludes with a brief assessment of lessons learned. Findings -In addition to the importance of design and focus, the experiences of the Female Entrepreneurship Ireland-Wales (FEIW) project indicate the need for appropriate programme presentation and marketing; networking and mentoring aspects are also hightlighted. Research limitations/implications -As this is a pilot project with flexibility to adapt to the needs of the participants, it is not possible to apply a robust evaluative framework, although such a framework will need to be developed in due course. That said, the qualitative data collected pre-, during and post-programme delivery offer valuable insights to the needs of female entrepreneurs; this learning may be incorporated into the design of future programmes. Practical implications -The FEIW programme is essentially a pilot initiative and is delivered in only two regions. Thus, it is difficult to generalise findings. Originality/value -As a case study, the experiences of the FEIW project contribute valuable empirical evidence regarding the design and implementation of an enterprise programme for female entrepreneurs.

Public and third sector employees are facing increasing pressure to behave more entrepreneurially in their day-to-day work (Wakkee, Elfring and Monaghan, 2010). Literature on entrepreneurial orientation (EO) highlighted that EO enhances organisational performance, firms' competiveness and product innovation (Rauch et al., 2009;Lumpkin and Dess, 2001). While previous studies on EO have applied the concept in relation to the overall performance of an organisation (Wiklund and Shepherd, 2005), this research explores EO at the individual level (Jelenc, Pisapia and Ivanušić, 2015;Bolton and Lane, 2012;Okhomina, 2010

A longitudinal study conducted over a three-year period established six learning networks consisting of 105 entrepreneurs and SME owner/managers. The principal objective of the study was to uncover the critical elements that ensure networks operate effectively in order to advise and inform on practice for the creation of sustainable self-facilitated learning networks. The methodological approach adopted for this study was primarily direct participant observation. Findings provide a guide to action for the development of self-facilitated sustainable learning networks. This paper makes a significant contribution to practice providing knowledge on how to create sustainable learning networks thus having implications for entrepreneurs, government, policy-makers and academics interested in understanding how to effectively guide the development of sustainable learning networks for entrepreneurs to solve their own problems. This paper concludes with a discussion of theoretical and applied significance.Peer reviewe

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