If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -This study seeks to examine the business and social profiles of 67 women entrepreneurs in three regions of Nigeria in order to identify patterns of entrepreneurship and social and economic challenges facing women business owners in Nigeria. The study aims to support and encourage sustainable small-scale economic development activities by Nigerian women and determine ways to integrate these small businesses into existing urban economic development projects and strategies for poverty alleviation, expand understanding of the business and social profiles of women entrepreneurs in Nigeria, examine the contextual influences on their work, raise the level of awareness of women entrepreneurs amongst all economically active agents and researchers, influence social and economic policy addressing issues of women entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach -A survey was developed and administered to a sample of 62 practicing Nigerian female entrepreneurs. The survey was divided into sections that recorded personal demographics, the entrepreneur's perceptions of the business environment and their venture and the motivations and drives that led to the birth of their business. Data were collected and processed to produce frequency distributions on every question/variable in the survey followed by cross-tabulations between all variables and x 2 tests in order to reveal strong associations. Findings -With no or few significant differences shown to exist between male and female business owners or managers once they have already started an enterprise, there is a strong indication that Africa has sizeable hidden growth potential in its women. From the results presented, it is evident that female entrepreneurship in Nigeria is driven by micro-financing as well as family dynamics that work to shape and influence the birth of a business. Research limitations/implications -Future research initiatives need to explore the gender dimension and the influence of education levels on the role models that influence and drive female entrepreneurship. In addition, the evolution of the complete life cycle of the entrepreneur's business should be examined and dependencies on the variables presented should...

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Luxury brand consumption by female consumers in the rich Arab Gulf states has never been systematically studied, and thus most of our knowledge in this area remains shaped by preconceived notions that are not likely to withstand scientific scrutiny. This study fills that gap in research and provides significant evidence on the actual consumption behavior of this enigmatic consumer segment. In our study, focus groups and expert feedback were used to construct a Luxury Consumption Scale (LCS) to measure actual luxury purchases, while Tiliouine's Scale (RS) was used to measure religiosity. Results show that the sample tended to be religious with moderate luxury consumption, but no relationship was observed between these two. Results also demonstrate that brands transcend boundaries; ridges created by politicians and extremists are bridged by Burberry, Hermes and Versace. Religious Arab women did not perceive a problem in being defined by international brands of non-Muslim origin. This study contributes to the literature by examining the underexplored intersection of female luxury brand consumption and religiosity in the lucrative markets of the Arab Gulf.

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