Resource-based theory posits the deployment of resources by entrepreneurs to achieve performance without questioning the possibility of deploying these resources. The question, however, remains how resources are deployed in developing countries that constrain the choice in the deployment of resources. To answer this, we analyse the factors determining the business performance of women entrepreneurs in a developing country context. Data were collected through a survey sent to 211 Bangladeshi women entrepreneurs engaged in handicraft businesses. Results from hierarchical multiple regression analyses show that (1) the social environment in terms of socio-cultural norms and customs hinders the performance; (2) the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) dimensions, namely, combined Innovative–proactive EO and Risk-taking EO, and the business trainings positively affect the performance; and (3) the social ties negatively influence the performance, which may be due to the excessive presence of strong ties in a personal social network. Based on results, we suggest that environment (context) is a contingent factor for the way personal traits such as EO, human, and social capital can be used by women entrepreneurs to achieve performance in a developing world context.

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~ 33 ~ 2015). In order to provide theoretical backgrounds on the research and the methodology, a two days' long training has been given to the local interviewers: Three local enumerators indeed were involved in order to support the main researcher in processing the questionnaires also in the most remote areas of the districts. Each interview lasted one and half hours. Data were collected from February, 2015 to June, 2015. Variables of the modelDependent variable: business performance Business performance can be measured via perceived and objective (or archival) financial or non-financial performance measures (Rauch et al. 2009). This study adopts perceived measures. Perceived measures use a rating scale to compare performance with competitors, whereas objective measures use actual financial data (Dess and Robinson 1984;Dawes 1999;Zulkiffli 2014). The validity and reliability of perceived measures is proved by several authors in different contexts (Dess and Robinson 1984;Sarkar et al. 2001;Wall et al. 2004), also in analysing the relationship between EO and business performance, as demonstrated by Rauch et al. (2009). This is particularly useful in the context of women entrepreneurs who are not able to correctly indicate the objective data about their business performance, as in our case. Business performance of women entrepreneurs is therefore measured on five perceptual items referred to three specific dimensions, financial, economic and operational performance (Venkatraman and Ramanujam 1986). The financial dimension refers to the growth in profit (My shop had a higher profit compared to other handicrafts shops); the economic dimension is expressed by one item referring to the growth in production volumes (The total volume of my firm's production has increased); the operational performance is indicated by three items referring respectively to: price satisfaction (I was satisfied with the price that I got from my customers), customer satisfaction (Customers were satisfied with my products and services), quality of products (My shop had better products on offer compared to other handicrafts shops). These items are measured on a seven-point scale (1= completely disagree, 7= completely agree). The summated score (Hughes and Morgan 2007) of five items of the scale represents business performance of Bangladeshi women entrepreneurs. Independent variables Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) dimensions.To measure the EO dimensions of women entrepreneurs, we use an adapted version of the EO scale proposed by Verhees et al. (2012). EO includes twenty-two items of innovativeness, risk-taking and pro-activeness, measured on a seven-point scale (1= completely disagree, 7= completely agree) 9 . EO dimensions of Bangladeshi women entrepreneurs are the result of an exploratory factor analysis reported later on in the text (see Table 2.1). Barriers in social environment. Barriers in social environment are measured with an item representing hindrances due to family, norms, customs, traditions and religion. This item is measured on ...

The present study intends to contribute to the debate on whether and how the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) theory explains business performance by exploring its efficacy when applied to a constrained context such as a developing country. This debate revolves around the understanding of the nature of EO within a specific context and the degree to which EO, as compared to environmental characteristics, contributes to business performance. In particular, it analyses the influence of EO on the business performance of women entrepreneurs engaged in the handicraft business in Bangladesh, focussing on the effect the business and social environments exert on this relation. The results obtained from hierarchical multiple regression analyses suggest that the EO construct requires flexibility in its conceptualisation and that the implications EO has on performance need to be understood in the light of the context in which the theory is adopted. Concerning the nature of EO, we find that, first, a combination of EO dimensions (rather than them individually taken as per the original theory) explains business performance in a constrained context. In particular, women who show characteristics of innovativeness and pro-activeness (as one construct) seem to report high performances, as well as those showing behaviours more prone to taking risks. However, while barriers posed by the social environment (e.g., socio-cultural norms and customs) tend to impact performance negatively, barriers in the business environment positively relate to business performance. This suggests that further research is needed to investigate how the local constrained context mediates EO’s impact on performance. Our findings contribute to the research efforts directed to understanding the dimensionality of the EO construct when applied to a constrained context and pave the way to the quest for what role the external factors (namely, the social and business environment) play in explaining performance in such a context.

This study was attempted to measure and compare resource use efficiency and relative productivity of farming under different tenure conditions in an area of Bhola district. A random sampling technique was used in the study. Sample farmers were classified as owner, crop share tenant and cash tenant farmers. A total of 90 samples, 30 from each class were selected on the basis of random sampling technique. The study explored the difference in the efficiency and productivity among owner, cash tenant and crop share tenant. Total cash expenses as well as total gross costs for producing HYV Boro rice was highest in owner farms and lowest in crop share tenant's farm. When individual inputs were concerned it was observed that expenses on human labor shared a major portion of expenses in the production of HYV Boro rice where owner operators used more hired labor in compare to other groups. However, the cash tenant farmers were more efficient than owner and crop share tenant farmers. Due to poor resource base the crop share tenants were unable to invest on modern farm inputs. It may be mentioned that in Bangladesh the predominant tenancy arrangement is share cropping, which is an inefficient form of tenure arrangement in compare to cash tenancy.

Social capital has been projected as a key resource in entrepreneurial success. While the association between successful business activity by rural women and their ability in building social capital is often seen as a pathway of poverty reduction, a thorough understanding of the relevance of social capital in women's business performance could have crucial insights into ways for alleviating rural poverty in developing countries. Nonetheless, the relevance of social capital in women's business performance has hardly studied in the specific context of Bangladesh. The present review is undertaken to fill this information gap. Social capital has positive impact on gaining legitimacy, building mutual trust and co-operation in women's business. Besides, women enterprises with enhanced social capital are found to possess better access to other forms of capital. The review shows the importance of external actors such as microfinance institutions in developing social capital of women enterprises in Bangladesh. Alongside microfinance, regulative factors such as different rules and regulations of the government can positively facilitate women entrepreneurship development in rural Bangladesh.

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The present study assessed the changes in socio-economic conditions of small scale broiler farmers in rural areas of Bangladesh. The population comprised the small scale broiler farmers who reared at least 300 to less than 2000 birds in the rural areas of Sadar Upazila of Mymensingh district, among which a total of 50 samples were randomly selected for the study. The necessary data on different socio-economic parameters were collected from the respondents through personal interview with the pre-tested interview schedule. Findings showed that annual employment opportunities for unemployed family members of broiler farmers were 302.96 man-days. The overall income and expenditure of the farmers were increased by TK.6100 and TK.3064.66 after involving in broiler farming. Cash in hand and savings with bank raised by 142.71% and 201.63% respectively. Drinking water from own tubewell increased by 135.71% and katcha latrines decreased by 76.47%. Consumption of meat, egg, and fruits per month per household were increased by 94.32%, 34.53% and 56.14% respectively in post farming situation. The number of school going children, household assets and health status also improved. So, small scale broiler farming has positive and significant impact for the development of socio-economic status of the farmers as well as the improvement of rural livelihood.