<strong>Background:</strong> There is an increasing interest in female entrepreneurship, not only to realise the potential for economic growth, but also in light of the opportunities for female expression, emancipation, agency and empowerment. Literature has found that many female entrepreneurs are profoundly affected by the traditional sociocultural context in which they operate, and that they have needed to work around patriarchal barriers in order to succeed. This study explores the ways in which they do this.<p><strong>Aim:</strong> The aim of this paper was to contribute to an understanding of how female entrepreneurs in a patriarchal African society can work within cultural constraints to achieve success within their own terms of reference.</p><p><strong>Setting:</strong> The study took place in Zimbabwe among female entrepreneurs who had recently formalised their businesses</p><p><strong>Methods:</strong> Using a qualitative interpretive research design, in-depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 43 African female entrepreneurs running their own businesses in the Zimbabwean cities of Harare and Bulawayo.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> The complex interplay of macro- (national cultural characteristics), meso- (institutional and social factors), and micro- (individual identity) level factors shaped the ways in which the women dealt with the shackles of patriarchy, inequality and high power distance that had historically impeded their economic participation. Through their own agency, they mobilised their public and private identities separately, balancing the seemingly incompatible roles of home-maker vs entrepreneur.</p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Zimbabwean women successfully managed the interaction between their different social roles and identities to balance domestic obligations with income generation to better the lives of their families.</p>

United Nations Development Program. (2013). International human development indicators: Gender inequality index. Retrieved from http://hdrstats .undp.org/en/indicators/68606.-html Vázquez, J. J. (2013). Happiness among the garbage: Differences in overall happiness among trash pickers in León (Nicaragua).

BackgroundThe South African government intends to contract with ‘accredited provider groups’ for capitated primary care under National Health Insurance (NHI). South African solo general practitioners (GPs) are unhappy with group practice. There is no clarity on the views of GPs in group practice on contracting to the NHI.ObjectivesTo describe the demographic and practice profile of GPs in group practice in South Africa, and evaluate their views on NHI, compared to solo GPs.MethodsThis was a descriptive survey. The population of 8721 private GPs in South Africa with emails available were emailed an online questionnaire. Descriptive statistical analyses and thematic content analysis were conducted.ResultsIn all, 819 GPs responded (568 solo GPs and 251 GPs in groups). The results are focused on group GPs. GPs in groups have a different demographic practice profile compared to solo GPs. GPs in groups expected R4.86 million ($0.41 million) for a hypothetical NHI proposal of comprehensive primary healthcare (excluding medicines and investigations) to a practice population of 10 000 people. GPs planned a clinical team of 8 to 12 (including nurses) and 4 to 6 administrative staff. GPs in group practices saw three major risks: patient, organisational and government, with three related risk management strategies.ConclusionsGPs can competitively contract with NHI, although there are concerns. NHI contracting should not be limited to groups. All GPs embraced strong teamwork, including using nurses more effectively. This aligns well with the emergence of family medicine in Africa.

Traditional models for calculating the Return on Investment (ROI) of education examine the costs and benefits of such interventions in financial terms. The aim of this study was to explore other important variables over and above those of a financial nature, which should be considered by MBA students when holistically evaluating the ROI of undertaking this qualification.The study was exploratory and perception based; a pilot contribution to the debate on the value of an MBA and a baseline for further research. In the two-phased study, 54 graduates from Wits Business School articulated a number of input (cost), output (benefits) and process variables that they perceived as important when holistically evaluating the ROI of their studies. An overwhelming majority perceived that the benefits of doing an MBA outweigh the costs, taking all variables into account.Although the findings cannot be generalised to a wider population, a transformation model has been proposed. MBA students and learning facilitators may find this useful when planning MBA programme participation or facilitation, so that students gain the greatest possible value from the undertaking.

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Authentic leadership (AL) has been classified as one of the foundational forms of positive leadership and is less a style than a mental model. The literature draws on the analogy of a compass by which leaders may continuously navigate toward their “True North” or optimal state. The current research, which forms part of a much larger mixed methods study on AL development, explored ways for leaders to build their own internal AL compass against which to regulate their behavior. The study centered on an executive leadership team which was coached through an AL development program. Data for the paper were collected via individual semi‐structured interviews, then thematically analyzed to identify the internal and external factors influencing participants’ AL development. The findings illustrate how leaders can identify the current state of their internal selves through facilitated examination of their internal identity, purpose, values, beliefs, and psychological states, which are collectively referred to as AL levels. By deliberately refining their AL levels, they were able to adjust their visible behaviors to greater effectiveness. Leaders were then able to take steps toward constructing their internal compass to maintain their “True North” trajectory toward AL. A framework is proposed for the development of an internal AL compass.

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