Title: Entrepreneurial traits and firm performance: is gender a matter?

Authors: Jeen Wei Ong, Hishamuddin Bin Ismail

Addresses: Faculty of Business and Law, Multimedia University, Jalan Ayer Keroh Lama, 75450 Melaka, Malaysia. ' Faculty of Business and Law, Multimedia University, Jalan Ayer Keroh Lama, 75450 Melaka, Malaysia

Abstract: This study compares the men and women entrepreneurs in Malaysian SMEs in terms of their entrepreneurial traits and firm performance. The main objective is to assess the quality of women entrepreneurs thus assisting policy makers to formulate policies to improve the participation of women in entrepreneurship career. This study collected primary data through questionnaire survey from 365 entrepreneurs, which consist of 28% women entrepreneurs. The findings concluded no significant difference between men and women entrepreneurs but gender was found to moderate the relationship between entrepreneurial traits and SMEs overall performance.

Keywords: gender; entrepreneurial traits; firm performance; small and medium-sized enterprises; SMEs; Malaysia; female entrepreneurs; male entrepreneurs; women; entrepreneurship; small business.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2011.041840

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2011 Vol.13 No.4, pp.499 - 517

Published online: 21 Oct 2014 *

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