Title: Women entrepreneurs in a transition economy: the case of Vietnam

Authors: William Scheela, Tran Thi Van Hoa

Addresses: Department of Business Administration, Bemidji State University, Minnesota State University System, Decker Hall, PO Box 30, Bemidji MN, USA. ' NEU Business School, National Economics University, Giai Phong Road, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi, Vietnam

Abstract: This paper presents exploratory case studies of six Vietnamese women entrepreneurs in order to study the significance and effectiveness of a Network-Based Growth Strategy for new ventures in a transition economy. Using institutional theory as the theoretical framework, we analysed the impact of undeveloped institutions on the performance of Vietnamese women entrepreneurs. We hypothesise that women entrepreneurs operating in a transition economy without fully developed institutions will use networking with key stakeholders as a basic growth strategy. Exploratory findings indicate that women entrepreneurs in Vietnam, to a greater extent than Western women entrepreneurs, make significant use of networking with government officials in order to develop and build their new ventures.

Keywords: institutional theory; networking; transition economy; women entrepreneurs; Vietnam.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMDM.2004.005005

International Journal of Management and Decision Making, 2004 Vol.5 No.1, pp.1 - 20

Published online: 11 Aug 2004 *

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