NEW AGE COMPETENCIES FOR FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS: DO THEY REALLY MATTER?

Abstract

Entrepreneurship is a dynamic field of social science that has undergone tremendous change over the years. Changing business and social environments call for a fresher outlook and newer directions in the field of entrepreneurship research. The present study is one such attempt to view entrepreneurship and the entrepreneur from a new perspective. Objective The study measures some of the new age competencies like Personal strength, Learning and Familism of female entrepreneurs and investigates their role in predicting the performance of their firms. Study Design 120 Female entrepreneurs in Coimbatore, Tamilnadu who have been successfully running their ventures for at least three years, were contacted during the course of the study. Data collected using a structured questionnaire was subjected to statistical analysis. Results The findings revealed that only Personal Strength Competency had a positive significant impact on Firm performance. Learning and Familism did not seem to have a significant relationship with firm performance suggesting the need for more meaningful research about female entrepreneurship and their firm performances.