Abstract
Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (SMEs) led by women play a pivotal role in the developing economies. Nonetheless, extant research evince that Asian women-led SMEs and/or women entrepreneurs are still not performing up to their full potential. A range of factors, including institutional environmental forces, play a key role in impeding or expediting the success of women-led SMEs all over the globe. However, Asia shows a unique case due to its inherent socio-cultural, politico-legal and economic conditions those directly affecting the women, their career, and the business environment which are different to the other parts of the globe. Consequently, the macro environmental circumstances those affecting women-led SMEs in the Asian region deserve special scholarly attention. Despite the attempts to unveil institutional influences on SMEs in general, there is a dearth of studies those specifically examined the effects of institutional environment on women-led SMEs. Drawing from the institutional theory, and referring to the existing literature, this study examines the regulatory, cognitive, and normative effects of institutional environment on womenled SMEs. This is a conceptual paper which abstracts a coherent picture of three-fold institutional dimensions activated in the Asia and their effects on women‘s business. The implications are drawn for policy makers and future researchers.
Highlights
The Asia and the Pacific region contain some of the world‘s most powerful economies and two-thirds of its poorest people
The third section discusses the effect of institutional environment on women-led Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (SMEs) in the Asia in line with the regulatory, cognitive and normative dimensions
The present study identifies that there are certain specific characteristics pertaining to women-led SMEs in the Asia
Summary
The Asia and the Pacific region contain some of the world‘s most powerful economies and two-thirds of its poorest people. The apex level decision-making bodies, including government authorities, can be immensely benefited with a macro level portrait of the effects of countries‘ institutional environment, especially for making policies towards women empowerment and facilitating women in business Acknowledging this gap of knowledge in the context of developing economies in the Asian region, the present study aims to elaborate the institutional environmental effects on women-led SMEs in the Asia. Built on this knowledge, the third section discusses the effect of institutional environment on women-led SMEs in the Asia in line with the regulatory, cognitive and normative dimensions. The third section discusses the effect of institutional environment on women-led SMEs in the Asia in line with the regulatory, cognitive and normative dimensions In the latter part of this paper, it identifies certain characteristics inherent in the women-led SMEs in the Asia. Summing up these findings in a coherent figure, it concludes with highlights of the implications and directions for further research
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