Business Training Programs Research Articles

Enhancing Women’s Entrepreneurship in Rural Ecuador: A Study Protocol Aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals

Women entrepreneurs in rural Ecuador face significant obstacles, including limited access to education, financial services, and business networks. Despite their vital role in the economy, gender inequalities hinder their success. This study protocol aims to evaluate the impact of a tailored business training program designed to empower rural women entrepreneurs and promote sustainable economic development. Aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Quality Education (Goal 4), Gender Equality (Goal 5), and Decent Work and Economic Growth (Goal 8), the program will assess improvements in women’s agency, confidence, and business performance. Key results include a 54% increase in perceived self-efficacy and a 200% increase in locus of control observed in the pre-pilot phase, indicating enhanced decision-making capacities and program effectiveness. Expected improvements in business performance will be measured by sales figures and financial growth, with anticipated positive impacts on SDG 8. The program will also track participation rates, with high enrollment and completion rates contributing to SDG 4. Additionally, financial stability and the number of engaged suppliers will be monitored, supporting SDG 8. By incorporating additional structural interventions, the study will offer insights into enhancing the empowerment of rural women entrepreneurs, creating a holistic impact that fosters both individual and community development.

Khalti: a digital wallet in Nepal

Learning outcomes After completion of the case study, the students will be able to understand competitive business and corporate strategies; understand various standard models and frameworks related to business and corporate strategy development such as Porter’s five forces model, Ansoff matrix, three value disciplines frameworks, scenario planning matrix and value chain analysis; and practice competitive strategy formulation using the latest analyzing tools/frameworks/models. Case overview/synopsis Although the digital wallet industry in Nepal was in its initial stage, it was growing rapidly. A digital wallet brand – Khalti, launched in 2017, could secure the second position in the industry within two years of establishment. In recent times, the leading digital wallet brand was eSewa which was developed by Kathmandu-based company – F1Soft International in 2009. Khalti team was better for creativity, risk-bearing capability, intact bond among co-founders, innovative skills and aggressive growth. Mr Amit Agrawal, the chief executive officer of Sparrow Pay Pvt. Ltd, was preparing to formulate some strategies for his company’s product, Khalti, on March 24, 2020. The next day, he was going to present his ideas about the future directions of Khalti with the co-founders of Janaki Technology, the parent company of Sparrow Pay Ltd. Therefore, his major agenda was how to design effective strategies to make Khalti more competitive against eSewa and probably lead the industry. Based on such a scenario, this case study deals with various competitive business and corporate strategies such as marketing, product and cost differentiation that Khalti could formulate to maintain its position and further become a leading firm in the industry. Complexity academic level This case study is suitable for business training programs at the master’s level, including Master of Business Administration and executive education. It is also appropriate for undergraduate students, particularly those who want to understand more about competitive business, strategic management and corporate strategy in developing economies. It is especially useful for students who have taken courses in strategic management, corporate strategy, marketing management and business expansion management. This case study is suitable for provoking skills of students such as critical and creative thinking, risk analysis and business planning. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 11: Strategy

The Allegory of the Favela: The Multifaceted Effects of Socioeconomic Mobility

What are the consequences of upward socioeconomic mobility for disenfranchised individuals? This article examines this question in the context of a business training program offered to residents of Brazilian urban slums, known as “favelas.” The study employs a randomized controlled trial complemented by quantile regressions, field visits, and interviews. The results show that training improves favela dwellers’ economic outcomes, such as by increasing income and participation in entrepreneurship, and some socio-psychological outcomes, such as by improving self-efficacy and optimism. However, these income improvements were accompanied by participants’ enhanced experiences of favela stigma, an adverse socio-psychological outcome related to their residential segregation. Both quantitative and qualitative findings demonstrate the multifaceted nature of socioeconomic mobility, through which favela dwellers who prosper economically become more exposed to prejudice from people living outside favelas. The study illustrates, through the “allegory of the favela,” the bittersweet process of socioeconomic mobility. This abductive research contributes to the literature by showing that while interventions designed to enfranchise individuals may effectively achieve economic inclusion in terms of income gains, they may simultaneously lead participants into discriminatory systems that further stigmatize people based on the same characteristics of their prior exclusion.

The impact of the dynamics of the domestic e-commerce market on the development of entrepreneurship

The sphere of domestic online commerce is actively growing despite the sanctions. The paper analyzes the current state of the local and transnational e-commerce markets and provides prospects for its development. Due to the active development of the e-commerce sector, the problems of doing Internet business are identified that require legislative regulation, especially in terms of marketplaces as aggregators of a large number of market participants on one site. The article examines the shortcomings of the bills proposed by the Government to business and the consequences of the adoption of bills in the form in which they are currently being considered. The current legislation in the field of trade is insufficiently debugged and is constantly being discussed and adjusted to take into account the needs of all parties: platforms, sellers, intermediaries in the form of an order pick-up point and their employees, consumers and regulatory authorities. The reasons for the rapid growth of the popularity of marketplaces among sellers have been identified. It is noted that marketplaces help to remove barriers when starting your own business, offering small investments and clear business conditions, training programs and webinars for beginners, provide sellers with a well-established system of analytics and promotion tools and ready-made logistics infrastructure. Due to such low barriers to entry into the e-commerce market, marketplaces are forming a new class of online entrepreneurs, stimulating the Russian economy and providing consumers with more uniform access to a wide range of goods. The process of development and the current state of affairs in the online trading market is described, the main limiting and stimulating factors of the development of this market sector from a practical point of view and legislation are identified.

PELATIHAN BISNIS DIGITAL DI SMK BOEDI LUHUR BEKASI

This digital business training program is a PKM program conducted at SMK Boedi Luhur emerged as a successful initiative in shaping students into individuals who are responsive to technological developments and business competition in the digital age. Through Project Based Learning methods, Workshops, and Seminars, the program successfully stimulates students' interest and identifies their talents in various aspects of digital business. The students' success in completing digital business projects not only reflects quality academic achievement, but also has a positive impact on SMK Boedi Luhur's reputation as a progressive educational institution. Industry recognition, media reports, and successful student testimonials reinforce the impression that SMK Boedi Luhur is a quality educational center and responsive to the needs of the job market. The improved reputation of the school is also reflected in growing student enrollment and community demand. This program opens the door for students to achieve success in the digital business world, making SMK Boedi Luhur a container that produces empowered and competent individuals. Through close ties to industry, community involvement, and resounding alumni achievements, SMK Boedi Luhur is proving itself to be an educational institution capable of shaping the future of students in the dynamic digital age.

Does the small business programme benefit self-employed workers? Evidence from Nicaragua

ABSTRACT Business and skills training programmes have been a popular social policy intervention to increase productivity of the self-employed in developing countries. We study the Small Business of the Family Economy programme, a government business training programme designed to assist Nicaraguan self-employed workers. Using data from three rounds of the Nicaragua Living Standards Measurement Survey, we employ a difference-in-differences strategy to exploit variation in eligibility for the programme across time and economic activity. Our estimates indicate that the programme does not increase self-employed workers’ earnings overall. However, we find heterogeneous treatment effects for female self-employed workers with low educational attainment, which could be explained by increased working months and having a second job.

Training microentrepreneurs over Zoom: Experimental evidence from Mexico

Standard in-person business training programs are costly and difficult to scale to the millions of microenterprises in the developing world. We conduct an experiment to test the feasibility, cost-savings, and impact of delivering live training sessions over Zoom to microentrepreneurs in Mexico and Guatemala. We demonstrate that it is now feasible to both recruit and train self-employed women online, covering a wide geographic area, with few technology issues. However, the cost-savings over in-person classes are less than expected. Training improved business practices and performance over 2 months, but impacts had dissipated within 6 months.

Online Business Training for SR12 Herbal Products in Bantarjati Village, Kelapanunggal District based on Islamic Economic Principles

Islamic economic principles through online business training to SR12 product entrepreneurs in Klapanunggal sub-district, Bogor district. This research was conducted through observation, interviews and documentation. The object of this research is SR12 product business actors in Klapanunggal District, Bogor Regency. With the existence of a business training program through online media, it is hoped that it can 1) help increase people's income in Bantarjati Village, Bogor Regency, because it does not require a lot of capital so it can be accepted by the community at the same time, 2) increase understanding of Islamic economic principles in business, 3) can help Marketing SR12 herbal products is better known to many consumers, and 4) can help develop more attractive and innovative products. Based on research results, business training based on Islamic economic principles is very important to be implemented in various fields, especially SR12 products, especially after Covid-19. Business actors receive online business training by creating a TikTok or using TikTok social media. This training implements the principles of Islamic economics, namely 1) product transactions are permitted based on Islamic law, 2) transactions must be based on benefit and justice, and 3) no usury element. Online business makes it easy for SR12 product entrepreneurs to market products to various regions, therefore it is necessary to understand how to implement online business in accordance with Islamic business ethics.

Sustainability Analysis of Business Community Mentoring and Training Program to Increase the Business Scale of its Members

The SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) have 169 targets, 319 indicators, and 17 goals starting from 2015 to 2030. Of the 17 sustainable development goals, one of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) that has received the most attention to date is poverty. This is because all of the SDG’s goals are a form of encouragement and effort to achieve the target of "without poverty" in 2030. Through this research, it is hoped that one can understand the implementation of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) in Jakarta. SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) can be carried out through the Small Business Community. However, due to the lack of knowledge about global economic developments, assistance is needed. Therefore, the author wants to examine how Sustainability Analysis in the Business Community Program Increases Business Scale. This study used qualitative research methods, data collection was carried out using questionnaires, observation, and documentation. Data analysis techniques use percentages as a basis for interpretation and description to make research results. The results of the study show that the Hands Above business community (TDA Community), JackPreneur, and OKOCE City of Jakarta created mentoring programs to increase business scale. In carrying out the sustainability strategy achieved by MSMEs in Jakarta to maintain and increase business scale, namely in financial governance so that finances remain stable. Business actors carry out promotions in expanding the reach of their businesses so that they can be in demand by the wider community. Business people develop modern business models. The government also encourages business people to develop modern business models, by applying digital technology as a platform in the process of sustaining business community activities to support economic activities in a business continuity strategy.

How Entrepreneurs Achieve Purpose Beyond Profit: The Case of Women Entrepreneurs in Nigeria

This paper investigates how entrepreneurs achieve a sense of purpose or, more precisely, eudaimonic well-being—the experience of a good and meaningful life. We explore this in the context of women entrepreneurs participating in a business training program in Nigeria. Specifically, we conduct mixed-methods research, starting with an inductive qualitative Study 1 of what eudaimonic well-being means for these entrepreneurs. We find that, in the context of their enterprises, eudaimonic well-being implies opportunities to experience self-cultivation, mastery, social recognition, and to benefit others in the community. Unexpectedly, the women in our study also experience eudaimonic well-being related to their households. These initial insights inform theory in Study 2 on how enterprise-related learning (i.e., acquiring and assimilating knowledge regarding the enterprise) and household-related learning (acquiring and assimilating knowledge regarding the household) influence their eudaimonic well-being, itself driven by strong social ties with other women entrepreneurs in the training program. Hypotheses testing through a quantitative study of 484 women entrepreneurs in Nigeria over time corroborates the theory. Our research provides a contextualized perspective of “purpose” in entrepreneurship and how to achieve it: by developing strong social ties, enabling enterprise- and household-related learning, women entrepreneurs in our context initiate greater eudaimonic well-being, beyond improving firm performance. Supplemental Material: The online appendices are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2021.15341 .

Lalu Sekejap Enterprise

Encik Ben and Encik Cha embarked on a humble venture called Lalu Sekejap Enterprise in 1990, offering general maintenance services. Despite lacking business experience, they registered their company and secured contracts with the local government. Their commitment to integrity and halal income was deeply rooted in their religious beliefs. Encik Ben, a dedicated employee with limited education, grew from a general worker to a supervisor, acquiring essential knowledge of the maintenance industry. Encik Cha, having witnessed corruption during his time in the treasury department, recognized Encik Ben's ethical approach and engaged in discussions outside of office hours. Together, they explored the possibility of starting their own business, driven by their shared vision of conducting business ethically. While Encik Ben and Encik Cha faced challenges due to their lack of business expertise, they persisted in their commitment to integrity. They overcame compliance issues and rebuilt their business, focusing on delivering high-quality services. Their dedication resonated with like-minded clients, and they established a reputation for honesty and trustworthiness. Years later, Encik Ben and Encik Cha attended a digital business training program that opened their eyes to the potential of digitalization in the maintenance industry. Recognizing the need to ensure the continuity and growth of their business, they started grooming their children and loyal employees to take over key responsibilities. With a strategic focus on digital transformation, Lalu Sekejap Enterprise integrated digital tools and platforms into their operations, enhancing efficiency and expanding their customer base. The business thrived, driven by a new generation of leaders who shared Encik Ben and Encik Cha's commitment to quality service and community well-being.
 Keywords: Ethical practices, Digital transformation, Integrity, General maintenance, Small business

Business resilience skills for SMEs

The goal of this research was to investigate the skills and values that can be related to building resilient Small and Medium Enterprises. Primary data on the topic were collected through survey research in a sample of 266 Greek and Polish business owners and managers during the summer of 2020. According to the replies, the Personal characteristics and Values category had the highest importance levels, but their adequacy levels were high as well. Especially Reliability, Integrity and Work ethics have been pointed out as vital for the long-term viability of a business while facing crises situations. The largest mismatch between importance and adequacy, by order of importance, were Communication, Risk identification and assessment, Financial Management, Planning and organisation and Customer-orientation, and these may constitute priority areas for inclusion in business training programs.

The Impacts of English on Business Training: Financial Sector Employees’ Perceptions in Jakarta, Indonesia

English is widely used in many areas of life, including business. This condition of using English as a lingua franca also exists in Indonesia. Employees must be prepared to embrace the English language while doing business with overseas companies or employing expats. As a result, employees may find themselves in need of English language training. English employee training is becoming more popular, and more firms are beginning to give it to their employees. Despite its growing popularity, few studies have examined the outcomes and effectiveness of such staff training. This case study investigates employees’ perspectives on English for business training to deepen studies on this subject, particularly in the Indonesian context. This qualitative study used one-on-one interviews with 30 participants from three English for Business training programs to collect data. The findings revealed that English for Business training had a favorable impact on employees and their work performance. This research could help businesses give and facilitate more English training to help their staff grow.

How can entrepreneurial interventions in a university context impact the entrepreneurial intention of their students?

This paper explores the link between the entrepreneurial intention of students in higher education and the entrepreneurial interventions an institution can provide to support them. The study uses data collected from 679 undergraduate students from Chinese and UK Universities. The instrument for data collection was a paper-based questionnaire. This study uses the integrated model of entrepreneurial intentions as the theoretical underpinning for this approach. The initial findings highlight the perceived need for a range of entrepreneurship interventions, with business training programmes being the highest priority, followed by mentoring, specialist business advice, low-cost finance, business networking events and enterprise clubs. It also shows that those with different Intention Horizons do request a different portfolio of interventions. The paper provides an evidence-based approach to entrepreneurship education design and the development of interventions to support a range of students with and without entrepreneurial intention. This work suggests a previously under-articulated relationship between the nascent entrepreneur’s Intention Horizon, university interventions, and entrepreneurial action. There are numerous calls for further contextualisation of entrepreneurship education which this paper fulfils (Baron and Shane in Psychol Entrepreneurship 19-39, 2007; Byrne et al. in Edward Elgar Publishing, 2014). It further develops the narrative around both contextualisation, the previous experience of the students and the range and importance of these interventions to support the creation of a new venture.

Skills training and business outcomes: Experimental evidence from Liberia

Small firms account for a large share of employment in developing countries. A standard approach aimed at improving start-up, survival, and growth entails training the entrepreneur in basic managerial and technical skills. However, recent meta-analyses find that standard business training programs result in modest impacts on the sales and profits of entrepreneurs in developing countries. More recently, there has been a growing interest in studying whether training programs that aim to increase the stock of soft skills associated with successful entrepreneurship can impact business outcomes. This study adds to this line of work by testing the relative effectiveness of providing standard training complemented with interpersonal skills training. Targeting about 570 small entrepreneurs in Liberia, the main findings show that the combined training does not result in additional gains in profits and sales relative to the standard training. However, training on soft skills seems to reinforce the message given in the traditional training about long-term goals. Both training programs have no impact on self-reported customer experiences and satisfaction.

The impact of digital technologies and social networks in young women and young mother’s entrepreneurship and employability

Young mothers face various obstacles in the labour market due to lack of skills in job search techniques, unpaid domestic labour responsibilities and, in developing countries, social isolation and restrictions. Business training programs targeting young mothers must be demand-driven and linked with private sector labour demands. In addition, life skills training programs aiming at work and life balance combined with the provision of childcare, are measures that if taken, can enhance young mothers’ entrepreneurship. Except for entrepreneurial program curricula, special attention should be given to the dissemination and implementation methods of lifelong learning programs in order to be able to reach young mothers where they are.

PENGOLAHAN BUNGA TELANG (CLITORIA TERNATEA) MENJADI SIRUP DI KELURAHAN BATANG SEROSA, KABUPATEN BENGKALIS SEBAGAI UPAYA MENINGKATKAN UP2K PKK BATANG SEROSA

Batang Serosa Village is one of the villages in the Bengkalis Regency. The UP2K program, which was implemented in Batang Serosa Village, targeted PKK Batang Serosa women. The selection of PKK as the target for UP2K participants was part of an effort to empower women. Processing telang flower into syrup is an effort to optimize existing natural resources into a useful product as well as having economic selling value. Clitoria Ternatea (CT) or commonly called telang flower comes from the Fabaceae family. Telang flower has been widely used as a natural colorant for food, Telang flower syrup is one form of innovation made. Telang flower itself is known to have health benefits and is widely used as herbal medicine by the community. The UP2K program for PKK women in Batang Serosa Village to process telang flowers into syrup aims to encourage productivity and their participation in developing the economy has been successful through the training program. . As input, for training programs and community empowerment in the future, it is hoped that at the same time it will be able to provide business and marketing training programs as well as control evaluations on a regular basis.

Impact and University Business Training Courses Delivered to the Marginalized: A Systematic Review

Scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and accreditors challenge business schools to extend their impact beyond academia and into the real world. Many management academics have responded by becoming involved in business training programs that seek to improve the well-being of marginalized individuals. However, work that conceptualizes and measures the efficacy of these activities has not been systematically analyzed. In this article, we provide the first review. We find that the research is dominated by examinations of short-term, individual-level outcomes, such as securing employment. Yet little is written about the impact of business training programs (especially over time) at either a collective or system level. We use our review to argue for theoretically informed approaches to redress this gap, highlighting underemphasized directions for future research. We also provide recommendations to assist program design, noting that good practice involves hybrid models of education that build capacity within marginalized communities. Further, program designs ought to support broader social goals, such as helping these communities to thrive.

Sovereign Entrepreneurs: Cherokee Small-Business Owners and the Making of Economic Sovereignty

Focusing on the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and their homeland, the Qualla Boundary in North Carolina, Courtney Lewis’s Sovereign Entrepreneurs addresses a striking lack of ethnographic research on Native American small-business owners. More importantly, this monograph responds to prior scholarship that has overwhelmingly associated economic sovereignty and self-determination with large operations overseen by tribal governments, especially casino gaming. Lewis persuasively argues that small businesses play a crucial role in mitigating Indigenous economic precarity by lessening tribal governments’ administrative burdens and fostering economic diversification that has combatted the effects of a single-industry (tourism) market and allowed the EBCI to brave the economic downturn of the Great Recession.Lewis’s in-depth coverage of issues relating to Eastern Band entrepreneurs is the product of months of participant observation research among business owners, government officials, and classmates in an “Indianpreneurship” course; personal experience as a Cherokee small-business owner; and familiarity with comparative cases of Indigenous entrepreneurship. Her analysis at times surpasses the promises of her introduction. For example, though she contrasts her understanding of economic sovereignty with Kevin Bruyneel’s idea of a “third space” of sovereignty (13), much of her evidence speaks brilliantly to this concept. She highlights how land trusteeship and blood-quantum reckoning of citizenship devised to facilitate Native assimilation ultimately serve Eastern Band economic and cultural sovereignty by protecting national assets from outsiders and underwriting the cultural capital of Native space, even as the former forces some Cherokees off the Boundary in search of property, and the latter prevents children of exogamous marriages from inheriting businesses.Despite such nuanced analysis, Lewis could have engaged more deeply with the implications of the capitalist nature of entrepreneurship. In her first chapter, while acknowledging that Eastern Band entrepreneurs have often worked to redistribute wealth and support their community, she echoes Philip Deloria, Daniel Usner, and Alexandra Harmon in noting how Native small-business owners defy settler colonial myths that cast Indians as inauthentic for engaging with capitalism, accumulating wealth, or failing to conform to business models of “social entrepreneurship” (24). For the remainder of the study, though, she implicitly equates Native entrepreneurship with social entrepreneurship, as though all small-business owners have contributed equally to the politics of sovereignty regardless of their relative prioritization of profit.Ultimately, though unquestionably valuable for students of history, anthropology, and Native studies for demonstrating that tribal governments and casinos are not the be-all and end-all of modern sovereignty struggles, this book’s interpretive contribution is additive rather than transformative. Lewis provocatively calls into question the celebration of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act by such scholars as W. Dale Mason and Laurie Arnold by pointing out how the 1988 law leaves Native nations beholden to state governments and restricts the spending of gaming profits, and she points out many unique advantages of small businesses: economic diversification, support for casinos and the tourism sector, multiplier effects, community wealth creation, augmentation of the tribal tax base, retention of Indigenous expertise, and the psychological effects of Native success in business. Many of these benefits, though, are dependent on tribal government support, including loans (significant because trust lands cannot serve as collateral), casino-dividend payments that provide capital and off-season support, tax breaks to citizen business owners, training programs, and Chamber of Commerce publicity. Furthermore, the EBCI government itself plays important roles in economic diversification, as Lewis herself acknowledges in noting existing and proposed tribal investment in an indoor water park, a bank, and medicinal marijuana production, among many other tribally controlled avenues of revenue generation, particularly through casinos, to which she devotes perhaps more space than would be expected in a book on small businesses. Nevertheless, Lewis has done important work to balance the equation of economic sovereignty.

Human Capital dan Kinerja Usaha melalui Women Entrepreneur's Capability pada Industri Pariwisata

ABSTACT
 The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of human capital on business performance through women entrepreneurs in the tourism industry on the island of Lombok. The entrepreneur's capability of women entrepreneurs is an intervening variable in this study, which will link the level of education, business training, entrepreneurial spirit and previous experience to business performance. The data used is primary data by distributing questionnaires directly to women entrepreneurs in 5 districts and cities on the island of Lombok. And using secondary data taken from the Central Bureau of Statistics of West Nusa Tenggara and the Office of Women's Empowerment of West Nusa Tenggara Province.
 This study uses quantitative analysis methods, using Likert scale research instruments and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis tools, using PLS 3.0 to test hypotheses. The results of the analysis show that the variables of business training and previous experience have a positive and significant influence on women entrepreneur's capability. And women entrepreneur's capability has a positive and significant influence on the business performance of women entrepreneurs in the tourism industry on the island of Lombok. The findings in this study are the variables of business training (program design, presentation method, content and curriculum) and previous experience (length of business, business achievement and self-development) have an indirect effect on business performance (increase in sales, increase in company assets and business profitability). but through women entrepreneur's capability which includes initiative and proactiveness, knowledge and development of new products from women entrepreneurs in the tourism industry on the island of Lombok.