Small Business

Women Entrepreneurs in Oman : Some Barriers to Success

Problem Statement

Oman has depended on foreign expatriate labor in from third world countries in the past to make up the majority of its labor force However , there has been a drive for the Omanisation ' of the labor force - the encouragement of the employment of Omanis rather than foreigners . With women forming 50 of the population of the Sultanate of Oman , their role in this Omanisation ' is undeniable . However , there has been little work on the documentation of the problems faced by Omani

entrepreneurs , most especially the women . Omani women face greater challenges as compared to their western counterparts due to the factors of culture and societal norms

Objectives of the Study

The study aims to give light to the problems and issues faced by women entrepreneurs in the Sultanate of Oman . Fifty percent of the population of Oman is women and it is critical for the Sultanate to tap this huge potential human resource

Theory

The researchers were rooted in theory as they tried to understand the challenges facing Omani women entrepreneurs . However , the study itself is not really a validation of theory as it was more on understanding the Omani women and their challenges . The researchers see their work as a pioneering study that will hopefully encourage greater study and understanding of the challenges Omani women face when starting a business

Concepts

The study tries to learn from the experience of the entrepreneurs themselves . By having many interactions with the participants of the study , the researchers hope to generate quality qualitative data and use it to understand the situation

Hypothesis

From the study

Family support and encouragement usually has a positive influence on women , both to venture and progress in their business . The presence of a role model or mentor can influence women in their decisions and choices of careers (Brynin and Schupp , 2000 . Women may be satisfied by micro-level entrepreneurial activities - aiming for stability rather than growth and generally have less access to external funding than men hence , women 's businesses tend to be concentrated on the service sectors that usually require small initial capital outlay and less technical knowledge (Boden and Nucci , 2000

Variables

The first variable would be the number of participants involved . The researchers tried to contact 31 women entrepreneurs . Out of these , 25 women eventually participated . Additionally , the researchers chose women who are owners of or have a controlling stake in a business . The researchers disregarded business owners who only own the business and hire a third party (usually an expatriate ) to manage and grow the business

Measurements

The researchers tried to get information on the following aspects of women entrepreneurship : demographics , reasons for starting a business background experience of the entrepreneur , family background educational background , role model , work and family relations , decision making , networking . Also , the researchers asked them for their definition of what success is , cultural aspects of being an entrepreneur , government aspects and financial aspects . Finally the researchers asked the participants for...