Variables y operacionalización

At the end of any managerial plan comes the evaluation of the performance which is usually undertaken by comparing the outcome in relation to the pre-set objectives of the business owner. Under the influence of the metanarrative of economic growth the performance of the female entrepreneur does not follow this pattern as she has not been granted the freedom to set up her own objectives. As discussed in chapter 2, the metanarrative of economic growth has imposed economic growth variables as the only measurements for entrepreneurial success.

5.4 Discussion and conclusion

The findings reflect how the theoretical foundation governing female entrepreneurship studies has been shaped by the neo-classical economic growth theory. In line with the theory, female entrepreneurship studies portray the experience of the entrepreneur as static, objective and mechanistic. Consequently, female entrepreneurs are homogenised and their diversity and heterogeneity have been ignored. The neo-classical economic growth theory has also reduced the mapping of the literature to the individual female entrepreneur as the studies lack the focus on the context and the external environment in which women operate. This narrow focus has hindered the progress of female entrepreneurship studies. As mentioned earlier, different research areas have been critiqued for being “atheoretical”, “anecdotal” and “fruitless”.

As this chapter concludes the first part of the thesis, the next section offers a brief summary of the theoretical findings for the first four research questions in tables 2; 3 and 4.

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Table 2: Summary of the theoretical findings for research question 1 Research question 1 Discipline approached Findings

What is the influence of the metanarrative of economic growth upon the conceptualisation of female entrepreneurs? Mainstream female entrepreneurship studies Critical entrepreneurship studies on female entrepreneurs Economic studies including the re-visit of Schumpeter’s work  The metanarrative of economic growth establishes a dichotomy of successful versus unsuccessful female entrepreneurs.  The underperformance hypothesis is the departure point for all research areas

 The female entrepreneur is mainly conceptualised as a struggling business owner /manager.

 Imposed a psychological reductionism which led to the exclusion of the female entrepreneur as the other and maintained the analysis at the individual level of the entrepreneur

 Positivism dominates this research area

 Limited influence of critical feminist theory

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Table 3: Summary of the theoretical findings for research question 2 Research question

2

Discipline approached

Findings

How can feminist theory contribute to the emancipation of female entrepreneurs? Critical entrepreneurship studies on female entrepreneurs Feminist epistemology

The adoption of postmodern feminist epistemology emancipates female entrepreneurs because it destabilises the metanarrative of economic growth by;

 Rejecting the categories; man and woman it enables the exploration of gender power relations.

 Shifting the analysis from the individual to the institutional level.

 Opening the door for new research methodologies that capture women’s voices and stories.

 Celebrating the narratives of the oppressed women.

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Table 4: Summary of the theoretical findings for research questions 3 and 4 Research

questions 3 and 4

Discipline approached

Findings

How relevant is the theoretical foundation of economic growth to the entrepreneurial experience? What is the relationship between economic growth theory, Schumpeter’s theories and the identification of the entrepreneur in terms of his/her function in the economy? Economic Studies including a re-visit of Schumpeter’s theorising.

 The metanarrative of economic growth is embedded in the neo-classical economic growth theory.

 The mechanistic and rational ideology of this theory has silenced the entrepreneur and replaced him with a rational economic manager.

 Schumpeter’s theorising advocates entrepreneurship as dynamic. He argues that the main function of the entrepreneur is to carry out new combinations.

 Schumpeter’s theorising addresses many of the recommendations of critical entrepreneurship studies and therefore may offer an alternative conceptualisation of female entrepreneur

In the next chapter, I present the philosophical assumptions and the theoretical lens governing the thesis as well as the research method used to collect female entrepreneurs stories. The chapter will then be followed by three data analysis chapters which will address the following question; what are the narratives of female entrepreneurs in relation to their entrepreneurial experience?

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6 Methodological approach, research design and data

collection method

6.1 Introduction

The primary objective of this thesis is to emancipate female entrepreneurs from the metanarrative of economic growth. The study therefore aims to destabilise the metanarrative of economic growth as the true representation of female entrepreneurs’ experience. This chapter discusses the research methodology adopted with a view to achieve the thesis’s aim and purpose. The first part of the chapter offers an overview of social constructionism as the philosophical assumption underpinning this research. This is followed by a discussion of the theoretical framework guiding the analysis of the findings and the rationale for choosing this analytical lens which is informed by critical theory, feminist theory and postmodernism.

The second part of the chapter discusses the research methodology followed in the empirical part of this study. This section starts by introducing narrative inquiry with a focus on its application in entrepreneurship studies. This is followed by a detailed discussion of oral history method as the form of narrative inquiry adopted in this study. A brief analysis of the influence of postmodernism on oral history interviews is then presented. After discussing the process of data collection and data analysis, the chapter concludes with a brief note on research ethics.