WE STUDY NATIONAL AND REGIONAL RESEARCH PROJECT ON WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS MODEL
FCEM cooperates with IFC (SFI-IFC)
Project/Activity: Local Capacity Building of Businesswomen Associations and Research Centers to Better Meet Businesswomen Members’ Needs.
Goals : to collect data on businesswomen’s characteristics, needs and challenges in order to foster knowledge and understand how to better meet the needs of women business owners and promote their participation in policy dialogue and productive economic development. The project also enables regional and international knowledge sharing through the obtaining of baseline data, its analysis at the national level and comparative analysis at the regional and international level.
Key Activities: ♣ Membership Survey Questionnaire Design and implementation ♣ Results and findings analysis ♣ Publishing of Regional Report (English, Spanish/French) ♣ Publishing of National reports (by participating associations) ♣ Dissemination/promotion of findings.
Replicable: FCEM (the World Association of Women Entrepreneurs) has been accorded the rights to implement the IFC/CAWTAR project approach and methodology at the global level – replicating initiatives are being pursued by FCEM member organizations in the Nordic region, in the Benelux and Germanic zone, in French speaking West Africa, and the Americas.
Executing bodies:
Five National Associations of Women Entrepreneurs members of FCEM, WomenAble, Project Experts, FCEM, Research Centers/Universities
Sponsors/Technical and Financial Partners:
FCEM, World Bank, Regional Development Bank, International Trade Center (ITC), International Labour Organisation (ILO WEDGE programme), WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisations), Multinational Companies and National Companies
Budget/Cost:
Estimates US $350,000 Financing of the project will be composed of public and private sector stakeholders and partners participation.
NB : In 2008, FCEM became a member of the Clinton Global Initiative. www.clintonglobalinitiative.org
WE STUDY…. NATIONAL AND REGIONAL RESEARCH PROJECT ON WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS
Background:
This projects aims at gathering information on issues of importance to women entrepreneurs in designated countries in the region by means of a survey among the women business owner population. Owing to the lack of data which could be the basis for quality research, this project is meant to implement a process for better communication and more information sharing on an ongoing basis at the national, regional and international levels.
This project intends to foster the creation and consolidation of a research network of women associations in the relevant region and internationally. The success of the project is furthermore reassured through its implementation led by the network of national associations of the world association of women entrepreneurs (FCEM). The overall objective of this study is to contribute in reinforcing organisational capacities for research centers as well as for Women Entrepreneurs Associations, by means of providing – through the surveys – in – depth analysis of women business owners needs, expectations, and obstacles. National studies and a regional study for the Middle East North Africa (MENA) countries of Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates was conducted in 2007. The regional study was published in June 2007 and launched in Amman by Queen Rania of Jordan. This same study has been previously conducted in Vietnam and in Yemen. The Icelandic association FKA and the Belgian association FCEB (both members of FCEM) have indicated that they wish to head up the implementation of national and regional studies for the Nordic and Benelux-Germanic blocs of nations. A study project is being developed for the West African francophone bloc of countries.
Project Goals/Objectives
Profiling Firms, Owners Characteristics- who are they? Profile of the business and their owners Showcase the diversity of women’s enterprises Provide new source on the market in general: basic information, potential database
Uncovering Key Issues, Challenges Indentify needs (by sector) Growth/ survival issues: general business issues and sustainability of enterprises
Identify Obstacles Training, networking needs Highlight current conditions Information and Communication Technology usage, needs Formal, informal sector (differences)
How are women business owners addressing market needs?
Institutional Capacity- Building Cooperation between/among organizations, countries Building communities, synergies Building strengthening the women business owner community, movement Think long-term: institutionalization of organizations, communities Empower women’s associations and non-governmental organizations Empower women business owners themselves
Organisational Capacity-building for women‘s organizations Tool for additional, future funding, attract attention of sponsors – enhance their sustainability – develop training programs – develop tool-kits, manuals Increasing Public Awareness Communicating results widely Increasing awareness of contributions of women entrepreneurs – especially among men, power brokers – throughout the region and the world – among youth Providing role models: profiling cases of women business owners in report Create Momentum for Change Tool for advocacy, for effecting change. Illustrate that increasing women’s entrepreneurship can help alleviate poverty (for women and their families, and their employees) Regional Benefits Comparability between surveys (national and regional reports) Increasing awareness of contributions of women entrepreneurs Building common strategies within the women’s business community Build a community of women business owner-focused researchers Educational opportunities for students (i.e. in universities as they assist in project)
PROJECT PARTNERS (Sponsors, Technical, Financing) , IMPLEMENTATION AND EXECUTING AGENTS, COORDINATION:
° FCEM (World Association of Women Entrepreneurs) ° The World Bank ° Regional Development Banks or Financing Institution ° Private Sector Multinationals and National Company Sponsors ° National Associations of Women Entrepreneurs of the proposed countries: ° National research center or university, regional research center ° International researcher consultant WomenAble (Julie Weeks) ° Partner Institutions: ITC (International Trade Center), ILO (International Labour Organisations WEGDE programme), WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisation).
Research Methodology:
Survey Instrument:
- The FCEM WE-Study project will utilise and adapt the survey instrument used in the June 2007 “Women Entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa: Characteristics, Contributions and Challenges report” joint research project of the IFC PEP-MENA facility and the IFC GEM initiative in partnership with CAWTAR and the national associations of women entrepreneurs of the 5 MENA countries in the study: Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia and United Arab Emirates.
- The template used was based upon a survey instrument used by the IFC and the Mekong Private Sector Development Facility (MPDF) in a 2005 survey of women business owners in Vietnam. Questions from study have been used regularly in surveys over the past decade, making them comparable on a regional and international basis. The final template utilised in the study also benefitted from the GEM survey instrument implemented in Yemen.
