Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Tweet[IWS] ADB: USING INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT WOMEN'S ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN CENTRAL AND WEST ASIA [27 May 2014]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies-----------------Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor--------------------Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
This service is supported, in part, by donations. Please consider making a donation by following the instructions at http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/iws/news-bureau/support.html
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
ADB Briefs, No. 23
USING INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT WOMEN'S ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN CENTRAL AND WEST ASIA [27 May 2014]
by Inmaculada Martinez; Dr. Thao Nguyen
or
[full-text, 8 pages]
Description
This brief gives an overview of women’s entrepreneurship in the region, and describes (i) how information and communication technology (ICT) can be used to support business activity and overcome challenges specific to women, (ii) the barriers preventing women from enjoying the full benefits associated with ICT, and (iii) the methodology used for the regional study. Finally, it summarizes the study’s strategic recommendations for ADB and other stakeholders.
Key points
· In several Central and West Asian countries, women are less likely to become entrepreneurs, and their businesses are more likely to be informal, stay small, generate less revenue, and employ fewer people.
· ICT tools not only improve business performance but can also be used to overcome challenges specific to women entrepreneurs—time and mobility constraints; access to formal financial services, information, skills, and personalized advice; and participation in business networks.
· However, lack of ICT skills, lower purchasing power, and cultural barriers hinder women entrepreneurs from accessing and using ICT.
· Governments, financial service providers, and business development service providers have room to more effectively leverage ICT to serve women entrepreneurs.
· Women represent an unmet market opportunity for the private sector, opening up public-private partnership options to develop sustainable initiatives and services.
________________________________________________________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
