Gender Studies, Entrepreneurship and Human Capital

The paper aims to examine the influence of gender diversity among hospital directors on the adoption of innovation. To this aim, it empirically analyses a sample of 108 Italian public hospitals, including general, teaching and research hospitals, for the 2015–2016 time frame. Findings from our OLS regression analysis show that female directors enable hospitals to successfully face the innovation challenge. In particular, female directors bring specific skills to executives and enhance their knowledge base. In addition, the results of our analysis suggest that work-abroad experience promote the implementation of innovative solutions as it provides women directors with a global view and open-mindedness that enrich their intercultural skills and therefore their attitude towards innovation.

The results contribute to the existing empirical research on women in governance by providing insights into the healthcare sector that is still underexplored. Moreover, the paper suggests that policymakers should pay attention to combine a stronger participation of female in hospital leadership and call for proper normative actions able to improve the background requirements for the recruitment of directors.

Breast cancer is one of the most relevant diseases for women all over the world. Statistics claim that one out of eight women experiences breast cancer in her life. The Irccs Cro – National Care Institute Center for Oncological Reference of Aviano, Italy, is one of the leading hospitals in Europe for breast cancer surgery. Physical rehabilitation is essential for social and works reintegration of oncological patients. The National Cancer Institute Center of Aviano declares that the support for physical and psychological recovery is one of its main principles. In 2018, the Center launched a brand-new program for the rehabilitative path for women who underwent breast cancer surgery. The program follows a co-production process, involving the female patients directly in the planning and provision of services that create value for them. The program aims at combining healthcare and fitness, planning physical exercises after the surgery, and monitoring the results through specific apps. Results of the co-production process lead to a significant outcome for female patients, helping them to recover faster from both physical and psychological ways. Moreover, data collected from the experience of the National Cancer Institute Center of Aviano can enhance the knowledge about better recovery after breast cancer surgery for women all around the globe.

The promotion of gender balance within corporate boards is considered one of the tools to support the gender diversity in the society as a whole. This paper would be a first step of a research project about the future of women on boards when the Italian L.120/2011, which imposes gender quotas in corporate governance bodies, will expire. In particular, the analysis focuses on the current board composition of the Italian-listed companies, with a particular focus on the nomination committee. The main tasks of this committee are the assessment of the board composition and the proposal of candidates for board positions; therefore, it could have an important role in the promotion of more balanced board with regard to gender in the absence of binding rules. This paper aims first to fill the existing gap in the literature about the role of nomination committee for gender-balanced boards, also with regard to different industries. Furthermore, it is a starting point for future researches extended to other countries, with potential practical implications, suggesting regulators to focus their attention on committees’ composition, not only with regard to number and status of independence but also with regard to gender.

Women have currently reached positions that require behaviour and competences previously related to men. These circumstances have placed the implications of women for the entrepreneurial orientation (i.e. EO) at the centre of the debate. However, it is still an open issue what factors might drive the EO in the presence of women entrepreneurs. Based on these premises, our paper explores whether the women’s expertise and experience have implications for the EO in terms of innovativeness, risk-taking propensity and proactiveness. To this aim, it relies on a multiple case study approach and formulates ex post propositions. Our study suggests that the female human capital factors foster/moderate the woman’s personal traits in terms of risk aversion and web thinking which, in turn, affect the EO dimensions. Therefore, the article contributes to both research and practice. In particular, it provides scholars with propositions that can be empirically tested. Moreover, it calls the attention of female entrepreneurs on how expertise and experience can affect the EO dimensions by fostering or moderating the effect of their personal traits.

Previous research shows the birth family’s role in encouraging their children’s entrepreneurial career, pointing out that early exposure to parental role models could favour children’s entrepreneurial spirit, especially in family firms. However, being a daughter in an entrepreneurial family means being forced to face important role models concerning entrepreneurship and womanhood. What are the consequences? This qualitative study focuses on daughters’ experiences, examining how birth families influence their entrepreneurial identities and which strategies they adopt to cope with dominant gender stereotypes in their family during their entrepreneurial career. Using narrative analysis and the case study method, the results illustrate that the birth family can affect daughters’ business identity differently, discouraging their entrepreneurial career because they are women or implicitly asking them to subdue their femininity identity to become an entrepreneur. Daughters cope with gender stereotypes accepting or opposing them by adopting a passive or active approach. They choose to stay in the family business remaining in a bind over gender stereotypes with resigned acceptance or forced acquiescence or, on the contrary, decide to start their own business, trying to get rid of gender stereotypes adopting an active rebellion or a silent opposition or simply to feel free to be themselves.

Relational capital is a vital asset of the contemporary economy, and it refers to the sum of relations among organizations and their stakeholders to create value. Previous literature states that relational capital appears as a strategic asset, especially for start-ups run by women entrepreneurs. We aim to deepen the dynamics of relational capital in female entrepreneurship, especially start-ups, analyzing the Italian context during the years 2011–2012, known as the time of the financial crisis. Our study employs a mixed method technique assessing the result of a program devoted to start-uppers. We explore the concerns and achievements of entrepreneurs-to-be, deepening the analysis concerning women in business. Then, we examine in detail one single case study, applying a revised version of the CAOS model of micro-entrepreneurship developed by Paoloni (2011). Our chapter contributes to the current literature on relational capital when women in business are involved.

By analyzing the literature regarding the peculiarities of the Corporate Governance (CG) structure and their impact on the companies’ performance, it is possible to understand that the characteristics of the CG, especially of the Board of Directors (BoDs), strongly affect companies. Particularly, it is renowned that the diversity of members, as well as their identity, can influence the obtainable results. Among all different kinds of diversity, the gender element was chosen in the present work, because although it has been studied by several scholars, its relationship with the companies’ performance still remains partially unexplored.

Furthermore, other important personal characteristics of members of BoD are considered in the present study, in line with how it is represented in both organizational and professional identity theories.

Starting from another work done by the authors (Tutino et al., Corporate governance, CSR and financial performances: what types of relationships exist between these dimensions? In: Corporate governance: search for the advanced practices, pp 231–240. https://​doi.​org/​10.​22495/​cpr19p12, 2019), where was studied what characteristics of BoD could influence the performance, the aim of this paper is to analyze the diversity of the BoD’ members, with the focus on gender, as well as to verify if in the world of “women in business,” some characteristics (as knowledge, skills, personal characteristics, level of education) are determinant and influence the thought process of directors and how they make decisions, which can impact strategy formulation, therefore the performance of companies.

To understand how the personal features of the members of BoD could be more perceivable regarding both the financial and CSR policies, the work is carried out using quantitative analysis on the data of the most capitalized Italian listed companies on December 28, 2018.

The findings demonstrated that the ones who are more interested on the topic of sustainability inside the Board are women that have recently joined the board, whose education is in the area of engineering. On the other hand, the members that give more attention to financial performance are men that have been on the board for a long period, despite their age, who belong to the audit associate profession.

The value of the present work is represented by the possibility of bridging the gap highlighted above, with reference to the relationship between the corporate governance structure and company performance. Another important aspect brought to light by this study concerns the specific characteristics of the board members that most influence strategic decisions and therefore performances.

This paper is voted to study if cultural/institutional environment among different countries can affect the presence of women on boards. The analysis is focused on a statistical model to observe over the period 2007–2017 (11 years) a cross-sectional sample of MSCI Index-listed companies (476 firms).

Grounding on Institutional Theory, we select several variables which represent cultural and institutional contexts in which firms do operate. As per female presence on boards, we collect data from Bloomberg database. To select institutional/cultural variables, we use well-acknowledged sources (Polity IV Project, PRS Group, World Bank). Our hypothesis is that among context variables, the most important one is the rule of law on gender quotas.

To study the relationship between institutional factors and female presence on board, we use a multivariate regression model to test the effects on the female board presence to variables presenting cultural, legal, and institutional country’s context. In particular, we will perform a fixed effects regression, using also control variables selected from extant literature on this topic (i.e., financial and dimension variables). Our hypothesis is that among context variables, the most important one is the legislation on gender (a law which obliges the appointment of women by firms).

Our first contribution is to show a descriptive analysis of the presence of female leaders in the sample. We want to provide a picture for the period of the MSCI Index firms’ situation regarding gender distribution among the sample boards. The second contribution is to test if the female presence is affected by the abovementioned cultural/institutional variables.

Our work finally provides a new insight on analyzing the phenomenon of women on boards from a cultural/institutional point of view. We contribute to literature adopting a methodology that allows us to explain if the presence of women is depending on institutional and cultural factors.

The empirical results of this study bring evidence that the presence of a law on gender quota in corporate board has a positive effect on the presence of women on boards. Moreover, the results show, in addition to coercive pressures, that there are also several normative pressures that have an influence on the representation of women on boards in a given country.

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of social relationships in the start-up phase of female entrepreneurs’ firms. Specifically, the study drew on social capital theory and focused on the structural and relational aspects of relationships to produce an understanding of three interrelated issues: (1) How does female entrepreneurs’ social capital impact the decision to become an entrepreneur? (2) What kinds of networks of relationships do female entrepreneurs have in the start-up phase? and (3) What kinds of relationships are the most important in start-up phase of female entrepreneurs? To empirically address these questions, we adopted the multiple case study strategy and examined four Finnish female entrepreneurs in the digital services industry with qualitative methods.

The number of women in the boards of directors has increased in a lot of international firms, in recent years, with the help of the gender quotas, but we do not know whether this fact leads to an increase in gender equality. Based on a literature review about gender diversity, business performance, and perceived gender equality, the present research investigates if perceived gender equality is present in the Italian listed companies, which are subjected to mandatory gender quotas, analyzing if differences between men and women exist. Given the fact that almost all Italian listed companies have reached the minimum threshold imposed by the law (20%), we analyze whether and which differences exist in perceived gender equality, between men and women, using a questionnaire based on previous studies in literature review. This paper contributes to expand the empirical studies and literature review emphasizing the relevance of identifying the presence of gender equality in the Italian listed companies to a better understanding of the perceptions within the boards of directors and to the differences between the two genders.

Wine is one of the most traditional products and bears a high symbolic value, and for some countries of the world, it is the bearer of the knowledge of the community, which contains tangible and intangible assets. It also generates income, employment, economic and social value.

Starting from the results of a previous study by the authors (Paoloni et al., Knowl Ecosyst Growth 1132–1156, 2019), this work aims to fill the gaps that have emerged in the literature on the subject of female entrepreneurship in the wine business scenario.

To comply with the objective of the document, a bibliographic search was conducted on Scopus, using a series of selected keywords. The literature identified was then analysed using a structured literature review (SRL) proposed by Paoloni and Demartini (Palgrave Commun 2(1):16094, 2016).

This paper helps to extend international literature by building a global framework on female entrepreneurship in the wine sector which, starting from the state of the art, highlights the contribution of the female role in the sector, as it provides different inputs for future research and analysis.

The main implication of the paper is to advance knowledge and practice on the role of women in the economy and on the contribution of female entrepreneurs to the growth of the country, focusing on empirical researches, theoretical developments, practice and current issues. Taking into account that female entrepreneurship is considered central to the development of economies, the deepening of knowledge on how female entrepreneurs manage relationships – both internally and externally – in their business can help improve policies aimed at promoting the participation of women entrepreneurs in the economy.

For centuries, Italy has been the benchmark for the high fashion and luxury sector, and while the ownership of the firms is often no longer totally Italian, the majority of the production is still “made in Italy”. During the financial crisis, the luxury industry has not been affected by downturn much, also thanks to “Millennials”, who assign a symbolic meaning to luxury goods as they endow relevance to virtual windows created by social networks. The brands capable of seizing the opportunity of digital communication (i.e. e-commerce; social network pages; sponsorships and commercial agreements with “influencers”; etc.) have overcome the adverse economic cycle rapidly.

The goal of the paper is to illustrate the case of a successful business, to demonstrate the connections either between the prevailing gender of human capital of a fashion retailer and its IT strategies or between the use of social networks and digital media and company’s performance. Particularly, the main research question is “can the gender affect the relevance of Information and Communication Technologies in a luxury fashion company?”. As digital communication is a resource for the future, is it able to guarantee stable revenues and income? If a business, thanks to social media, reaches the success, is this attainment independent by the history of the company and by the knowledge of the management team? Is it easier or more difficult for a woman to succeed in the luxury market than for a man?

To answer the above questions, we selected a famous company, operating in the fashion luxury sector, managed by women and whose products are advertised or sold through digital channels; we considered its history and the profile of its management; then, we analysed not only its main historical financial ratios but also some “digital” indicators (such as the number of visitors, the number of online customers, etc.).

By using a descriptive statistic method, we demonstrated that even if the use of information technology can improve the growth rate of a business, the knowledge, the human skills, the experience of the creative director as well as the quality of raw material can ensure the generation of stable positive results.

Gender-responsive budgeting is an application of gender mainstreaming in all phases of the budgetary cycle, in the allocation of economic and financial resources in gender equal or unequal ways and in decision-making processes. It is a gender-specific accountability document produced by governments from all regions of the world to show what their programs and budgets are achieving with respect to gender equality, to the empowerment of women, and to women’s rights. Integrating a gender budgeting methodology into the ordinary budgetary processes allows governments to understand better the different effects that policies and actions, revenue and expenditure, can have on women and men. Moreover, the gender budget report plays a particularly important role in the improvement of governance: it is a tool available to public administration for self-evaluation and therefore defines increasingly effective and fair administration methods. Through a qualitative approach, this study investigates the most significant gender budgeting initiatives implemented by Italian regions, provinces, and municipalities in order to know which approaches and methodologies in the gender budgeting processes they have adopted internally or promoted on their territories. Particularly, this study analyses 27 gender budgets carried out in 4 Italian regions, 6 provinces, 1 union of municipalities, and 16 municipalities. Currently, available evidence suggests the need to public authorities to go further than the sporadic implementation of gender budgeting, systematizing a gender-based analysis, and a gender equality-oriented evaluation with regard to the distribution of resources and the explanation of budgets.

This study aimed to analyse whether relational capital (RC) could help a woman start-up (WSU) fundraise during the early stages. Following previous studies about start-ups as means of development for economic context (Paoloni and Modaffari 2018) and about the role of innovative financial tools (e.g. crowdfunding) in their financial structure, the study investigated whether RC and the success of crowdfunding operations were connected. Focusing on gender studies, the literature review confirmed a gap between crowdfunding and WSUs. Therefore, a qualitative research methodology using a multiple case study was utilized, and the CAOS (“Characteristics, Ambience, Organization, Start-up”) model of micro-entrepreneurship by Paoloni (2011) was applied. From this model, some factors were identified, and different types of connections were classified that determined several kinds of existing relationships. The findings of this explorative research showed a positive effect of RC on WSU fundraising operations. WSUs were able to fundraise successfully if they established a permanent and formal relationship with the external environment. This study contributes to the scientific literature on gender studies, RC and the use of alternative methods in the field of finance. The managerial implication of the study is as follows: knowledge and practice should be advanced in the area of women in business and in the start-up stage of RC to develop fundraising processes with innovative financial tools, such as crowdfunding. The limitation of the research concerned the SMEs (start-ups). Analysis of data was available only through direct interviews with female entrepreneurs. Future research perspectives should focus on the acquisition of more data on the topic of WSUs and crowdfunding. In this way, it will investigate which RC factors contribute to the success of fundraising operations.

Most entrepreneurs define success as business growth. However, for women entrepreneurs, success incorporates various aspects and meanings. Thus, success is by far one of the most complex concepts in the field of entrepreneurship. Because women entrepreneurs’ success is a multifaceted concept, it has, therefore, multiple interpretations. Moreover, researchers across the world provided various definitions correlated to qualitative or quantitative approaches to this phenomenon. In the meantime, cross-country studies revealed multiple factors affecting women entrepreneurs’ success. A crucial factor affecting the success of women entrepreneurs across the world is the culture. Thus, studies conducted across the globe revealed various types and dimensions of culture and indicated different effects of culture on women entrepreneurs’ success. The authors discovered the significance of gender for interpretation of success and culture. The purpose of the study is to examine various effects of culture on women entrepreneurs’ success in a cross-country context and to design an integrative, holistic theoretical framework that enhances our understanding of success for women entrepreneurs from a gender perspective and explains the effects of culture. The value of designing such theoretical framework is the increase in knowledge with regard to cultural impact on women entrepreneurs’ success and the request for viable solutions to be designed by policy makers, which can help women entrepreneurship to grow.