FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS DOING BUSINESS IN ASIA: A SPECIAL INVESTIGATION

Abstract

ABSTRACT Over the last few years the number of female-owned businesses in Canada has grown at astonishing rates. However, research in the area of women in business, especially women in international business, has been limited. This paper focuses on the experiences of the female entrepreneur and is based on in-depth interviews with nine Canadian women entrepreneurs conducting business in the Asia-Pacific region. The results of the survey suggest that the experiences of managers and entrepreneurs do differ and imply that the literature prepared for a manager may not always apply to the entrepreneur. In addition, the positive experiences of the women interviewed indicate that conducting business in Asia is not much different from conducting business in Canada. Any perceived barriers, including culture, language, travel, and sexual discrimination can be easily overcome.