Abstract
This study aims to identify skills required by Malaysian women entrepreneurs from a low-income group known as B40. This study only focuses on womenprenuers who are involved in digital businesses. In addition, this study also employed the ADDIE model to develop the training workshop for empowering womenprenuers to improve their competencies and business performance. The interviews were used as research instruments and involved twenty-two informants. Data were evaluated using thematic analysis. The findings have categorised the training need into seven main themes: financial management, information and communication technology (ICT), marketing, customer service management, motivation, communication skills, and business management. These themes represent the training skills required by the informants. The researchers have used the information to develop womenpreneurs training workshops. The target participants are exposed to various entrepreneurship skill sets. The research implications, limitations, and future research recommendations were also highlighted.
TopIntroduction
Entrepreneurship and business have long been one of the community's career options and have become a priority in various government policies (Fairlie & Fossen, 2020). The government aims to make the field of entrepreneurship, especially the small and medium industry sector, a significant contributor to job opportunities and further help develop the national economy. Various efforts have been carried out to achieve entrepreneurial goals in Malaysia. The Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry continues to empower digital-based small and medium enterprises (SMEs) nationwide, and the National Entrepreneurship Policy is Malaysia's long-term strategy for making Malaysia a superior entrepreneurial nation by 2030. This policy catalyzes Malaysia's achievement of a united, prosperous, and dignified country. It continues to develop sustainability with a fairer and more inclusive economic distribution, subsequently emerging as the economic axis of Asia (Ariffin et al., 2020). According to SME Corp. Malaysia, a business will be classified as an SME if it meets all the relevant conditions, including eligibility criteria, type of establishment, and shareholder structure. In addition, SMEs must registered with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) or similar bodies, such as professional bodies or district offices in East Malaysia. SMEs are divided into three categories, namely micro, small, and medium. In manufacturing, SME sales turnover not exceeding Ringgit Malaysia (RM) 50 million or full-time employees not exceeding 200 workers. On the other hand, for services and other sectors, SMEs' sales turnover is at most RM20 million, with full-time employees and 75 workers at most (Azmi, 2020).
An entrepreneur is an individual who starts or runs a business. Entrepreneurs usually dare to take risks and create business opportunities. They have skills in managing businesses, planning, developing marketing strategies, and running the day-to-day operations of businesses (Dana, 2021). Entrepreneurs also can find new opportunities and take the initiative to achieve their business goals. Entrepreneurship refers to entrepreneurs' ideas, processes, and practices to start and run a business (Pradhan et al., 2020). Entrepreneurship involves creativity, innovation, and risk management. Women entrepreneurs are a group identified as agents of economic change in the world that can seen nowadays through their success in entrepreneurship and business (Poggesi et al., 2020). In Malaysia, women have been exposed to knowledge and various fields of skills and knowledge about entrepreneurship. The knowledge women possess will shape them into a successful entrepreneur and socioeconomic development (Setini et al., 2020). The power of women today is undeniable. The proof is that many women are successful entrepreneurs in various fields. More and more women in Malaysia are venturing into entrepreneurship, especially in SMEs, but the number is still tiny compared to the number of male entrepreneurs (Rudhumbu et al., 2020). According to statistics, only one in five SMEs are owned by women. Among the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs are resource factors (Eid, 2022). The intended resources include financial resources such as start-up capital, working capital, and capital for business expansion, as well as raw materials and equipment sources.
Another challenge faced by women entrepreneurs is in terms of the market. Good products, creative designs, and catchy brands cannot help entrepreneurs penetrate the market without marketing activities. In this regard, female entrepreneurs are advised to take advantage of marketing platforms through digital technology as much as possible. Face-to-face marketing methods need to be minimized by maximizing the use of the Internet in marketing the products and services offered. Therefore, female entrepreneurs must be helped by empowering aspects of entrepreneurial knowledge transfer that align with current trends (Ariffin et al., 2020; Poggesi et al., 2020).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Technology: is the application of conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. It includes both tangible and intangible tools, such as utensils or machines, and intangible ones, such as software.
Entrepreneurship Training: - courses related to entrepreneurial aspects such as spirituality, business management, financial management, operation management, marketing, information technology, and communication.
Womenprenuers: - a woman who is both an entrepreneur and a business leader. She creates and runs her own business, often facing significant challenges. Womenpreneurs are often trailblazers, typically passionate about their work and driven to succeed.
Entrepreneurship Skills: – it encompasses a broad range of various skill sets like technical skills, leadership and business management skills, creative thinking, and others.
Resource-Based View (RBV): - a model that sees resources as key to superior business performance. There are two types of resources: tangible and intangible. Tangible assets include land, buildings, machinery, equipment, and capital. Intangible assets include knowledge, skills, brand reputation, trademarks, and intellectual property.
Constructivist Learning Theory –: a learning theory that emphasizes the active role of learners in building their understanding.
ADDIE Model: - the generic process traditionally used by instructional designers and training developers. The five phases—Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation—represent a dynamic, flexible guideline for building practical training and performance support tools.