JOURNAL OF BUSINESS DIVERSITY

Growth of Women-Owned Businesses: The Effects of Intangible

Resources and Social Competence

Author(s): Crystal X. Jiang, Monica A. Zimmerman, Grace Chun Guo

Citation: Crystal X. Jiang, Monica A. Zimmerman, Grace Chun Guo, (2012) "Growth of Women-Owned Businesses: The Effects of Intangible

Resources and Social Competence," Journal of Business Diversity, Vol.12, Iss. 1, pp. 47 - 71

Article Type: Research paper

Publisher: North American Business Press

Abstract:

Previous research suggests that women entrepreneurs face many challenges in starting and growing a

business. In this study, we examine the relationship of intangible resources and the growth of womenowned

businesses. We focus on four intangible resources: social-, human-, and reputational capital, as

well as social competence. Using case studies of women entrepreneurs, we found that a woman

entrepreneur’s social-, human-, and reputational capital are related to the growth of her business. We also

found that social competence moderates the social-, human-, and reputational capital – growth

relationship in women entrepreneurs.