• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제9권7호
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• pp.123-133
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• 2022

This paper explores the key factors influencing the business performance of enterprises, specifically women-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam. The extant literature on factors affecting the business performance of women-owned SMEs in Vietnam is still quite scarce. The researchers used a self-administered questionnaire to achieve a sample of 265 female SME owners in Vietnam to find these factors. The obtained data was analyzed by using SPSS 20.0. Cronbach's α test and factor analysis have been carried out to test the reliability of data and validate the hypothesis. The results showed that these enterprises' performances had a significant positive relationship with the business management competencies of the directors of the business, quality of human resources, financial access, socio-cultural factors, and government policy. Also, the study showed no relationship between the enterprise's business network and business performance. The results suggest that female business owners should improve their business management capacity, focusing on training activities to improve the quality of human resources of enterprises. The Government needs policies to support small and medium enterprises in accessing financial and other resources and propagate to reduce gender stereotypes.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제8권12호
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• pp.345-352
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• 2021

Guided by a resource-based theory, this study is the first one that takes a quantitative approach to identify determinants of competitiveness of women-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam. The study employs time series data of Vietnamese SMEs extracted from the Vietnam Small and Medium Enterprises Survey conducted biennially from 2005 to 2015 in ten Vietnamese provinces. Firm competitiveness hereby is indicated by revenue, market share, profitability, and export volume. The research reveals a number of determining factors, of all, research and development, labor skills, business environment, technology investment are the most important factors, followed by capital and headcount. It is indicated that the determining factors have different influences on competitiveness obtained by different measurements. Therefore, it is based on specific targets and situations to make wise business decisions. The authors also make comparisons among groups of women-owned enterprises divided by their firm age, location, ownership, export, age, and educational background of business owners. The findings serve as critical empirical evidence and provide policy recommendations for improving the competitiveness of women-owned SMEs in Vietnam. The recommendations range from technology support, education and professional support for female entrepreneurs, access to capital and human resources to business environment improvement.