نشریه مطالعات کارآفرینی و توسعه پایدار کشاورزی
سال دوم شماره 1 (پیاپی 5، بهار 1394)

A significant increase of employed women is an undeniable fact of Iranian society. Yet, social studies show that only limited number of employed women is becoming entrepreneurs. Suitable socio-cultural context is essential for the emergence of entrepreneurial activities. Study the problems of women entrepreneurs contribute to identify existing constraints, the revision of the future path and ultimately increase their personal and social efficiency.Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to examine the problems and constraints faced by women entrepreneurs in the process of their entrepreneurial activities. This study was conducted by qualitative paradigm and grounded theory approach. Semi-structured interviews and taking notes were used for data collection. Study started with Purposeful sampling and during the evolution of classes, followed by theoretical sampling. Data was analyzed using comparative analysis as suggested by Strauss and Corbin. 15 women entrepreneurs participated in this study that working in three sectors (industry, agriculture and services). The Results showed that women entrepreneurs are faced with the financial, marketing, personality, family, cultural, and scientific challenges. Lack of access to capital, distrust of banks and investors to women, lack of access to the market, existence of midlemen and brokers, lack of legal knowledge, knowledge of accounting and finance, conflict of roles, stress, discrimination, the existence of patriarchy culture in society and fear of failure are some of these problems.

Entrepreneurship is increasingly being recognized as a significant conduit for bringing about a transformation towards sustainable products and processes. Emerging literature on sustainable entrepreneurship has developed a new model of entrepreneurship as a calling to endow resources with new value. This aspect of entrepreneurship aspect that would make such a construct authentic sustainable entrepreneurship. Sustainable entrepreneurship is a possible way to handle environmental degradation and an important aspect in the agricultural sector. Thus, developing sufficient sustainability capabilities, establishing a positive or favorable sustainability attitude and creating attractive sustainable entrepreneurial practices can help in agricultural sector. This study is the first to seek understanding of sustainable entrepreneurship and then discussing about the sustainable development of the agricultural entrepreneurship and finally reach a conceptual model in sustainable entrepreneurship in agriculture. For this reason the current paper has an aim to study the emergence of sustainable entrepreneurship in agriculture by a library research. Finally from the results it can be recommended that a new model for sustainable entrepreneurship in agriculture.

According to the evidence, the conventional quantitative reductionist research methodology was failed in explaining complex and intertwined issues of enterprise development. In this situation, the system approach to holistic research in the field of entrepreneurship and enterprise is needed. The purpose of this study is to introduce a systems approach in enterprise and entrepreneurship researches, with an emphasis on Soft System Methodology and its foundations, including participatory action research and conceptual modeling. SSM is a methodology that allows support and structure the thinking and intervention on the complex enterprise problems. Indeed, the advantages of this methodology are that makes easier to structure problematic complex situations of enterprise and steers the researcher or system analyzer to obtain and share a realistic and holistic perception of internal and external environment of the enterprise. The SSM applies participatory action research as kind of Cooperative or collaborative inquiry for integrated collective learning, innovation and change in enterprise environment. In the SSM process, conceptual models were used in order to help people recognize, understand and simulate the enterprise subjects which the model represents. For this purpose, an innovative methodology was introduced for the conceptual modeling in the seven stages based on semantic analysis. As alternative, evolutionary systems - integration of critical systems inquiry with SSM- could be considered as a methodology which is applicable to the exploration of open complex social systems of enterprise with the capacity to evolve over time.

One of the key issues in the design of entrepreneurship development programs are entrepreneurs’ values. Values determine a person' orientation and criteria to choice and decision-making, so these can play an important role in the objectives and actions of people. On the other hand, several studies have been conducted in relation to the success of entrepreneurs but unfortunately less to define and understand the success of an entrepreneur's point of view. On the other hand, many studies have been conducted in the field the success of entrepreneurs but unfortunately less attention has been paid to define and understand of success from the perspective of entrepreneurs. While the success is a wide scope that can have multiple dimensions. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between entrepreneurs’ values and their perceptions of success. The data gathering was carried out with the participation of 92 entrepreneurs in three sectors (industry, services and agriculture) that are working in Kermanshah Township. The results showed that there is a significant relationship between entrepreneurs’ values and their definition of success, so that entrepreneurs that believe in values of power, achievement and self-direction, described the success by income, growth and reputation indicators and give less important to balance between business and family responsibility and social participatory indicators in their success. On the other hand, entrepreneurs who are committed to the values of benevolence and universalism, described your success by customer satisfaction, product quality and enjoyment of work criteria and give less important to growth and income indicators. Also entrepreneurs, who believed that emotionality value, described the success by innovation indicator.

One of the main institutional traits of entrepreneurial universities is institutionalized effort for commercialization of knowledge and technology in order to enhance academic entrepreneurship and technological entrepreneurship. University research commercialization was known as process of transfer and commercial exploitation of research findings. This process is one of the strategies of entrepreneurial university and could be led to academic entrepreneurship, technological entrepreneurship and, knowledge-based development of the agricultural sector. Commercialization of university research as a process consists of several stages. Sort these steps in a continuous cycle to lead and manage the commercialization of academic research at universities and research organizations is essential. For that reason, several models have been developed in order to conceptualize this process. Due to the lack of a representative conceptual model, this review was done with the aim of formulating a conceptual model for the commercialization of agricultural university research findings through comparative review of developed conceptual models. The designed model consists of several stages and key actions associated with each stage.

Several studies show that one of the major solutions for economic development, both of cities and villages is job creation and most important mechanisms and tools for employment is entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship makes reduce unemployment, increase personnel productivity and resources and ultimately increase revenue for people in the society. Although entrepreneurship is not the only way for creating jobs and increasing incomes of rural people, but it is certainly the best type and productive type of it. As of today, the role of entrepreneurship as an engine of economic was recognized widely by policymakers in many countries- including Iran, was recognized. But there are many obstacles in the way entrepreneurship entrepreneurs in the country in general and in the agricultural sector particularly. In this study, in addition to the discussion of entrepreneurial history, advantages and benefits of entrepreneurship, the concept of entrepreneurship and entrepreneur, the barriers to entrepreneurship development in the agricultural sector was discussed in detail. The results of this study show that policy-making and Planing, economic, support, education and information, infrastructural and cultural are major barriers to development of entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector. Finally some recommendations to the removing barriers to entrepreneurship, the entrepreneurs were presented.

The entrepreneurship activities of rural women provide the situation of poverty reduction in rural areas and it is a step toward the rural development. This subject, empower rural women through the creation of social capital, raising awareness, capacity building, the sense of progress and improve problem solving skills to have more participation in society. Micro-Entrepreneurship is a good opportunity for rural women to enter in the field of business to help them in family livelihoods and rural poverty reduction. The Best circumstance of women's micro-entrepreneurship is when they enter in the field of small businesses by creativity and innovative ideas, but in developing countries, women may act in different ways and without primary purpose, or under pressure of Compulsion and financial hardship. This paper investigates and analyzes the challenges ahead of women in terms of microentrepreneurship and discusses on different challenges such as lack of access to finance and credit, low human capital, social problems such as sexism, patriarchal society, family obligations, lack of access to information and lack of market knowledge.