Brenda Orser
Biographic Data
| ID | 734178 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Brenda Orser |
| GIVEN NAMES | Brenda |
| FAMILY NAME | Orser |
| SIGNATURE | ORSER B |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Ottawa |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7434-6141 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 16 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 48 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 16 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1992 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Entrepreneurial feminism: Reframing contemporary entrepreneurship education
This editorial is a call to action to challenge several taken-for-granted assumptions in entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education (EE), proposing a novel reorientation grounded in feminist values. We position the editorial at the intersection of entrepreneurial feminism and EE and begin to answer the question: How can entrepreneurial feminism advance contemporary EE? In doing so, we respond to the recent recommendation of Jones et al. (202…
Women entrepreneurs in rural Nigeria: Formal versus informal credit schemes
Purpose This study examines why low-wealth women entrepreneurs forgo mobile enabled money services and government supported micro finance for informal, community-based revolving loans in rural Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach Thematic analysis of 25 interviews with women in rural, south-west Nigeria. Entrepreneurial ecosystem theory, in the gendered context of micro finance and community-based lending, is employed. Findings This study explain…
Building back better through feminist entrepreneurship policy
Purpose Most feminists policies are aspirational. Deficiencies include vague terms of what constitutes ‘feminist’ within policy, ambiguous investment criteria, lack of consultation and the use of the binary definition of gender negating gender-diverse people (Tiessen, 2019). The purpose of this study is to identify parameters that characterize feminist entrepreneurship policies and to advance recommendations to operationalize these policies. Desi…
A conceptual model and assessment criteria to inform gender-smart entrepreneurship education and training plus
Purpose This study aims to problematize how gender is enacted within entrepreneurship education and training (EET). Design/methodology/approach Using a social feminist lens, this study advances principles, a conceptual framework, assessment criteria and illustrative performance metrics to inform gender-sensitive EET programs and courses. Findings are based on a cross-case thematic analysis of two large-scale case studies conducted in Canada and J…
Technology adoption and gender-inclusive entrepreneurship education and training
Purpose Drawing on social feminist theory, this paper aims to close gaps between knowledge about gender-related barriers to information, communication and technology (ICT) adoption and the provision of entrepreneurship education and training (EET) programs. Design/methodology/approach Empirical findings are drawn from 21 semi-structured interviews (22 informants) possessing differing training expertise regarding digital technology among women ent…
The efficacy of gender-based federal procurement policies in the United States
Purpose Because procurement policies are one of the means of redressing discrimination and economic exclusion, the US Government has targeted 23 per cent of its annual half-trillion dollar spend to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and 5 per cent of its spend to women-owned businesses. Design/methodology/approach The research framework is informed by two theoretical paradigms, feminist empiricism and entrepreneurial feminism, and uses a …
Progress or pinkwashing: Who Benefits From Digital Women-Focused Capital Funds
This paper examines the positioning of gender within women-focused capital funds (WFCFs) to consider the extent to which these digitally enabled sources of finance reflect the tenets of entrepreneurial feminism. Content analysis of 27 funds situated in Canada and the USA informs about fund mandates, rationales, types of capital, and anticipated outcomes. Our findings reveal that a minority of WFCFs examined sought to enhance equity and counter st…
Women’s entrepreneurship policy: A 13 nation cross-country comparison
Purpose Government attention to women’s entrepreneurship has increased in the past two decades; however, there are few cross-cultural studies to inform policy development. This paper aims to draw on gender and institutional theory to report on the status of female-focused small and medium-sized enterprises/entrepreneurship policies and to ask how – and to what extent – do women’s entrepreneurship policies differ among countries? Design/methodolog…
Fostering trust in mentoring relationships: An Exploratory Study
Purpose Mentoring has been identified as a key strategy to career development and has been argued to be indispensable for women to advance to positions of power. For mentoring to succeed, it is imperative that mentors trust their protégés. However, recent research has suggested that male mentors trust their male protégés more so than their female protégés. Since women are frequently mentored by men, it is imperative that they gain the same level …
Financing new venture exporters
Women‐focused small business programming: Client motives and perspectives
Purpose The purpose of this study is to draw on feminist ethics of care theory to examine motives for accessing a women‐focused, small business programme (Centre). Perceived differences between women‐focused and other small business advisory agencies are discussed. Design/methodology/approach An online survey captured verbatim responses from 212 respondents. Qualitative data were subjected to content analysis using NVivo8. Findings Most responden…
Feminist attributes and entrepreneurial identity
Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how feminist attributes are expressed within entrepreneurial identity. Design/methodology/approach The study employed a purposive sampling technique to recruit 15 self‐identified “feminist entrepreneurs”. This included retailers, manufacturers, exploration operators, consultants, and professionals. Qualitative data were subject to content analysis. Findings Contrary to a feminine archetype portrayed…
Gender influences on career success outcomes
Purpose Models of career success outcomes have specified that gender is one covariate, among many. Theoretical reasons why gender is better specified as a moderating variable are advanced. The purpose of this paper is to examine empirically how gender moderates that influence of personal and structural factors on objective (total compensation, and ascendency), and subjective (perceived success) career outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The res…
Sex Role Stereotypes and Requisite Management Characteristics: An International Perspective
Examines the incidence of sex role stereotyping and the relevance of selection and socialization in attitude formation among business and non‐business students. Compares findings to similar research undertaken in the United States, Great Britain and (the former) West Germany
The Origins and Nature of Language
Academic Attainment, Assimilation and Feminism in Canadian Schools of Business
Investigates employment discrimination in Canadian Schools of Business. A review of Statistics Canada data on student (1971, 1978) and faculty composition (1980, 1985, 1989) demonstrates that the number of females as a percentage of undergraduate and graduate students of business has increased significantly as has the total percentage of female faculty. Females are, however, significantly under‐represented in senior academic positions of associat…
Feminist attributes and entrepreneurial identity
Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how feminist attributes are expressed within entrepreneurial identity. Design/methodology/approach The study employed a purposive sampling technique to recruit 15 self‐identified “feminist entrepreneurs”. This included retailers, manufacturers, exploration operators, consultants, and professionals. Qualitative data were subject to content analysis. Findings Contrary to a feminine archetype portrayed…
Gender influences on career success outcomes
Purpose Models of career success outcomes have specified that gender is one covariate, among many. Theoretical reasons why gender is better specified as a moderating variable are advanced. The purpose of this paper is to examine empirically how gender moderates that influence of personal and structural factors on objective (total compensation, and ascendency), and subjective (perceived success) career outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The res…
Progress or pinkwashing: Who Benefits From Digital Women-Focused Capital Funds
This paper examines the positioning of gender within women-focused capital funds (WFCFs) to consider the extent to which these digitally enabled sources of finance reflect the tenets of entrepreneurial feminism. Content analysis of 27 funds situated in Canada and the USA informs about fund mandates, rationales, types of capital, and anticipated outcomes. Our findings reveal that a minority of WFCFs examined sought to enhance equity and counter st…
Women’s entrepreneurship policy: A 13 nation cross-country comparison
Purpose Government attention to women’s entrepreneurship has increased in the past two decades; however, there are few cross-cultural studies to inform policy development. This paper aims to draw on gender and institutional theory to report on the status of female-focused small and medium-sized enterprises/entrepreneurship policies and to ask how – and to what extent – do women’s entrepreneurship policies differ among countries? Design/methodolog…
Technology adoption and gender-inclusive entrepreneurship education and training
Purpose Drawing on social feminist theory, this paper aims to close gaps between knowledge about gender-related barriers to information, communication and technology (ICT) adoption and the provision of entrepreneurship education and training (EET) programs. Design/methodology/approach Empirical findings are drawn from 21 semi-structured interviews (22 informants) possessing differing training expertise regarding digital technology among women ent…
Building back better through feminist entrepreneurship policy
Purpose Most feminists policies are aspirational. Deficiencies include vague terms of what constitutes ‘feminist’ within policy, ambiguous investment criteria, lack of consultation and the use of the binary definition of gender negating gender-diverse people (Tiessen, 2019). The purpose of this study is to identify parameters that characterize feminist entrepreneurship policies and to advance recommendations to operationalize these policies. Desi…
A conceptual model and assessment criteria to inform gender-smart entrepreneurship education and training plus
Purpose This study aims to problematize how gender is enacted within entrepreneurship education and training (EET). Design/methodology/approach Using a social feminist lens, this study advances principles, a conceptual framework, assessment criteria and illustrative performance metrics to inform gender-sensitive EET programs and courses. Findings are based on a cross-case thematic analysis of two large-scale case studies conducted in Canada and J…
Fostering trust in mentoring relationships: An Exploratory Study
Purpose Mentoring has been identified as a key strategy to career development and has been argued to be indispensable for women to advance to positions of power. For mentoring to succeed, it is imperative that mentors trust their protégés. However, recent research has suggested that male mentors trust their male protégés more so than their female protégés. Since women are frequently mentored by men, it is imperative that they gain the same level …
Women entrepreneurs in rural Nigeria: Formal versus informal credit schemes
Purpose This study examines why low-wealth women entrepreneurs forgo mobile enabled money services and government supported micro finance for informal, community-based revolving loans in rural Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach Thematic analysis of 25 interviews with women in rural, south-west Nigeria. Entrepreneurial ecosystem theory, in the gendered context of micro finance and community-based lending, is employed. Findings This study explain…
The efficacy of gender-based federal procurement policies in the United States
Purpose Because procurement policies are one of the means of redressing discrimination and economic exclusion, the US Government has targeted 23 per cent of its annual half-trillion dollar spend to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and 5 per cent of its spend to women-owned businesses. Design/methodology/approach The research framework is informed by two theoretical paradigms, feminist empiricism and entrepreneurial feminism, and uses a …
Women‐focused small business programming: Client motives and perspectives
Purpose The purpose of this study is to draw on feminist ethics of care theory to examine motives for accessing a women‐focused, small business programme (Centre). Perceived differences between women‐focused and other small business advisory agencies are discussed. Design/methodology/approach An online survey captured verbatim responses from 212 respondents. Qualitative data were subjected to content analysis using NVivo8. Findings Most responden…
Academic Attainment, Assimilation and Feminism in Canadian Schools of Business
Investigates employment discrimination in Canadian Schools of Business. A review of Statistics Canada data on student (1971, 1978) and faculty composition (1980, 1985, 1989) demonstrates that the number of females as a percentage of undergraduate and graduate students of business has increased significantly as has the total percentage of female faculty. Females are, however, significantly under‐represented in senior academic positions of associat…
Sex Role Stereotypes and Requisite Management Characteristics: An International Perspective
Examines the incidence of sex role stereotyping and the relevance of selection and socialization in attitude formation among business and non‐business students. Compares findings to similar research undertaken in the United States, Great Britain and (the former) West Germany
The Origins and Nature of Language
Gender influences on career success outcomes
Purpose Models of career success outcomes have specified that gender is one covariate, among many. Theoretical reasons why gender is better specified as a moderating variable are advanced. The purpose of this paper is to examine empirically how gender moderates that influence of personal and structural factors on objective (total compensation, and ascendency), and subjective (perceived success) career outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The res…
Feminist attributes and entrepreneurial identity
Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how feminist attributes are expressed within entrepreneurial identity. Design/methodology/approach The study employed a purposive sampling technique to recruit 15 self‐identified “feminist entrepreneurs”. This included retailers, manufacturers, exploration operators, consultants, and professionals. Qualitative data were subject to content analysis. Findings Contrary to a feminine archetype portrayed…
Financing new venture exporters
Women‐focused small business programming: Client motives and perspectives
Purpose The purpose of this study is to draw on feminist ethics of care theory to examine motives for accessing a women‐focused, small business programme (Centre). Perceived differences between women‐focused and other small business advisory agencies are discussed. Design/methodology/approach An online survey captured verbatim responses from 212 respondents. Qualitative data were subjected to content analysis using NVivo8. Findings Most responden…
Fostering trust in mentoring relationships: An Exploratory Study
Purpose Mentoring has been identified as a key strategy to career development and has been argued to be indispensable for women to advance to positions of power. For mentoring to succeed, it is imperative that mentors trust their protégés. However, recent research has suggested that male mentors trust their male protégés more so than their female protégés. Since women are frequently mentored by men, it is imperative that they gain the same level …
Women’s entrepreneurship policy: A 13 nation cross-country comparison
Purpose Government attention to women’s entrepreneurship has increased in the past two decades; however, there are few cross-cultural studies to inform policy development. This paper aims to draw on gender and institutional theory to report on the status of female-focused small and medium-sized enterprises/entrepreneurship policies and to ask how – and to what extent – do women’s entrepreneurship policies differ among countries? Design/methodolog…
Technology adoption and gender-inclusive entrepreneurship education and training
Purpose Drawing on social feminist theory, this paper aims to close gaps between knowledge about gender-related barriers to information, communication and technology (ICT) adoption and the provision of entrepreneurship education and training (EET) programs. Design/methodology/approach Empirical findings are drawn from 21 semi-structured interviews (22 informants) possessing differing training expertise regarding digital technology among women ent…
The efficacy of gender-based federal procurement policies in the United States
Purpose Because procurement policies are one of the means of redressing discrimination and economic exclusion, the US Government has targeted 23 per cent of its annual half-trillion dollar spend to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and 5 per cent of its spend to women-owned businesses. Design/methodology/approach The research framework is informed by two theoretical paradigms, feminist empiricism and entrepreneurial feminism, and uses a …
Progress or pinkwashing: Who Benefits From Digital Women-Focused Capital Funds
This paper examines the positioning of gender within women-focused capital funds (WFCFs) to consider the extent to which these digitally enabled sources of finance reflect the tenets of entrepreneurial feminism. Content analysis of 27 funds situated in Canada and the USA informs about fund mandates, rationales, types of capital, and anticipated outcomes. Our findings reveal that a minority of WFCFs examined sought to enhance equity and counter st…
A conceptual model and assessment criteria to inform gender-smart entrepreneurship education and training plus
Purpose This study aims to problematize how gender is enacted within entrepreneurship education and training (EET). Design/methodology/approach Using a social feminist lens, this study advances principles, a conceptual framework, assessment criteria and illustrative performance metrics to inform gender-sensitive EET programs and courses. Findings are based on a cross-case thematic analysis of two large-scale case studies conducted in Canada and J…
Building back better through feminist entrepreneurship policy
Purpose Most feminists policies are aspirational. Deficiencies include vague terms of what constitutes ‘feminist’ within policy, ambiguous investment criteria, lack of consultation and the use of the binary definition of gender negating gender-diverse people (Tiessen, 2019). The purpose of this study is to identify parameters that characterize feminist entrepreneurship policies and to advance recommendations to operationalize these policies. Desi…
Women entrepreneurs in rural Nigeria: Formal versus informal credit schemes
Purpose This study examines why low-wealth women entrepreneurs forgo mobile enabled money services and government supported micro finance for informal, community-based revolving loans in rural Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach Thematic analysis of 25 interviews with women in rural, south-west Nigeria. Entrepreneurial ecosystem theory, in the gendered context of micro finance and community-based lending, is employed. Findings This study explain…
Entrepreneurial feminism: Reframing contemporary entrepreneurship education
This editorial is a call to action to challenge several taken-for-granted assumptions in entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education (EE), proposing a novel reorientation grounded in feminist values. We position the editorial at the intersection of entrepreneurial feminism and EE and begin to answer the question: How can entrepreneurial feminism advance contemporary EE? In doing so, we respond to the recent recommendation of Jones et al. (202…
Sociology (10 works) · Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences (9 works) · Entrepreneurship (8 works) · Gender Diversity and Inequality (8 works) · Psychology (8 works) · Qualitative research (8 works) · Originality (7 works) · Political science (7 works) · Economics (6 works) · Social science (6 works)