Modeling the Impact of Networks and Dependence on Male & Female Entrepreneurs in Emerging Economie

One of the key challenges facing entrepreneurs in the early stages of their venture is the process of resource mobilization. Social networks are critical for entrepreneurs as they serve as means for acquiring essential resources from suppliers. Existing literature in entrepreneurship has looked at the characteristics and composition of female entrepreneurial networks and how they differ from male entrepreneurial networks. However, beyond exploring the content and composition of these social networks, studies do not adequately explore the impact these differences in the types of networks between male and female entrepreneurs have on entrepreneurs and the operations of their ventures. The paper employs literature from social network theory and resource- dependence theory to explore and develop propositions with respect to how the types of an entrepreneur’s social network (in terms of type strength, diversity, size etc.) interacts with resource dependence for the mechanism of resource mobilization to impact male and female entrepreneurs in emerging economies.