Social Sciences and Communications
H. Raghfar; Z. Shafiei
Abstract
The popularity of the network concept has increased dramatically, its importance for entrepreneurial activities has become increasingly recognized, and in a way, it can be said that it has become fashionable. Recent studies of the new economic sociology on the subject of women's entrepreneurship also ...
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The popularity of the network concept has increased dramatically, its importance for entrepreneurial activities has become increasingly recognized, and in a way, it can be said that it has become fashionable. Recent studies of the new economic sociology on the subject of women's entrepreneurship also focus on general specifications and limitations; they mainly emphasize the importance of networks. It is important to note that we must trace the fundamental difference between the achievements of men and women entrepreneurs in the concept of networks. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to increase the perception of networks and how to use them for entrepreneurial and business activities. To achieve this goal, the social network perspective has been considered and the qualitative method of network analysis has been used to deeply explain the network activities of 40 participants in the study. In this paper, we will study the social networks of women who have founded modern handicraft brands. This paper elaborates on two main questions; 1) what are the forms and quality of women's networking in this field? And 2) dose this networking help to create or facilitate their economic activities? To answer these questions, we present three layers of the network. Strong ties that are the family relationships, weak ties which include friendships and relationships with strangers i.e., customers. The most important viewpoint of this study is that its subjects are mostly using virtual communication tools for establishing relations with their customers. As discussed in this paper, this type of communication somehow guarantees the success and durability of their business.
