Journal of Business Diversity

Questioning the Theory of the Firm: The Challenge of Hybrid, Social and Faith-Based Businesses

Kevin T. Jackson — 2024-12-29

In light of the diversity of hybrid, social, and faith-based enterprises, the paper aims to deepen and widen the descriptive and normative reach of the theory of the firm. Higher ends of business are core philosophical components for an expanded normative theory of the firm. To regard shareholders, managers, and all stakeholders of a business firm in a fully moral light means expanding one’s view of such roles beyond merely economic and legal conceptions to encompass their full humanity and associated moral obligations and social responsibilities. Any adequate normative theory of the firm will cast business participants not just as economic actors and as legal agents but as flesh-and-blood moral persons with ethical responsibilities. When the theory of the firm is normativized – not privileging moral rights and obligations of stockholders or stakeholders in advance of consideration of balance of reasons -- the false dichotomy of shareholder primacy versus stakeholder primacy falls away, ceasing to provide a basis for giving categorically incompatible accounts of prima facie moral obligations of business participants.

The Italian Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) 2021-2026, the Women, and Their Health

Silvia Gatti — 2024-12-29

For women, the Italian Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021-2026 has meant the strengthening of important policies for work and maternity. For women’s health, this Plan with the National Health Equity Program 2021-2027 have meant addressing the shortcomings of territorial and gender medicine, the regional gaps in the provision of the Essential Levels of Care of the National Health Service and strengthening the screenings for female cancers. The paper highlights how after the conclusion of these plans, the Italian National Health Service will have to identify a long-term strategy to ensure uniformity of services for women ’s health in all Italian regions.

How Female-Owned SMEs in Uganda Maximise on Social Capital to Strengthen Their Businesses

Patricia Isabirye — 2024-12-29

The aim of this paper was to explore the extent to which female entrepreneurs in Uganda maximise on social capital by aligning with multiple stakeholders such as customers, government representatives, communities, higher education institutions (HEIs), and the wider public among others, to strengthen their businesses for long-term economic performance. A case study approach was adopted, during which semi-structured interviews were conducted to investigate a sample of three socially oriented female-owned Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) operating in Uganda’s Central, Northern and Western regions. Findings suggest that social capital must be tackled holistically by engaging productively with both primary and secondary stakeholders within the wider entrepreneurial context to realise a broad range of benefits. The author contributes a comprehensive partnership framework populated with practical insights from the three female-owned SMEs and presents intricacies of how social capital externalities can be monitored and measured by existing and upcoming SMEs while demonstrating how innovative business-level collaborations contribute to sustained growth.

Contribution of Women in Household Income— Based Perspective on Production

Mitsuhiko Iyoda — 2024-12-29

Analyses by family type based on age brackets are useful for structural analysis. We confirmed substantial wage-earning differences between the sexes, full- and part-timers, and large-work hour differences between the sexes. Unpaid work using opportunity cost is generally underestimated because of the Japanese seniority-based wage system. Then, we tried to make adjusted indices to account for wage-earnings and work-our differentials. We compare three kinds of income –market income, broad income (including unpaid work values) and adjusted income--in terms of the contribution of married women to family income. The disproportionate burden placed on women was highlighted.

Internet Access and Independent Contracting Through the 2010s: A Varied Tale How Uptake and Returns Differ Across Demographics, Income Levels, and Time

Sheena Murray — 2024-12-31

The internet led to the proliferation of platforms that connect workers to individuals and firms seeking assistance and significantly increased independent contractor rates across the income and skill spectrum. Consequently, communities that adopted the internet earlier or at higher rates may have higher rates of contracting. Using data from the FCC on mobile and broadband internet rates, I examine their relationship with business earnings reported to the IRS from 2010 to 2019. Local race and ethnicity characteristics interact with internet measures and show that counties with higher minority concentrations have a higher correlation between internet expansion and growth in independent contractors. However, they do not reap as high growth rates in contractor earnings as predominantly white counties. Further, results show the relationship between growth in independent contractor earnings shifts mid-decade, with declines in growth observed post-internet expansion in the latter half of the 2010s.

Social Media as a Pathway to Entrepreneurial Success: Overcoming Barriers for Black Women Entrepreneurs

Michael Williams — 2024-12-31

This study examines social media's significant yet challenging role as a tool for entrepreneurial success among Black women entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship is a powerful pathway to social and economic mobility, offering underrepresented groups opportunities for financial independence and influence. Social media platforms have opened up avenues for brand building, customer engagement, and business scaling. Still, Black women face obstacles in leveraging these opportunities such as algorithmic bias, underrepresentation, and social barriers. This paper explores these challenges and the strategic approaches Black women entrepreneurs can employ to build a robust social media presence despite systemic limitations. It also provides policy recommendations to mitigate these barriers' impact and calls for targeted support from government and private sector initiatives, including education on platform algorithms and inclusive design. Finally, empirical research directions are proposed to deepen understanding of how Black women utilize social media for opportunity recognition and business performance.