COVID-19 pandemic digitisation lessons for rural women-owned Micro and Small Enterprises

Abstract

The world economy and ecology have undoubtedly been impacted by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic. Female-owned Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs), particularly those operating in marginalised rural economies, are major victims of the COVID-19 outbreak, mostly due to their restricted usage of digital technologies. Digitalisation thus opens up new opportunities for rural women owned MSEs and can help them remain competitive. The study aims to explore COVID-19 pandemic digitisation lessons for rural women owned micro-and small-enterprises. Even though the literature on Women Entrepreneurship is well covered, to the best of our knowledge, the intersection between rural women entrepreneurship and digitisation remains largely unexplored, particularly in African economies. A qualitative approach using personal insights to provide COVID-19 pandemic digitisation lessons for women owned MSEs was used to guide the collection and analysis of the data. The data were collected from a purposive sample of seven women entrepreneurs operating MSEs in the Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality located in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province and analysed through thematic analysis. The results highlight the critical importance of incorporating digital technology into business operations, stressing the need to prioritize data security, adopting a mobile-first approach, recognising the significance of an online presence, and innovatively developing digital or digitally enhanced offerings. The study's insights provide data-informed insights, as we continue to advocate for inclusive and effective responses to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. For rural women owned MSEs in South Africa, it is clear that digital platforms have been helpful, and while digitalization alone is insufficient, this research can inform the recovery strategies and policies needed after the pandemic. Key words: COVID-19, digitization, micro-and small enterprise, rural women entrepreneurs  

Keywords: {'name': 'COVID-19, Digitisation, Micro And Small Enterprise, Rural Women Entrepreneurs'}

Authors & affiliations

Gift Donga
Affiliation not supplied

Tendai Chimucheka
Affiliation not supplied

Deposited references

Supplied references, not a list of publications citing this article.

DOI: 10.1007/s43545-022-00484-8

Adetowubo-king, S.A., Olatoye, A.O., & Oladipo, O.T.(2024). Demystifying the Role of Technological Entrepreneurship on the Performance of Medium-Scale Enterprises (MSEs). Covenant Journal of Entrepreneurship, 8(1), 55-67. https://journals.covenantuniversity.edu.ng/index.php/cjoe/article/view/4226

DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105217

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-53337-2_11

DOI: 10.1080/08276331.2023.2232649

DOI: 10.1080/08276331.2020.1799294

Anzak, S., sultana, A., & Zeeshan, M. (2023). digital technologies: enabling environment for women entrepreneurs. Russian Law Journal, 11(5s). https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/digital-technologies-enabling-environment-for-women-entrepreneurs

Argade,A., Ashtekar.,A, Bhorkar, P., Katkar.,S., & Jorvekar, P. (2019). Online Advertising Platform for Small Scale Businesses. International Journal of Research in Engineering, Science and Management. 2, (5), https://www.ijresm.com/Vol.2_2019/Vol2_Iss5_May19/IJRESM_V2_I5_217.pdf

DOI: 10.1007/s11133-019-9413-7

DOI: 10.1515/jpm-2020-0380

DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2021.04.035

DOI: 10.1787/23bd7a26-en

DOI: 10.4324/9781003302346

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120236

DOI: 10.1007/s11187-022-00729-z

DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.4012200

Davis, A. (2011). Rural and Urban Women Entrepreneurs: A Comparison of Service Needs and Delivery Methods Priorities. International Journal of Business Science and Applied Management, 6(2):5-13. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/49616820_Rural_and_urban_women_entrepreneurs_A_comparison_of_service_needs_and_delivery_methods_priorities [Accessed on: 29 June 2024].

DOI: 10.2991/978-2-494069-07-7_60

DOI: 10.1051/e3sconf/202339505002

DOI: 10.1145/2737856.2738015

DOI: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2022.10.015

DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2014.08.027

DOI: 10.4995/INN2021.2021.13296

Gautam, R.K. and Mishra, K. (2016). Study on rural women entrepreneurship in India: Issues and challenges. International Journal of Applied Research, 2(2), pp.33-36. Available at: https://www.allresearchjournal.com/archives/2016/vol2issue2/PartA/1-13-172.pdf [Accessed on: 23 March 2024].

Gavigan, S.K., Cooney, T.M. and Ciprikis, K. (2022). Evaluating the contribution of entrepreneurship training, perceived emancipation and value creation for rural female entrepreneurs in Uganda. In Research handbook of women’s entrepreneurship and value creation (pp. 37-51). Edward Elgar Publishing. Available at: https://researchprofiles.tudublin.ie/en/publications/evaluating-the-contribution-of-entrepreneurship-training-perceive [Accessed on: 15 June 2024].

DOI: 10.1108/IJEBR-02-2017-0070

DOI: 10.18559/978-83-8211-061-6/III4

Hamid, R., Ahmad Zukarnain, Z., Nik Md Salleh, N.S. and Nik Ismail, N.N.H. (2020). Digital literacy among women entrepreneurs in rural areas. Journal of Contemporary Social Science Research, 4(1), pp.87-93. Aailable at: https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/35106/1/35106.pdf [Accessed on: 12 March 2024].

DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9531.2011.01243.x

DOI: 10.12928/mf.v3i2.6017

Hlabeli, B. (2020). The influence of mobile payments on the choices and functionings of Micro and Small Enterprise (MSE) entrepreneurs in Lesotho (Master's thesis, Faculty of Commerce). Available at: https://open.uct.ac.za/server/api/core/bitstreams/4b675d31-24f8-4f8e-b6cb-32656a48a8f2/content [Accessed on: 2 April 2024].

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182010698

DOI: 10.1108/02610151111150654

DOI: 10.11114/ijsss.v9i1.5089

Karasi, Y, Shambare, R and Nkondo, L. (2017). Challenges Faced by Rural-Women Entrepreneurs in Vhembe District: The Moderating Role of Gender Socialisation. The 2nd Annual International Conference on Public Administration and Development Alternatives 26 - 28 July 2017, Tlotlo Hotel, Gaborone, Botswana. Available at: http://ulspace.ul.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10386/1868/karasi_challenges_2017.pdf?sequence=1 [Accessed on: 12 May 2024].

Karasi, Y. (2018). Challenges Faced by Rural-Women Entrepreneurs in Vhembe District: The Moderating Role of Gender Socialisation (Masters Dissertation). University of Venda. Available at: https://univendspace.univen.ac.za/handle/11602/1103 [Accessed on: 12 February 2024].

DOI: 10.3390/joitmc8020100

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.06.048

DOI: 10.3390/su142416442

DOI: 10.9770/jesi.2021.9.2(21)

DOI: 10.2991/assehr.k.200325.001

DOI: 10.1002/app5.366

DOI: 10.29407/intensif.v7i2.19330

DOI: 10.1080/12259276.2023.2186633

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.75925

DOI: 10.3390/su10113983

DOI: 10.1007/s10896-021-00260-x

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n9p127

DOI: 10.1108/AGJSR-07-2022-0112

DOI: 10.1080/23311886.2022.2132675

DOI: 10.1007/s11187-019-00301-2

Mishra, G. and Kiran, U.V. (2012). Rural women entrepreneurs: concerns & importance. International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), 3(9), pp.93-98. Available at: https://www.ijsr.net/archive/v3i9/U0VQMTQ0MQ==.pdf [Accessed on: 01 May 2024].

Mtsweni, T.N. (2018), “Resilience factors as perceived by orphaned adolescents in grandparent-headed households”, Unpublished Doctoral dissertation, University of Pretoria. Available at: https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/65448/Mtsweni_Resilience_2018.pdf [Accessed on: 12 February 2024].

DOI: 10.55908/sdgs.v12i1.2534

DOI: 10.1108/QRJ-04-2014-0012

Obi, A.V., Okechukwu, E.U. and Egbo, D.E. (2017). Overcoming socio-cultural barriers on economic empowerment of rural women through entrepreneurship in agriculture in South East State, Nigeria. International Journal of Academic Research in Economics and Management Sciences, 6(4), pp.199-224. https://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJAREMS/v6-i4/5450

DOI: 10.4337/9781839107191.00017

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-95867-5_92

DOI: 10.1108/IJEBR-10-2019-0615

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-00335-7_12

Prlji?, S., Vu?ekovi?, M. and Vuja?i?, S. (2015). The importance of information and communication technologies in the development of women entrepreneurship. JWEE, (3-4), pp.65-76. Available at: http://ebooks.ien.bg.ac.rs/476/1/15jwe34_4.pdf [Accessed on: 2 April 2024].

DOI: 10.1007/s11747-022-00845-y

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.06.005

DOI: 10.36941/ajis-2021-0099

Sánchez-Oro, M. and Sánchez, M.R.F., 2017. Digital technologies and entrepreneurship of rural women. Prisma Social: revista de investigación social, (18), pp.259-277. Available at: https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=6220243 [Accessed on; 02 May 2024].

Saranya, S. and Chandrasekar, K., (2021). Awareness of digital technology among rural women entrepreneurs. Vidyabharati International Interdisciplinary Research Journal (Special Issue). Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/373106586_AWARENESS_OF_DIGITAL_TECHNOLOGY_AMONG_RURAL_WOMEN_ENTREPRENEURS [Accessed on: 11 March 2024].

DOI: 10.1016/j.resglo.2020.100018

Shaikh, D.A.A., Kumar, M.A., Syed, D.A.A. and Shaikh, M.Z. (2021). A two-decade literature review on challenges faced by SMEs in technology adoption. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, 25(3). Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350787563 [Accessed on: 9 June 2024].

DOI: 10.1109/ITMS51158.2020.9259313

Shoma, C.D. (2019). Gender is a human rights issue: The case of women’s entrepreneurship development in the Small and Medium Enterprise sector of Bangladesh. Journal of International Women's Studies, 20(7), 13-34. Available at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol20/iss7/2 [Accessed on: 8 May 2024].

DOI: 10.1177/09708464231167954

DOI: 10.1002/nop2.275

DOI: 10.3390/economies10070160

UN Women.(2020). Digitalization Supports a Boon for Women-owned Micro and Small Businesses Coping with COVID-19. [Online]. Available at: https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/news-and-events/stories/2020/12/digitalization-supports-a-boon-for-women-owned-micro-and-small-businesses-coping-with-covid-19 [ Accessed on: 31/01/2024].

UN Women.(2021). Infographic: Leveraging Digitalization to Cope with COVID-19: An Indonesian Case Study on Women-Owned Micro and Small Business. [Online]. Available at: https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2021/01/infographic-leveraging-digitalization-to-cope-with-covid-19#view [ Accessed on: 31/01/2024].

United Nations. (2022). Fostering Women Entrepreneurship in the Digital Economy: Insights from UNCTAD’s eTrade for Women Advocates | 2019-2021 Cohort. Available at: https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/dtlecdc2022d3_en.pdf [Accessed on: 31/01/2024].

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2024.137757

DOI: 10.1353/clj.2015.0010

Voelker, T.A., Steel, D. and Shervin, E. (2017). Internet presence as a small business capability: The case of mobile optimization. Journal of Small Business Strategy (archive only), 27(2), pp.90-103. Available at: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Internet-presence-as-a-small-business-capability%3A-Voelker-Steel/41aa45093b1610fe98d05e623248502d16e4c351 [Accessed on: 12 March 2024].

DOI: 10.1177/21582440221099290

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.01.071

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-12217-0_14