ERIC Number: ED585674
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 144
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 978-0-4380-6696-0
ISSN: EISSN-
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Supporting Women Business Owners: The Inland Empire Women's Business Center: An Evaluation Study
Meyer, Colleen E.
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of Southern California
This study employed a qualitative research approach to evaluate how the Inland Empire Women's Business Center (IEWBC) is performing in regard to its goal of helping 353 women business owners to become successful by the end of 2018. The researcher assessed the organization, including staff members and volunteers, on its interactions with women business owners in the form of training, workshops, and counseling sessions. Staff members and volunteers representing all three of IEWBC locations participated in a focus group regarding their dealings with women business owners and the general operations of the center. The researcher used Clark and Estes's Gap Analysis Framework to assess the knowledge, motivational, and organizational influences of staff members and volunteers in training, workshops, counseling, and the operations of the center. The findings of this assessment revealed that the staff members and volunteers possessed the skills and knowledge to understand what women business owners needed to be successful, and they knew how to deliver the information. The responses from the staff members and volunteers indicated that they had the motivation to help women business owners to achieve their professional goals, and they dedicated time to assist women to overcome any obstacles they faced. Even with the knowledge and motivation of the staff members and volunteers, the IEWBC faced organizational barriers to reaching and supporting a larger audience of women business owners. Those barriers included lack of funds to market the center, lack of training and development of staff members and volunteers, especially during the on boarding process, and finding and hiring quality staff members and volunteers. The findings of this study emphasized the need for training and development of staff members and volunteers, utilizing developmental action plans with follow-up, and finding new and innovative ways to market to the center. The development and implementation of an effective plan to address these organizational issues could allow the IEWBC to expand its ability to provide a larger variety of programs to women business owners and to increase the success and funding of the organization. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Females, Business, Ownership, Organizational Development, Women Administrators, Success, Staff Development, Planning, Marketing, Program Development, Program Implementation, Program Evaluation
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Author Affiliations: N/A