Social capital and its dimensions are highly interrelated, and the outcome of social capital provides entrepreneurs with resources and knowledge that are not available in the first place. The objective of this study is to examine the effect of relational and cognitive social capital on structural social capital and the effect of structural social capital on the performance of micro-enterprises owned and managed by women in Peninsular Malaysia. This study uses a cross-sectional approach, and quantitative data are collected through structured interviews. It was found that cognitive social capital has a significant positive effect on structural social capital, and structural social capital has a significant positive effect on micro-enterprise performance. It was found that relational social capital has a positive but insignificant effect on structural social capital. Therefore, women entrepreneurs should emphasize on making the communication process easier and on ensuring that their business values, norms, interpretation, and meaning are shared and communicated to relevant parties to improve network ties and to build a dense network, which is essential in providing access to resources and knowledge. This, in return, is expected to improve the micro-enterprise performance in Malaysia.
In an attempt to promote the mass consumption of environmentally friendly products in Malaysia, this study presents an investigation of the effects of several selected factors upon willingness to pay and purchase behavior of environmental-friendly products. This study employed a cross-sectional design, in which quantitative data were gathered from a total of 380 low-income household heads from 38 coastal districts in Peninsular Malaysia. The outcomes of this study revealed the positively significant effects of eco-literacy and environmental concern upon attitudes towards environmental-friendly products; normative beliefs and perceived behavioral control on willingness to pay for environmental-friendly products; as well as willingness to pay for environmental-friendly products and perceived behavioral control on payment behavior for environmental-friendly products, among low-income households in coastal Peninsular Malaysia. Programs and policies should therefore focus on promoting environmental awareness and knowledge concerning the relative advantages that are expected to improve willingness among consumers to pay for environmentally friendly products.
This article examines the effect of participation in development programmes designed for women micro-entrepreneurs on the development of entrepreneurial competencies, innovativeness, and social capital. The study employed a cross-sectional design and quasi-experimental approach, and collected data from 417 women micro-entrepreneurs in Malaysia. Findings reveal that the participants possess a significantly higher level of social capital, innovativeness, and entrepreneurial competencies. Development organisations should therefore focus on redesigning their policies and programmes to improve the breadth and depth of the development programmes that they offer, which ultimately lead to an improvement in the social-economic condition of low-income households in Malaysia.