The entrepreneurial orientation of females in Saudi Arabia: the associations with informal and formal institutions

Al Marri, Salem Handhal (2025) The entrepreneurial orientation of females in Saudi Arabia: the associations with informal and formal institutions. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

While entrepreneurship is considered a critical factor in developing economies, it is essential to note that the focus on entrepreneurship has broadened from investigating key individual characteristics influencing entrepreneurship to exploring the influence of institutional factors such as policies, education, financial support and other informal factors. Therefore, this study examined the impact of national culture (NC) represented by Hofstede’s dimensions, namely power distance tolerance (PD), uncertainty avoidance (UA), individualism (IND), masculinity (MAS) and long-term orientation (LTO), on entrepreneurial orientation (EO) among female Saudi entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia. The study also examined the moderating effect of access to finance (ATF) on the relationship between cultural dimensions and EO. The study revealed valuable results, including the fact that female entrepreneurs reported a quite different set of cultural values from those of Saudi Arabia as a whole, and that their IND and MAS positively influenced their EO respectively. In contrast, their LTO, UA and PD showed no significant association with EO. Furthermore, the hypothesised moderating effect of ATF on the relationships between NC and EO was not supported. The findings emphasise various important conclusions. For example, as ATF was not significant here, there may be a need to provide comprehensive support systems to enhance EO, such as mentorship programmes, customised entrepreneurial training, and other market access initiatives. Saudi policymakers may focus on combining financial and non-financial support, including capacity-building and support, which can be done by developing multifaceted strategies that enhance entrepreneurial ecosystems and manage entrepreneurs' challenges. Furthermore, multi-faceted strategies developed by policymakers may wish to address gender-specific challenges by implementing tailored entrepreneurial training programmes, increasing female representation in leadership roles, and creating inclusive networking opportunities.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Keywords: Saudi female entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial orientation, Saudi Arabia, entrepreneurial ecosystem, Hofstede, culture.
• Subjects: H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Management
• Supervisor's Name: Yang, Dr. Wei and Buck, Professor Trevor
• Date of Award: 2025
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2025-85194
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 16 Jun 2025 07:46
• Last Modified: 16 Jun 2025 07:48
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.85194
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/85194