Entrepreneurial Capacity Building Needs of Rural Women SHGs in Alternative Poultry Farming: A Case Study in Tamil Nadu, India

--Jothilakshmi M, R Krishnaraj and N K Sudeepkumar

This study aims to understand the socioeconomic traits, training preferences
and the needs of the members of the Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and the
relationship among the members of the women SHGs and their training needs
in alternative poultry, namely, desi chicken and turkey farming. A majority of
the members were young, illiterate, landless, married having a medium-sized
nuclear family, and livestock as the subsidiary occupation with low annual
income. The members were found to have high extension agency contact,
medium level of social participation with low mass media exposure. Half of the
total members had high economic motivation, risk orientation and a favorable
attitude towards developmental programs and group activity. The respondents
need training in desi poultry farming next to dairying and goat rearing.
Members had preferences over venue, duration, mode/type of training, season,
etc. It was observed that in desi chicken and turkey farming, finance, marketing,
disease control, management and feeding were the most preferred areas for
training. The variables of the respondents were found to have varying degrees
of relation with the training needs in desi chicken and turkey farming.

© 2011 IUP. All Rights Reserved.

Aspirations and Motives of Women Entrepreneurs: An Empirical Study of Varanasi District

-- Usha Kiran Rai and Monica Srivastava

Small-scale entrepreneurship plays a significant role in the economic development of a developing country. Therefore, the development of motivation in individuals is a crucial input to entrepreneurship. Basically, entrepreneurship is a result of one’s motivation to achieve specific goals in life which is supported by other environmental factors. Motivation causes goal-directed behavior. A motivated person is likely to have broader vision which helps him/ her to make life more meaningful. Motivation is an index belief in one’s own resourcefulness to take up challenging tasks like entrepreneurship. In this context, this paper examines the motives of women entrepreneurs in starting a small-scale enterprise in the socioeconomic milieu of Varanasi district. The sample units were selected randomly resulting in a sample size of 150 units. The data were collected through a structured questionnaire and informal interviews. The conclusions drawn from the empirical study show that the direct support from their family members (in the form finance) encouraged them to start their new ventures, which is a healthy signal for economic development of the country.

© 2011 IUP. All Rights Reserved.

Industrial Sickness in India: Causes, Consequences and Curses

-- A Satyanarayan and P V Purna Kumari

Industrial sickness in Small-Scale Industries (SSIs) is not a regional problem, rather it is a global problem now. Besides the role of internal management, a combined effort is highly needed from the external agencies for an effective revival program of these sick units. Especially the role of the government, financial institutions and the development agencies is vital to tackle the problems of industrial sickness. Further, it is suggested that a team of experts in production, marketing and finance should also share their experiences to improve the performance of the sick units. It would be ideal that they should assume this responsibility with a sense of urgency and shoulder the burden of revival of these units. As the time factor is very important, instead of making industrial sickness a chronic problem it can be prevented (to a considerable extent) at the early stage.

© 2011 IUP. All Rights Reserved.

Centralization of Microfinance

-- Sonia Singh and Hiranmay Saha

Robust economic growth is not possible without putting in place well-focused integrated programs to reduce poverty through empowering the people by increasing their access to the factors of growth, especially credit issues at the micro level. Bridging the gap between the potential demand for and the actual supply of microfinance services is a big challenge. In this paper, the growth and transformation of microfinance organizations has been discussed. The key context of the paper is how poor people can easily avail the microfinancial services under one umbrella in the fastest way. While discussing the factors and the theoretical position associated with innovation in microfinance, this paper has also brought out the missing link between the lender and borrower in the Indian context. As per the authors, filling of this gap is a precondition for poverty reduction on account of the influence of new paradigm of institutional viability under commercial microfinance.

© 2011 IUP. All Rights Reserved.