In the past 60 years, there has been sufficient research on male, urban entrepreneurs, their "achievement-motivation", and their entrepreneurial success. However, no significant study of this kind has been undertaken for women entrepreneurs (whether urban or rural).
This book intends to fill this lacuna through original research on poor, rural women micro-entrepreneurs, whose achievement-motivation has been rigorously measured. This pioneering study establishes a clear relationship between presence/absence of achievement-motivation and the success/failure of these women in sustaining their enterprises.
The authors also describe in detail a replicable and scalable "cash-less" material loan model developed by the NGO Asian Centre for Organisation Research and Development (ACORD) for rural women micro-entrepreneurs, which can be used effectively to solve some of the problems related to rural backwardness.
Koreth, George: -
George Koreth has been interested in valid and reliable measurement in the social sciences and behavioral sciences, in order to improve organization effectiveness and results. During his career in management of industry, he explored the measurement of responsibility based on the methods developed at the Tavistock Institute, UK. Subsequently, he went deep into reliable instruments and methods of measuring and enhancing human motivation (achievement, power, affiliation, and security motivation) based on Dr David McClelland's work at Harvard University. Midway through his industry career, he moved to teaching and research in management as a professor at the Shri Ram Centre for Human Resources, New Delhi, and was, subsequently, a visiting faculty at Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), Delhi University. He has been the University Grants Commission's visiting professor in the social sciences faculty of a central university in New Delhi (2009-2010). On returning to industry, he held senior responsibilities in the HCL Group, including that of HR director and CEO, and was senior vice president (global HR & OD) in Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. Since 1997, he is a consultant to companies on performance improvement through measurable results and an adviser to government organizations on rapid and sustainable change, through multistakeholder participatory processes.
He is currently advising the Government of Delhi, India, on building and sustaining "a citywide citizens' partnership in good governance."
His authored books include Developing Effective Organizations (with Nitish De, Abad Ahmad, and B.M. Kapur, 1980), We: The People of India (coauthored by Kiron Wadhera, 2003), and Empowering Rural Women: Micro-enterprise through Achievement Motivation, published by SAGE (coauthored by Kiron Wadhera, 2012).
Wadhera, Kiron: -
Kiron Wadhera has held various senior responsibilities with the Asian Centre for Organisation Research and Development (ACORDASIA), New Delhi, including that of President and CEO. She was a Member of the Programme Faculty at the International Youth Centre (Vishwa Yuvak Kendra), New Delhi. She was a visiting faculty for two years for the postgraduate course in Communication in Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. She was also a member of the NGO Prerna and Chairperson of Prerna-CEDPA for two years. She has been a member of the Fulbright Alumni Association and a Fellow of the UN.
Dr Wadhera has 42 years of experience in organisation development, experiential training, survey research, communication and management of socio-economic fi eld projects. Her areas of expertise include motivation and leadership training; designing, organizing and conducting research studies and surveys, both quantitative and qualitative; mass communication, counseling and guidance; personal growth and personality development. She is currently a consultant to the Government of Delhi, India, on developing citizen's partnership with the government on 'a city-wide' basis.
The published works of Dr Wadhera include The New Bread Winners A Study on the Situation of Young Working Women (1976), Case Study: A Method of Training (1977), Training Manual in Helping Professions (1982) and We: The People of India (co-authored by George Koreth, 2003).
