No Cover Image

E-Thesis 183 views

Exploring the Interplay of Female Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in the KSA Towards Saudi Vision 2030 / ASHWAG HALAWI

Swansea University Author: ASHWAG HALAWI

  • E-Thesis under embargo until: 6th November 2028

DOI (Published version): 10.23889/SUThesis.70936

Abstract

In recent years, the KSA has undergone significant socio-economic transformations under the Saudi Vision 2030 agenda, strategically positioning entrepreneurship, specifically female entrepreneurship, as a national priority. These transformative reforms have simultaneously created new opportunities a...

Full description

Published: Swansea 2025
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Doctoral
Degree name: Ph.D
Supervisor: Jones, P., Burvill, S., and Cotterell, D.
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70936
first_indexed 2025-11-19T10:12:30Z
last_indexed 2025-11-21T09:55:37Z
id cronfa70936
recordtype RisThesis
fullrecord <?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807><datestamp>2025-11-19T10:25:33.9670538</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>70936</id><entry>2025-11-19</entry><title>Exploring the Interplay of Female Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in the KSA Towards Saudi Vision 2030</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>5f9e9f461a43048e7fa714363dda6763</sid><firstname>ASHWAG</firstname><surname>HALAWI</surname><name>ASHWAG HALAWI</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2025-11-19</date><abstract>In recent years, the KSA has undergone significant socio-economic transformations under the Saudi Vision 2030 agenda, strategically positioning entrepreneurship, specifically female entrepreneurship, as a national priority. These transformative reforms have simultaneously created new opportunities and presented ongoing challenges for female entrepreneurs, especially within the KSA's traditionally patriarchal institutional environment. This study critically explores the lived experiences of Saudi female entrepreneurs, examining their interactions within the entrepreneurial ecosystem and assessing how ecosystem conditions function as both enablers and barriers to entrepreneurial engagement. While extensive scholarship has examined entrepreneurial ecosystems in the Western context, there is a limited understanding of how these ecosystems operate within gendered institutional settings like the KSA.Using a qualitative methodology, this research involved semi-structured interviews with 42 participants, comprising 26 Saudi female entrepreneurs and 16 key entrepreneurial ecosystem actors. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify significant themes at the institutional, organisational, and individual levels. The findings reveal a complex landscape in which recent institutional reforms have significantly enhanced female entrepreneurs' access to markets, financial resources, and formal support mechanisms.Nevertheless, persistent informal institutional constraints, including deeply rooted gender norms, social class distinctions, geographic disparities, and reliance on Wasta, continue to influence entrepreneurial experiences and opportunities substantially. The study demonstrates that Saudi female entrepreneurs actively participate in ecosystem development through resilience, mentorship, collaboration, and advocacy for inclusive policy reform. This research highlights the intricate interplay between female entrepreneurship and the evolving entrepreneurial ecosystem within the KSA's socio-economic context. Entrepreneurial outcomes result from the dynamic interaction of enabling factors and individual characteristics. Furthermore, the extent to which Saudi Vision 2030 initiatives are internalised and effectively operationalised significantly influences entrepreneurial trajectories. Consequently, Saudi female entrepreneurs employ diverse strategies: some continue to be restricted by structural impediments, whereas others strategically navigate and exploit emerging opportunities to advance their entrepreneurial goals.</abstract><type>E-Thesis</type><journal/><volume/><journalNumber/><paginationStart/><paginationEnd/><publisher/><placeOfPublication>Swansea</placeOfPublication><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint/><issnElectronic/><keywords>Female Entrepreneurship; Entrepreneurial Ecosystem; Institutional Theory; Saudi Vision 2030; Saudi Arabia.</keywords><publishedDay>6</publishedDay><publishedMonth>11</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2025</publishedYear><publishedDate>2025-11-06</publishedDate><doi>10.23889/SUThesis.70936</doi><url/><notes/><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><supervisor>Jones, P., Burvill, S., and Cotterell, D.</supervisor><degreelevel>Doctoral</degreelevel><degreename>Ph.D</degreename><degreesponsorsfunders>Saudi Cultural Bureau</degreesponsorsfunders><apcterm/><funders>Saudi Cultural Bureau</funders><projectreference/><lastEdited>2025-11-19T10:25:33.9670538</lastEdited><Created>2025-11-19T10:03:42.9340026</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences</level><level id="2">School of Management - Business Management</level></path><authors><author><firstname>ASHWAG</firstname><surname>HALAWI</surname><order>1</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>Under embargo</filename><originalFilename>Under embargo</originalFilename><uploaded>2025-11-19T10:11:36.9013180</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>4091091</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>E-Thesis</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><embargoDate>2028-11-06T00:00:00.0000000</embargoDate><documentNotes>Copyright: the author, Ashwag Mohammed Halawi, 2025 Distributed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).</documentNotes><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect><language>eng</language><licence>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/</licence></document></documents><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling 2025-11-19T10:25:33.9670538 v2 70936 2025-11-19 Exploring the Interplay of Female Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in the KSA Towards Saudi Vision 2030 5f9e9f461a43048e7fa714363dda6763 ASHWAG HALAWI ASHWAG HALAWI true false 2025-11-19 In recent years, the KSA has undergone significant socio-economic transformations under the Saudi Vision 2030 agenda, strategically positioning entrepreneurship, specifically female entrepreneurship, as a national priority. These transformative reforms have simultaneously created new opportunities and presented ongoing challenges for female entrepreneurs, especially within the KSA's traditionally patriarchal institutional environment. This study critically explores the lived experiences of Saudi female entrepreneurs, examining their interactions within the entrepreneurial ecosystem and assessing how ecosystem conditions function as both enablers and barriers to entrepreneurial engagement. While extensive scholarship has examined entrepreneurial ecosystems in the Western context, there is a limited understanding of how these ecosystems operate within gendered institutional settings like the KSA.Using a qualitative methodology, this research involved semi-structured interviews with 42 participants, comprising 26 Saudi female entrepreneurs and 16 key entrepreneurial ecosystem actors. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify significant themes at the institutional, organisational, and individual levels. The findings reveal a complex landscape in which recent institutional reforms have significantly enhanced female entrepreneurs' access to markets, financial resources, and formal support mechanisms.Nevertheless, persistent informal institutional constraints, including deeply rooted gender norms, social class distinctions, geographic disparities, and reliance on Wasta, continue to influence entrepreneurial experiences and opportunities substantially. The study demonstrates that Saudi female entrepreneurs actively participate in ecosystem development through resilience, mentorship, collaboration, and advocacy for inclusive policy reform. This research highlights the intricate interplay between female entrepreneurship and the evolving entrepreneurial ecosystem within the KSA's socio-economic context. Entrepreneurial outcomes result from the dynamic interaction of enabling factors and individual characteristics. Furthermore, the extent to which Saudi Vision 2030 initiatives are internalised and effectively operationalised significantly influences entrepreneurial trajectories. Consequently, Saudi female entrepreneurs employ diverse strategies: some continue to be restricted by structural impediments, whereas others strategically navigate and exploit emerging opportunities to advance their entrepreneurial goals. E-Thesis Swansea Female Entrepreneurship; Entrepreneurial Ecosystem; Institutional Theory; Saudi Vision 2030; Saudi Arabia. 6 11 2025 2025-11-06 10.23889/SUThesis.70936 COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Jones, P., Burvill, S., and Cotterell, D. Doctoral Ph.D Saudi Cultural Bureau Saudi Cultural Bureau 2025-11-19T10:25:33.9670538 2025-11-19T10:03:42.9340026 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Management - Business Management ASHWAG HALAWI 1 Under embargo Under embargo 2025-11-19T10:11:36.9013180 Output 4091091 application/pdf E-Thesis true 2028-11-06T00:00:00.0000000 Copyright: the author, Ashwag Mohammed Halawi, 2025 Distributed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
title Exploring the Interplay of Female Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in the KSA Towards Saudi Vision 2030
spellingShingle Exploring the Interplay of Female Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in the KSA Towards Saudi Vision 2030
ASHWAG HALAWI
title_short Exploring the Interplay of Female Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in the KSA Towards Saudi Vision 2030
title_full Exploring the Interplay of Female Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in the KSA Towards Saudi Vision 2030
title_fullStr Exploring the Interplay of Female Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in the KSA Towards Saudi Vision 2030
title_full_unstemmed Exploring the Interplay of Female Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in the KSA Towards Saudi Vision 2030
title_sort Exploring the Interplay of Female Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in the KSA Towards Saudi Vision 2030
author_id_str_mv 5f9e9f461a43048e7fa714363dda6763
author_id_fullname_str_mv 5f9e9f461a43048e7fa714363dda6763_***_ASHWAG HALAWI
author ASHWAG HALAWI
author2 ASHWAG HALAWI
format E-Thesis
publishDate 2025
institution Swansea University
doi_str_mv 10.23889/SUThesis.70936
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Management - Business Management{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Management - Business Management
document_store_str 0
active_str 0
description In recent years, the KSA has undergone significant socio-economic transformations under the Saudi Vision 2030 agenda, strategically positioning entrepreneurship, specifically female entrepreneurship, as a national priority. These transformative reforms have simultaneously created new opportunities and presented ongoing challenges for female entrepreneurs, especially within the KSA's traditionally patriarchal institutional environment. This study critically explores the lived experiences of Saudi female entrepreneurs, examining their interactions within the entrepreneurial ecosystem and assessing how ecosystem conditions function as both enablers and barriers to entrepreneurial engagement. While extensive scholarship has examined entrepreneurial ecosystems in the Western context, there is a limited understanding of how these ecosystems operate within gendered institutional settings like the KSA.Using a qualitative methodology, this research involved semi-structured interviews with 42 participants, comprising 26 Saudi female entrepreneurs and 16 key entrepreneurial ecosystem actors. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify significant themes at the institutional, organisational, and individual levels. The findings reveal a complex landscape in which recent institutional reforms have significantly enhanced female entrepreneurs' access to markets, financial resources, and formal support mechanisms.Nevertheless, persistent informal institutional constraints, including deeply rooted gender norms, social class distinctions, geographic disparities, and reliance on Wasta, continue to influence entrepreneurial experiences and opportunities substantially. The study demonstrates that Saudi female entrepreneurs actively participate in ecosystem development through resilience, mentorship, collaboration, and advocacy for inclusive policy reform. This research highlights the intricate interplay between female entrepreneurship and the evolving entrepreneurial ecosystem within the KSA's socio-economic context. Entrepreneurial outcomes result from the dynamic interaction of enabling factors and individual characteristics. Furthermore, the extent to which Saudi Vision 2030 initiatives are internalised and effectively operationalised significantly influences entrepreneurial trajectories. Consequently, Saudi female entrepreneurs employ diverse strategies: some continue to be restricted by structural impediments, whereas others strategically navigate and exploit emerging opportunities to advance their entrepreneurial goals.
published_date 2025-11-06T14:19:58Z
_version_ 1851040725728231424
score 11.089677

Similar Items