A research on social networks used by women entrepreneurs: An examination in Antalya city

Understanding the role of social networks in the process of creating firms and jobs is a topic of increasing interest to researchers and practitioners. Social networks serve as channels for the flow and exchange of information and resources necessary for the entrepreneurial process. Entreprenuers use their personal and professional networks for taking decisions related to their business, solving problems and planning their business success. In the literature, it is suggested that the composition, structure and content of social networks used by male and female entrepreneurs differ and their economic results change accordingly. However, especially in the local literature, the number of studies on this subject is limited and new studies are needed. From this point of view, in this study, what social networks are used by women entrepreneurs who have an increasing population and whether their initiatives differ according to their life stages are investigated. The results of the study are expected to contribute to knowledge generation on the use of social networks of female entrepreneurs in Turkey. The research done in this thesis is a qualitative study. The sample of the study consisted of female entrepreneurs who are the members of TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Council and Young Organized Industry Association and who have medium and large scale manufacturing company. A total of seventeen female entrepreneurs were interviewed. A face-to-face interview protocol was conducted with the participants and semi-structured interview questions were asked. The data obtained was analyzed by content analysis. The findings of the study showed that women entrepreneurs use four types of social networks to establish and grow their enterprises and benefit from these networks in five different ways. In the development phase of the initiatives, women entrepreneurs have tended to turn non-governmental organizations, consultants, customers and suppliers into stronger networks by incorporating them into their personal networks.