Entrepreneurship for Persons with Disabilities in Bangladesh: An Analysis of the Schools of Entrepreneurial Thought Approach
Keywords:
Persons with Disabilities (PWD), Entrepreneurship, Disability, Schools of Entrepreneurial Thought, Bangladesh.Abstract
This exploratory study attempts to
provide a theoretical and empirically
informed analysis on why and how a
person with a disability becomes an
entrepreneur. The paper describes the
findings of a study designed to
understand the experiences of persons
with disabilities turning to be
entrepreneurs. The schools of
entrepreneurial thought approach have
been used as the theoretical basis for the
research, which has been used to
analyze the findings. The study was
conducted with a sample of 23 persons
with disabilities in Bangladesh,
identified through referral sampling
technique. In depth interview (IDI)
method was adopted to collect data
from the respondents. Findings reveal
that persons with disabilities turn to
entrepreneurship when they areÂ
supported by their social and cultural
atmosphere (social/cultural school of
thought), when they have funds
available (financial/capital school of
thought), when they go through
economic hardship (displacement
school of thought) or when they possess
an entrepreneurial spirit (entrepreneurial
trait school of thought) that drives them
to seek entrepreneurial opportunities.
Findings also show that social/cultural
school of thought has the highest
representation among the male and
female respondents. Sector wise,
majority of male and female
respondents are involved in productionbased
businesses.
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