A comparison of factors influencing Malaysia and Southern Thailand women entrepreneurs’ success

Background: Women entrepreneurs make significant contribution to employment, economy and development of the ASEAN nations.The importance of women entrepreneurs have been stressed time and time again by most ASEAN countries like in Malaysia and Thailand. However, their success in entrepreneurship remains unclear.Objective: Objective of this study is to examine personal factors, social factors, and organizational factors which influence the success of Malaysian women entrepreneurs and made a comparison with the Southern Thai women entrepreneurs.Results: Success factors in Malaysia and Thai women entrepreneurs are similar due to significant and positive associations with independent variables such as individual factors namely motivation, risk-taking, work-family balance, and organizational factors i.e. management, marketing, financial, and operational skills However due to the difference in the political, economic and social environment of Malaysia and Thailand , the environmental influencing factors are different in Malaysia versus their Thai counterparts.Malaysian women entrepreneurs obtained and gained access more easily to support and financial aid by the government in a more political stable environment, and they have stronger social ties or relationship with their suppliers and customers due to the concept of "Guanxi" or relationship. Religious values and spiritual factors also contribute more strongly to the success of Malaysian women entrepreneurs than Thais.Conclusion: The findings of this study have revealed the importance of personal and organizational factors to the success of women entrepreneurs both in Malaysia and Thailand.It also revealed the need to study the environmental factors affecting different nations to understand the factors influencing the success of women entrepreneurs in different countries. Based on this study more research can be triggered by other authors to further understand various other factors effecting women entrepreneurs in ASEAN countries