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Small and Medium Printing Firms in Metro Manila
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University of Northern Philippines
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Journal of International Women's StudiesJournal of International Women's Studies
Volume 8 Issue 1 Article 6
November 2006
A Gender-based Analysis of Performance of Small and MediumA Gender-based Analysis of Performance of Small and Medium
Printing Firms in Metro ManilaPrinting Firms in Metro Manila
Milagros F. Malaya
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Recommended CitationRecommended Citation Malaya, Milagros F. (2006). A Gender-based Analysis of Performance of Small and Medium Printing Firms in Metro Manila. Journal of International Women's Studies, 8(1), 83-95. Available at: vc.bridgew/jiws/vol8/iss1/
This item is available as part of Virtual Commons, the open-access institutional repository of Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, Massachusetts. This journal and its contents may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Authors share joint copyright with the JIWS. ©2022 Journal of International Women’s Studies.
A Gender-based Analysis of Performance of Small and Medium Printing Firms in Metro Manila
By Milagros F. Malaya
Abstract The objective of the paper is to present a comparative analysis of the performance of men-owned and women-owned businesses. The study uses a multidimensional framework of entrepreneurial success, where the indicators refer to the financial, nonfinancial and personal goals indicated in literature as being important to entrepreneurs. Economic performance was measured as change in sales and profitability for a period of one year and over three years. Data were obtained from printing firms based in Metro Manila, Philippines, a country in Southeast Asia. That no variations attributed to gender were found in firm performance on the short-term scale further support the findings that financial goals are actually considered by Filipino women to be vital to their success. Over the longer time period of three years, female underperformance became manifest perhaps because these women possess personal and nonfinancial priorities and their growth strategies may be different.
Keywords: female, performance, gender
Introduction Donald Dee, President of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), declared an urgent need for the Philippines to build a strong domestic economy anchored on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to cushion the impact of a worldwide economic crisis as a result of war and other calamities with international consequences (Belena, 2003). SMEs are seen as more flexible and not easily affected by the rapidly changing global economy since they source their materials locally and sell their products/services to the domestic market. Its characteristic labor intensity and corresponding employment are often used as a justification for investment in the SME sector of both developed and developing countries (Kantor, 2000). In the last one and a half decades, SMEs are “increasingly viewed from a dynamic perspective as agents of change.. sources of innovation... contributing to a continuous regeneration of the economy” (Intal, 2003). What is significant to note is that the fastest growing sector among the SMEs are those of women entrepreneurs. Currently, it is estimated that worldwide, women-owned firms typically comprise between 1/4 to 1/3 of the business population (NFWBO, 1997, 2001). Specifically in Southeast Asia, the United Nations (UNIFEM, 1996) reported the proportion of female self-employed in manufacturing, trade and social or community and personal services to be 50-70 per cent in the Philippines and 42-66 per cent in Thailand. Women comprised more than half of the self-employed in manufacturing and trade in Indonesia and more than 60 per cent of the self-employed in manufacturing in Malaysia. Furthermore, between 1978 and 1996, women-led enterprises accounted for a quarter of all business start-ups in the APEC economies. From 1995 to 1997, women business operators increased by 9 per cent, while men business owners increased by only 2 per cent. These SMEs are also responsible for 26 per cent of OECD exports and 35 per cent of Asia’s exports (NID, 2002).
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Malaya: Small and Medium Printing Firms in Metro Manila
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phenomenon, Du Rietz and Henrekson (2000) labeled it as the “female underperformance” hypothesis. Others debated this claim, suggesting a different framework for investigating the performance of women. The contention was that the majority of entrepreneurial theories were created by, developed for and hence applicable to men only. As asserted by the Social Feminism and Liberal Feminism (Bird, 1979; Hartman, 1979; Fisher et al, 1993), men and women are by nature and culture different as regards their related knowledge, experiences and opportunities. Researchers therefore insisted on adopting a “woman’s perspective” for a broader understanding of women’s participation in business ownership. To explain the seeming underperformance of women entrepreneurs, it is argued women do not enter business just for financial gain (Kuratko & Hornsby, 1997) and economic success may not be as important as personal satisfaction and other non- financial goals (Kyro, 2001; Buttner and Moore, 1997; Chaganti, 1986; Scott, 1986). There also exists strong evidence to show that women consider profits and business growth as important but less substantial measures of their success. They rated higher nonfinancial performance goals of product quality and customer image along with the personal goal of satisfaction and self-fulfillment, professional performance and development, recognition and improving one’s skills. Listed also as vital for success are employee satisfaction, being able to help others, balancing work and family responsibility, and social contributions (Buttner & Moore, 1997; Chaganti, 1986; Scott, 1986). Kyro (2001) concluded that the success criteria for women include valuing good life as a holistic phenomenon. The above results sourced mainly from the US, Canada, UK and Sweden are further validated in the Asian region. Singaporean women owners cited as their best motivators the presence of business opportunity, desire to use knowledge and skills, need for freedom and flexibility, drive for personal growth and recognition and the need for financial independence (Maysami and Goby, 1999). In her study of 455 successful women covering five Asean countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand), Licuanan (1993) recorded parallel findings adding the importance of family and values and the need for sharing benefits. She inferred that these women adhered to a business philosophy revolving around a sense of humanitarianism. Hence, researchers have assessed a tendency in female entrepreneurs to have a combination of economic and social purposes in conducting a business, i., they want to make money but also have a positive impact (Businessweek, 2000). Men’s priority goals are to fulfill a market opportunity and be wealthy at the personal level (Brush, 1998). The most recent research on SME performance have therefore adopted this trend and acknowledged that many entrepreneurs have “goals other than economic expansion, and the perception of success must be tempered by an evaluation of other non-economic outcomes relating to the entrepreneur’s quality of life and status in the community” (Kantor, 2000).
Research Model This study adopts for its conceptual framework a gender-holistic perspective of firm performance. First, it is said to be holistic because it utilizes a multidimensional approach in assessing business performance. Early SME research tend to measure success using economic outcomes like sales or profit, growth in sales, profit or
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employment, productivity or returns. It is claimed that this definition of success emphasizes only the economic incentives for pursuing self-employment attributed to the male model. It is however inadequate considering other motivations which surfaced as a result of increased interest in female entrepreneurship, enumerated as a desire for greater income as well as opportunities for advancement, self-fulfillment and independence, improving a family’s livelihood and flexibility of time to better balance work and family roles. Thus, success can be posited to be measured by the achievement of a combination of financial indicators as well as personal and other nonfinancial goals. For small firms, business activities revolve around the owner-manager who is also the principal decision-maker. Hence, it can be claimed that a gendered perspective can be adopted since it is assumed that a woman (or a man for that matter) carries with her (or him) the human capital (demographic and personality traits, family, education and work background) in establishing and running a business. In this context, gender is elevated from being just an individual-level attribute; it influences the outcomes and relationships in the entrepreneurial phenomenon.
Research Hypotheses H1: Women-owned firms will have lower profit margins, sales and asset growth as compared to male-owned firms. H2: More men will rate the financial indicators as being indicative of their business success, while more women will prefer the need to achieve their personal and other nonfinancial goals.
Methodology Using a validated self-administered questionnaire, data for the main study were obtained from the member companies of the Printing Industries Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PIAP). PIAP is the most prestigious association in this industry sector listed under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 2002-2003 Directory of Industry Associations. Hence, this membership represented an updated list of firms that were considered active in the industry and can be presumed to include the more progressive firms. 219 out of 336 firms participated in the survey, giving a response rate of about 65%. The descriptive and relational designs were employed in the analysis. The descriptive design focused on the profile of the entrepreneur and the firm. Female and male entrepreneurs were also related and compared in terms of their individual characteristics, firm performance and success indicators listed by the entrepreneur according to preference. Age and size of the firm were controlled to ensure that they do not affect the results.
Operational Measurement of Variables Firm Financial Performance was measured in terms of change in company sales as compared to the previous year (2002) and three years ago, change in profit as compared to the previous year (2002) and three years ago, expected performance for the current year, and growth in assets since the start of business operations, all expressed in percentages.
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evaluated as statistically significant for financial goals over nonfinancial as well as personal goals. For women, there were significant differences in the desire for financial over nonfinancial goals but not for financial over personal goals. This implied that for men business owners, there was a clear dividing line in their preferences for financial over nonfinancial over personal goals. On the other hand, women owners apparently did not treat personal goals as less important than financial goals, but prioritized both of these over nonfinancial goals. Furthermore, among the ten most selected entrepreneurial success indicators, men listed more financial goals and women more nonfinancial and personal goals. These evidence thus concurred with the assertion that women, while considering revenues/profits and other financial concerns as important, put also high emphasis on the fulfillment of personal and nonfinancial goals. These results can be viewed in Tables 1 and 2.
Table 1 Mean Rating of Importance of the Type of Goal
Financial Nonfinancial Personal
Male 4 4 4. Female 4 4 4.
Table 2 The Ten Most Selected Success Indicators
Male Female Generating revenues/profits (F) 91% Generating revenues/profits (F) 88% Providing quality product /service to customers (N) 84%
Providing quality product /service to customers (N) 83% Being able to balance work/ family responsibilities (P) 66%
Providing employment to people (N) 68% Having a regular source of livelihood (F) 65%
Being able to balance work/ family responsibilities (P) 66% Improving quality of life of employees (N) 60%
Improving quality of life of employees (N) 61% Being able to continue operation of business (F) 58%
Being able to continue operation of business (F) 61% Expanding business (F) 57% Having a regular source of livelihood (F) 61% Providing employment to people (N) 56%
Being able to utilize my talents/skills (P) 51% Gaining financial independence (F) 54%
Taking advantage of business opportunities (N) 50% Providing adequate family support (F) 46%
Gaining financial Independence (F) 45% Note: F – Financial goal N – Nonfinancial goal P – Personal goal
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Firm Financial Performance Assessing the short-term behavior, there were no serious disparities between male and female entrepreneurs across the data on sales / revenues for 2003, net company performance for 2003 and expected performance for 2004. Over the longer time interval of three years, gender differences in sales / revenues as well as net company performance and change in assets since start of the operation were observed as a seeming support for the so-called “female underperformance hypothesis” (Du Rietz and Henrekson, 2000). As compared to the men-owned businesses, a higher proportion of those operated by women showed decreasing sales and a lesser proportion had steady or increasing sales for the past three years. Also, a larger percentage among women indicated loss and break-even for the 3-year performance, while a smaller percentage reported net performance as decreasing (but not loss) and increasing and generating profit. Increase in assets was signified by less women-owned firms; more among them recorded no change and decrease in assets since start of operation. These can be seen in Tables 3, 4 and 5.
Table 3 Financial Performance of Men-owned and Women-owned Businesses
Mean % (Male) Mean % (Female) p value
Change in Sales 2003 3 -1 .
Change in Net Performance 2003
3 1.
Expected Performance 2004 9 10.
3-year Change in Sales (2001-2003)
0 0.
Table 4 Three-year Net Performance by Gender
3 Years Financial Performance (2001-2003)
Male Female
Loss 7% 14% Break-even 24% 33% Decreasing but not incurring loss
29% 19%
Increasing and generating profit
38% 32%
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more cautious, preferring prospects with little investment but giving steady long-term profits. They were also said to have a “parochial mind-set,” viewing competition as being local, rather than global, and wanting to expand only in terms of volume and value of goods or services. In examining growth and performance patterns of women-owned businesses, Lee- Gosselin & Grise (in Greene et al., 2003) used data from a descriptive study of female entrepreneurs in the Quebec area as the basis for a “small and stable business” model. Cliff (1998) labeled this as a “managed approach” to business due to concerns of women about risk associated with fast growth. Data collected from Dutch firms led Verheul (2005) to surmise that while male entrepreneurs possess strong growth ambitions and search for future opportunities, women owners simply focus on the present situation, allowing for growth based on market demand, to pursue continuity and stability. SME literature has labeled this type of women-run business as “lifestyle ventures,” those that seek long term stability instead of growth, in order to earn sufficient income for themselves and their families (Papadaki and Chami, 2002). A possible explanation to such orientation of conservatism could probably be traced to the nature of the female entrepreneur’s goals. Aspirations for growth might have been tempered with caution since “expansion may interfere with other... cherished goals”(Cliff, 1998). In this study, while achievement of financial goals was rated highest by Filipino female owners in terms of importance as business success indicators, fulfillment of personal goals came as a close second, and nonfinancial goals ended up as last. It can likewise be noted that these women did not include business expansion in their selection of ten priority goals. Maybe this is because as realized by Verheul (2005) in her study of Dutch entrepreneurs, there is a tendency for women to put more value to quality rather than quantity and pursue other goals not directly related to economic performance. Another aspect that emerged in the Asean research by Licuanan (1993) was the multiple roles of these women as they switch easily among unrelated tasks, often interrupting business to attend to family matters, or civic work and many other interests outside their work, such as artistic pursuits. These results concur with the general assertion that women, while considering revenues / profits and other financial concerns as important, put also high emphasis on the fulfillment of personal and nonfinancial goals, viewing their reality as a holistic phenomenon (Buttner and Moore, 1997; Businessweek, 1996; Kyro, 2001). Furthermore, as claimed by Cooper and Artz (1995), no evidence was found to show that women were contented with lower financial results, but the authors surmised that these women perceived higher levels of satisfaction given a certain level of performance. The findings in this study imply that while there are many similarities between men and women business owners in the Philippine printing services sector following global trends, certain differences seem to be more fundamental in nature, providing support for warranting a feminine perspective in assessing business performance. As articulated by the foremost feminist researchers Gilligan (1982) and Helgesen (1990), women perceive a different reality because of their situation and experiences. Thus, women’s “reality” and approach to entrepreneurship may be expected to be different. “Female underperformance” tends to reflect a bias that prioritizes economic rationality and profit orientation as the primary objectives of enterprises. As the entrepreneurial experience crosses gender lines, the difficulties entailed by the double burden shouldered by women
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in the performance of their domestic and productive tasks and the achievement of their personal goals need to be addressed in order to provide support for women currently in business and to encourage more women to start their own business. Women as well as men have to be exposed to different career models and roles in order to legitimize the image of women beyond the traditional mothers, housewives and general family caretakers. Coping with problems as a consequence of these diverse activities is another area to be attended to. In the development of the concepts, skills and appropriate attitudes to deal with this situation, education plays a major role. Support from government, business organizations and non-government agencies must be an integral part of this effort in order to institutionalize the female entrepreneurial paradigm. In conclusion, it is hoped that this investigation was able to contribute significantly to the global knowledge base of women-owned businesses by presenting an integrated view of performance in the following terms: *first, as a holistic concept that considered not only the traditional economic indicators of performance but also the personal and nonfinancial measures of entrepreneurial success; *secondly, as a gendered perspective using feminist theories to highlight the unique characteristics of enterprises operated by women. Moreover, in relating the short- and long-term financial performance to entrepreneurial goals, this study attempts to resolve in part the controversy on the so- called “underperformance” of women-owned businesses..
Research Directions The study may be replicated in different industry sectors to determine whether the findings are comparable in order to derive more conclusive statements on the pattern of behavior of women-owned businesses. It may also be useful to classify these sectors as traditionally feminine or traditionally masculine. A study may also be conducted to compare the performance of businesses that are owned and operated by women vis-a-vis those with joint ownership with a spouse or family but managed by women. Conflicting results in literature may perhaps be explained if there are differences between these two types of women-owned and women- led enterprises. Behavior of these enterprises may also be dependent on culture and investigation on country level is recommended.
References Barrett, M. A. (1995). Feminist perspectives on learning for entrepreneurship. Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research. babson/entrep/fer/papers Belena, A. (2003). Focus on SMEs to shield RP from shocks. The Philippine Star Business, April 2, C-1. Bird, C. (1979). The two paycheck family. New York: Rawson, Wade. Businessweek (2000). Yes, women do run businesses differently. businessweek/smallbiz/0005/ma000503.htm Buttner, E. H. and Moore, D. (1997). Women’s organizational exodus to entrepreneurship: Self-reported motivations & correlates w/ success. Journal of Small Business Management, January, 34-47.
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Hong Khanh, T. (2001). Women better entrepreneurs than men: Asian Development Bank. geocities/se_asia_econ/0109/ECON- womenentrepreneurship Intal, P. (2003). Why and what of SME development. Angelo King Institute Quarterly. Vol. 1 No. 1, 11-15. Johnson, S. and Storey, D. (1993). Male and female entrepreneurs and their businesses: A comparative study. In Allen S and Truman C (eds). Women in business. Perspectives on women entrepreneurs. London: Routledge, 70-85. Kalleberg, A. and Leicht, K. (1991). Gender and organizational performance: Determinants of small business survival and success. Academy of Management Journal, 34(1), 136-161. Kantor, P. (2000). Promoting women’s entrepreneurship development based on good to South practice programmes: Some experiences from North to South. SEED Working Paper No. 9, International Labour Office, Geneva. oracle02.ilo/dyn/empent/docs/F489760463/PkantorWP-9.PDF Kuratko, D. and Hornsby, J. (1997). An examination of owner’s goals in sustaining entrepreneurship. Journal of Small Business Management, 35 (1), 24-36. Kyro, P. (2001). Women entrepreneurs question men’s criteria for success. babson/entrep/fer/Babson% Licuanan, V. (1993). Different stories Entrepreneurs: Her way. The Asian Manager, March/April, 4-10. Maysami, R. & Goby, V. (1999). Female business owners in Singapore and elsewhere: A review of studies. Journal of Small Business Management, 37 (2), 96- National Foundation for Women Business Owners (NFWBO, 1997). Women entrepreneurs are a growing international trend. nfwbo/research _________ (2001). Women business owners steal a march on the new economy. nfwbo/Research/2-28-2001/2-28-2001htm _________ (2005). womensbusinessresearch/research Networked Intelligence for Development (NID, 2002). UNCTAD Presentation: E- commerce training with small-scale entrepreneurs in developing countries: Some findings. networkedintelligence/UNCTAD%20presentation%202002.html Papadaki, E. and Chami, B. (2002). Growth determinants of microbusinesses in Canada. Presented at the APEC High Level Meeting at Microento, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, 17-18 August, 2002. Rosa, P., Carter, S. and Hamilton, D. (1994). Gender as a determinant of small business performance: Insights from a British study. Small Business Economics, Vol, 463-478. Scott, C. (1986). Why women are becoming entrepreneurs. Journal of Small Business Management. 24 (4), 37-45. Sigh. S., Reynolds R., and Muhammad S. (2001). A gender-based performance analysis of micro and small enterprises in Java, Indonesia. Journal of Small Business Management, 39 (2), 174-182. UNIFEM GENDER FACT SHEET (1996). Women in business. unifem.undp/global_spanner/e_se_asia.html
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Verheul, I. (2005). Is there a (fe)male approach? Understanding gender differences in entrepreneurship. ep.eur/bitstream/1765/2005/...+2005+054+ORG+9058920801+VERHEUL Zapalska, A. (1997). A profile of woman entrepreneurs and enterprises in Poland. Journal of Small Business Management, 35(4), 76-83.
Appendix Overview of the Philippine Printing and Publishing Industry
According to the National Statistics Office (NSO) 1998 Survey of Manufacturing Establishments, there were a total of 4,105 printing and publishing establishments nationwide, roughly 76 percent of which employed less than ten employees. About 28 percent of the total employment of 42,858 was credited to these small companies. The reported rate of female employers in manufacturing is about 28%. There are four major sectors in the industry as classified by the Board of Investments, namely publisher-printers, job and commercial printers, industrial / package / label printers and manufacturing firms with own presses. The bulk of printing companies (slightly less than 90 percent) belong to the job and commercial printers sector. They employ the smallest printing equipment in terms of runs and number of printers and are primarily engaged in printing government forms, advertising brochures, office and office and school papers / forms, posters, calendars, calling cards and greeting cards. They service mainly the domestic market. The industry is practically at a standstill, experiencing very little growth due to a number of critical factors. The major problems that plague the industry are lack of capital investment needed to buy imported equipment or upgrade existing ones, high operational costs of raw materials (mainly imported paper and ink), limited supply of paper in the domestic market, scarcity of skilled manpower trained on the managerial and technical aspects of printing and publishing as offered by formal courses in the colleges and universities, stiff competition due to the proliferation of many printing firms and the onset of digital technology.
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Malaya: Small and Medium Printing Firms in Metro Manila
Published by Virtual Commons - Bridgewater State University, 2006
Small and Medium Printing Firms in Metro Manila
Course: BS Architecture (Arki01)
University: University of Northern Philippines
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