title: Values and Identities of Women Entrepreneurs: A Study of Muslim Women of Malay Ethnicity in Malaysia

authors: Mohd Rhouse, Suraini

subjects: Entrepreneurship

abstract: This thesis investigates how Islam, culture, and gender intersect in Malay women’s construction of their entrepreneurial identities. Interest in this research study grew out of my own experiences of working as an entrepreneur in Malaysia in 1996. Entrepreneurship has long been internationally recognised as an engine for economic growth and development, and this is equally the case in Malaysia. Yet research and theorising of entrepreneurial experiences remain largely rooted in traditional functionalist perspectives which tend to be androcentric, white, and Western in bias. These perspectives and have also limited the range of ways in which women’s experiences of entrepreneurship have been defined and understood. 

This study built upon culture as a root metaphor perspective, an aspect of social constructionist theorising as a methodological framework to underpin the study. Based on the interview data, the construction of women entrepreneurs’ identity is complex because of the interweaving of religion, culture, and gender which simultaneously enable and constrain at multiple social levels and categories. The women demonstrated various forms of entrepreneurial identity which are simultaneously Islamic, culture-driven – through their Malayness – and feminine while also embracing entrepreneurial values. Rather than supporting a view that women entrepreneurs should be moulded in particular ways to be efficient and successful, these Malay women participants exhibited inherently rooted entrepreneurial values. Moreover, gender plays an important role that reveals the notion of intersectionality between gender and multiple influences that shape how entrepreneurs think about their own identities in an entrepreneurial setting. This study also suggests that as well as being an economic phenomenon, entrepreneurship can also be read as a cultural one, hence culture as a root metaphor, in that entrepreneurship is culturally produced and reproduced in social practices. This study adds to understanding of the intersectionality of religion, ethnicity, and gender within the entrepreneurial context.

text: Values and Identities of Women Entrepreneurs: A Study of Muslim Women of Malay Ethnicity in Malaysia This thesis investigates how Islam, culture, and gender intersect in Malay women’s construction of their entrepreneurial identities. Interest in this research study grew out of my own experiences of working as an entrepreneur in Malaysia in 1996. Entrepreneurship has long been internationally recognised as an engine for economic growth and development, and this is equally the case in Malaysia. Yet research and theorising of entrepreneurial experiences remain largely rooted in traditional functionalist perspectives which tend to be androcentric, white, and Western in bias. These perspectives and have also limited the range of ways in which women’s experiences of entrepreneurship have been defined and understood. 

This study built upon culture as a root metaphor perspective, an aspect of social constructionist theorising as a methodological framework to underpin the study. Based on the interview data, the construction of women entrepreneurs’ identity is complex because of the interweaving of religion, culture, and gender which simultaneously enable and constrain at multiple social levels and categories. The women demonstrated various forms of entrepreneurial identity which are simultaneously Islamic, culture-driven – through their Malayness – and feminine while also embracing entrepreneurial values. Rather than supporting a view that women entrepreneurs should be moulded in particular ways to be efficient and successful, these Malay women participants exhibited inherently rooted entrepreneurial values. Moreover, gender plays an important role that reveals the notion of intersectionality between gender and multiple influences that shape how entrepreneurs think about their own identities in an entrepreneurial setting. This study also suggests that as well as being an economic phenomenon, entrepreneurship can also be read as a cultural one, hence culture as a root metaphor, in that entrepreneurship is culturally produced and reproduced in social practices. This study adds to understanding of the intersectionality of religion, ethnicity, and gender within the entrepreneurial context.

year: 2013

title: Structure and function of an acetyl xylan esterase (est2a) from the rumen bacterium Butyrivibrio proteoclasticus

authors: Till, Marisa

abstract: Butyrivibrio proteoclasticus is a significant component of the microbial population of the rumen of dairy cattle. It is a xylan-degrading organism whose genome encodes a large number of open reading frames annotated as fibre-degrading enzymes. We have determined the three-dimensional structure of Est2A, an acetyl xylan esterase from B. proteoclasticus, at 2.1 Å resolution, along with the structure of an inactive mutant (H351A) at 2.0 Å resolution. The structure reveals two domains - a C-terminal SGNH domain and an N-terminal jelly-roll domain typical of CE2 family structures. The structures are accompanied by experimentally determined enzymatic parameters against two model substrates, para-nitrophenyl acetate and para-nitrophenyl butyrate. The suite of fibre-degrading enzymes produced by B. proteoclasticus provides a rich source of new enzymes of potential use in industrial settings.

text: Structure and function of an acetyl xylan esterase (est2a) from the rumen bacterium Butyrivibrio proteoclasticus Butyrivibrio proteoclasticus is a significant component of the microbial population of the rumen of dairy cattle. It is a xylan-degrading organism whose genome encodes a large number of open reading frames annotated as fibre-degrading enzymes. We have determined the three-dimensional structure of Est2A, an acetyl xylan esterase from B. proteoclasticus, at 2.1 Å resolution, along with the structure of an inactive mutant (H351A) at 2.0 Å resolution. The structure reveals two domains - a C-terminal SGNH domain and an N-terminal jelly-roll domain typical of CE2 family structures. The structures are accompanied by experimentally determined enzymatic parameters against two model substrates, para-nitrophenyl acetate and para-nitrophenyl butyrate. The suite of fibre-degrading enzymes produced by B. proteoclasticus provides a rich source of new enzymes of potential use in industrial settings.

year: 2013

title: Waiwhakareke Restoration Plantings: Establishment of Monitoring Plots 2005-06

authors: Grove, E.

subjects: New Zealand

abstract: Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park is being developed to reconstruct native lowland and wetland ecosystems as were once widespread in the Waikato Region. The 60ha Natural Heritage Park is located on the north-west outskirts of Hamilton City and includes a peat lake (Horseshoe Lake) which is surrounded by introduced willow trees. There is some native marginal vegetation around the lake, including rushes and sedges, and an extensive area of gently sloping pasture completes the catchment. The restoration and recreation of the native plant and animal communities is being lead by the Hamilton City Council in partnership with The University of Waikato, Wintec, Nga Mana Toopu o Kirikiriroa Limited Resource Management and Cultural Consultants and Tui 2000 (McQueen 2005; McQueen & Clarkson 2003).

text: Waiwhakareke Restoration Plantings: Establishment of Monitoring Plots 2005-06 Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park is being developed to reconstruct native lowland and wetland ecosystems as were once widespread in the Waikato Region. The 60ha Natural Heritage Park is located on the north-west outskirts of Hamilton City and includes a peat lake (Horseshoe Lake) which is surrounded by introduced willow trees. There is some native marginal vegetation around the lake, including rushes and sedges, and an extensive area of gently sloping pasture completes the catchment. The restoration and recreation of the native plant and animal communities is being lead by the Hamilton City Council in partnership with The University of Waikato, Wintec, Nga Mana Toopu o Kirikiriroa Limited Resource Management and Cultural Consultants and Tui 2000 (McQueen 2005; McQueen & Clarkson 2003).

year: 2006