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The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating effect of an owner’s growth goal on the relationship between the gender of new venture owners and the growth outcomes of their ventures.

This is a quantitative study using a large, national database and structural equation modeling.

The findings indicate that the negative relationship between gender and growth outcomes is fully mediated by the growth goals of new venture owners, their available internal resources and the amount of time and money they are able (prepared) to invest in their new venture.

The research implications include the need to better understand the impact of goal setting on new venture performance outcomes.

The government policies (for example, to stimulate firm growth) need to be designed by having a proper understanding of the various motives/goals that entrepreneurs might have when launching a new venture. Similarly, anyone providing advice to individuals involved in establishing a new venture should, before providing that advice, ensure that they have a clear understanding of the individual’s goals.

Social implications include a need to better understand the negative impact that lower available human and financial capital can have on the goals set by female new venture owners and the outcomes achieved by those ventures.

This research makes an original contribution to the literature by demonstrating: the impact of gender on human, social and financial capital; the influence of these resources on new venture goals; and, in turn, the influence of goals on new venture performance outcomes.

The purpose of this paper is to share with up-and-coming young researchers some of the important lessons the author has learnt on his research journey.

In researching the performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) (and, in particular, female-controlled SMEs), the author was very careful to ensure, as far as practical, that appropriate control variables (such as age of business, industry and hours worked) were included in the research design.

There are two key findings that emerge from the research the author has been involved with over many years. First, the very high SME failure rate often referred to in the literature and popular press is a myth. Second, the belief that female-controlled SMEs underperform male-controlled SMEs is also a myth.

Based on the author’s research experience, there are three key points the author would like to share with the young researchers. First, do not be afraid to question what might appear to be a generally accepted fact. Second, do not jump to a quick and what might appear to be the most obvious conclusion. Third, be aware that unintended consequences can often be associated with quick conclusions drawn from research where there has not been adequate attention paid to a study’s methodology/limitations.

The results from the research the author has been involved with highlight the importance of incorporating key control variables when assessing, and comparing, the performances of female- and male-controlled SMEs.

“OF making many books there is no end,” said the Preacher, and since his day this fact has been reiterated successively by men all down the ages. Consequent upon the ever increasing number of books was the necessity of providing adequate storage for their preservation and use, and to meet this need libraries were founded. To facilitate reference to the books, catalogues were compiled and provided, but these were generally made by private individuals, who, though they would doubtless make a few rules for their guidance, had not the advantage of working upon any codified rules that had stood the test of experience.

Regulators and the investment community are demanding that closings become faster and more accurate. Most organizations are not equipped to meet these requirements, however. Many attempt to achieve them by investing more heavily in technology, but technology alone is not a panacea. In most cases this approach wastes valuable resources and compounds already existing inefficiencies. Instead, organizations must focus first on making breakthrough improvements in their processes and culture.

TO MARK what in their new celebration brochure is colourfully and correctly described as ‘a century of progress’, Millers Oils promoted a series of open day hospitality events over the period 20–22 May, with twice‐daily sessions at the Brighouse, West Yorkshire plant.

John West is one of Britain's most famous and best known brands, easily recognised on any supermarket shelf, not only for its canned fish products, but also for a wide range of other canned food lines, which include fruits, in particular fruits in juice, and meats, such as corned beef. But it's for its fish that John West is best known, having earned an unrivalled reputation for quality and excellence among all its customers. From the ever popular salmon and tuna, to more specialist items such as dressed crab or king prawns, John West Foods prides itself in supplying the very best possible product.

The question of whether female‐owned firms underperform male‐owned firms has triggered much research and discussion. Klapper and Parker's review concluded that the majority of prior research suggests that female‐owned firms underperform relative to male‐owned firms. However, using performance measures that control for size and risk (and after controlling for demographic differences such as industry, experience and hours worked) Robb and Watson found no gender performance difference in their sample of newly established US firms. The aim of this study, therefore, is to replicate Robb and Watson's study to determine whether their findings can be generalized to another geographical location, Australia.

The authors test the female underperformance hypothesis using data from the CAUSEE project, a panel study which follows young firms over four years. They use three outcome variables: survival rates, return on assets and the Sharpe ratio.

Consistent with Robb and Watson the results indicate that female‐owned firms do not underperform male‐owned firms.

While replication studies are rare in entrepreneurship, they are an important tool for accumulating generalizable knowledge. The results suggest that while female‐owned firms differ from male‐owned firms in terms of many control variables (such as industry, owners' previous experience and hours worked) they are no less successful. This outcome should help dispel the female underperformance myth; which if left unchallenged could result in inappropriate policy decisions and, more importantly, could discourage women from establishing new ventures.

In this paper, the authors aim to develop a framework that provides a holistic approach to the assessment of entrepreneurial performance outcomes (EPOs) incorporating the multitude of factors (such as entrepreneurial goals and cultural norms) that research suggests can impact the entrepreneurial process.

In developing the suggested framework, the authors draw on both the existing literature and the findings provided in the five papers selected for this special issue.

The framework the authors advance suggests that the satisfaction male and female entrepreneurs derive from their ventures is principally determined by a combination of the goals they set for their business and the outcomes/outputs achieved. There is also some evidence to suggest that, other things equal, females may experience higher levels of satisfaction with their ventures than males. Other key issues the authors have incorporated into the framework that are important to a better understanding of the entrepreneurial process include the resources the entrepreneur has available (human, financial and social); various external environmental factors (for example, government support programmes); and gender (for example, to the extent that women are more risk averse than men they may set more modest goals for their ventures).

The holistic framework the authors present for assessing (and better understanding) the entrepreneurial process should help direct/focus: future research concerned with assessing, evaluating and understanding EPOs; government policies designed to promote entrepreneurial initiatives; and those providing advice to the sector.