Employment Guarantee Scheme and the Workers – A Case Study Approach for Identifying a Woman Entrepreneur's Challenge

Abstract

The case aims at bringing relatedness to the otherwise independent terminologies yet practically a trilogy of matter to business as far as small business units are concerned. This case study tries to unearth the challenges women entrepreneurs face particularly such units which are labour intensive and are developed as support centres to large reputed organizations. The time bound activities and the seasonal swings together keep the planning and forecast of this units robust. Since such units runs on practical wisdom most now has to account for the ever unpredicted worker scarcity as against the foresight for availability of workers from in and around the place of establishment of such units. The study is based on one of the umbrella making units in Alappuzha district run by a woman entrepreneur who have started with the noble cause of providing a livelihood to the deserving women of the neighbourhoods as well to find an additional source of income for the family. The immediate challenge faced by the unit is fluctuating availability of workers as the employment guarantee scheme has influenced these women workers. The study is to bring about a connectedness between women entrepreneur, employment guarantee scheme and the worker availability as a challenge for women led small enterprises.