Women's "cooperative network of relationships" orientation: a test of the model using female and male family business owners

Men and women may have different orientations towards the business world. Gender studies have not obtained consistent results. This dissertation tests a model of a woman's approach to management, which will be referred to here as the "Cooperative Network of Relationships Model" (Brush, 1992). This model, based on a review of 57 studies, argues that women tend to have a unique perspective toward the environment, the individual, the business, and the business process. This dissertation uses a broad literature to further develop the model, derives hypotheses from the model, and tests them using a sample of male and female family business owners. Support is found for the model, as well as support that these orientations contribute to family outcomes, quality of life outcomes, and business outcomes for both men and women.