What is it?
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Question
- Discuss why you think women are less successful than men at attracting capital investment, but are more successful at attracting crowdfunding?
You have 15:00 minutes to plan and write a response to the two questions. I suggest you divide your time roughly as:
- planning = 3:00 minutes (It's usually a good idea to plan before you start to write.)
- writing = 9:00 minutes, and
- editing = 3:00 minutes.
A helpful strategy
Imagine you are writing for someone who has not read the question you are answering or the article that the question follows up. Your job is to clearly communicate your response to that reader, so it might help to paraphrase the question at the start of your response to it. But you need to rewrite (paraphrase) the idea in the question as a statement.
Because your writing should make sense independently of the question it might be answering, it is usually useful to give background, which can often be done by paraphrasing the question into statements that begin your answer. This is especially important in exams such as IELTS and TOEFL.
Reference
- Warwick, L. & Rogers, L. (2018). Skillful 4: Reading & Writing, Student's Book Pack (2nd. ed.). London: Macmillan Education
I would guess that women are less successful than men at getting venture capital funding because venture capital firms are the more traditional source of funding for start-ups and others who need money to essay a project. Why does being more traditional matter? I think because they are more likely to be full of sexist men or women with sexist notions who are less likely to trust women to be successful in business or other projects.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast, crowdfunding is the modern tool that attracts younger, or younger thinking, progressive people who are less likely to have the old prejudices of the bad old days of tradition. And perhaps because they are aware of the traditional bias against women in business, the sort of people who are intereseted in investing vie crowdfunding apps might actually over-compensate by trusting women more than men to make a success of their projects.
I'm not very sure about my ideas here, but I think they make sense, even though the assumptions I've made might be wrong. It would require considerable research to really support my ideas, but that's not the point of this exercise.
Hi Peter, I agree with you about the reason why women are less successful than men at "the traditional source of funding" and "sexism". According to my experience, women need to work much harder than men to get noticed on their ability at the field of banking, finance, and investment. When my female collogues and I attend decision-making meetings or important meetings, we have to wear a formal business suite. Not only the business suite is a business etiquette, it also make us look like the male colleagues at the meeting and this allows us to gain a bit of power.
DeleteI also agree with you that because crowdfunding is the modern tool so it can attracts progressive people. I think crowdfunding is less formal, so people doesn't take it seriously. I mean they can invest a small amount of their money such as $10 on an idea that they like. I think technology is great as it can break "traditional tool" and offer alternative tool for more people.
Emma, thank you for the thoughtful response. I especially like the way you relate your own experience to support your ideas. I had not thought of it until I read your comment, but your idea that you need to "look like the male colleagues at the meeting" also sounds right.
DeleteI wonder what your classmates think of that.
Although women do not success in venture capital funding, they are more successful in crowdfunding. In my view, it is because of women have more capability to create and sustain relationships than men. This mean that the network is the most important to make crowdfunding success. Women can create and sustain network when they have their social activities, so it is easier to talk and persuade other to invest their money. Close relationships help others trust others, especially money that they invest even though these might increase or lose.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I like your idea because as I thought about the reasons for this topic, It never occurs to me that women can use their socialize skill to benefit in crowdfunding. In fact, women are quite talented in socializing and persuasion.
DeleteAnd the nature of women societies mostly are supportive and aim to cheer each other. And in business field most men not looking to complete with women as well. So In this case women can advantage to proceed and success in their bussiness.
As I briefly mentioned last Tuesday, I also liked Earth's explanation for the comparative greater success women have at crowdfunding. Like Prim, that idea had not occurred to me, but when I read Earth's comment, it makes sense.
DeleteThe assumption that women are less successful than men at attracting capital investment, but are more successful at attracting crowdfunding campaign is maybe reasonable things. Women good at networking, and crowdfunding platform need connection through friends and family. So the word of mouth is very important. Crowdfunding is an open space that women can reach through anyone who have the same interested to be a backer. While finding venture capital funding might be harder for them because most of entrepreneurs are men. And they are working as a close group, so it hard to reach through them with out having a good connection or an old relationship.
ReplyDeleteYour ideas is the same as me. I agree with your ideas that women have a good network and are able to persuade others by the word of mouth. Word of mouth is more powerful when talking to others who have the same interest as yours. This is one of the important reason why women success in crowdfunding more than men. In addition, your idea about men are successful in venture capital because most of entrepreneurs are men working in a private group is quite interesting. I have not thought before, but I quite agree about that.
DeleteI think that women are less successful than men at attracting capital investment, because men are dominant in the investment field. In other words, investment is reserved for men. For example, when people think about investment, they may from a picture of Wall Street where men are wearing suites and talking about stocks and so on in their mind. More over, many people think that women are less capable of mathematics than men are. For many people, good at math means good at investment.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think women are more successful at crowdfunding because the online platforms is for small projects to raise funds. I means that is not a serious investment when compared to capital investment.
I couldn't agree more with you, Emma. Mention of Wall street gives me a solid example. Moreover, I don't think that people support women more than men in crowdfunding because users don't prejudice. Mostly investment in crowdfunding is small and less serious than in capital venture so they don't hesitate to pick women's projects. Meanwhile, backers tend to trust men in important investment. It might be a result of stereotype and old perception which occupy investment field and business game.
DeleteFrom the utilization of capital investment which offers a large amount of money for big companies or big projects. crowdfunding is different from venture capital investment about the amount of money which is lower than venture capital investments.
ReplyDeleteFor men whose characters seem to be more reliable than women for handling a large amount of money. Many people thinks that men could have more leadership and sensible opinion to lead their projects to be successful. On the other hand, Women could be good at micro management which they can take care of their work themselves and this is very suitable for smaller campaigns .From the reason above, Women are easily considered for crowdfunding.
Put, I agree with you and I think this is a typical idea that men are leader and women is a micro manager. Women does not tend to get an opportunity as much as men in the business game. There are many place around the world that women are dominated by men. However, I would like to go against the assumption that women are less successful than men. There are many business firms that run by women leader. There are many country that have a women leader to run the politic game and business game. Some of them significantly talented such as the president from New Zealand. In fact, the assumption is very out of date.
DeleteI quite agree with you that people usually assign micro-management job for women because they think it is suitable. Your comment reminds me that people usually identify roles and characters of each gender. However, the trend is likely to change and the crowdfunding platform might a tiny step of it which give chance to women to present their ability.
DeleteWhen I first read it, I was wondering what response Put would get for saying that men's "characters seem to be more reliable than women for handling a large amount of money." Except for the use of the verb seem, which seems to save it, it sounds a bit like an assumption about men's competence compared to women's.
DeleteBut so far everyone seems happy to let it pass. Perhaps I've been unfair to Put, whose ideas I also found usefully different to my own, which is what we want here; it gives us more to think about and deepens our own initial ideas.
But I like Num's response, which does question the idea about men's superior abilities. I especially like her use of Julia Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand. For some years now, I've wished my own country, just across the water from New Zealand, could have such a steady, strong leader as New Zealand's female PM.
DeleteBecause of being in the military organisation, I've never been working with women except my female teachers since I entered Armed Forces Academy Preparatory School. The officers instructing me during my fleet training all are men. Hence I can only assume that women are suitable for work whose details are very essential and useful because some teachers who teach me in the academic subjects which help me gain more meticulousness such as calculus, chemistry, and Physics are women.
DeleteI was thinking that about 80% of women are emotional thinking. when women create the product or project some time is using emotional or feeling for attractive. But men quite use the logic thought. Thus, the women can be attractive from crowdfunding.
ReplyDeleteI partly disagree with your ideas. To be honest, it is true that most women make a decision based on their emotions and men think logically. However, it depends on the situations, but for business in my view women can be more successful in crowdfunding because of their persuasive skills. I partly agree that women are involved in the business when it is attractive. This is just my ideas, so it might be wrong.
DeleteWhen I read Phon's comment that "about 80% of women are emotional thinking," my immediate response was: "Is that an assumption or is it a well-founded belief?" I don't know. It sounds like the assumptions I grew up with, when it was very common to hear my aunts and uncles and my parents' friends say such things. But is in fact a correct assumption, or is it one of those assumptions that really isn't much more than untested prejudice? Perhaps people who enjoy psychology can weigh in on this.
DeleteI agree with you. Most of women could be sensitive with something wish they cannot cope with such as improper behaviour from her coordinate or decisive situation. From my point of view. I think women fit for small projects which need details and meticulousness. From all of these comments aren't not composed of any controversy on women.
DeleteTo me, I think women are prone to be more sucessful in doing the campaign of crowdfunding as they tend to more friends than men and are quite skillful in building the network which is suitable in this day. Women tend to have a closer relationship with friends and family and they're more likely to chat and communicate frequently than men which is beneficial in working in social network. Unlike, the crowdfunding, capital funding does not require close relationship as the crowdfunding,and it is probably well-structured and does not depend on closer relationship that men are more familiar with.
ReplyDeleteYour ideas is the same as Num's and my ideas. As I commented to Num's idea that I agree with her because women have a good network to persuade others and their words are more powerful when communicating with someone who has the same ideas with them.
DeleteI do agree with you. When I responded to the question in class through writing in blog, I suddenly had another thought come up in my mind and questioning my thought whether I had a gender bias - to judge people from their biological gender factors. However, with years of experiences working and interacting with both men and women, nothing can make me think in other way. @Earth Thank you for your comment.
DeleteFirst, base on the statistic, the successful crowdfunding projects mostly are small. Hence, I assume that women have done well and gain lots of trust in these kinds of projects while people tend to support men in bigger projects. Second, the connection is also important factors for both crowdfunding and VC. Women might have a stronger and wider connection between friend and family which is a big proportion of crowdfunding backers. Meanwhile, men might have a better connection in different groups which effect extremely to VC backers.
ReplyDeleteI guess that small project tend to be more successful because it is more easy to earn money and complete the target. Crowdfunding system base from donation and believer that why many projects got supported by family and friends. With a big project that may need a lot more financial and gain more profit, it will not suit with crowdfunding system because of the profit share will be more complicate when the project have lot of investors who have a different tiers. Not every project that could benefit by crowdfund, I think only passionate project that can be more success.
DeleteIn my opinion, it occurs that women are less successful than men at attracting capital investment because in the Past Men represent as a leader of the family who takes care of income and represents more as a fighter. So I thought that why capital investors believe that they will be more secure in getting their fund back. But on the other hand, crowdfunding tends to succeed more by women because it is multi-funding I Women tend to be delicate and caring than men and it suits the concept of helping society business and generates good cause business.
ReplyDeleteHi Prim, I agree with you that men is viewed as a leader of family and a fighter, and I think they have stronger determination than women. In my experience, building and running a business requires tremendous determination and energy, so with that I feel like men can handle that better than women, and many times my bosses usually have male colleagues to lead a big project.
DeleteSo what you mentioned here reminded me about Elon Musk the CEO of SpaceX. As he is running the breakthrough projects, so he needs to have huge determination and mental toughness to turn his innovation ideas into reality. And I think many women are more sensitive than men, so I think only men can take all of the tremendous stressful and challenges.
DeleteCan’t be refuse that in the past, along with the present, men are more decisive and serious than women, they think about the consequences of what they are doing and admit it in almost situation, but with their decisive, they are sometimes harsh and frankly, that point is why the women are significantly advantage on. She as women are making things soft in every aspect such as explaining, negotiating even the tone of present their work to create the relaxation and good atmosphere. Which is importantly require to persuade someone in co-operation, topically the Crowdfunding.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm now wondering what Poom thinks of my reply to Phon above, and vice versa.
DeletePoom, I agree with you that women are good at "making things soft in every aspect" and when you mentioned on "co-operation", it remined about the article that we read. As Thomas said that an effective network is important for successful on raising funds at crowdfunding, I think women are capable of networking and building relationships. At my company, we prefer to hire women for a sale representative job position than men, as selling products or services requires lot of relationships and impressions, and women do that well. At crowdfunding, I think women can gain more supports from their networks or people they know by asking their family and friends to recommend on their campaigns. In contrast, not many men can be good building rapports, selling, and asking for supports in the kind of communities, so they can be less successful at crowdfunding.
ReplyDeletePoom, I do agree with you that men and women are so different especially in the workplace. A male and female leaders will treat their subordinates differently, I thought. When talking about fund raising, women and men do differently.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, social media is harmful to this day, I think social media encourage people to show the more dark side. People attack each other on social media by writing and criticizing. More depression happens due to comparing social life. A lot of people spend time on social media more than live their own life.
ReplyDelete