The booming global demand for beauty and personal care products seems to lead to a higher number of women getting involved in fashion and vanity-related businesses. An increasingly popular phenomenon that is significant to this context is 'hipness', the state of being knowledgeable about the latest trend in style and fashion. For this study, hipness is defined as one's tendency to partake a situation that seems to be popular, in trend or attractive. Although women entrepreneurship had been extensively researched in the past, the phenomenon of hipness as it relates to women entrepreneurship is yet to be explored. To fulfil this gap, this study aims to understand the role and influence of hipness in the process of venture creation among women entrepreneurs. The study first reviewed the literature on hipness and women entrepreneurship in general. It then employed the qualitative methodology and gathered data from in-depth interviews with selected women who owned a business in the related industry. In a nutshell, the study found that hipness played significant roles at every element of venture creation, namely the individual, organizational, environmental as well as the process element. This understanding contributes towards the awareness and appreciation of the significance of hipness as a construct that influences the process of venture creation among women entrepreneurs.

Taiwan is one of the emerging players in the global halal industry. Since the launching of its New Southbound Policy in late 2016, the country has been aiming to move rapidly into the lucrative global halal markets through its brand of Halal Taiwan. However, thus far, the current state of its halal campaign in the international market is not yet identified. This study intends to fulfill this gap by exploring the internationalization of Taiwanese halal-certified food products that are exported to Malaysia. This qualitative study observed the availability of made in Taiwan halal food products at thirteen supermarkets and convenient stores in Kuala Lumpur and greater Klang Valley in Malaysia, as well as on two major online shopping platforms. The study found that the internationalization strategy of Taiwanese halal food products in Malaysia is characterized by the offering of product variety mainly for impulse purchase with high affordability. However, in terms of number and range of products, as well as the establishment of brand identity, it is found that Taiwan is lacking behind South Korea and Japan. The latter two are Muslim-minority countries that fast becoming emerging players in the global halal market. Implications for policy and managerial practices are also discussed.