Dr Dhara Shah visited the The Academy for Gender Equality and Social Justice Research in Organisations from Deakin Business School on the 10th of June 2025 to present her recently published paper on Precariat women’s experiences to undertake an entrepreneurial training program. Using the qualitative methodology and Action Research approach with 40 disadvantaged Australian women over 50 years, reliant on welfare support, her study explores how the Australian welfare system impacts these disadvantaged women’s circumstances and whether tailored programs to increase self-efficacy can reduce welfare reliance. This research identified that for ageing and precariat women, self-efficacy is tempered with lived experience and the welfare poverty trap, which can be broken with programs that help increase confidence, self-efficacy, skills, networks, and social connections, along with seed funding to start a micro-business. We discuss implications for research and policy.

Dhara also introduce the Women and Inclusive Entrepreneurship Research Alliance (WEIRA) and its ambitions to include The Academy and LUMS in its international network and partnerships. WEIRA is a unit within Deakin Business School in partnership with Symbiosis International University in India. They recently welcomed Neoma Business School into the alliance.

Dhara explained "This research group is an interdisciplinary and international unit committed to collaborating on research papers, projects, training programs and grants. WIERA is committed to providing a platform for scholars and researchers to conduct purposeful, solution-oriented, impactful research and training that addresses current and emerging challenges in these areas”.

WIERA's focus encompasses women entrepreneurs and others who face multifaceted challenges, including economic, sociocultural, cognitive, physical, and emotional obstacles. This initiative aims to create a community of practice, uniting academics to pursue funding opportunities, grants, collaborative projects, joint research, and training programs.

Dhara is Associate Professor in Human Resource Management, Director of the Women and Inclusive Entrepreneurship Research Alliance and the Director for Partnerships and Engagement (Public Sector) at Deakin Business School, Melbourne, Australia. Dhara is an interdisciplinary, innovative academic and an expert in gender equality, women and underdog entrepreneurship, career growth, expatriation, inclusive leadership, and building partnerships with government and industry. She has successfully delivered and implemented nine complex, interdisciplinary, domestic, and international projects (approximately A$ 2 million). She serves as a committee board member of the Australia India Business Council Victoria Chapter and the Australia Country Representative for the European Academy of Management, EURAM. She has published in many high-ranked journals, including the International Journal of HRM, Journal of Business Research, Journal of International Management, and Journal of World Business, among others.