A factual analysis of sustainable opportunity recognition of immigrant entrepreneurship in Finnish Lapland: Theories and practice

Nafisa Yeasmin,Timo Koivurova

doi:10.7341/20191523

Abstract

Immigrant entrepreneurs are in a disadvantaged position in the Arctic Lapland. According to previous studies (see Yeasmin, 2016), there are many factors that hinder the sustainability of immigrant business. Immigrant entrepreneurs lack socio-economic and political knowledge along with many other hindrances. Broadening knowledge and combining strong and weak ties (Granovetter, 1985) are positive factors among many other mixed factors relating to operating a business successfully. Sustainable immigrant entrepreneurship practices require legitimacy between entrepreneurial actions and opportunity recognition. Research on sustainable immigrant entrepreneurship does not fit into a single literature body and it is difficult to make a single model for the growth potential of immigrant entrepreneurship in Lapland (Yeasmin, 2016). Therefore, the focus of this study is to create an integrated value for immigrant entrepreneurs by combining the CSR theory and mix embeddedness theory, and find an alternative concept of practice for understanding the drivers that can sustain the micro businesses of immigrants in Lapland and can give an explanation on opportunities recognition which can be embedded so as to get access to the necessary entrepreneurial capital (local, regional or national). This study argues that the degree of CSR embeddedness could be developed as a component of mixed embeddedness supports the discovery of institutional, social and economic opportunity strategy amongst immigrant entrepreneurs. Conceptually, this study explores adaptive factors that immigrant entrepreneurs are determined to embed (whether knowingly) as mixed practices that create entrepreneurial success.

Highlights

Immigrants are a marginalized group in the labor market in Finnish Lapland, since the unemployment rate is high among immigrant jobseekers
Some of the respondents have pretty little knowledge of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) concept (Case B – Bob and Case P – Payman) whereas some others thought that CSR is very much related to larger companies and their philanthropic characteristics (Tom, Camelia & Sadaf), and they agreed that their businesses are small-sized, but they do not have a perfect knowledge about the definition
The study argues that there is no uniform model for measuring the success factors of immigrant entrepreneurs because immigrant entrepreneurs are of a diverse nature

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Immigrants are a marginalized group in the labor market in Finnish Lapland, since the unemployment rate is high among immigrant jobseekers. We find that the specific sets of resources of individual immigrant entrepreneurs postulate a relationship between the opportunity structures by adding a dynamic interpretation of economic, social and institutional incorporation towards entrepreneurial success Both CSR and the mixed embeddedness theories stand for the growth potential of enterprises and integrated policies back up a management style for entrepreneurs that enhance the possibility of long-term solutions and success of enterprises. 66 / A factual analysis of sustainable opportunity recognition of immigrant entrepreneurship in Finnish Lapland: Theories and practice a specific kind of social embeddedness that can build a trust relationship with local stakeholders (Kloosterman, 1999; Kloosterman, 2010) In this case, the chances of becoming successful and the continuation of the business are rather slim (ibid.). Lack of clarity to those opportunity aspects and understanding CSR and mixed embeddedness narrow their business operating skills to some extent

METHODOLOGY

Method

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

CONCLUSIONS