Immigrant Entrepreneurs Research Articles

LEISURE ACTIVITIES AND SOCIAL CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT BY IMMIGRANT SERIAL/PORTFOLIO AND LIFESTYLE ENTREPRENEURS

We examine the creation of social capital by serial/portfolio and lifestyle immigrant entrepreneurs through ethnic and sports associations. Interviews with 24 self-employed immigrants to Canada form the basis of a grounded model. Serial/portfolio and lifestyle immigrant entrepreneurs appear to harness ethnic and sports associations through similar means, but it is the speed and intensity with which they combine their activities — and the goals they pursue — that mark their differences. Serial/portfolio entrepreneurs intertwine a denser set of activities more actively to support business generation, resulting in a more diverse matrix of social capital.

Exploring the evolution of ethnic entrepreneurship: the case of Brazilian immigrants in Florida

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze Brazilian entrepreneurial communities in Florida, through the capitals theory approach.Design/methodology/approachBy adopting a comparative case study approach, the researchers conducted 80 in-depth interviews with Brazilian entrepreneurs in two different communities – Pompano Beach (Miami area) and Orlando, Florida. Data triangulation was performed through interviews with community stakeholders, secondary sources of data and surveys.FindingsAuthors propose a framework of 27 contexts, based on immigrant entrepreneurs’ capital provisions. Evidence points to different evolutionary paths of the two communities of Brazilian immigrants that were compared. Some of these contexts were found in other ethnicities from extant literature, which shows that it might be generalizable to other cases.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations relate to the fact that the comparative study was conducted in one ethnic group. Nevertheless, the paper brings insights to support future studies on immigrant and ethnic entrepreneurship as a building block for future comparative studies on other immigrant communities.Practical implicationsThe work presents a guideline for future entrepreneurs in Florida.Social implicationsImplications of practice will arise after further studies in the contexts of economic, human and social capital. The cases of successful immigrant communities enlightened by the capitals theory might be useful to newly born ethnic enclaves.Originality/valueThe originality of the paper lies on the comparison of two entrepreneurial communities of the same ethnicity in Florida, showing different behaviors due to the internal and environmental factors. Moreover, the Brazilian entrepreneur’s particularities add up to the general theory of immigrant or ethnic entrepreneurship.

Examining of immigrant entrepreneurship studies in international literature by using social network analysis

Immigrant entrepreneurship is increasingly becoming part of the global economy which is garnering more attention from different academic disciplines. The increase in numbers of immigrants all over the world, especially in recent times, has also led to an increase in the immigrant entrepreneurship. Socio-cultural and economic impacts of this increase begin to draw attention of researchers studying the economy and business. However, analyzing the studies about immigrant entrepreneurship phenomenon systematically is quite limited. In this context, the aim of the study is to reveal knowledge network of immigrant entrepreneurship and show slightly-used paths of this field as suggestions for further studies. To achieve this aim, social network analysis (SNA) providing linkages and connections about immigrant entrepreneurship is used. Likewise SNA method is commonly used in scientific researches to provide a powerful set of tools for describing and linking information. Articles about immigrant entrepreneurship published in journals which are involved in SSCI are evaluated and UCINET software is used for visualizing our research through keywords. The study is expected to contribute to the business literature generally and entrepreneurship literature specifically and lead to researchers who aim to study the immigrant entrepreneurship by means of focusing on gaps and variables which are not discoursed adequately in the field.

Ser imigrante e empreendedor: lógicas e sentidos. aspectos da imigração brasileira na Itália.

O texto analisa alguns aspectos da imigração brasileira para as regiões Norte e Nordeste da Itália; centra o tema do empreendedorismo de imigrantes, ou seja, a estratégia de montar pequenas empresas, em geral, prestadoras de serviços em atividades agrícolas, na construção civil e na limpeza de prédios e condomínios; revela que imigrantes brasileiros dinamizam com intensidade essa realidade, otimizam sua condição de duplo-cidadão, muitos desses associam-se com italianos e montam empresas. O empreendedorismo revela um estágio avançado de integração social e produtiva do imigrante; é uma estratégia de mudança da performance imigratória, promove, na maioria das vezes, o reagrupamento familiar e absorve nichos de mercado. Porém, não é uma realidade que se concretiza com facilidades; há muitos limites financeiros, burocráticos e exigências que, deliberadamente, dificultam essa mudança de identidade do imigrante.

Economic Development Challenges for Immigrant Retail Corridors: Observations From Chicago’s Devon Avenue

Immigrant entrepreneurship is important to local and regional economies, cultural identity, placemaking, and tourism. Meanwhile, regional conditions, such as the development of suburban immigrant gateway communities and increases in the cost of business ownership, complicate local economic development efforts in urban ethnic districts. This research is presented as a mixed–methods case study of Devon Avenue in Chicago, IL, home to a significant concentration of South Asian–owned immigrant businesses. Challenges and pressures facing businesses are examined through merchant surveys and interviews. Observations reinforce the notion that cultural competency and strong grassroots leadership is vital for economic development planning so that “capitalizing” on an ethnic heritage does not become a tool for commodification or commercial gentrification. Agencies must also be mindful of the impacts associated with suburbanization of immigrant communities and take a long-term, regional approach to planning in ethnic commercial corridors.

Exclude Me Not: The Untold Story of Immigrant Entrepreneurs in Sweden

This article examines the perspectives of immigrant entrepreneurs on the barriers they face regarding their inclusion in public procurement in Sweden through the so-called supplier diversity programs. Drawing upon modern stakeholder theory and transaction cost economics, this study aims to identify potential barriers such entrepreneurs face in succeeding as suppliers to the public sector. Data were collected through interviews with immigrant entrepreneurs who had experience with the public procurement tender process in Sweden. The results reveal that immigrant entrepreneurs doing business with public procurement face several barriers, ranging from economic to social ones such as information, advertising, human resources, and undercapitalization. The interviewees believe that such barriers weaken their performance and hinder their success in public procurement tenders. When it comes to supplier diversity programs, the entrepreneurs under study were either unaware of such programs in public procurement in Sweden or did not believe in their effectiveness.

Are They Really Different: The Entrepreneurial Process from the Perspective of First and Second Generation Immigrant Entrepreneurs

There is limited research on similarities and differences in entrepreneurial experiences of first and second generation immigrant entrepreneurs. Using in-depth interviews with Lebanese entrepreneurs in two Canadian cities, we analyze how entrepreneurs belonging to two different generations of immigrants experience and enact opportunity identification and assessment, and business development and operation. The analysis shows that first and second generation immigrant entrepreneurs diverge in their views of macro-institutional structures (such as regulation), risk, trust, and the role of divine providence in the entrepreneurial venture. The findings highlight the importance of understanding how first generation immigrant entrepreneurs’ past frames — developed in the pre-migration context — interact with the environment in the country of settlement in shaping entrepreneurial undertaking. The study also highlights second generation immigrant entrepreneurs’ perceived similarities to and differences from mainstream entrepreneurs. Implications for research and policy are addressed.

Chinese immigrant entrepreneurship: Embeddedness and the interaction of resources with the wider social and economic context

This article investigates the factors that influenced the entrepreneurial start-up businesses among Chinese immigrants who had been granted residency under three different immigration policies in A...

English

The aim of this paper is to verify if there is a typical enterprise model for the development of immigrant female entrepreneurship in Italy. Based on the literature on the subject, however, it is useful to ask the following research question: “can membership in a national and international network facilitate the development of immigrant female entrepreneurship operating in Italy”? The survey was carried out by submitting a questionnaire to a sample of immigrant women entrepreneurs in the textile and clothing sector based in Italy. The choice fell on this specific economic segment because it represents the third largest sector for the number of female immigrant entrepreneurs (2.271 units) which amounts to 16% of the total number of entrepreneurs operating in the same sector. The percentage of respondents was 35%, with 795 completed questionnaires. The structure of the questionnaire reflects the need to examine the personal features of female entrepreneurs, the organizational aspects and the style of leadership, the task environment in which the enterprise works and the main possible benefits, or obstacles, they might obtain, or face. In addition to the objective of enlarging the literature regarding the management and governance of businesses run by women entrepreneurs, that is quite limited to date, this paper is a contribution to the analysis of a possible development model of women entrepreneurs. Key words: Entrepreneurship, network, resilience, women entrepreneurs, competitive advantage.

Sustaining Immigrant Entrepreneurship in South Africa: The Role of Informal Financial Associations

Although immigrants have been found to be particularly likely to engage in entrepreneurial activities in their host countries, very often their ability to do so is restricted by a range of challenges, including having limited access to finances. As a consequence, proactive immigrant entrepreneurs establish informal financial associations, which are known as stokvels in South Africa, in order to compensate for the general lack of available capital for their business ventures. Accordingly, this paper has sought to ascertain the role, which stokvels play in the startups and the growth of Cameroonian-owned businesses, and also the strategies which they employ. A mixed methods approach was adopted to conduct the study and purposive sampling was employed to obtain a research sample of 123 participants to respond to the survey questionnaire and 10 to take part in one-on-one in-depth interviews. The data was analysed through the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, which generated findings in the form of descriptive statistics. The results suggest that most emerging immigrant entrepreneurs struggle to obtain sufficient startup capital. It also emerged from the findings that stokvels played an equally significant role in providing the capital, which was necessary for the growth of their businesses. On the basis of the assumption that widening access to finance would improve both the startups and the growth of immigrant-owned businesses, the authors of this paper advocate for inclusive policy initiatives, which consider the unique characteristics of the immigrant entrepreneur. In addition, it is hoped that this paper will make a valid contribution to the discourse concerning inclusive finance and be of interest to policy makers and academics.

In Search of Silver Line from Immigrant Entrepreneurs in Japan: Review of Literature

Journal of Business & Technology (JBT) is an open-access journal published by the Department of the Commerce and Financial Management of the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. The journal follows a double-blind peer-review process and is published bi-annually (January, July). JBT aims to publish scholarly research, critical reviews, case studies, practitioner reviews and technology reviews in the fields of business and technology.

Paths of evolution for the Chinese migrant entrepreneurship: a multiple case analysis in Italy

Chinese diaspora is one of the most important areas in the field of immigrant entrepreneurship and the Chinese case is, for absolute numbers, entrepreneurship rates and scientific attention, one of the most significant phenomena in the world and in Italy. While much of the literature on the topic focuses on ethnic networks and social ties, there is a lack of studies that acknowledge the role of business networks in the later growth of migrant entrepreneurship, when the importance of social ties within the ethnic community diminishes. This paper tries to answer the following research question: Which is the role of ethnic networks and business networks in the path of evolution of Chinese migrant entrepreneurship? Thus, the paper analyses the structure and characteristics of ethnic networks and business networks and the role of each in the growth and evolution of Chinese migrant entrepreneurship. Our research considers business networks as the main focus of analysis that may replace social ties in consolidating insidership in new business settings and in finding new opportunities. A qualitative methodology is adopted, namely a multiple case study. Five cases of individual Chinese companies settled in a specific area are presented, for which the networks in which they are involved are traced and analysed. The case analysis shows that in the evolution of Chinese migrant entrepreneurship, ethnic networks are very important in the early phases of the business, but the role of cross-cultural business networks becomes relevant for further development. Implications—managerial and for policy makers—are highlighted and discussed.

Inter-Role Differences, Self-Identification Battles, and Performance of Immigrant Entrepreneurs

This paper examines the implications of the mixed self-identification with the previous and the new roles for performance in the post-transition environment. Building on role transitions and identity literature, we contend that stronger self-identification with the previous role against the newer role reinforces the influence of the inter-role knowledge-related and economics-related differences on performance in the new context. Applying this prediction to the context of immigrant entrepreneurship, we suggest that being older, being a female, and not being naturalized (as determinants of the stronger self-identification with the home country) strengthen both: (a) the negative effects of the immigrants’ home-to-host countries’ knowledge-related linguistic differences, and (b) the positive effects of the positive home-to-host economic differences on immigrant entrepreneurs’ business performance in the host country. Our findings from a multilevel analysis of a panel of 4,844 businesses owned by 4,615 immigrant entrepreneurs from 101 home countries in 13 Western European host countries are largely consistent with these theoretical predictions. At the same time, the interesting nuances in the findings offer some insights for further theory extensions.

The Double-edged Sword of Stereotypes for Immigrant Entrepreneurs

That investing in an immigrant entrepreneur is risky is well known, but less explored is how investors assess this risk due to a lack of information on the entrepreneur. This paper investigates the...

Homegrown: The Role of Cultural Origins in the Bricolage Activity of Immigrant Entrepreneurship

While studies on immigrant entrepreneurship have acknowledged the influence of a firm’s host country embeddedness on its bricolage activity – making do or finding alternative uses for resources at hand, the influence of the immigrant’s home embeddedness tends to be an implied or an under-examined part of the immigrant’s entrepreneurial process. Through a rigorous analysis of eight cases of immigrant entrepreneurs and their South African-based enterprises, our findings suggest that entrepreneurial identity – shaped by the entrepreneurs’ home countries cultural and cognitive embeddedness – plays a moderating role between how they engage network-embedded resources in the host country and how they conduct bricolage with the resources.

Becoming entrepreneurs: how immigrants developed entrepreneurial identities

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the important process of how entrepreneurial identity is formed and constructed, with the perspective that entrepreneurial identity is social and dynamic, constantly shaped by various life episodes and human interactions, rather than static and unchanging.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative study comprises 30 in-depth interviews with Chinese immigrants in West Canada. These immigrants had been employed professionals under the “Skilled Workers” immigration category but later became entrepreneurs. None of the entrepreneurs in this study had prior business ownership experience, and many of them said that they had never thought about running businesses until they came to Canada.FindingsA process model of entrepreneurial identity construction is presented. This paper advances the literature on entrepreneurship through the identification of three stages in the development of entrepreneurial identity: identity exploration, entrepreneurial mindsets building, and narrative development.Originality/valueThis study has important implications for the understanding of the exploratory and discovery mode of entrepreneurial identity construction. This study also moves away from the contextual and structural hypotheses as the sole explanations for the high rate of self-employment among immigrant entrepreneurs, and provides a useful starting point for a deeper understanding of the agency of immigrant entrepreneurs.

Immigrant entrepreneurship contextualised

PurposeThis paper aims to address the rural and gender gaps in the immigrant entrepreneurship literature by exploring the start-up stories of 18 female immigrants who currently run a business in northernmost Norway.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a qualitative fieldwork including business visits and in-depth interviews. The transcripts from the interviews were analysed using a constructivist grounded theory (CGT) approach.FindingsFour modes of entry to entrepreneurship were identified: entrepreneurship as a way out of unemployment; entrepreneurship as a means to avoid underemployment, entrepreneurship as a means to live in a region of perceived attraction; and entrepreneurship as a preferred choice for women in satisfactory wage labour. In addition, the paper reveals the importance of family support and of spatial embeddedness among immigrant entrepreneurs living in a rural context.Practical implicationsThis study notes that the modes of entry to rural immigrant entrepreneurship are diverse, but that they are often partly related to the pursuit of an initial feeling of belonging in the new region of settlement. Hence, developing the knowledge of how to not only attract but also retain and increase the feeling of local belonging of immigrants may be important for many rural regions in the Western world. This is because rural immigrants not only represent a much needed in-flow of younger people in a typically decreasing and ageing population but also entail cultural variation and job creation, thus contributing to place development.Social implicationsThe paper argues for the importance of considering immigrant entrepreneurs as significant actors of rural development.Originality/valueWhile immigrant entrepreneurship has emerged as an important field of study, it has been criticised for focusing predominantly on men and for neglecting contextual variations in the analysis. The rural context especially has been largely omitted. By focusing on female immigrants having established a business in a rural context, the paper adds to the literature, firstly, by highlighting the experiences of female immigrant entrepreneurs. Secondly, it reveals that rural immigrant entrepreneurship cannot be conceived in terms of “ethnic resources” or “enclave economy” that are often central explanatory dimensions in megacity studies. Thirdly, it argues for the importance of considering both the spatial as well as the family contexts in the author’s theoretical conceptualizations of the (immigrant) entrepreneurial start-up phase.

Relationship with English: Language use, Attitudes, and Investment in Learning Among Low-Income Latino Immigrant Entrepreneurs

Many researchers have explored language learning investment since Norton Peirce (1995) introduced the concept. However, most investment studies have recruited participants through language classes, which presupposes participant investment in formal learning. The current study went outside the classroom context by conducting ethnographic interviews with eight Latino immigrant entrepreneurs recruited through a small business training program. The study found that examining investment alone was insufficient for understanding participant experience. A more comprehensive analysis indicated that each participant had a unique relationship with English, encompassing situated language use, past learning experiences, current investment in learning, and feelings about using English. Participants’ relationships with English affected and were affected by the kinds of businesses they had, how they positioned themselves, and how they were positioned by others. Participants who positioned themselves as “not English speakers” nevertheless used nonspoken semiotic resources to become English users and thus access economic opportunities. These findings have implications for English language teachers, social service providers, employers, and researchers in the applied linguistics and Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages communities. Overall, relationship with English provides a framework to assess, describe, and support immigrants’ language use and learning.

Private Companies of Colonisation and Immigrant Entrepreneurs in Brazil

During the second half of the nineteenth century, southern Brazil received numerous migratory contingents, attracted by the Imperial State or by provincial governments. However, the main difference with colonisation organised by private companies was that it aimed primarily at the commercialisation of farmland and the establishment of trade in agricultural and artisanal products. The private colonisation companies were often run by groups, families or individuals who were also immigrants. This process was fraught with conflict. With great visibility in Brazilian society, these entrepreneurs took advantage of commercial openings by exploiting farmers and workers without political rights and with little knowledge of the country of settlement. The same system however did hide political and economic disputes between local and immigrant elites. To discuss the role of immigrant entrepreneurs, this article presents some results of research on the trajectory of the Rheingantz family.

Estudo Exploratório do Empreendedorismo Imigrante Brasileiro em Pompano Beach e Orlando - EUA

The aim of this study is to provide a contribution to immigrant entrepreneurship theories in the context of Brazilian ventures in the US. Through an exploratory study, the paper compares two significant Brazilian communities in terms of population and entrepreneurial activities. The research investigated the profile of entrepreneurial activities, the reasons for migration and the determinants of market orientation: either to focus on dominant markets or ethnic customers. The theoretical approach included the human, social and economic capital theories, as well as transnationalism and ethnic entrepreneurship. The method was based on qualitative analysis of 80 interviews with entrepreneurs chosen according to accessibility and typicality criteria. The results indicate that the immigrant entrepreneurs’ provisions of capital and their social identities have influence on their target market choices: the 'ethnic enclave' or 'dominant market'.