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Article
Publication date: 8 February 2021

Carel Roessingh and Michiel Verver

A central theme in the literature on entrepreneurship in remote communities – be they religious, indigenous, rural or migrant communities – is the balance between continuity and…

Abstract

Purpose

A central theme in the literature on entrepreneurship in remote communities – be they religious, indigenous, rural or migrant communities – is the balance between continuity and change or tradition and modernity and the role of entrepreneurship in maintaining or uprooting this balance. The purpose of this paper is to examine this dynamic in the context of Springfield, a small settlement of Old Order Mennonites in Belize, Central America.

Design/methodology/approach

This study draws on ethnographic research conducted in the Mennonite settlement of Springfield, Belize, between 2002 and 2019, as well as written correspondence with key stakeholders from Springfield.

Findings

This paper identifies three issues of contention between the Springfield Mennonites and the Belizean state: the agricultural census issue, the buying land issue and the cow tagging issue. Each of these revolves around state demands for assimilation into (digitalized) administrative systems and Mennonite resistance to these demands based on their religious-moral code. This study describes the negotiations around these issues.

Originality/value

The focus in most literature on entrepreneurship in remote communities is on how internal community dynamics shape the balance between continuity and change and, in extension, the space for entrepreneurship. The originality of the paper lies in shifting the focus to the relationship between the community and external stakeholders, especially the state.

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 14 June 2019

Michiel Verver, David Passenier and Carel Roessingh

Literature on immigrant and ethnic minority entrepreneurship almost exclusively focusses on the west, while neglecting other world regions. This neglect is problematic not only…

2287

Abstract

Purpose

Literature on immigrant and ethnic minority entrepreneurship almost exclusively focusses on the west, while neglecting other world regions. This neglect is problematic not only because international migration is on the rise outside the west, but also because it reveals an implicit ethnocentrism and creates particular presumptions about the nature of ethnic minority entrepreneurship that may not be as universally valid as is often presumed. The purpose of this paper is to examine ethnic minority entrepreneurship in non-western contexts to critically assess two of these presumptions, namely that it occurs in the economic margins and within clear ethnic community boundaries.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors draw on academic literature (including the authors’ own) to develop two case descriptions of ethnic minority entrepreneurship outside the west: the Mennonites in Belize and the Chinese in Cambodia. For each case, the authors describe the historic entrepreneurial trajectory, i.e. the historical emergence of entrepreneurship in light of relevant community and society contexts.

Findings

The two cases reveal that, in contrast to characterisations of ethnic minority entrepreneurship in the west, the Mennonites in Belize and the Chinese in Cambodia have come to comprise the economic upper class, and their business activities are not confined to ethnic community boundaries.

Originality/value

The paper is the first to elaborate the importance of studying ethnic minority entrepreneurship outside the west, both as an aim in itself and as a catalyst to work towards a more neutral framework.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 25 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 13 October 2023

Maud van Merriënboer, Michiel Verver and Miruna Radu-Lefebvre

Drawing on an intersectional perspective on racial, migrant and entrepreneurial identities, this paper investigates the identity work of racial minority entrepreneurs with…

1397

Abstract

Purpose

Drawing on an intersectional perspective on racial, migrant and entrepreneurial identities, this paper investigates the identity work of racial minority entrepreneurs with native-born and migrant backgrounds, confronted to experiences of othering in a White entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Design/methodology/approach

The study takes a qualitative-interpretivist approach and builds on six cases of racial minority entrepreneurs in nascent stages of venture development within the Dutch technology sector. The dataset comprises 24 in-depth interviews conducted over the course of one and a half year, extensive case descriptions and online sources. The data is thematically and inductively analysed.

Findings

Despite strongly self-identifying as entrepreneurs, the research participants feel marginalised and excluded from the entrepreneurial ecosystem, which results in ongoing threats to their existential authenticity as they build a legitimate entrepreneurial identity. Minority entrepreneurs navigate these threats by either downplaying or embracing their marginalised racial and/or migrant identities.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the literature on the identity work of minority entrepreneurs. The paper reveals that, rather than “strategising away” the discrimination and exclusion resulting from othering, racial minority entrepreneurs seek to preserve their sense of existential authenticity and self-worth, irrespective of entrepreneurial outcomes. In so doing, the study challenges the dominant perspective of entrepreneurial identity work among minority entrepreneurs as overly instrumental and market-driven. Moreover, the study also contributes to the literature on authenticity in entrepreneurship by highlighting how racial minority entrepreneurs navigate authenticity threats while building legitimacy in a White ecosystem.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 February 2024

Irene Skovgaard-Smith

The purpose of the paper is to propose a shift from the ideal of immersion to a practice of “committed localism” in the ethnographic study of relational work in the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to propose a shift from the ideal of immersion to a practice of “committed localism” in the ethnographic study of relational work in the post-bureaucratic and service-based economy.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on ethnographic fieldwork following management consultancy projects in a hospital and a manufacturing company in Denmark. The approach was predicated on committed attention to the everyday of consultancy work activities and associated relational dynamics. This involved being present at the client sites, observing and listening in concrete situations of interaction and engaging in conversations with the multiple actors involved, both external consultants and members of client organisations.

Findings

The paper shows how “committed localism” was practiced in the ethnographic study of management consultancy as it is relationally accomplished in and through concrete situations of interaction between consultants and different actors in client organizations and the associated meaning production of the involved actors.

Originality/value

The paper develops the notion of “committed localism”, originally introduced by George Marcus, into a methodological concept to challenge the conventional ideal of immersion as the hallmark of “proper” ethnography. Such a shift is particularly pertinent for the ethnographic study of relational processes involving multiple actors occupying different positions in the temporary social spaces of contemporary workplaces.

Details

Journal of Organizational Ethnography, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6749

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 September 2022

Eka Pariyanti, Wiwiek Rabiatul Adawiyah and Siti Zulaikha Wulandari

There are two objectives in this study. First, testing the relationship between person-organization fit (P-O fit) and person-job fit (P-J fit) on turnover intentions. Second…

Abstract

Purpose

There are two objectives in this study. First, testing the relationship between person-organization fit (P-O fit) and person-job fit (P-J fit) on turnover intentions. Second, examining the moderating role of kinship on the relationship between P-O fit and P-J fit on turnover intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

This research was conducted at private universities in Lampung with a total of 282 respondents. The analytical method used to test the research hypothesis was moderated regression analysis (MRA)

Findings

There are five proposed hypotheses, and all of them are supported. The findings of this study reveal that P-O fit and P-J fit are predictors that are negatively related to turnover intentions. Furthermore, kinship moderates the relationship between P-O fit and P-J fit on turnover intentions.

Research limitations/implications

This study adds to the literature on turnover intentions in universities and underscores some important advances and contributions in developing a human resource management theory related to social capital. Based on the findings of this study, organizations are expected to pay more attention to P-O fit, P-J fit and kinship to reduce the level of turnover intentions. Employers are expected to choose people who match the organization's values and work and create interpersonal relationships between them to reduce turnover intentions, which mean the findings extend the theory of attraction-selection-attrition (ASA), social exchange and social capital. These findings provide theoretical and pragmatic insights for human resource management practitioners and relevant stakeholders.

Practical implications

Practically, the concepts of P-O fit and P-J fit are important to be considered by the leadership because creating a suitable environment for employees will trigger positive behaviors. Leaders must find the right people for the environment and the right environment for the employees. Furthermore, this study has implications for a relational approach to overcoming turnover intentions in the workplace. The relational approach is in the form of kinship. Organizations that encourage opportunities for social interaction among members can reduce employee turnover and tend to create positive social capital.

Social implications

In social practice, kinship connects people in an organization. The existence of kinship in an organization helps academicians get relational and emotional support from coworkers and superiors so that they will feel a family relationship that may not be found in other organizations, which eventually reduces turnover intentions.

Originality/value

The originality of this study lies in investigating the moderating role of kinship on the relationship between P-O fit and turnover intentions. Kinship in this study is different from research in general. “Kinship” here is based on a kinship perspective because of the peculiarities of Asian culture, especially in Indonesia, namely kinship without blood relations and marriage.

Details

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, vol. 15 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-7003

Keywords

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