Ethos at stake: roads to success among Chinese small businesses in Milan, Italy

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to check the presence of such relationship in the field. Certain values are at stake for the success of economic behavior. Since the genesis of modern capitalism, a set of beliefs proper of Calvinism (mainly Predestination but also Beruf, inner-worldly asceticism, role of Sects […] ) was said by Max Weber to cause an anxiety about salvation and generate a propensity to economic success as a sign of election. The author argues on the contrary that the Calvinist belief in the Perpetual Assurance of Salvation might cause a sense of self-efficacy able to favor economic success. To observe this in action today, it is crucial to consider the evolution that the Protestant ethic went through migrating first in North America and, finally, through the Protestant revival of China. Wenzhou is called “Jerusalem of China” for its large Protestant community that is also strongly involved in business. Some scholar already pointed out the presence among those entrepreneurs of this Protestant ethic (Yi Xiang, Boss-Christian […]). Design/methodology/approach The data presented in this comparative qualitative study pertain to ethnographic observations, job-shadowing and interviews done among Chinese Christian and non-Christian entrepreneurs from Wenzhou living in Milan, Italy. Findings The results show, with some adjustments, the presence of a Chinese version of the Protestant ethic overlapping with several values proper to the Chinese context (Confucianism, lineage, social network). The extension of the study to other cases must be done with caution considering the non-causal justificatory role of the belief. Originality/value Successful entrepreneurship involves specific social, cultural and even religious aspects that move beyond mere business strategies.

Migrant entrepreneurs from an advanced economy in a developing country: the case of Korean entrepreneurs in Malaysia

“…In particular, the ties that they build within formal and informal associations enable them with access to information on living arrangements and entrepreneurial opportunities in the host country. In this aspect a migrant community’s in-group ties, enabled by institutions such as churches and co-ethnic associations (Galbraith et al , 2007; Palombaro, 2020) are still relevant, even if the migrant community originates from a relatively more prosperous and advanced nation.…”

“…Co-ethnic ties in this aspect include ties with family and kin, and participation in co-ethnic-based societies and associations that assist MEs in expanding their ventures in their host nation (Nee and Sanders, 2001; Ram et al , 2008; Ndofor and Priem, 2011). In general, for communities in disadvantaged settings, community-based embeddedness is mainly instrumental as a mechanism to mobilise resources, through institutions such as co-ethnic churches (Palombaro, 2020) and membership in formal co-ethnic-based associations (Galbraith et al , 2007). MEs’ ethnic networks can be characterised as a type of resource system and a distinct type of ethnic economy inclusive of economy-enabling institutions, such as informal credit associations (such as rotating credit associations for Korean entrepreneurs) and family/hometown associations focusing on co-ethnic members (Zhou, 2004; Yoo, 2000).…”

The social structures of entrepreneurial embeddedness: the influence of market, reciprocity and redistribution

“…For instance, van der Westhuizen and Adelakun (2022) investigated the role of religion as a driving factor in entrepreneurship in developing markets. In turn, Palombaro (2021) analyzed the Protestant values and their influence on communities of Chinese migrant entrepreneurs. However, none of these articles sought to investigate the social immersion of entrepreneurs from the literature derived from the NES in association with the classical perspective of the theme, nor the eventual social structures of their relationships, i.e.…”