Host versus home country influence on the immigrant entrepreneurial process: an imprinting perspective

Abstract

Since its first use in organisational research, nearly five decades ago, imprinting has gained recognition in entrepreneurship studies. Accordingly, this study utilises the behavioural concept to develop new theorisations to account for the entrepreneurial processes of immigrant entrepreneurs. It pays attention on its effects on immigrant entrepreneurs, particularly when it comes to their decision–making and behaviours towards business creation in Canada. A comprehensive analysis of a dataset generated from a systematically selected group of immigrant entrepreneurs revealed the complexity of their imprints at various stages of their entrepreneurial cycle in the North American country. It emerged that imprinting not only modified their behaviours, attitudes and cognition, but also shaped the trajectory of their entrepreneurial processes. That is, their imprints had an effect on how they identified business opportunities, the types of businesses they pursued, their level of entrepreneurial drive, and the types of resources they acquired or accessed in their new environment. Notably, following a period of normalisation in their new surroundings, their original imprints changed due to diminishing affinity with their country-of-origin. This holds research and policy implications as it uncovers an unfolding but less-understood entrepreneurship phenomenon.