Immigrant and second-generation Turkish entrepreneurs in Melbourne Australia

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the key differences between first- and second-generation immigrant entrepreneurs in their path to entrepreneurship. The aim of the study is to better understand entrepreneurial motivations amongst immigrants by comparing first- and second-generation entrepreneurs in their motivation for business entry, reliance on co-ethnic market, use of social and financial capital, business planning and marketing practices. Design/methodology/approach – Using an interpretivist approach and a qualitative design, this study comprises 20 in-depth interviews with first- and second-generation Turkish entrepreneurs (TEs) in Melbourne, Australia. Turks in Australia were chosen because of their high level of entrepreneurial activity. In order to uncover deep-seeded motivations, participants were interviewed in a face-to-face format guided by a semi-structured interview guide. Findings – The second-generation TEs were distinctively different from their first-generation counterparts in motivation for business entry, business establishment and use of ethnicity. The analysis shows that although the generations differ in their approach to business establishment, they both appear to be drawn to entrepreneurship based on “pull factors”. This is in contrast with previous literature suggesting that first-generation immigrant entrepreneurs were motivated by “push factors”. Originality/value – This paper suggests that both first- and second-generation immigrant entrepreneurs are “pulled” into entrepreneurship voluntarily. While the first-generation entrepreneurs seem to be motivated/pulled by financial reasons, the second generation are motivated by opportunity recognition, status and ambition. Nevertheless, a lack of trust in government support agency is found within both generations. Thus, outreach activities towards entrepreneurial immigrant communities may have positive effects for the economy as well as in the integration of ethnic enclaves.

Mediating Effects of Business Success on The Relation between Business Issues and Business Prospects Amongst Immigrant Entrepreneurs in Malaysia

“…Azmat (2013) further described language as a barrier to most immigrants' entrepreneurial endeavours, as it affects their ability to communicate with host country's stakeholders as well as to seek business advice and understand social phenomena. Aside from that, a study by Soydas and Aleti (2015) showed that first and second generations of immigrant entrepreneurs do not take advantage of government agencies' support programs possibly because they are uninformed of the existence of those programmes or because the government has not laid out the right channels to inform them of these programmes.…”

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“…When research question two: impact of intention, ability, motivation and business aspiration -on customer and market proximity thesis by way of business growth and development: was addressed, it was similar to a situation found by Soydas and Aleti, (2015) in their study of Turkish immigrant entrepreneurs in Melbourne. This current paper noted the firstgeneration consider organic growth, such as expanding the premises or business offering beyond current limits, helped gain access/entry to new local customers/markets.…”

The Importance of Cross-Cultural Capabilities for Chinese Immigrant Entrepreneurs in Australia

“…It claims that 1.5 generation Chinese immigrants have the advantage of being well-equipped with language skills and knowledge of the host cultural practise (Liu, 2015). However, the 1.5 generation has largely been unexamined in immigrant entrepreneurship research, as most of the research has focused on the differences between the first and second generation of immigrant entrepreneurs (e.g., Masurel & Nijkamp, 2004;Selvarajah et al, 2012;Soydas & Aleti, 2015). Thus, this research pays attention to intergenerational differences among immigrant entrepreneurs.…”

“…However, intergenerational differences among the first generation have been largely Chapter 1: Introduction 13 unexamined in immigrant entrepreneurship research, as most of the research has focused on the differences between the first and second generation of immigrant entrepreneurs (e.g., Masurel & Nijkamp, 2004;Selvarajah et al, 2012;Soydas & Aleti, 2015). In addition, although the ethnic gender role and host country sociocultural context have a suggested influence on immigrant entrepreneurship (Azmat & Fujimoto, 2016), researchers have pointed out that the literature on immigrant entrepreneurship often overlooks issues of gender (Collins & Low, 2010;Robertson & Grant, 2016).…”

“…However, most comparative research has focused on the differences between the first and second generation of immigrant entrepreneurs (e.g., Masurel & Nijkamp, 2004;Soydas & Aleti, 2015), which seems to conclude that the first generation immigrant entrepreneurs are less likely to adapt to the host country. This conclusion needs further 184 Chapter 6: Conclusions consideration, as the 1.5 generation cohort in this research were well adapted to the host country.…”