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Immigrant entrepreneurship from a social psychological perspective
Author(s) -
Robertson Daniel W.,
Grant Peter R.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/jasp.12369
Subject(s) - acculturation , perspective (graphical) , entrepreneurship , psychology , immigration , social identity theory , social psychology , social capital , identity (music) , sociology , social group , social science , political science , physics , artificial intelligence , computer science , acoustics , law
We examined immigrant entrepreneurship from a social psychological perspective with an emphasis on Social Identity Theory (SIT). Immigrant entrepreneurs from across Canada (N=122) completed a questionnaire about their experiences as Canadian business owners. The results showed that business decisions are, indeed, related to social psychological influences. The use of social capital, the strength of cultural and national identity, acculturation and perceived discrimination were related to decisions made throughout the course of the business, from the initial motivations for pursuing entrepreneurship, to the intention to continue running a business in Canada. Overall, being an immigrant entrepreneur had social psychological implications and, in the future, the influence of identity, acculturation and discrimination among this group deserves further attention.