The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation

The main purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the risk-taking tendency and achievement needs of Syrian refugee entrepreneurs on their entrepreneurship potential. In the measurement tool designed for this purpose, the risk-taking scale, the achievement needs scale, and the entrepreneurship potential scale, which has been created from the study of Oren and Bickes, has been used. The study is carried out in Gaziantep, which is one of the provinces where Syrian refugees live most intensely in Turkey. The data obtained from 395 Syrian refugee entrepreneurs who set up businesses in Gaziantep by the survey method have been evaluated with explanatory and confirmatory factor analysis, descriptive statistics, correlation, and structural equation modeling. As a result of the correlation analysis, positive and significant relationships were determined between their risk-taking tendency, achievement need, and entrepreneurship potential. Besides that, in the structural equation model created to test the research hypotheses, it has been found that the effects of both the risk-taking tendency and the achievement need on entrepreneurship potential were positive and significant.

I argue that increased use of ethnographic methods and autoethnographic methods can help bridge the gap between entrepreneurial identity (EI) and entrepreneurial behaviour (EB) in entrepreneurship research and give theoretical weight to the concepts. The disconnection between EI and EB is caused by the inability to answer questions about how EI impacts EB. Using ethnographic methods allows for a fuller depiction of the social context in which entrepreneurs operate, demonstrating the relationship between EI and EB. However, EB remains practically defined and theory about EI is borrowed from other various other literatures, such as sociology, importing the problems as well as the benefits. I argue that the use of autoethnographic methods, researching EI–EB from the entrepreneur's perspective, produces data that can be used to build theory that maintains the practical tilt of entrepreneurship research and addresses its theoretical shallowness.

This study aims to analyse the concept of ‘courage’ as an antecedent of Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation (IEO), and how this can impact the perceptions of financial and non-financial benefits in the context of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) minorities. This involved quantitative research based on structural equation modelling and a sample of 200 LGBTQIA + entrepreneurs in various countries. The results highlight the positive impact of courage on innovation, proactiveness, and the propensity to risk. Furthermore, our study provides empirical support that innovation and the propensity to assume risks may positively influence the perceptions of financial and non-financial benefits. Our study contributes to the literature on minority entrepreneurship, which has received relatively little attention. We also contribute to the literature by providing empirical evidence of courage as a new IEO antecedent and conveying how non-financial benefits, such as reputation, are relevant and perceived as often beneficial to the careers of the LGBTQIA + community. Our evidence may inspire LGBTQIA + individuals to invest more strongly in entrepreneurship as a real career opportunity.

The aim of this article is to examine how enterprise policies aimed at supporting ethnic groups influence entrepreneurial activity. Drawing on qualitative interviews with entrepreneurs and policymakers in the emerging economy of Malaysia, we show that policy intended to close interethnic gaps in entrepreneurial activity instead serves to increase differences. Parallel institutional environments are formed through socially negotiated accomplishments and are influenced by institutional antecedents including affirmative action policy. These conditions created advantages (institutional privilege) for the targeted population but disadvantages (institutional exclusion) for those who are not targeted in the preferential policies. Tensions between privilege and exclusion impact on entrepreneurial activity, increasing inequalities of different parties. The article provides a number of theoretical contributions and practical implications for policy.

How does immigrant ownership influence small firm survival in comparison with that of family ownership? While it is generally accepted that socioemotional wealth (SEW) preservation motivates family firms to avoid taking risks, this effect has not been considered in immigrant-owned firms. Many of the same affinity factors are likely to influence the survival of both ownership types, but we argue that immigrant-owned firms may experience them more strongly as they reside at the intersection of the liabilities of smallness and foreignness. Drawing on a large sample of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Ecuador, we find that immigrant-owned firms have higher survival odds compared to family-owned firms. By demonstrating the combinative effects of SEW and social “out-group” identities of immigrant owners on small firm survival, our findings contribute to the SME, immigrant entrepreneurship, and family business literatures.

This paper explores the tension arising from the significant economic contributions of older migrants (aged 55 and above) and the concurrent social and fiscal challenges they face in host countries. These challenges include integration barriers, isolation, and risks related to family ventures. The “Ageing Migration Paradox” lies in the persistent marginalisation and undervaluation of their transnational knowledge and creative potential, which exacerbates demographic imbalances and societal inequalities. We apply a conceptual optimisation framework designed to maximise economic and social returns. The study integrates policy analysis with comparative case studies from Canada, Germany, and Sweden and our approach investigates the roles of older migrants in terms of labour-market participation, late-life entrepreneurship, social integration and innovative activity. To transform the AMP into opportunities for sustainable and inclusive growth, we recommend policy changes, including faster credential recognition, tailored entrepreneurial support, flexible work arrangements, language training, and international cooperation on pension portability and healthcare.