Digital ethnicity affordances: from a liability to an asset in immigrant entrepreneurship

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to understand how immigrant entrepreneurs use digital opportunities to overcome the liability of newness and foreignness and how an immigrant's ethnicity can be digitally performed as an asset in business.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts an inductive multiple case study approach using social media content. The data consist of over 3,500 posts, images and screenshots from Facebook, Instagram and the webpages of seven successful Vietnamese restaurants in Sweden. Grounded content analysis was conducted using NVivo.FindingsThe findings suggest that digitalising ethnic artifacts can mediate and facilitate three digital performances that together can turn ethnicity from a liability to an asset: (i) preserving performance through digital ethnicising, (ii) embracing performance through digital generativitising and (iii) appropriating performance through digital fusionising. The results support the introduction of a conceptual framework depicting the interwoven duality of horizontal and vertical boundary blurring, in which the former takes place between the offline and online spaces of immigrant businesses, and the latter occurs between the home and host country attachment of the immigrant businesses.Originality/valueThis study responds to calls for understanding how immigrant entrepreneurs can overcome the liability of foreignness. It offers a fresh look at ethnicity, which has been seen in a negative light in the field of immigrant entrepreneurship. This study illuminates that ethnicity can be used as a resource in immigrant entrepreneurship, specifically through the use of digital artifacts and digital platforms.

I'll be there for you: coopetition and competitor-oriented activities among South Asian restaurants in two UK regional clusters

“…In respect of differences that Smallbone et al (2005) allude to, earlier studies feature a variety of issues influencing Coopetition and competitororiented activity entrepreneurs from ethnic minority backgrounds to enter self-employment together with potential problems and inconsistencies in comparison to the wider population (Aliaga-Isla and Rialp, 2013;Hagos et al, 2019). In fact, immigrants typically face what has been termed the liability of newness and foreignness (Evansluong et al, 2023). Illustrations of barriers have existed for some time and include racism and unequal gender relations (Chreim et al, 2018); access to finance together with the potential need to borrow from family and community members (Ram et al, 2002b;Irwin and Scott, 2010); also, a lack of focus and consistency in the support available (Ram and Smallbone, 2003;Fallon and Berman Brown, 2004) [2].…”

“…, 2019). In fact, immigrants typically face what has been termed the liability of newness and foreignness (Evansluong et al. , 2023).…”

Diversity quandary

“…The work of Evansluong et al (2023) has shown that for many immigrant entrepreneurs, there is a significant barrier to success caused by a lack of digitization. This barrier is typically formed from a lack of exposure to modern digital technologies, or else, a lack of capital with which to buy the appropriate hardware to become digitized.…”

“…For immigrant entrepreneurs to succeed, Evansluong et al (2023) have identified 3 stages of digital ethnicity affordance. The first is the conversion of offline content into online content, digitizing products, services, and successfully representing their business venture using technology.…”

Institutions and macroeconomic indicators: entrepreneurial activities across the world

“…The content of these trainings may be the development of organizational routines and capabilities, the advantages of inter-firm alliances and the development of internationalization and export activities (Mukherjee et al ., 2021). In this way, the problems experienced by new enterprises due to liability newness are eliminated, and they can ensure their sustainability (Evansluong et al ., 2023). In this respect, our findings provide arguments for policymakers to design public policies and institutions that support economic development policies.…”