Systematic Literature Review on the Relationship between Religion and Business Success

Abstract

The discussions on the relationship between religion and entrepreneurship have been well established since 1930. However the majority of literature reviews in this area are not systematic therefore this article will attempt to conduct a systematic literature review in this area more specifically on the relationship between religion and business success. This study is guided by adapting RepOrting standards for Systematic Evidence Syntheses (ROSES) review protocol. Based on thematic analysis, this study has identified 4 themes which are definitions and goals, roles and support, homophily, and guide and tools. This study offered several significant contributions for practical purposes and body of knowledge on this subject matter, namely the definition and goal of business entity in religious perspective is different than conventional business setup, the code of conduct of religiously inclined entrepreneurs are governed by their religions and cultures, cultures supported by religions can improve the success rate of entrepreneurs, homophily can be a universal bonding factors among entrepreneurs in their respective community and religion, and finally religious institutions can play important roles to help entrepreneurs and community to succeed.