2023-Nadeera Ranabahu
At a Breaking Point? Immigrant Entrepreneurs and Their Well-being
Dr Nadeera Ranabahu (PI), University of Canterbury (NZ); and Dr Poh Yen Ng (Co-I), Robert Gordon University (UK) - At a Breaking Point? Immigrant Entrepreneurs and Their Well-being
Grant reference: 2023-337-BAM-ANZAM
Grant amount: £5,984
Project summary: Extent hedonic and eudemonic well-being theories in entrepreneurship highlight business start-up and development as a way of achieving happiness, autonomy, and purpose in life. These existing theories on entrepreneurs’ well-being are, however, developed based on the Western notions and constructs of ‘well-being’ without considering the circumstances under which immigrants venture into business or the racism, biases, and prejudice that they face. These factors affect immigrant entrepreneurs’ well-being, particularly female immigrant entrepreneurs who are embedded in their home country’s ethnic and cultural norms. Existing research acknowledges that ethnic and cultural resources help immigrant entrepreneurs to cope with challenges but does not elaborate on how ethnic migrants define their well-being, explain well-being management strategies, and gender differences in well-being management. This project aims address these issues by answering: How do immigrant entrepreneurs explain well-being and manage their well-being during the business start-up and development process? What gender differences exist among immigrant entrepreneurs’ well-being management strategies? Using a multiple comparative case study design, the project will collect interview data from Indian and Chinese immigrant entrepreneurs based in the UK and New Zealand. The dual country design, with comparisons of the same ethnic-origin immigrant entrepreneurs, will add novelty to our findings. Findings will be used to: explain the notion of well-being among ethnic migrants, elaborate on culturally embedded practices in well-being management and their gendered differences, and extend well-being theories into immigrant entrepreneurship. The project will also develop a conceptual model that informs recommendations targeted for immigrant support organisations to improve immigrant entrepreneurs’ well-being.