Survival instincts of Chinese entrepreneurs in the UK: adaptation or hibernation

CHEN, Wei, TABARI, Saloomeh and PROKOP, Daniel (2023). Survival instincts of Chinese entrepreneurs in the UK: adaptation or hibernation. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 1 (1).

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Abstract

Surviving a crisis requires a unique set of responses from a firm. This paper examines migrant entrepreneurs and their responses to COVID-19 pandemic. These entrepreneurs are disadvantaged in their markets, typically due to cultural differences, but also other barriers that include outright discrimination by native populations. Consequently, global crisis has a more severe meaning to migrant entrepreneurs who struggle in the best of times. Empirically we focus on interviews with Chinese entrepreneurs in the UK, employing template analysis to disentangle the data. We find two key mechanisms these entrepreneurs employ to respond to crisis: adaptation and/or hibernation. Adaptation is about introducing changes in response to altering market conditions, it is a proactive response. Hibernation is a passive response characterised by deliberate shutdown and/or slow-down of operations, with business continuity funded from accumulated financial reserves. The paper concludes that policy should be more sensitive to enabling responses that ensure firm survival.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1503 Business and Management; Business & Management; 3503 Business systems in context; 3505 Human resources and industrial relations; 3507 Strategy, management and organisational behaviour
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1504/ijesb.2025.10059695
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Elements
Depositing User:	Symplectic Elements
Date Deposited:	26 Feb 2024 11:35
Last Modified:	28 Feb 2024 10:15
URI:	https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/33250

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