Analysing the Family Business Phenomenon Among Immigrant Entrepreneurs: A Case Study of İzmir Restaurateurs

Even though the contemporary theories date back to the 1980s and 1990s, immigrant entrepreneurship is still considered a nascent field. In the last decade, influx of immigrants moving from the Middle East towards various destinations renewed the attention of researchers in the field and encouraged them to investigate different aspects of immigrant entrepreneurship. Family business phenomenon among migrant enterprises is the foremost of these research strands. A plethora of research pointed out the significance of embeddedness of immigrant entrepreneurs in their family. This chapter focuses on the family business framework among the immigrant-owned entrepreneurial ventures, the role of family on resources, succession plans, challenges, social relations and future pathways. To illustrate these points, in-depth interviews were conducted with eight migrant restaurateurs located in İzmir. Findings revealed that family businesses and migrant enterprises are deeply intertwined in many aspects. Succession plans appear to be vague and ambiguous for migrant restaurateurs in İzmir. Moreover, family plays an important role in acquiring various resources. Lastly, challenges faced by the migrant entrepreneurs can be overcome with the help of family members.