Choice of Markets and Its Antecedents
摘要
This chapter delves into the choice of markets and its antecedents in ethnic and non-ethnic migrant-owned businesses, offering a comprehensive exploration of the variables influencing entrepreneurial market orientation. Migrant entrepreneurs face unique challenges stemming from liabilities of foreignness (LOF) and liabilities of origin (LOO), which shape their strategies and market choices. Ethnic enclaves play a dual role, acting as safety networks that foster resource pooling and cultural solidarity while also constraining growth by limiting entrepreneurs to coethnic markets. Entrepreneurs often start within ethnic markets, catering to culturally specific needs, before transitioning to broader or niche markets, necessitating significant adaptation. The chapter integrates insights from ethnic and diaspora entrepreneurship literature, highlighting the interplay of sociocultural environments, personal characteristics, and structural conditions in shaping market orientations. By examining Brazilian entrepreneurs abroad, it identifies four distinct market orientations: ethnic niche markets, middleman minority roles, exotic products for mainstream consumers, and highly competitive mainstream markets. These orientations are influenced by factors such as cultural affiliation, resource accessibility, and competitive landscapes. A novel 2×2 framework categorises market strategies based on entrepreneurs’ affiliation with their ethnic communities and target audiences. The findings reveal that while ethnic markets provide a vital starting point, long-term success often hinges on diversifying into mainstream or international markets. This chapter contributes to ethnic entrepreneurship theory by addressing gaps in understanding market orientations and offering actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners to support immigrant entrepreneurs in navigating complex business environments.