Daphne Halkias

Characteristics and business profiles of immigrant-owned small firms: the case of African immigrant entrepreneurs in Greece

Research cites that immigrant businesses are closely intertwined with national interest in community, economic and social development. In addition, national economic and social science research, and statistics reflect that immigrant entrepreneurship in Greece has a direct economic impact on the local economies and provides a springboard for successful immigrant social integration into the host society. The second article of a dynamic five-year project to research and promote the unique entrepreneurial and self-employment spirit brought by immigrants and refugees to Greece, the purpose of the current research is threefold: (1) to determine characteristics and business profiles of small firms owned and operated by African immigrant entrepreneurs in Athens, Greece, (2) to view ethnic enterprise as a means of socio-cultural integration in the host society, aiming to reveal rich and varied forms of economic self-organisation and (3) based on the results of this preliminary study, recommendations are made for developing a follow-up three-year longitudinal study of African immigrant businesses in Athens.

LEVERAGING ETHNIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP, CULTURE AND FAMILY DYNAMICS TO ENHANCE GOOD GOVERNANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY IN THE IMMIGRANT FAMILY BUSINESS

Immigrant family businesses are one of the most unique, complex and dynamic systems in our modern-day society. The blending of two inherently different realms — the performance-based world of business and the emotion-based domain of the immigrant family — creates a system potentially fraught with confusion and conflict. Applying traditional, limited and exclusively Western views of entrepreneurship to immigrant family business creation, growth and sustainability is to ignore or discount the core cultural/ethical values and ethnic contexts in which these firms operate. The objective of this conceptual paper is to identify and explore the three variables of enterprise, ethnicity and family dynamics that influence corporate governance to ensure the survival, growth and sustainability of immigrant family businesses. Conclusions and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Economic And Social Characteristics Of Albanian Immigrant Entrepreneurs In Greece

Greece has experienced rapid growth in immigrant and refugee populations since 1990. Although most are immigrants from Albania and throughout the Balkan region, some immigrant and refugee groups arriving in Greece also come from the former Soviet Union, Southeast Asia and Africa. Some of these newcomers have started small businesses in their quest to become economically self-sufficient, serve the consumer needs of fellow newcomers, and integrate into community life. The purpose of this research is two-fold: to review the extant literature on social and economic factors influencing immigrant entrepreneurship in Greece, and to determine characteristics and business profiles of Albanian immigrant-owned small businesses within the municipality of Attiki — the location of Athens, Greeces capital city and largest urban center.

MEASURING LUXURY BRAND CONSUMPTION AND FEMALE CONSUMERS' RELIGIOSITY IN THE UAE

Luxury brand consumption by female consumers in the rich Arab Gulf states has never been systematically studied, and thus most of our knowledge in this area remains shaped by preconceived notions that are not likely to withstand scientific scrutiny. This study fills that gap in research and provides significant evidence on the actual consumption behavior of this enigmatic consumer segment. In our study, focus groups and expert feedback were used to construct a Luxury Consumption Scale (LCS) to measure actual luxury purchases, while Tiliouines Scale (RS) was used to measure religiosity. Results show that the sample tended to be religious with moderate luxury consumption, but no relationship was observed between these two. Results also demonstrate that brands transcend boundaries; ridges created by politicians and extremists are bridged by Burberry, Hermes and Versace. Religious Arab women did not perceive a problem in being defined by international brands of non-Muslim origin. This study contributes to the literature by examining the underexplored intersection of female luxury brand consumption and religiosity in the lucrative markets of the Arab Gulf.

Father-daughter succession issues in family business among regional economies of Asia

An important issue that is evolving in the family business literature is the increasing involvement of women in leadership/management roles in businesses and more specifically, the family firm. In the developing economies of Asia, there is sparse research in the extant literature on gender issues in the family firm ownership and management. This research study seeks to investigate the trend for daughters in Asian family owned businesses to take over leadership roles from their fathers in the family firm and what might hinder or support a daughters intentions to succeed her father in the family business.

Entrepreneurship and sustainability: Can business really alleviate poverty?

An alarming percentage of the world’s population lives below the poverty line of less than USD 2 per day. Various approaches to poverty alleviation have been implemented through governmental policy reforms as well as the work of non-governmental organizations. Many approaches have focused on disparities evident in gender, employment, education and decision making, seeking to address limitations in these areas. However, mostly unabated poverty levels and a growing global population require a new approach to improving the living standards of those in Less Developed Countries. This can be achieved by boosting local economies with the support of entrepreneurial activities operating on the small and micro-scale.

Online buyer behaviour and perceptions in Greece

This paper describes the initial phase of a study where a sample of 71 questionnaires were distributed to people who identified themselves as online shoppers and the data collected were analysed. The purpose of the research was to investigate the perceptions of online buyers in Greece and study their online behaviour. The frequency distributions revealed that most people spend between 50 € and 100 € in online shopping on a quarterly basis and their primary motivation was the convenience offered. Security was considered the most important issue when doing online transactions.

Post-earthquake community capacity and vulnerability reduction at the small-scale local level: collective narratives from Greece, Japan, and New Zealand

Communities are often overlooked in the course of disaster recovery planning, particularly in the area of social capital resources that can help increase the collectives resilience to risks and hazards. This research explores what collective narratives from the victims of localised earthquake events reveal about community capacity and vulnerability reduction at the small-scale local level. Study participants were recruited from populations living in three earthquake-affected areas in Japan, Greece, and New Zealand. The findings showed varied community and governmental capacity to reduce vulnerability and respond to earthquake events, differing levels of government and community capacity to provide for civil needs, and varied levels of community assistance to residents following the disasters. The implications are that planning and effort within a community can spur development of small-scale capacity to augment government efforts or mitigate government failures. Further research is required to determine applicability to other cultural paradigms and types of disasters.

The psychosocial impact of mobile social networking among young adults in Jamaica

There are numerous reports on the impact of mobile social networking among emerging adults in several developed countries as well as on the growing use of mobile phones. However, there is limited understanding of this phenomenon and its impact in regions such as the Caribbean. There is evidence in the scholarly literature of inconclusive arguments surrounding the association between psychosocial issues and mobile social networking among young adults. The academic literature is also inconclusive on gender and self-esteem in relation to the underpinning of the use of social networking among emerging adults. Additionally, limited investigations have been reported on this growing phenomenon in specific contexts such as the Caribbean region.

Governance in Immigrant Family Businesses : Enterprise, Ethnicity and Family Dynamics

Contents: Introduction: why todaya (TM)s global marketplace cares about good governance in immigrant family businesses, Paul W. Thurman The immigrant family business in todaya (TM)s global marketplace (case study: The al-Awadhi brothers: the story of two Emirati entrepreneurs, Maryam Khazaeli and Mary Barrett) The family and the business (case study: A family restaurant blends cuisines across cultures, Franco Vaccarino) The impact of culture on immigrant entrepreneurship (case study: An immigrant entrepreneurial culture is born: the Greeks of South Africa, Christian Adendorff) The immigrant family business: defining concepts (case studies: An entrepreneurial immigrant family in Colombia, Melquicedec Lozano Domenico Napoli: an Italian immigrant entrepreneur in America, Leann Mischel) Family dynamics impacting governance and sustainability of immigrant family businesses (case studies: Transfield and Tenix: endurance and weakness in two migrant family businesses in Australia, Mary Barrett Ita (TM)s a sweet life: an Indian daughter successfully manages an immigrant family business in the United States, Meenakshi Rishi) Entrepreneurship issues impacting good governance within the immigrant family business (case study: Good governance within the immigrant family business: Y.K. Crystal Ltd, Ioannis Violaris, Nina Gorovaia-Zeniou and Athanasia Tziortzi) Cultural and family dynamics in the governance of immigrant businesses (case study: Governing the Asian family business: entrepreneurship and aspiration, Claire Seaman) The sustainable immigrant family business model of good governance (case study: A Chinese immigrant family business in Pakistan, Shehla Riza Arifeen) Epilogue: discussion and recommendations for future research Bibliography Index.