Roles Of Qiaoxiang Social Network In Overseas Immigrant Entrepreneurship

Previous researches of immigrant entrepreneurship more focus on western developed countries which have stable secure environment,and put particular emphasis on causes of transnational migration and how to keep immigration.The main purpose of current study is to focus on Fuqing immigrants in developing countries,such as Africa,where are unstable secure environment countries,and introduce current situation of Fuqing overseas immigrant entrepreneurs in Africa after the reform and opening-up policy period,including discussing their security problems in Africa and the influence of Qiaoxiang social network on overseas immigrant entrepreneurship.The article tires field method to collect first-hand information by local overseas Chinese federation to contact and interview Fuqing immigrant entrepreneurs from Africa.This paper divides into four parts.The first part elaborates research background and literature review.The second part describes entrepreneurial statuses of immigrants in overseas countries.With analyzing entrepreneurs,entrepreneurial network,state of business,this part expresses entrepreneurial statuses of Fuqing immigrants in Africa.The third part analyzes influence of Qiaoxiang Social network on immigrant entrepreneurship.The impact of the network on immigrant entrepreneurship is mainly reflected in four major elements:dissemination of information,route of undertaking,startup capital and labor force.The research displays that the early immigrants benefit convenience of founds-collection,language and customs clearance service form the social network for reducing risk of entrepreneurship and earning money.With the latecomer immigrants constant swarm into the host country market,the market shares is diverted,even triggers cutthroat competition.Ultimately,many latecomer immigrants chose to work on other unpopular industries.With time goes on,degree of dependence of overseas immigrants toward the social network is changing.During entrepreneurial process,the following immigrants with a certain economic base do not completely dependent on Qiaoxiang society network.The fourth part studies on the role of Qiaoxiang social network in entrepreneurship security of immigrants.The study finds that overseas immigrants take an increasingly close connection with home-land overseas Chinese because of changed migration path and frequently attack cases.Overseas immigrants take cooperation with local government to set up“Police and Mass Cooperation Center”for overseas immigrants to offer security and salvation.“Police and Mass Cooperation Center”breaks down immigrants'distrust of compatriots and local government.After attack happened,aid of overseas Chinese federation in mother-land to dependent children is an extension service of entrepreneurship security rescue for overseas immigrants.As a whole,for overseas entrepreneurs,Qiaoxiang social network is a two-edged sword,it not only supports startup capital,opportunities and security and salvation,to ensure their livelihoods,but also directly results that many immigrants flood into the same industry and it triggers rat race among immigrants.Only overseas immigrants make good use of Qiaoxiang social network and gradually return to rational on industry choice,which can facilitate the benign development of immigrant entrepreneurship.