Female Immigrant Entrepreneurship in Japan – A Study on Business Life Cycle Stages of Small and Medium Enterprises

There is a growing emphasis on the relationship between immigrant women and businesses. With time, it has come to knowledge that immigrant entrepreneurship is largely dependent on the opportunities and resources offered by the host country and this will determine the growth in small and medium enterprises, new ventures and overall entrepreneurial activity. Japan has traditionally been slow in entrepreneurship even as recent data shows a poor TEA score for the country. Women also have a limited participation and they are expected to be more involved in domestic activities. Although much is now changing in the face of an aging population, changing social structure and the need to boost economic activity, its impact on immigrant entrepreneurship, especially by owned by women, is yet to be understood. This paper looks at the issue by exploring such businesses across stages in a business life cycle. It identifies key motivators, challenges and barriers that most immigrant females face in business creation and development in Japan. Finally it proposes instrumental changes in the system to build a more positive environment and strengthen the prospects for immigrant entrepreneurship in Japan

Internationalization of SMEs and market orientation: A study of customer knowledge, networks and cultural knowledge

This paper studies the context of market orientation and the contribution of customer knowledge, networking, and cultural knowledge to market orientation particularly to the internationalization of firms in developing economies. A multiple case approach is adopted with four Swedish firms internationalizing to the Indian market. The data was obtained through personal interviews with follow-up questions. The study highlights the importance of customer knowledge, networking, and cultural knowledge for foreign SMEs in the initial stages of internationalization. It proposes that a holistic market sensing of the target market can be achieved as the three constructs contribute to the market orientation of the firms and help in devising relevant strategic fit with the market. Limitations are associated with the small but unique size of the respondents as the context is limited to Swedish SMEs with experience in the Indian market. The study opens up directions for more research in other Nordic regions to strengthen the regional insights for the issue. The study is original in that it highlights the role of market sensing as customer knowledge, networking, and cultural knowledge strengthen the market orientation of the firm. It addresses the research gap about limited research in developing market contexts for SME internationalization and specifically on Swedish SMEs in the Indian market

Cultural Consumption and Citizen Engagement - Strategies for Built Heritage Conservation and Sustainable Development : A Case Study of Indore City, India

Cultural heritage is an invaluable asset of any city, region, or community and is an important component in the sustainable development of societies and economies. However, the role of cultural heritage has been understudied in terms of its social embeddedness and impact on social cohesion. This has led to a demand for more insights on how cultural heritage is conserved globally and more significantly via the role of societal stakeholders. Inclusive strategies allow diverse sections of a community to engage and enrich not only the anthropological interpretations of society but also support social stability and foster positive social change. This paper exemplifies how an inclusive approach was used to engage citizen engagement for the sustainable development of the built heritage in the city of Indore in central India. Best practices are presented through secondary data through various print and online sources relevant to the context. Open coding of secondary data has helped to identify strategic approaches and relationships that emerge as crucial to citizen engagement as presented in this study. The paper discusses strategies that, based on diversity and inclusivity, contribute to the enrichment of community knowledge, increased synergistic participation, and the enhancement of the sense of collective responsibility in cultural consumption

Panic buying research: A systematic literature review and future research agenda

Panic buying has re-emerged as a 'new' normal consumer behavior and has become a coping mechanism for real and perceived dangers associated with COVID-19. Despite the need for a better understanding of the panic buying phenomenon, there has been a lack of scholarly research on this topic. This study seeks to fill this gap. In this article, we systematically review extant studies in panic buying from the last two decades. We analyze and categorize them according to Callahan's 4W (2014) review structure and Paul and Rosado-Serrano's (2019) TCCM framework. We found that the existing publications in panic buying are fragmented across multiple disciplines. Due to the nature of the panic-induced behavior, most of them have been written as a reaction to the pandemic crisis. We contribute to marketing research by providing theoretical, contextual, and methodological insights into the field of panic buying. Furthermore, we develop a research agenda related to retailer and consumer perspectives. Additionally, we identify research issues related to policymaking and governance, as well as broader societal impacts that need to be addressed in the future

The mediating role of perceived brand authenticity between brand experience and brand love : a cross-cultural perspective

This research investigates the mediating role of perceived brand authenticity (PBA) between brand experience (BE) and brand love (BL) of global high-tech brands Apple and Samsung. A quantitative study was conducted in Japan, India, and Portugal. The research found evidence that PBA is a multidimensional, reflective-formative higher-order construct composed of two lower-order components namely PBA Core and PBA Peripheral. The findings also contribute to understand how consumers are impacted by different BE and PBA dimensions using the lens of consumer culture theory and how BL is formed as a social-cultural phenomena. Finally, the study demonstrates for the first time that relationship intensity and self-authenticity moderate the effect of BE on PBA. Although limited to three countries and high-tech brands, the findings are of relevance to global brands by raising awareness that culture plays a key role in how consumers perceive authentic brand experiences and how passionate feelings for global brands can be strengthened

FEMALE IMMIGRANT ENTREPRENEURSHIP: A DEVELOPING SECTOR IN JAPAN'S ENTREPRENEURIAL ECONOMY

The role of women in Japan was traditionally restricted to housekeeping and childrearing. Over the years, changes in Japanese lifestyle and attitudes have created new grounds for women to venture into small businesses. Although this new personality aspect of women has been accepted, by and large, in larger cities of Japan, it is yet to be accepted in rural areas. Given this background, it becomes even more challenging for a foreigner — an immigrant woman entrepreneur — to set up shop and conduct business in Japan. This study looks at the status of female immigrant entrepreneurs in Japan. Through a qualitative study, it explores the experiences and challenges female entrepreneurs must face before they achieve stability in their businesses. It highlights and draws attention to areas where changes in governance structure and social acceptance can be made so a more positive environment can be built up and the relationship between Japan and the immigrant entrepreneurs can be strengthened.Women, immigrant entrepreneur, Japan, small business, social acceptance