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In modern-day digital economics, there is a universal acceptance of the significance of e-entrepreneurship to achieve socioeconomic advancement by researchers, policymakers, and society (Sahut et al., 2019). Till now, varying definitions have been offered for e-entrepreneurship: internet entrepreneurship, cyber entrepreneurship, information and communication technologies (ICT) entrepreneurship and IT associated entrepreneurship. Scholars have loosely applied these definitions, and in some situations, self-made definitions have been provided to get the message across to the target population. This paper refers to e-entrepreneurship as “new venture creation or transforming the existing organization through novel ICT innovation and/or novel usage of such innovation” (Duan, Kotey & Sandhu, 2021, p2). The research samples are narrowed to e-entrepreneurs who engage in transnational business between their host and home countries. They are referred to as transnational e-entrepreneurs and their business process is transnational e-entrepreneurship.
Although entrepreneurship has gained significant research interest, only a handful of studies have focused on immigrants and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) working within the field (Afutu-Kotey et al., 2017). Researchers have placed considerable weight on internet platforms, infrastructure and technology companies who have achieved commercial success but have neglected the everyday digital entrepreneurs from an e-entrepreneurship point of view. What is striking is that the majority of these frontline e-entrepreneurs and development firms are categorized as MSMEs. A majority of the entrepreneurs who achieved personal value (Kotey & Meredith, 1997) via e-entrepreneurship, are in the capacity of MSMEs and were driven to initiate such measures either due to opportunity or necessity.
Immigrant entrepreneurship (IE) has been a vital element in the socioeconomic study of developed nations since the 1970s (Zhou, 2004). In contrast, e-entrepreneurship has been identified from the start of the digital economy era which began in the early 1990s (Sussan & Acs, 2017). E-entrepreneurship has revolutionized the business environment and has been a vital force pushing the socioeconomy forwards. But there is a considerable dearth of conceptual frameworks to assess the e-entrepreneurship process, and this is particularly evident with immigrant entrepreneurs. Also, minimal research has been done on motivations associated with e-entrepreneurship or determinants affecting firm’s capabilities. This paper attempts to bridge this deficiency by discussing transnational e-entrepreneurship in motivation, strategies, ecosystems and outcomes, and their determinants by integrating conceptual frameworks of e-entrepreneurship and digital entrepreneurial ecosystems.
This study takes into consideration Chinese immigrants living in New Zealand engaging in e-entrepreneurship. These migrants are well-recognized with an entrepreneurial culture in New Zealand (Inland Revenue NZ, 2014; Hart et al., 2018). They are more likely to start a business on their own and become self-employed or an employer. As per the reports of the Inland Revenue NZ (2014), approximately 24.1% of Chinese immigrants living in New Zealand are entrepreneurs, which is much greater in comparison to the 18% of entrepreneurs found within the whole population.
From the immigrants’ home country perspective, the Chinese economy has developed exponentially during the past forty years. But research findings from traditional IE studies fail to reflect the modern changes in the Chinese economy. Throughout the course of the last two decades, tremendous development in the ICT infrastructure has occurred with smartphones and computers becoming common individual assets. Simultaneously, the internet and e-commerce platforms have gained widespread recognition. According to an international survey conducted in 2016, China is currently the most extensive digital market concerning service providers and customers (Evans & Gawer, 2016).
This paper attempts to analyze the e-entrepreneurship in immigrants through the typology of necessity- and opportunity-driven entrepreneurship and to study the business strategies used by them. The paper assesses the available opportunities and resources arising from entrepreneurial and digital ecosystems. As a consequence of immigrant e-entrepreneurship, the measurement of firm performance is explored from different assessment perspectives. This paper follows IE theories with the integration of ICT concepts to examine the process of e-entrepreneurship for immigrants.