Survival instincts of Chinese entrepreneurs in the UK: adaptation or hibernation

Prokop, Daniel ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6394-6149, Tabari, Saloomeh ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0645-4789 and Chen, Wei 2025. Survival instincts of Chinese entrepreneurs in the UK: adaptation or hibernation. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business 55 (2) , pp. 181-205. 10.1504/IJESB.2025.10059695 Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Surviving a crisis requires a unique set of responses from a firm. This paper examines migrant entrepreneurs and their responses to COVID-19 pandemic. These entrepreneurs are disadvantaged in their markets, typically due to cultural differences, but also other barriers that include outright discrimination by native populations. Consequently, global crisis has a more severe meaning to migrant entrepreneurs who struggle in the best of times. Empirically we focus on interviews with Chinese entrepreneurs in the UK, employing template analysis to disentangle the data. We find two key mechanisms these entrepreneurs employ to respond to crisis: adaptation and/or hibernation. Adaptation is about introducing changes in response to altering market conditions, it is a proactive response. Hibernation is a passive response characterised by deliberate shutdown and/or slow-down of operations, with business continuity funded from accumulated financial reserves. The paper concludes that policy should be more sensitive to enabling responses that ensure firm survival.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Geography and Planning (GEOPL)
Publisher:	Inderscience
ISSN:	1476-1297
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	4 September 2023
Date of Acceptance:	30 August 2023
Last Modified:	13 May 2025 13:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/162231

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