Eleventh Global Studies Conference

Abstract

Along with the other prodigies of globalization is Transnational Entrepreneurship (TE). Today’s highly fluid and networked world provides impetus to TE, which has potential significance for the course of immigrant economic adaptation to the receiving societies and for the development of sending nations. TE involves entrepreneurial activities that are carried out in a cross-national context, and initiated by transnational entrepreneurs (TEs) who are the individuals that migrate from one country to another, concurrently maintaining business related linkages with their former country of origin, and currently adopted countries and communities. TEs are embedded in at least two different social, economic, geographic, cultural, and political societies. Therefore, TEs are social actors who act in a transnational social field and used multiplicity of involvements in both home and host societies for recognition and exploitation of opportunities. In the process of opportunity recognition, exploitation and entrepreneurial innovation networks are the mechanisms that are used by entrepreneurs to acquire and mobilize resources such as information, finance, co-workers and knowledge. Social networks of TEs are nested in at least two social fields which act as levers to foresee the changes and opportunities in societies. Social networks appear most important in TE because they provide access to resources, advice, and support that may result in economic exchanges. Understanding the structure of social networks of TEs and how they are used by TEs is highly significant for theoretical, policy and practical purposes. By drawing on the cardinal doctrine of Alasdair MacIntyre’s philosophy that social life is a narrative, this study uses narrative research method to explore the role of networks in the opening of new vistas of entrepreneurial innovation and business development for TEs. We conducted and analysed life story interviews of ten TEs who emigrated from Europe and South Asia to Turkey. This study hopes to advance the nascent TE literature through the lens of network theory and draws attention to the importance of networks of TEs in a networked world.