Tenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

This paper presents the results of research carried out with immigrant entrepreneurs from North-Africa in Montreal. These entrepreneurs have chosen to enter the market for Islamic Based Products. We have emphasized the influence of religious dimensions in the managerial and entrepreneurial practices of these entrepreneurs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 45 entrepreneurs, men and women, in the Montreal region. The results show a significant impact of religious and spiritual values on the decisions and managerial practices of entrepreneurs. We have also seen that the religious dimension makes it possible to go beyond the classic opposition: necessity vs opportunity, associated with entrepreneurial motivations. The results also show that the managerial strategies of entrepreneurs vary according to their degree of belief and religious practices. Based on our results, we propose two models, the first focuses on the decision-making process of the entrepreneurial choice of Muslim immigrants, and the second proposes a typology of the entrepreneur within the market of religious based products.