Why Are There So Few Schumpeterian Entrepreneurs from China? Understanding the Factors That Influence Entrepreneurial Opportunity Evaluation from a Comparative Culture Perspective

Authors

  • Yuanqing Li Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, Feliciano School of Business, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey, USA
  • Alfred Rosenbloom Professor Emeritus, Marketing and International Business, Brennan School of Business, Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55482/jcim.2024.34137

Abstract

Opportunity evaluation is a very important part of entrepreneurial activity; however, entrepreneurs’ individual differences in evaluating opportunities have been neglected in prior research. To address this gap, we apply institutional theory and stereotype threat theory to explain how some institutional factors differentiate entrepreneurs’ opportunity evaluation process. More specifically, we explore how external institutional factors, such as political and social factors, along with personal institutional factors, such as family influences, affect the opportunity evaluation of entrepreneurs under various cultural backgrounds, specifically China and the United States. The Schumpeterian entrepreneur, in which radical innovation and the desire to significantly upend market equilibria, frames our discussion. This paper contributes to the theoretical understanding of the factors influencing entrepreneurial opportunity evaluation from a comparative culture perspective and to the comparative international entrepreneurship field by building a comparative evaluation framework that summarizes institutional factors influencing Chinese and American entrepreneurs’ opportunity evaluation. We propose that policy, social value, and belief as well as family will have significant impacts on entrepreneurs’
opportunity evaluation. We further propose several cultural constructs such as individualism vs. collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, and Confucian work dynamism will moderate the relationship with institutional factors in influencing an entrepreneur’s opportunity evaluation process. We discuss our implications with attention given to how our comparative evaluation framework provides insights into why China and the United States differ in terms of developing Schumpeterian entrepreneurs. We then discuss the framework’s limitations. 

Author Biographies

Yuanqing Li, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, Feliciano School of Business, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey, USA

Yuanqing Li is an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship of the Department of Management and Decision Sciences at Coastal Carolina University. Yuanqing earned her Ph.D. in business administration (entrepreneurship concentration) and MBA from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Her current research interests include cross-cultural management, international entrepreneurship, behaviors of nascent entrepreneurs, sustainability, and crowdfunding. Her publications have appeared in prestigious academic journals such as Information & Management, Journal of Business Venturing Insights, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, etc. She has published two book chapters and has presented more than 30 papers at premier management conferences.

Alfred Rosenbloom , Professor Emeritus, Marketing and International Business, Brennan School of Business, Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois, USA

Al Rosenbloom is Professor Emeritus and was the first John and Jeanne Rowe Distinguished Professor at Dominican University, River Forest, IL, USA. His research interests include global branding, cross-cultural differences in decision-making, marketing in countries with emerging and subsistence markets, the application of the case method in management education, and the challenge of integrating the topic of poverty into responsible management education learning and education. At Dominican University, he pioneered a short-term, intensive, field-based MBA study abroad program, leading several student cohorts to China, Kenya, and South Africa. Al co-leads the Anti-Poverty Working Group, Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME), and participates broadly within PRME. He was a Fulbright Scholar in Nepal and Bulgaria and was twice honored with the Teaching Excellence Award from Brennan School of Business students.

Published

2024-06-19

How to Cite

Li, Y., & Rosenbloom , A. (2024). Why Are There So Few Schumpeterian Entrepreneurs from China? Understanding the Factors That Influence Entrepreneurial Opportunity Evaluation from a Comparative Culture Perspective. Journal of Comparative International Management, 27(1), 71–88. https://doi.org/10.55482/jcim.2024.34137

Issue

Section

Research Articles