Surviving limbo: critical career capital aspects for entrepreneur immigrants in an extreme context
Career Development International
ISSN: 1362-0436
Article publication date: 28 July 2023
Issue publication date: 16 August 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The present study explored the adjustment (i.e. survival vs stay) of a unique group of Turkish entrepreneur immigrants in the United Kingdom, whose initial experiences upon their move were disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020.
Design/methodology/approach
Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore this immigrant group's experience on the path to potential immigration success or failure as indicators of adjustment. The content of the interviews was analyzed via theoretical thematic analysis.
Findings
Key career capital aspects hindering entrepreneurial effort under the unique conditions of Covid-19 were defined as not knowing how to start a business (in general, in the host country and under extreme conditions), why they should persist to stay, and whom to contact in the host country. Key facilitating career capital aspects were defined as knowing how to revise the business plans when needed and knowing why they left the home country, preferred the host country and should persist to stay there. Each unique aspect was mapped onto specific components of the context (home country, host country and profession) to add depth to the analyses.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the literature primarily by integrating career capital framework with different elements of the context. It also represents the first effort to adopt the framework to identify the critical career capital aspects of entrepreneur immigrants.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank Aylin Aksoy and Şebnem Gürol for the contributions to data analysis, Fırat İncioğlu for suggestions and support and Prof. Akram Al Ariss and the anonymous reviewers for the valuable and inspiring feedback on earlier versions of this manuscript.
Citation
Arman, G. (2023), "Surviving limbo: critical career capital aspects for entrepreneur immigrants in an extreme context", Career Development International, Vol. 28 No. 4, pp. 443-457. https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-07-2022-0218
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited