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Becoming Expatriate Entrepreneurs:
A Phenomenological Exploration of Entrepreneuring in Taiwan

The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of an important but under-researched domain of expatriate entrepreneurs’ lived-experience. Heideggerian existential-phenomenology of being-in-the-world was explored as an alternative, departing from the dominant mainstream economic, personality, and behavioral perspectives in entrepreneurship and migration research. Through the phenomenological inquiry, four themes emerged from the expatriate entrepreneurs cases in Taiwan. These intriguing themes are a) adapting and engaging in the local context by enterprising, b) entrepreneuring as brokering in diverse contexts, c) the mutuality of business ventures: Co-creating with the localpreneurs, and d) constructing an entrepreneurial identity, which contribute to both migration and entrepreneurship research. Furthermore, it is proposed that the expatriate entrepreneurial becoming could be understood as situated entrepreneuring which illustrates connecting past and present, connecting to the new context, and also connecting to the material world. Finally, Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications, as well as potential areas for the pursuit of a wide array of further inquires in the field of expatriate, migration and entrepreneurship, are identified.
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Keywords: Expatriate Entrepreneur, Migration, Phenomenology, Lived Experience, Situated Entrepreneuring, Taiwan

Table of Contents


Abstract II

Acknowledgements III

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 Background and Motivation 1

1.2 Purpose of the Study and Research Questions 3

Chapter 2: Literature Review

2.1 The Definition of Entrepreneurship 5

2.2 Critique of the Dominant Perspectives in Entrepreneurship Research 7

2.3 Critique of the Dominant Perspectives in Immigrant
Entrepreneurship Research 14

2.4 Expatriate Entrepreneuring 18

Chapter 3: Methodology

3.1 Researching Expatriate Entrepreneuring through
Phenomenological Perspective 19

3.2 Lived-Experience and Phenomenological Inquiry 23

3.3 Research Site and Case Selection 26

3.4 Data Analysis 29

Chapter 4: Research Findings and Discussion:

4.1 Describing the Four Cases of the Expatriate Entrepreneurs 31

4.2 Exploring the Nature of the Expatriate Entrepreneuring

Theme #1 Adapting and engaging in local context by enterprising 66


Theme #2 Entrepreneuring as brokering in diverse contexts 71

Theme #3 The mutuality of business ventures: Co-creating with the localpreneurs 75

Theme #4 Constructing an entrepreneurial identity 80

4.3 Discussion 85

Chapter 5: Conclusion 89

5.1 The Expatriates Entrepreneurial Becoming: Situated Entrepreneuring 90


5.2 Implications and Reflections 94


References: 102
Appendix A: Background of the Expatriate
Entrepreneurs’ Table 108

Appendix B: Participant Descriptions 109

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