Entrepreneurs from Taiwan: an exploratory study of business barriers confronting Taiwanese immigrants to New Zealand

Abstract

This thesis analyses major business barriers for Taiwanese immigrant entrepreneurs in New Zealand. It is based on interviews with eight Taiwanese immigrants in Auckland and Wellington, ethnic newspaper articles and personal observations of the Taiwanese community in New Zealand. Taiwanese entrepreneurs' unsuccessful investments in New Zealand are detrimental to their psychological well-being and to New Zealand society. While they enjoy the natural environment for living, Taiwanese migrants also face the predicaments of business in New Zealand. In addition, as they find it hard to run businesses and get a good income, many Taiwanese entrepreneurs go back Taiwan leaving their families in New Zealand. There are two sorts of barriers facing the new Taiwanese business immigrant - barriers specific to the Taiwanese immigrant himself and those of a more general nature which affect all immigrants. The first type is "personal" and the latter is "environmental". Taiwanese personal barriers can be further subdivided into "subjective" and "objective". Subjective barriers are those such as motivation to work, and willingness to take risks, which are under the control of the individual. Objective barriers are those over which the individual has no control in the short-term. These include factors such as qualifications, experience and capital. Business environmental barriers are those outside factors that influence a business's existence. These include factors such as the small market, high tax and costs. Barriers vary in relevance or importance over time, or more accurately according to the particular stage of business organisational life cycle. There are also some common problems reflected in business practice for Taiwanese immigrants in running businesses. Finally, Taiwanese immigrants' segregation into a sub-community and a sub-economy hinders their cultural and social assimilation in New Zealand. Their isolation from the New Zealand economy is disadvantageous to both themselves and New Zealand.