Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

From a One-Man Consultancy to a Global Business Empire Connecting Back Home: The Case of Purico Limited

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Indian Entrepreneurship

  • 169 Accesses

Abstract

There is an extensive literature on immigrant entrepreneurs in developed host countries (Ram and Jones, No. 26:352–374, 2008; Kloosterman and Rath, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 27:189–201, 2003). Recent immigrant entrepreneurship research has also explored the entry of immigrant entrepreneurs into their home country (Chung and Tung, International Business Review 22:18–31, 2013; Mustafa and Chen, Thunderbird International Business Review 52:97–106, 2010). However, the international growth and expansion of ethnic minority businesses (EMBs) outside of their host country is relatively little researched. The aim of this chapter is to chart the process of founding and growing EMBs outside their host country, including the link with the entrepreneurs’ home country.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Andersson, O. (1993). On the internationalization process of firms: A critical analysis. Journal of International Business Studies, 24(2), 210–231.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bachkaniwala, D., Wright, M., & Ram, M. (2001). Succession in South Asian family businesses in the UK. International Small Business Journal, 19, 15–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bagwell, S. (2007). Transnational family networks and ethnic minority business development. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 14(6), 377–394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnard, H., & Pendock, C. (2013). To share or not to share: The role of affect in knowledge sharing by individuals in a diaspora. Journal of International Management, 19(1), 47–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Basu, A. (1998). An exploration of entrepreneurial activity among Asian small businesses in Britain. Small Business Economics, 10, 313–326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Basu, A., & Altinay, E. (2002). The interaction between Culture and entrepreneurship in London’s immigrant businesses. International Small Business Journal, 20(4), 371–393.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bell, J. (1995). The internationalization of small computer software firms—A further challenge to stage theories. European Journal of Marketing, 29(8), 60–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonacich, E. (1973). A theory of middleman minorities. American Sociological Review, 38(5), 583.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruton, G. D., Ahlstrom, D., & Obloj, K. (2008). Entrepreneurship in emerging economies: Where are we today and where should the research go in the future. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, January 2008, 1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • “2011 Census: Ethnic group, local authorities in the United Kingdom". Office for National Statistics. 11 October 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, & Tan. (2009). Understanding transnational entrepreneurship through a network lens: Theoretical and methodological considerations. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 1042–2587.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chung, H. F. L., & Tung, R. (2013). Immigrant social networks and foreign entry: Australia and New Zealand firms in the European Union and Greater China. International Business Review, 22, 18–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coviello, N. (2006). The network dynamics of international new ventures. Journal of International Business Studies, 37(5), 713–731.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coviello, N., & Munro, H. (1995). Growing the entrepreneurial firm networking for international market development. European Journal of Marketing, 29(7), 49–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coviello, N., & Munro, H. (1997). Network relationships and the internationalization process of small software firms. International Business Review, 6(4), 361–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crick, D., & Spence, M. (2005). The internationalization of ‘high performing UK high-tech SMEs: A study of planned and unplanned strategies.’ International Business Review, 14(2), 167–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curran, J., & Burrows, R. (1988). Enterprise in Britain: A national profile of small business owners and the self-employed. London: Small Business Research Trust.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidsson, P., & Honig, B. (2003). The role of social and human capital among nascent entrepreneurs. Journal of Business Venturing, 18, 301–331.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deakins, D., Ishaq, M., Smallbone, D., Whittam, G., & Wyper, J. (2007). Ethnic minority businesses in Scotland and the role of social capital. International Small Business Journal, 25, 307–326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Building theories from case study research. Academy of Management Review, 14, 488–511.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, P. (2000). Social ties and foreign market entry. Journal of International Business Studies, 31(3), 443–469.

    Google Scholar 

  • Filatotchev, I., Strange, R., Piesse, J., & Lien, Y-C. (2007). FDI by firms from newly industrialized economies in emerging markets: Corporate governance, entry mode and location strategies. Journal of International Business Studies, 38(4), 556–572.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldfarb, B., & Henrekson, M. (2003). Bottom-up versus top-down policies towards the commercialization of university intellectual property. Research Policy, 32, 639–658.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greve, A., & Salaff, J. W. (2003). Social networks and entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 37(3): 455–478.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, S., & Wheeler, C. (2005). ‘Entrepreneurs’ relationships for internationalization: functions, origins and strategies. International Business Review, 14, 187–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoang, H., & Antoncic, B. (2003). Network-based research in entrepreneurship: A critical review. Journal of Business Venturing, 18, 165–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Janjuha-Jivraj, S., & Woods, A. (2002). Successional issues within Asian family firms. International Small Business Journal, 20(1), 77–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johanson, J., & Weidersheim-Paul, F. (1975). The internationalization of the firm—A model of knowledge development and increasing foreign market commitment. Journal of Management Studies, 8(1), 23–32. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490676

  • Johansson, J., & Vahlne, J.-E. (1990). The mechanism of internationalization. International Marketing Review, 7(4), 11–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khanna, T., & Palepu, K. (1997). Why focused strategies may be wrong for emerging markets. Harvard Business Review, 75(4), 41–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kiss, A. N., Danis, W. M., & Cavusgil, S. W. (2012). International entrepreneurship research in emerging economies: A critical review and research agenda. Journal of Business Venturing, 27(2), 266–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kloosterman, R., & Rath, J. (2003). Immigrant entrepreneurs in advanced economies: Mixed embeddedness further explored. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 27(2), 189–201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levitt, P., & Jaworsky, B. N. (2007). Transnational migration studies: Past development and future trends. Annual Review of Sociology, 33, 129–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Light, I. H. (1984). Immigrant and ethnic enterprise in North America. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 7(2), 195–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Light, I., Zhou, M., & Kim, R. (2002). Transnationalism and American exports in an English-speaking world. International Migration Review, 36(3), 702–725.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loane, S., & Bell, J. (2006). ‘Rapid internationalization among entrepreneurial firms in Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. An extension to the network approach. International Marketing Review, 23(5), 467–485.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lorenzen, M., & Mudambi, R. (2013). Clusters, connectivity and catch-up: Bollywood and Bangalore in the global economy. Journal of Economic Geography, 13(3), 501–534.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McEwan, C., Pollard, J., & Henry, N. (2005). The ‘global’ in the city economy: Multicultural economic development in Birmingham. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 29(4), 916–933.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Metcalf, H., Modood, T., & Virdee, S. (1996). Asian Self-employment: The interaction of culture and economics in England. London: Centre for Policy Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mustafa, M., & Chen, S. (2010). The strength of family networks in transnational immigrant entrepreneurship. Thunderbird International Business Review, 52(2), 97–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ojala, A. (2009). Internationalization of knowledge-intensive SMEs: The role of network relationships in the entry to a psychically distant market. International Business Review, 18, 50–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oviatt, B. M., & McDougall, P. P. (2005). Defining international entrepreneurship and modelling the speed of internationalization. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, September 2005, 537–554.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pruthi, S. (2014). Social networks and the process of venture Creation by returnee entrepreneurs in India. International Business Review (IBR), 23(6), 1139–1152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pruthi, S., & Wright, M. (2017). Social ties, social capital and recruiting managers in transnational ventures. Journal of East—West Business (JEWB), Forthcoming.

    Google Scholar 

  • Purico Group: https://www.purico.co.uk/

  • Ram, M. (1994). Unraveling social networks in ethnic minority firms. International Small Business Journal, 12(3), 42–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ram, M., & Jones, T. (2008). Ethnic minority businesses in the UK: A review of research and policy developments. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 26, 352–374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ram, M., Smallbone, D., & Deakins, D. (2002). The finance and business support needs of ethnic minority firms in Britain. British Bankers Association Research Report. https://www.bba.org.uk.

  • Rauch, J. E., & Trindade, V. (2002). Ethnic Chinese networks in international trade. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 84(1), 116–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reuber, A. R., & Fisher, E. M. (1997). The role of management’s international experience in the internationalization of smaller firms. Journal of International Business Studies, 28(4), 807–825.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riddle, L., & Brinkerhoff, J. (2011). Diaspora entrepreneurs as institutional change agents: The case of Thamel.com. International Business Review (IBR), 20(6), 670–680.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saxenian, A. L. (2002). Transnational communities and the evolution of global production networks: The case of Taiwan, China and India. Industry and Innovation, 9(3), 183–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saxenian, A. L. (2005). From brain drain to brain circulation: Transnational communities and regional upgrading in India and China. Studies in Comparative International Development, 40(2), 35–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smallbone, D., Ram, M., & Baldock, R. (2007). Access to finance by ethnic minority businesses in the UK. International Small Business Journal, 21(3), 291–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, Y. K. (2011). The influence of networking on the internationalization of SMEs: Evidence from internationalized Chinese firms. International Small Business Journal, 29(4), 374–398.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wadhwa, V., Jain, S., Saxenian, A.-L., Gerefti, G., & Wang, H. (2011). The grass is indeed greener in India and China for returnee entrepreneurs: America’s new immigrant entrepreneurs, Part VI. Kauffman: The Foundation for Entrepreneurship, April 2011.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waldinger, R., Aldrich, H., Ward, R., & Associates. (1990). Ethnic entrepreneurs. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, M., Liu, X., Buck, T., & Filatotchev, I. (2008). Returnee entrepreneurs, Science Park location choice and performance: An analysis of high-technology SMEs in China. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, January 2008, 131–155.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yin, R. K. (1994). Case study research: Design and methods (2nd ed.). London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zaheer, S., Lamin, A., & Subramani, M. (2009). Cluster capabilities or ethnic ties? Location choice by foreign and domestic entrants in the services offshoring industry in India. Journal of International Business Studies, 40(6), 944–968.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This chapter was written as part of a bigger study on immigrant entrepreneurs funded by the ISBE (Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship)—ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council)—RAKE (Research and Knowledge Exchange) Fund [Contract No. RAKE2012-01] in the UK. The able research assistance of Malaika Parab at San Jose State University is gratefully acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Associate Professor, School of Global Innovation and Leadership, Lucas College and Graduate School of Business, San Jose State University (SJSU), Business Tower 950, One Washington Square, San José, CA, 95192-0066, USA

    Sarika Pruthi

Authors
  1. Sarika Pruthi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sarika Pruthi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Prof. of Business Enterprise and Inn., University of Essex Prof. of Business Enterprise and Inn., Essex, Essex, UK

    Jay Mitra

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Pruthi, S. (2021). From a One-Man Consultancy to a Global Business Empire Connecting Back Home: The Case of Purico Limited. In: Mitra, J. (eds) Indian Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship and Development in South Asia: Longitudinal Narratives. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4859-8_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4859-8_7

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-15-4858-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-15-4859-8

  • eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceEconomics and Finance (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation