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The Islamic Work Ethic and the Emergence of Turkish SME Owner-Managers

EBEN AC, 2008

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Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the influence of religious beliefs on the work-related attitudes of Turkish SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) owner-managers. In this research, the emergence of pious or devout business people is considered as a phenomenon, and special attention is paid to religious transformation and secularism in Turkey. Both concepts, religion and secularism, are considered within the Turkish context. For the research, in-depth interviews were conducted with 32 Turkish business people from religious and secular backgrounds, respectively. The study investigates the so-called “Islamic work ethic” values and Islamic business principles from a critical perspective and argues that they do not seem to be as significant factors as predicted in the emergence of pious or devout business people in Turkey.

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Correspondence to Selçuk Uygur.

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Uygur, S. The Islamic Work Ethic and the Emergence of Turkish SME Owner-Managers. J Bus Ethics 88, 211–225 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-009-0107-z

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