Transnational Entrepreneurship : Beyond the firm : A case study on running a SME and (re)integration of Dutch-Moroccan entrepreneurs in the region of Casablanca-Rabat
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2014-06
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en
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Abstract
Nowadays transnationalism is still a topical subject in an emerging research field. Entrepreneurial activities of
transnational migrants in a broader perspective of return to a country of origin is a phenomenon that is relatively little
researched. Since 2004 there has been some attention on this subject, but still there is a need for more research on this
topic. This is why in this research focused on transnational entrepreneurs, namely first and second generation Dutch
people with a Moroccan background, that return back to Morocco to start a SME there. This research focuses on the
urban context of transnational entrepreneurship, as the region of Casablanca has been chosen as the region where this
research has been done. The return of transnational entrepreneurs to Morocco is a question about transnationalism,
identity and integration that goes beyond the firm. The social domain of entrepreneurship is linked to transnationalism
through the concept of mixed embeddedness. In this setting it is called re-embeddedness. The goal of this research is to
gain insight in how certain choices are made by the transnational entrepreneur in running a successful sustainable enterprise
in the country of origin. Integration, identity and the concept of embeddedness can explain how these choices are
made.
By taking nine cases that are central in this thesis there has been analyzed through a holistic perspective what
the strategic choices of transnational entrepreneurs that start and run a business in the region of Casablanca. Semistructured
interviews, expert interviews and observations provided the data that were collected to analyze the process
of re-embeddedness of transnational entrepreneurs in Casablanca.
The process of starting a SME from conceiving transnational entrepreneurship to the consolidation of the start
up of the business is a process that brings a lot of challenges for both first and second generation Dutch-Moroccans. It is
a process that costs a lot of time, effort and money in order to create and run a sustainable business.
It can be concluded that transnational entrepreneurship in the region of Casablanca-Rabat is more than just
starting a business and the technical aspects of this. The process of starting a business in the region of Casablanca-Rabat
is also a process and a question of integration and identity. Throughout the phases of conceiving and consolidating transnational
entrepreneurship in Morocco occur several shifting patterns;
• A shifting pattern in becoming embedded as a transnational migrant in the region of Casablanca to becoming
embedded as a transnational entrepreneur
• A shifting pattern concerning integration focusing on social, economic and politico-institutional integration
in Morocco to acting within a transnational field
• A shifting pattern of identity. For the first generation Dutch-Moroccans this means that they reintegrate
in Morocco. They become Moroccan again while also the Dutch identity still is part of their transnational
identity. For second generation Dutch-Moroccans this means that they feel Dutch, but that they adapt to
Moroccan society and become more aware of their Moroccan background. Morocco will play a bigger role
in their identity the longer they will be living there.
When the process of starting a business advances, this changes to the focus on the transnational identity. They
become increasingly connected to both countries at the same time. Networks, being on both locations both physically
and virtually, and language are the most important things with respect to this process. Thus, starting a business in Morocco
is a complex process where identity, embeddedness and entrepreneurship interact in a transnational field. This is
more than just the firm. It is a process of transnationalism and integration
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen