Market orientation and entrepreneurship in Chinese family business: a socialisation view

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between market orientation and entrepreneurship in small to medium-sized second-generation Chinese family businesses. Market orientation is captured through a multi-dimensional framework, which defines a spectrum between a market orientation pole and a family orientation pole. The Schumpeterian tradition is adopted in entrepreneurship investigation, which emphasises the innovation outcomes. Findings are discussed by using a socialisation view. Analysis indicates that the owner-manager's socialisation patterns have a significant impact on the firm's entrepreneurial processes, which nuances the relationship between market orientation and entrepreneurship in second-generation Chinese family businesses.