Navigating mixed and simultaneous embeddedness: A case study of refugee entrepreneurship in the restaurant industry

Abstract

A stream of research focusing on refugee entrepreneurship within the hospitality realm has recently gained momentum. However, existing research seems to place emphasis on the host country’s ecosystem overlooking the home country’s situation in the entrepreneurial course of refugees. This omission is intriguing given the crucial role of home experiences of refugees on their entrepreneurial journeys in their host countries. Drawing on mixed embeddedness theory, this study explores the entrepreneurial experience of Iraqi refugee entrepreneurs in the restaurant business in Egypt based on a multiple case study approach involving four Iraqi refugee entrepreneurs. The study examines refugee entrepreneurial experience whereas the economic and political instability in the host country can have a noticeable impact on business development. It also discusses the effect of the situation in the refugee sending country on business in the host country. The study adds to a still-maturing stream of research on refugee entrepreneurship and provides several theoretical as well as practical implications.