The Making of Women Entrepreneurs in Hong Kong

This book provides a detailed account of Chinese industrial entrepreneurs, and describes and explains the phenomena of women entrepreneurship in Hong Kong. It addresses two main issues: first, the characteristics of Chinese entrepreneurship and women entrepreneurs; second, the factors that constitute the making of Chinese women entrepreneurs in Hong Kong.

From in-depth personal interviews, Priscilla Chu examines the entrepreneur as a person, and as a member of family, organization and society. Having thus established the characteristic features of Chinese entrepreneurship in general, and female entrepreneurship in particular, the author builds a model to summarize the making of female entrepreneurs in Hong Kong, a model which is significantly different from that for male and Western counterparts. The study analyses the distinct Chinese entrepreneurship in relation to familism, Chinese work ethics, family and organizational conditions, and societal and cultural contexts.

Priscilla Chu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Management, the City University of Hong Kong. She received her PhD and MSc from the University of Hong Kong and BSc from the University of British Columbia.

“The study has been robustly undertaken and this is an interesting and original contribution to the body of literature on entrepreneurship and the small firm.” —Professor Sara Carter, Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, University of Strathclyde

“Women have made their mark as the equal of men in many fields. Why do they not make their presence felt more strongly as owner-managers? Why do they remain very much an invisible force and a power behind the throne? This book is a pioneering study to unravel that mystery. Its clear aim is focused not narrowly on gender inequality as such, but on the female dimension as an unexplored aspect of Chinese entrepreneurship.” —Professor Wong Siu-lun, Centre of Asian Studies, The University of Hong Kong