Chinese Family Firms in the San Francisco Bay Area

Abstract

This study examines the role of ethnicity and kinship in the economic adaptation of Chinese family firms in the San Francisco Bay Area. The development and operation of these Chinese firms are the result of a complex interactive process involving ethnic resources–such as traditional values, kinship relations, and information networks–as well as structural opportunities and constraints. Throughout their history in the Bay Area, Chinese immigrant entrepreneurs have creatively adapted to their social, economic, and political environments with resources from the family.