Title: Values in family businesses owned by Chinese diaspora in Sarawak, Malaysia

Authors: Su-Hie Ting

Addresses: Faculty of Language and Communication, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia

Abstract: The case study aimed to describe the values in family businesses owned by Chinese diaspora in Sarawak, Malaysia. Interviews were conducted with founders and successors from 12 Chinese family businesses to identify the values. Of the 26 values identified, the most common values are trustworthiness, hard work and prioritising personal interest over family obligation. Prioritising personal interest over family obligation, discipline and being daring in business are new values which emerged in this study, and suggest a move away from traditional values. Apart from these, it seems that Chinese cultural values are largely maintained in this Malaysian Chinese diaspora despite the prolonged contact with host cultures and the Western educational background of successors. The study produced a framework for prevailing values in family businesses owned by Chinese diaspora in Malaysia which is firmly anchored to an established framework of Chinese cultural values.

Keywords: values; family business; Chinese cultural values; diaspora; Malaysia.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCCM.2021.113734

International Journal of Chinese Culture and Management, 2021 Vol.5 No.1, pp.1 - 27

Received: 23 Nov 2017
Accepted: 19 Aug 2018
Published online: 22 Mar 2021 *

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