Suchergebnisse

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the experiences of some Arab American entrepreneurs and their motivation to enter self‐employment, in spite of the obvious obstacles and adversity immigrants can face in pursuing their dreams in this new society. The self‐recounted life histories of this group of entrepreneurs add to the existing literature and contribute to the body of knowledge of immigrants and entrepreneurs.Design/methodology/approachQualitative research, which concentrates on natural settings with their intriguing complexity of social interactions rather than laboratories was selected. Qualitative research covers several forms of inquiry that help one understand and explain the meaning of social phenomena with as little destruction to the natural setting as possible.FindingsThe questions regarding motivation for self‐employment were open ended, giving the participants the chance to list as many issues as deemed necessary and relevant in their decision to start their business. All of the participants were in total agreement that mentioned push factors are the reasons that they entered self‐employment. These factors included difficulties in finding a job, thus feeling at a disadvantage in the US job market. Difficulty in previous job also was mentioned as a push factor; the lack of English skills was not, however, mentioned as a motivator for self‐employment.Research limitations/implicationsThere were geographical and logistical constraints affecting the research and given time and resources the author would like to have conducted research that included a number of geographical areas in the Southwest USA and Northern Mexico.Practical implicationsThis research will have practical implications on two areas: first, immigration and its historical context, especially Arab immigration to the new world, why are these immigrants left their countries in the first place, and the problem they faced in terms of their degree of assimilation and its effect on their success in their new homes. Second, entrepreneurs, why immigrants find it easier to get into the sphere of entrepreneurship rather than holding regular careers and trying to assimilate in their new societies.Originality/valueThis paper will contribute to the body of literature on Arab American entrepreneurs in particular and immigrant entrepreneurs in general, and is important to education and educators as well. The paper investigates the motivations for entry into the field of entrepreneurship and becoming an entrepreneur, offering data that could be useful for developing ideas and suggestions as well as an understanding of some of the important steps necessary for the success of new immigrant entrepreneurs.

Ideology plays a central role in people's lives and thus in shaping politicians' decisions and translators' choices. This role becomes clearer and more active in the context of the Middle East political domain, due to the constant ideological conflict in the region. This paper aims to analyse the translations of political speeches delivered by the Hamas and Hezbollah leaders during two Arab-Israeli conflicts: Lebanon War 2006 and Gaza War 2008/9. These translations often took the form of news reports that included translated excerpts from the speeches. The study suggests that there was a degree of distortion in the translation and editing processes by key English-speaking media outlets. Certain ideological strategies and devices were used by news outlets to manipulate the translation of the messages embedded in the speeches. The study investigates the role of the translator as well as the patron in deciding the outcome of the translation process.