"MAY I KNOW YOUR ETHNICITY PLEASE?"
Understanding the significance of ethnic and kinship ties in business decision making in the textile industry of Pakistan

Moina RAUF

National College of Business Administration and Economics, Pakistan

PROCEEDINGS of
North International Conference of Economics,
Issue 1 / 2016,
pp.53-68

ISSN 2537-317X

ABSTRACT
Through a detailed examination of the relationships of entrepreneurs in the textile sector of Pakistan, this article sheds light on the informal relationships that underlie business networks. It gives a detailed explanation on the role of informal institutions like kinship, ethnic and linguistic identities on the social network formation. The study of the networks of entrepreneurs in Pakistan raises questions models of impersonal, professional contacts can replace strong relationships based on personal affiliation and trust. Do business interests surpass ethnic and linguistic solidarities? To answer this question, a survey was held among entrepreneurs about their social networks to assess basic characteristics of social networks like size, network density, and strength of ties and study the impact of such factors on these network characteristic.

Keywords: Social networks, ethnicity, structural holes, network density.

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