Entrepreneurial identity in comparative historical context: the evolution of French and Chinese family businesses

Abstract This paper explores the evolution of entrepreneurial identities in two prominent family businesses—Moët et Chandon and the Rong family—highlighting their shift from Darwinian to Communitarian and Missionary types under distinct socio-political pressures. Moët et Chandon evolved within post-...

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Main Authors: Lihua LI, Xiaolan ZHOU, Zizheng ZHOU
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer Nature 2025-07-01
Series:Humanities & Social Sciences Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05497-1
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author Lihua LI
Xiaolan ZHOU
Zizheng ZHOU
author_facet Lihua LI
Xiaolan ZHOU
Zizheng ZHOU
author_sort Lihua LI
collection DOAJ
description Abstract This paper explores the evolution of entrepreneurial identities in two prominent family businesses—Moët et Chandon and the Rong family—highlighting their shift from Darwinian to Communitarian and Missionary types under distinct socio-political pressures. Moët et Chandon evolved within post-revolutionary France, aligning capitalist ambition with aristocratic branding, while the Rong family’s identity navigated national crisis in early 20th-century China, fusing industrial nationalism with Confucian values. To better explain these dynamics, the study extends Social Identity Theory by incorporating self-categorization theory, identity fluidity, and cultural additivity. The comparative approach shows that entrepreneurial identity is not merely a product of market forces but a socially constructed process reflecting broader narratives of modernity, morality, and development. The findings offer valuable insights for future research on how family businesses in different regions and industries navigate socio-political challenges, and the role of cultural and social values in identity formation.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2662-9992
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Springer Nature
record_format Article
series Humanities & Social Sciences Communications
spelling doaj-art-039480a547e94e788dda5576fcee7c392025-08-20T03:45:51ZengSpringer NatureHumanities & Social Sciences Communications2662-99922025-07-0112111010.1057/s41599-025-05497-1Entrepreneurial identity in comparative historical context: the evolution of French and Chinese family businessesLihua LI0Xiaolan ZHOU1Zizheng ZHOU2South China Normal UniversitySouth China Normal UniversitySouth China Normal UniversityAbstract This paper explores the evolution of entrepreneurial identities in two prominent family businesses—Moët et Chandon and the Rong family—highlighting their shift from Darwinian to Communitarian and Missionary types under distinct socio-political pressures. Moët et Chandon evolved within post-revolutionary France, aligning capitalist ambition with aristocratic branding, while the Rong family’s identity navigated national crisis in early 20th-century China, fusing industrial nationalism with Confucian values. To better explain these dynamics, the study extends Social Identity Theory by incorporating self-categorization theory, identity fluidity, and cultural additivity. The comparative approach shows that entrepreneurial identity is not merely a product of market forces but a socially constructed process reflecting broader narratives of modernity, morality, and development. The findings offer valuable insights for future research on how family businesses in different regions and industries navigate socio-political challenges, and the role of cultural and social values in identity formation.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05497-1
spellingShingle Lihua LI
Xiaolan ZHOU
Zizheng ZHOU
Entrepreneurial identity in comparative historical context: the evolution of French and Chinese family businesses
Humanities & Social Sciences Communications
title Entrepreneurial identity in comparative historical context: the evolution of French and Chinese family businesses
title_full Entrepreneurial identity in comparative historical context: the evolution of French and Chinese family businesses
title_fullStr Entrepreneurial identity in comparative historical context: the evolution of French and Chinese family businesses
title_full_unstemmed Entrepreneurial identity in comparative historical context: the evolution of French and Chinese family businesses
title_short Entrepreneurial identity in comparative historical context: the evolution of French and Chinese family businesses
title_sort entrepreneurial identity in comparative historical context the evolution of french and chinese family businesses
url https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05497-1
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AT xiaolanzhou entrepreneurialidentityincomparativehistoricalcontexttheevolutionoffrenchandchinesefamilybusinesses
AT zizhengzhou entrepreneurialidentityincomparativehistoricalcontexttheevolutionoffrenchandchinesefamilybusinesses