Emotional Intelligence and Immigrant Entrepreneurship Development: A Correlation Analysis of the Lebanese Family Entrepreneurships in Nigeria

The arrival of the first Lebanese immigrant in Lagos in 1890 has been followed by increase in the number of Lebanese immigrants in Nigeria. The immigrants get attached to their families on arrival. This is owing to the instrumental, financial, psychological and emotional supports they receive from their families to enable them assimilate into the Nigerian community. In spite of their contributions to the economic and infrastructural development of Nigeria through the family-owned immigrant entrepreneurships they have developed, no study seems to have been conducted in this area. Consequently, based on data from selected Lebanese family-owned entrepreneurships, this study examines the relationship between emotional intelligence and immigrant entrepreneurship development. The study adopted mail questionnaire survey design. The generated data through questionnaire were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation. It was found that emotional intelligence is significantly related to the dimensions of immigrant entrepreneurship development, that is, entrepreneurial intention, entrepreneurial capabilities, entrepreneurial networking and entrepreneurial success. Based on the results, the study recommends exposing new immigrants and immigrant entrepreneurs to trainings and programs that will improve their emotional intelligence, entrepreneurial behaviour, capabilities, networking attitude and success mindset. The ultimate effect of these trainings and programs is increase in the development of immigrant


Introduction
The term "Emotional Intelligent" (EI) is made up two words -emotion and intelligence. Cabanac (2002) define emotion as any mental experience with high intensity and high hedonic content (pleasure/displeasure). Salovey and Mayer (1990) opine that intelligence involves the ability to carry out abstract reasoning. EI as a concept was first introduced into the scientific psychological literature by Salovey and Mayer based on Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. Gardner notes that one of the seven intelligences possessed by humans is personal entrepreneurs establish immigrant entrepreneurships in the host country to achieve independence and fulfillment or to avoid (or escape) unemployment (Dalhammar, 2004). Immigrant entrepreneur is also defined as any newly immigrated person who establishes a business in the host country to sustain himself or herself (Tengeh & Nkem, 2017). Aaltonen and Akola (2014) asserts that an immigrant entrepreneur or immigrant business owner is a person who has immigrated to a new country and started a business there. Vinogradov and Isaksen (2008) describe an immigrant entrepreneur as a person who arrives in the country and starts a business for the purpose of economic survival. It can be deduced from these definitions that an immigrant entrepreneur is a foreign born business owner, who has foreign origin, and is involved in economic innovation, organization creation and profit-seeking in the market sector (Kahn et al., 2013) of the host country.
Immigrant entrepreneurs can be necessity or opportunity entrepreneurs depending on whether they were driven into entrepreneurship by push or pull factors. Williams (2008) notes that necessity entrepreneurs are driven into entrepreneurship by push factors because other options for work are absent or unsatisfactory whereas opportunity entrepreneurs are driven into entrepreneurship by pull factors mostly out of choice. Slavnic (2004) argue that there are some necessity entrepreneurs who were pushed into entrepreneurship just to seek more freedom and independence. These sets of entrepreneurs are usually driven by opportunity factors. They include immigrants who moved to the host country to start-up an enterprise based on identified opportunities, those who moved as students but started an enterprise after their studies, and those who came to seek job opportunities but later started their own enterprise when they failed to secure a paid job (Chrysostome, 2010). When looking for jobs in the host country, immigrants face challenges such as lack of sufficient language skills, discrimination, incompatible education and training (Omar, 2011), racial, religious and cultural differences (Ensign & Robinson, 2011). Dalhammar (2004) define immigrant entrepreneurship as the process by which an immigrant establishes a business in a host country (or country of settlement) which is not the immigrant's country of origin. In addition, immigrant entrepreneurship is described as business activities, which are conducted by immigrants in their host 30 countries either with the assistance of social networks or through individual initiative (Tengeh et al., 2011).
Entrepreneurship development is the process of actualizing an innovative intention by an individual or group of individuals in either a new or old enterprise through networking to acquire the requisite capabilities that will enhance the success of the venture in the face of environmental uncertainties (Agbim & Oriarewo, 2012;Agbim et al., 2013). Based on this definition, entrepreneurship development has four dimensions -entrepreneurial intention, entrepreneurial networking, entrepreneurial capabilities and entrepreneurial success. These dimensions also apply in immigrant entrepreneurship development.

 Entrepreneurial Intention
Entrepreneurial intention is a conscious state of mind that directs attention (and therefore experience and action) toward a specific object (goal) or pathway to achieve it (Bird, 1989). It is the commitment to start a new business (Krueger et al., 2000). Intentions influence behaviour (Ajzen, 1991) and predict entrepreneurial action (Krueger et al., 2000). The intention to behave in a certain way depends on the person's attitude towards that behaviour.
Attitude can increase or decrease the level of intention to engage in any activity (Ajzen, 1991). Research has shown that EI is one of the factors that influence entrepreneurial intention (Greenberg & Baron, 2008). Thus, for the purpose of this study, entrepreneurial intention is defined as the expression of the willingness and deliberate plan to start-up a business. A person's intention to become an entrepreneur directs the person's attention to network for the needed resources to establish the business.

 Entrepreneurial Networking
Entrepreneurial networking is the process whereby a protégé (budding, nascent or even an established entrepreneur) strategically (or non-strategically) and formally (or informally) connects and maintains interactive and interdependent relationships with business experts and/or the business stakeholders through online or offline (face-to-face) contacts for the purpose of acquiring, sharing or exchanging entrepreneurial resources. Thus, entrepreneurial networking can be strategic, non-strategic, online and offline. Strategic networking is the process of connecting and cooperating with other entrepreneurs and/or business stakeholders based on adopted business strategy. When the essence of connecting and cooperating with other entrepreneurs and/or business stakeholders is not based on a specific business strategy it is called non-strategic networking. Entrepreneurial networking is formal when it is intentionally planned before it is started and informal when it is started unintentionally without planning. Online networking is the process of connecting and cooperating with other entrepreneurs and/or business stakeholders through advanced virtual and real-time information and communication technology and/or internet based platforms. The process of connecting and cooperating with other entrepreneurs and/or business stakeholders through face-to-face forum is called offline networking. Cheuk (2007) opines that research has emphasized the importance of networking through face-to-face and the new media. This is evident from the recent researches that have related networking through the new media among entrepreneurs (Slotte-Kock & Coviello, 2010) to the EI. Extraversion, emotional stability and openness to experience have been related to uses of social applications on the internet (Forret & Dougherty, 2001;Correa et al., 2010;Wolff & Kim, 2012). Personality dimensions (i.e., extraversion, agreeableness, openness to experience) have been related to networking behaviour (Muscanell & Guadagno, 2012;Wolff & Kim, 2012). It follows that EI is increasingly becoming significant in networking (Correa et al., 2010). Therefore, networking is a must-do activity for entrepreneurs as professional contacts link entrepreneurs with critical opportunities, support and resources (Torres-Coronas et al., 2015).
This goes further to show that the use of the new media such as Facebook is enhancing the importance of such networks as professional, social, business and ethnic networks in business. O'Donnell (2004) note that networking can be positioned along a continuum from "reactive" to "proactive". Networking in a planned and  Bøllingtoft, 2012).

 Entrepreneurial Capabilities
Entrepreneurial capabilities are the innate and learned abilities that help budding and established entrepreneurs to identify, explore and exploit opportunities through new or existing business. Hall (1992) used capabilities, competencies and skills interchangeably to refer intangible resources that consist of the ability to adequately manage the resources needed to perform a task within an enterprise (Barba-Sanchez & Atienza-Sahuquillo, 2010). Abdelgawad et al. (2013) define entrepreneurial capabilities as a firm's capacity to sense, select and shape opportunities, and synchronize their strategic moves and resources in pursuit of these opportunities. In entrepreneurship, capabilities develop as actors seek to deploy resources strategically. The two broad forms of capabilities (Winter, 2003) are dynamic capabilities and substantive (growth) capabilities. Dynamic capabilities are the abilities to reconfigure a firm's resources and routines in the manner envisioned and deemed appropriate by its principal decision-maker(s) (Zahra et al., 2006).
There are two main types of dynamic capabilities; (1) sensing -capability to identify new opportunities and (2) seizing -capability to exploit an opportunity through the mobilization of resources to amend and/or develop new capabilities. Eisenhardt and Martin (2000) assert that in larger firms, the creation of dynamic capabilities requires the development and refinement of routines for identification and exploitation of opportunities. Firms that continuously and proactively identify opportunity, and continuously regenerate their knowledge and capabilities perform better than the more conservative firms (Covin & Miles, 1999). In smaller and less formalized firms, dynamic capabilities may be based on the skills and knowledge of an entrepreneur or entrepreneurial team. These dynamic capabilities are based on the entrepreneur and entrepreneurial team's perception of opportunities to productively change existing routines or resource configurations, their willingness to undertake such change, and their ability to implement these changes (Korr et al., 2007).
Substantive capabilities are the resources (e.g., knowledge and financial assets), organizational processes and the managerial decisions that are made with respect to a firm's resources and processes. It also implies the combinations of complementary resources and processes. A firm has substantive capabilities when it shows changes in size, market share, profitability and assets over time. Also, when the growth-creating processes are successfully repeated over time to form routines the firm is said to have substantive capabilities. (Teece et al.,1997). A process is effective if it can be repeated and routinized. Routines are repetitive, recognizable patterns of interdependent actions, carried out by multiple actors (Feldman & Pentland, 2003).
Substantive capabilities enable a firm to compete in its market on a day-to-day basis, while dynamic capabilities extend, modify or create new substantive (growth) capabilities. New product development constitutes a substantive capability, whereas, a dynamic capability is the ability to build, direct and enhance the capability for new product development (Helfat & Peteraf, 2003). Thus, dynamic capabilities are important in the development of substantive capabilities.

 Entrepreneurial Success
Entrepreneurial success is defined as positively affecting the lives of others and making a living through a well managed innovative product and/or service (Agbim & Oriarewo, 2012 Success is measured in terms of sales growth, income growth, employment trends and satisfaction (Hisrich, 2000). Success is also measured by the extent the business meets the desires and aspirations of interested stakeholders. However, entrepreneurial success is difficult to measure (Zahra et al., 2002). This is because new ventures are not obligated to disclose performance information and financial performance measures (e.g., ROI and ROA) have inherent challenges and are often unavailable (Chandler & Hanks, 1993), and business owners are unwilling to share this information with outsiders (Dess & Robinson, 1984). The use of the traditional measures is not appropriate because of the enormous and erratic growth rates or small starting capital (Walsh & White, 1981).
Thus, researchers have advocated the use of objective and subjective measures in assessing entrepreneurial success. Objective success is computed by analyzing the figures in financial records; while subjective success is assessed more in terms of personal beliefs or views (Reijonen, 2008). Subjective measures are often self-report measures at the firm and/or individual levels of analysis (Haber & Reichel, 2005). Success is not computed from stock market reports because entrepreneurial firms are often studied before going public (Eisenhardt & Schoonhoven, 1990).
The methods adopted by researchers to overcome the difficulties associated with acquiring and using financial measures include: (1) asking respondents to state the importance and satisfaction with their relative firm on several performance measures (Gupta & Govindarajan, 1984); (2) asking founders to compare the performance of their companies with their closest competitors (Sapienza et al., 1988). Relating EI to entrepreneurship, Baron (2000) opines that the ability to interact effectively with others is vital for success. Karimi et al. (2012) asserts that EI contributes to entrepreneurial success.

Family Business or Entrepreneurship
Family business or entrepreneurship is "a small, medium-sized, large or multinational enterprise established or bought over through a solo or family (two or more individuals related by blood or marriage) entrepreneurial efforts and operated based on a high level of trust, commitment, familiness, involvement and control by the owning family and a somewhat fused ownership, management and/or governance systems with the founder, descendant or external CEO directing the achievement of the developmental and trans-generational visions of the family business" (Agbim, 2018: 5).

Mortan et al. (2014) studied the contribution of the dimensions of EI (regulation and utilization of emotions) to
entrepreneurial self-efficacy and intention. It was found that the two dimensions positively affect entrepreneurial self-efficacy and the later mediates the relation between EI and the intention to become an entrepreneur. Farahbod et al. (2013) found that there is an indirect relationship between EI and entrepreneurial intention. Hassan and Omar (2016) investigated the role of EI and entrepreneurial attitude in determining entrepreneurial intention among students. The result shows that EI is significantly related to entrepreneurial attitude and intention. Torres-Coronas et al. (2015) carried out a study to determine how trait EI supports proactive networking behaviour among entrepreneurs. The result shows that proactive networking is not related to EI. In a study to determine the impact of EI on entrepreneurial skills, Rajan (2015) found that EI influences entrepreneurial skills. Some researchers also allude to the fact that EI improves capabilities (Goleman, 1995;Khatoon, 2013). The result of the study conducted by Baron and Markman (2000) reveal that greater social abilities increase entrepreneurial success. Cross and Travaglione (2003)  33 through in-depth interviews. The results suggest that entrepreneurs with greater overall EI achieve success in work and social environments. Danquah (2015) examined the effect of EI on financial performance (success).
The result reveals that EI positively relates to financial performance.

Research Methodology
The study adopted mail questionnaire survey design. Nine Lebanese family-owned entrepreneurships in Nigeria (three each in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano States) were selected for the study on the basis of the population of Lebanese working in them. EI was assessed using the Emotional Competency Inventory (ECI) developed by Goleman (2001). The Cronbach's alpha test value for ECI is 0.84. Entrepreneurial intention was measured using two items: "I intend to start my own business in the near future" and "I intend to work hard at starting my own  (7) to strongly disagree (1).
A total of 155 questionnaire were mailed to the respondents through their Human Resource Managers (HRMs).
Each questionnaire was accompanied by a self addressed and stamped envelope for the purpose of returning back the completed questionnaire. The researcher made reminder calls to the HRMs every Monday. At the end of six weeks 130 of the questionnaire were retrieved and useable. The study hypotheses were tested using the collected data. Pearson's correlation was used to test the hypotheses with the aid of SPSS (Version 21.0 for Windows) at 5% level of significance. The decision rule is to reject the null hypothesis if the p-value is less than or equal to 5%. Otherwise do not reject.

Results
Hypothesis one H 01 : There is no significant relationship between EI and entrepreneurial intention.
H a1 : There is a significant relationship between EI and entrepreneurial intention.

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The result of the Pearson correlation coefficient of the relationship between EI and entrepreneurial intention is presented in Table 1. The coefficient suggests that the correlation is significant (r = 0.715, p = .000). Thus, H 01 is rejected. It can be deduced that there is a significant relationship between EI and entrepreneurial intention.
Hypothesis two H 02 : EI is not significantly related to entrepreneurial networking.
H a2 : EI is significantly related to entrepreneurial networking.  Table 2 depicts the Pearson correlation coefficient of the relationship between EI and entrepreneurial networking.
The coefficient reveals that the relationship is significant (r = 0.853, p = .003). Hence, H 02 is rejected. This suggests that EI is significantly related to entrepreneurial networking.
Hypothesis three H 03 : There is no significant relationship between EI and entrepreneurial capabilities.
H a3 : There is a significant relationship between EI and entrepreneurial capabilities.   Table 4 shows the Pearson correlation coefficient of the relationship between EI and entrepreneurial success. The coefficient reveals that the relationship is significant (r = 0.964, p = .000). H 04 is therefore rejected. It can be deduced that EI is significantly related to entrepreneurial success.

Discussion
This study has shown that EI is related to entrepreneurial intention, entrepreneurial networking, entrepreneurial capabilities and entrepreneurial success. These results are somewhat similar to previous findings (Cross & Travaglione, 2003;Farahbod et al., 2013;Mortan et al., 2014;Rajan, 2015;Danquah, 2015;Hassan & Omar, 2016) Lofstrom (2014) asserts that immigrants are widely perceived to be highly entrepreneurial, contributing to economic growth and innovation. However, they take to self-employment owing to the discrimination and challenges they face when seeking for job in the host country (Chrysostome, 2010;Omar, 2011;Ensign & Robinson, 2011).
When immigrants resort to self-employment on account of inability to secure paid employment, they need financial resources to start-up and further develop their businesses. They need these financial resources to pay for expenses that are related to the advice of lawyers and accountants, procurement, lease, energy, taxes and unexpected lawsuits. Yet, they find it difficult to access financial resources from the formal financial institutions (Chrysostome and Arcand, 2009 36 High entrepreneurial behaviour is still not enough to assure immigrant entrepreneurship development. This is because as noted by Chrysostome and Arcand (2009) the immigrants are poor. However, research has shown that higher EI will lead to better social network, which will in turn lead to better business relations (Khatoon, 2013).
This implies that immigrant entrepreneurs need to be actively involved in entrepreneurial networking to access the resources they need. Ahmetoglu et al. (2011) opine that individuals that are high in EI are more likely to be highly creative and involved in innovative entrepreneurial activities and networks. This is because aside face-to-face networking, EI is increasingly becoming significant in social networking. Social networks are vital for new business start-up and development (Munkejord, 2017). Highly successful entrepreneurs are the ones who build strong relationships and effectively manage their networks (Bhattacharyya, 2010).
One of the reasons entrepreneurs network is to acquire entrepreneurial capabilities which Hall (1992) describe as intangible resources. Entrepreneurs also network to sense, select and shape opportunities, and choose their strategic moves (Abdelgawad et al. (2013). EI help to understand those individuals, who are able to innovate, discover, create and exploit opportunities (Pradhan & Nath, 2012). The expected outcome of immigrant entrepreneurs' entrepreneurial intention, networking and capabilities are entrepreneurial success. Today, Lofstrom (2014) asserts that owing to the successes of self-employment and immigrant entrepreneurship (Kerr & Lincoln, 2010;Fairlie & Lofstrom, 2014) to the host countries, many countries are beginning to establish special visas and entry requirements so as to attract immigrant entrepreneurs (Lofstrom, 2014).

Conclusion
The results of this study have shown that EI influences the entrepreneurial intention, entrepreneurial networking, entrepreneurs to trainings and programs that will improve their emotional intelligence, entrepreneurial behaviour, capabilities, networking attitude and success mindset. The overall effect of these trainings and programs is the development of more immigrant entrepreneurships.