Foreign entrepreneurs' social networks and business performance: contingent effects of political networking and policy uncertainty

This study explores how foreign entrepreneurs' social networks influence their business venture performance and how government policy uncertainty and political networking moderate the relationship. Using survey data from foreign business ventures in China, we find that foreign entrepreneurs' network structural holes significantly contribute to their business venture performance, but government policy uncertainty negatively moderates this relationship. It suggests that the positive relationship between network structural holes and business venture performance is reinforced by political networking, especially when government policy uncertainty is low. This study contributes to the international entrepreneurship and social network literature and provides a profound understanding of the mechanism that facilitates foreign business venture performance.