Business ownership styles (BOS) of Indigenous Hui entrepreneurs in Ningxia: an economic ethnological study through fieldwork in Ningxia, 2022–2023

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the business ownership style (BOS) of Indigenous Hui entrepreneurs in the Ningxia Autonomous Region of China as a distinctive system of ethical governance embedded within privately owned enterprise (POE) structures. This study examines how moral reasoning, oral tradition and community-based trust mechanisms become institutionalised as operational domestic and international business practices Design/methodology/approach Drawing upon ethnological fieldwork conducted between 2022 and 2024, including interviews, participant observation, oral testimony and student engagement across Ningxia, this study analyses Hui BOS as a historically grounded yet adaptive model of enterprise governance. The research integrates institutional analysis with ethnological inquiry to examine how Hui entrepreneurs sustain trust, legitimacy and resilience across contemporary market conditions. Findings The findings of this study demonstrate that Hui BOS operates through non-familial hiring, servant leadership, ethical reinvestment, mentorship-based capability development, oral trust networks and gradualist growth strategies. Rather than functioning as informal residual traditions, these practices operate as structured governance mechanisms that institutionalise ethical reasoning within enterprise operations. This study further demonstrates that Hui BOS contributes significantly to regional economic resilience, organisational continuity and stakeholder trust. Research limitations/implications The authors limit the academic research included in this paper to those work that specifically address the Hui BOS. Practical implications This study is conducted to develop a practical awareness of the Indigenous ethnic group BOS of the Hui peoples and in doing so breaking away from any monolith thinking in relation to Chinese business practice. Originality/value This paper contributes to international business and institutional theory by demonstrating how Indigenous governance systems can function as durable forms of organisational infrastructure. It extends existing scholarship on entrepreneurship, governance and institutional economics by evidencing how ethical principles become operational governance mechanisms within Indigenous POEs. This study positions Hui BOS as a transferable framework for understanding trust-based governance, sustainable enterprise and alternative models of economic modernity.