The Effect of Anomia on Ethnocentric Tendencies: A Study Among Small Businesses in Two Island Microstates

ABSTRACT

Globalisation and related liberalisation have seen countries pursue policies that open up domestic markets. Many small businesses that were previously offered domestic protection in the form of tariffs and quotas against imported goods are facing increasingly competitive domestic market conditions. In the context of these changes, this paper focuses on small business managers in the two microstates of Malta and Singapore to determine their levels of anomia and consider its effect on ethnocentrism. Moreover, while ethnocentrism has in the past been looked at from a consumer perspective, this study looks at ethnocentric tendencies among small business managers. Data are collected from this group via samples in each of the two countries. Results indicate that anomia is an antecedent variable to ethnocentric tendencies among small business managers. Implications for theory and policy development are considered, limitations are noted and directions for future research are indicated.

KEYWORDS:

• Anomia
• ethnocentrism
• microstates
• small businesses