Analysis Of The Behavioral Logic Of Businessmen Participating In Hometown Chamber Of Commerce From The Perspective Of Multiple Embeddedness

As the socialist market economy moves toward greater maturity and perfection,the development of chambers of commerce,especially hometown chamber of commerce,has accelerated.Likewise,the merchant community is playing an increasingly important role in the economic society.This paper takes Lingxian businessmen in Tibet as the research object,combines Zukin’s and Dimaggio’s embedding theories,develops from four dimensions of structural embedding and its underlying cultural embedding,institutional embedding and cognitive embedding respectively,and adopts a case study approach to analyze the reasons for Lingxian businessmen in Tibet to participate in the Zhejiang Lingxian hometown chamber of commerce in Tibet.This helps us to better understand the logic of the behavior of the vast number of businessmen participating in the civil organizations represented by hometown chamber of commerce at present.This paper argues that,first,the participation of Lingxian businessmen in the Lingxian hometown chamber of commerce is related to the structure in which they are embedded,which is the most fundamental reason for their participation in the Chamber.At the same time,the relationships and structures within the chamber create the conditions for the reproduction of social capital and the preparation of a "social safety net",which attracts them to participate in the chamber.Secondly,the participation of Lingxian businessmen in the chamber is related to the cultural environment in which they are embedded.First,they were "forced" to participate in the chamber in order to "protect their faces".Secondly,they are actively involved in the chamber in order to "give face to the initiator or leader".Third,their participation in the chamber and the positions they held helped them "earn face".Again,the participation of Lingxian businessmen in the chamber is related to the institutional environment in which they are embedded.On the one hand,the government of Lingxian endorses the chamber,so that their participation in the chamber is a passive way of "cooperating with the government" under institutional constraints.But on the other hand,Lingxian businessmen also hope to use the chamber to influence the institutional environment and expand their own space for survival and development.Finally,the participation of Lingxian businessmen in the chamber is also related to cognitive embedding.The social identity of their own Lingxian social identity and social group,as well as the differential structure that exists within it,motivate Lingxian businessmen to identify with and choose to participate in the chamber.In conclusion,in the process of participating in the Zhejiang Lingxian hometown chamber of commerce in Tibet,the Lingxian businessmen in Tibeta do take into account economic factors and calculate the costs and benefits of participating in the chamber.However,it is undeniable that they do not hoard the calculation of costs and benefits,because their series of behavioral choices are not only economic but also social,which will be influenced by the structural,cultural,institutional and cognitive factors of the society in which they are embedded.