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Article
Publication date: 9 August 2013

Giles Andrew Barrett and David McEvoy

The purpose of this paper is to describe and assess the sustainability of an emergent West African business quarter in Manchester, UK. Comparisons are drawn with developments…

381

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe and assess the sustainability of an emergent West African business quarter in Manchester, UK. Comparisons are drawn with developments among other ethnic groups. The research is placed in the context of international literature on ethnic entrepreneurship.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is primarily qualitative, using semi‐structured interviews and conversational life histories with a sample of West African retail businesses and a comparative group of other local businesses. Some use is made of quantitative information from census and other public data sources.

Findings

New West African enterprises appear, over the last few years, to have stabilised the declining retail district of Moston Lane in north Manchester. These new businesses are however confined to few sectors: food stores, hair and beauty salons, cafes, Internet cafes and clothing shops. These developments may parallel the success of longer established retail quarters in Manchester and elsewhere. However, most of the businesses may not survive long, having provided a temporary living, and some entrepreneurial experience, for their owners.

Research limitations/implications

Limited sample size and short time frame make results exploratory rather than definitive. The research provides however a base for future investigations.

Practical implications

The businesses studied provide economic opportunities for some immigrants with limited labour market opportunities.

Social implications

Immigrants are helped to maintain the integrity of their culture through the purchase of appropriate goods and services.

Originality/value

This paper provides the first consideration of a specifically African retail quarter in Britain, adding an additional ethnicity to the roster of identifiable geographic business locations.

Details

Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, vol. 7 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6204

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Article
Publication date: 19 September 2008

Susan Bagwell

This paper seeks to understand the role played by transnational family networks in ethnic minority business development.

3567

Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to understand the role played by transnational family networks in ethnic minority business development.

Design/methodology/approach

The Vietnamese nail‐care sector is taken as a case study. The research involved interviews with ten owner‐managers and four key informants involved in this industry in London. The analysis draws on concepts of “strong” and “weak” network ties and “mixed embeddedness” to explain why the Vietnamese continue to enter such a competitive sector.

Findings

The results highlight the importance of transnational family networks within all aspects of the business and suggest that these links can sometimes provide a fertile source of new business ideas, but can equally limit innovation. The presence of innovative and well‐educated members within the entrepreneurs' “strong‐tie” network appeared to encourage more successful business development and diversification.

Research limitations/implications

The research challenges the traditional “strong/weak” ties thesis and suggests that, while it has some general value, in the context of groups from more collectivist societies and with family links overseas, it is necessary to take account of the human and social capital resources of the extended family rather than just those of the individual entrepreneur.

Practical implications

To maximise the potential of these links it suggests that business advisers need to undertake a comprehensive audit of entrepreneurs' networks and assist them in assessing how their family ties can best contribute to the development of the business.

Originality/value

The paper focuses on a new community (the Vietnamese), and a new sector of study (transnational family networks), both of which have received little attention in the entrepreneurship literature.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 14 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

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Article
Publication date: 1 February 2002

Giles Barrett, Trevor Jones, David McEvoy and Chris McGoldrick

Immigrant‐owned business in Britain is reviewed in the light of both cultural and structural economic perspectives. The latter view is emphasised. Concentration in trades which…

3018

Abstract

Immigrant‐owned business in Britain is reviewed in the light of both cultural and structural economic perspectives. The latter view is emphasised. Concentration in trades which are in decline, or are labour intensive, or both, creates acute competitive pressures which are exacerbated by the growing presence of corporate rivals in many markets. Real and perceived bias on the part of banks helps to limit diversification. Attempts to move away from characteristic activities, both geographically and sectorally, have had only limited impact. Accumulation of class resources holds the greatest promise for entrepreneurial success.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 8 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

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Article
Publication date: 19 September 2008

Katja Rusinovic

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the markets in which immigrant entrepreneurs are active and to examine whether these differ between first‐ and second‐generation…

2319

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the markets in which immigrant entrepreneurs are active and to examine whether these differ between first‐ and second‐generation immigrants.

Design/methodology/approach

Information was gathered from 252 in‐depth interviews with first‐ and second‐generation immigrant entrepreneurs in The Netherlands.

Findings

The results of this paper show that the second generation are more active in mainstream markets and entrepreneurs move from one market to another by the strategic use of ethnicity.

Originality/value

The more traditional literature on immigrant entrepreneurship gives the impression that immigrant entrepreneurs are mainly active in an ethnic or a middleman market. However, the paper demonstrates that this is no longer the case for second‐generation immigrant entrepreneurs who were born and/or raised in the receiving society. Furthermore, it reveals the dynamic character of immigrant entrepreneurship by examining the first and second generations.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 14 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 19 September 2008

Mark McPherson

The aim of this paper is to highlight differences and similarities in human resource management (HRM) practices between first‐ and second‐generation South Asian entrepreneurs and…

2766

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to highlight differences and similarities in human resource management (HRM) practices between first‐ and second‐generation South Asian entrepreneurs and the extent to which such practices support an integrated HRM system.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws its theoretical underpinning via five “generic HRM functions” and practices, i.e. selection, appraisals, reward, development, and strategy. To help understand the application of such practices from an ethnic dimension, 42 semi‐structured interviews were carried out with two ethnic groups. The two groups chosen were first‐ and second‐generation Sikh and Pakistani Muslim entrepreneurs from micro and small businesses situated within the Greater London area. In addition, nine businesses across both ethnic groups were selected to complete the multiple (comparative) case‐study stage of the research. Investigation was conducted within the phenomenological paradigm.

Findings

The paper notes that differences and similarities between the two generations are based more on sectoral location and type of business with minor instances of cultural and generational nuances. With regard to the development of an integrated HRM system, the evidence suggests that time, cost and expertise are considered constraining factors and, as such, respondents adopt an informal ad hoc approach. Interestingly, although this informality is common within the business, respondents are in fact leaving themselves exposed to breaches of employment law.

Practical implications

The paper supports the literature, whereby training and advice for EMBs that emphasise formal procedures may be counterproductive. Instead, direction should be given to ensure that HRM practices stress accountability, control and connectedness, help to reduce any perceived risk of litigation, and ensure that statutory requirements are met.

Originality/value

The paper offers unique insight into an unknown entity, namely HRM issues within ethnic small businesses.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 14 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 19 September 2008

Prodromos Ioannou Panayiotopoulos

Applying a multidisciplinary perspective combining theories about immigration, citizenship and enterprise, this paper seeks to examine the influence of the political‐institutional…

2007

Abstract

Purpose

Applying a multidisciplinary perspective combining theories about immigration, citizenship and enterprise, this paper seeks to examine the influence of the political‐institutional framework in the development of enterprise amongst Turkish immigrants in the European gateway cities, pointing to the relevance of the case study for wider theoretical debate about immigration, globalisation and enterprise.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on information gathered from European research centres on Turkish migration and employment combined with a review of national and European legislation on immigration, citizenship, entrepreneurship and the regulation of the “informal economy”.

Findings

The findings point to change and continuity in the positioning Turkish entrepreneurs in the EU. Continuity appears in a lack of citizenship and political rights for the majority of Turkish speakers and their inability to influence the political system compared with other people. Change appears in the expansion in the number of enterprises and perhaps more significantly in the growing economic differentiation between enterprises in terms of scale and purpose. One optimistic conclusion is that many of the entrepreneurs have broken out of the economic margins despite the political constraints faced by them.

Practical implications

The paper identifies that immigrant‐owned enterprises in the EU are creating jobs, typically by employing co‐ethnic workers, but also workers from diverse immigrant backgrounds. The potential of Turkish self‐employment in the EU is indicated in trends which show that in The Netherlands and Germany this has been the most significant source of net additions to employment growth.

Originality/value

The paper provides insight into how the political‐institutional framework and legal status influence the labour market positioning and repositioning of an immigrant group.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 14 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Available. Content available
Article
Publication date: 19 September 2008

Khalid Hafeez

522

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 14 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Available. Content available
Article
Publication date: 1 October 2003

460

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 9 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Available. Content available
Article
Publication date: 1 February 2002

Jan Rath and Robert Kloosterman

1219

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 8 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Available. Content available
Article
Publication date: 1 December 2001

229

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 7 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

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