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Ethnic minority business in comparative perspective: The case of the independent restaurant sector

Sanghera, Balihar, Ram, Monder, Abbas, Tahir, Barlow, Gerald, Jones, Trevor (2000) Ethnic minority business in comparative perspective: The case of the independent restaurant sector. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 26 (3). pp. 495-510. ISSN 1369-183X. (doi:10.1080/713680492) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:38262)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/713680492

Abstract

British research on ethnic minority entrepreneurship has often endeavoured to account for the prominence or otherwise of ethnic minority groups in business. This trend towards explicating the diversity of ethnic minorities in business has intensified with recent attention to apparently significant variations within the South Asian community itself. But how 'different' is ethnic minority business activity from the wider small firm population? This question is addressed through a qualitative study of a variety of ethnic groups involved in Birmingham's independent restaurant sector. In this article we examine two processes that have been marked out for particular attention in debates on ethnic minority business activity: the role of the family in the process of business formation and management of the enterprise, and the dynamics of 'workforce construction'; that is, the 'qualities' that employers look for in recruiting workers. The results highlight the interplay of culture and economics at work. In so doing, they serve to bring into question 'solidaristic' notions of ethnicity, that attach primary importance to 'culturalist' explanations of ethnic minority business development. It is argued that accounts of the apparent distinctiveness of ethnic minority businesses need to be more carefully embedded in the sectoral context in which they operate. Further, qualitative approaches are more likely to capture the connection between culture and economics in action than quantitatively-based survey assessments.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1080/713680492
Uncontrolled keywords: Ethnic Minority Business, South Asians, Britain
Subjects: H Social Sciences
Divisions: Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research
Depositing User: Mita Mondal
Date Deposited: 12 Feb 2014 16:07 UTC
Last Modified: 05 Nov 2024 10:22 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/38262 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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