Understanding U.K. ethnic minority entrepreneurship from an enterprise culture perspective

DOIhttp://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1922
AuthorSen Yang,Wing Lam,Phil Harris
Published date01 May 2019
Date01 May 2019
ACADEMIC PAPER
Understanding U.K. ethnic minority entrepreneurship from an
enterprise culture perspective
Wing Lam |Phil Harris |Sen Yang
Business Research Institute, University of
Chester, Chester, UK
Correspondence
Phil Harris, Business Research Institute,
Westminster Chair of Marketing and Public
Affairs, University of Chester, Chester, UK
Email: p.harris@chester.ac.uk
Objectives: This paper is aimed at examining the enterprise culture within different
ethnic groups (i.e., the enterprise subcultures) in the United Kingdom. The research
aims to investigate the interplay between individuals and their institutional context
(especially social and cultural context) and how the different institutional contexts
then shape the different enterprise cultures, leading to differentiated ethnic business
characteristics and consequently different levels of entrepreneurial activity in differ-
ent ethnic communities.
Prior work: Unequivocal evidence shows that certain ethnic groups display higher
levels of entrepreneurial activity than their White counterparts. Despite the large
amount of work that has been dedicated to ethnic minority entrepreneurship, there
is a lack of coherent conceptual and analytical framework that addresses the links
between different factors contributing to ethnic minority entrepreneurship. This
paper takes forward the available empirical evidence and theoretical constructs into
a conceptual and methodological framework to aid understanding of ethnic minority
entrepreneurship.
Approach: A processoriented research framework to investigate the enterprise
culture within different ethnic groups (i.e., the enterprise subcultures) is proposed
rather than one oriented primarily towards the differentiation of characteristics.
Results: A largescale national survey in the United Kingdom is adopted. The
findings of the quantitative fieldwork will form the central part of this paper.
Implications: Understanding how and why certain ethnic groups are more entre-
preneurial may assist the different parties in different ways. First, learning from the
more entrepreneurial subcultures may contribute to the development and implemen-
tation of more effective public policies and efficient service delivery programmes.
Second, advancing understanding of ethnic communities helps to support more
informed decisions by policymakers and local support agencies through improved
anticipation and greater understanding of responses. Third, it helps entrepreneurs
and potential entrepreneurs to have a better understanding of the nature of their per-
ceived barriers and constraints by demonstrating potential solutions successfully
employed by other subcultures.
Value: The conceptual and methodological development of this study has the
potential to build the link between relevant parties and pave the way forward for
ethnic entrepreneurship research.
DOI: 10.1002/pa.1922
J Public Affairs. 2019;19:e1922.
https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1922
© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa 1of11

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