Premium
Characteristics of Asian and white female business owners
Author(s) -
Mann Veena,
Thorpe Richard
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of consumer studies and home economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.775
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1470-6431
pISSN - 0309-3891
DOI - 10.1111/j.1470-6431.1998.tb00733.x
Subject(s) - white (mutation) , women entrepreneurs , feeling , business , clothing , independence (probability theory) , population , small business , female entrepreneurs , marketing , economic growth , entrepreneurship , economics , psychology , finance , political science , sociology , demography , social psychology , biochemistry , chemistry , statistics , mathematics , law , gene
The study was designed to compare the demographic profile, business characteristics and entrepreneurial profile of Asian and white women owning small businesses in the clothing sector in Manchester. Data were collected through personal interviews administered to a population of 60 women (30 Asian and 30 white). Results revealed that the Asian and white entrepreneurs differed significantly in their level of education, type of family and family size. The business characteristics assessed by the entrepreneurs themselves were similar. The majority of Asian entrepreneurs had prior experience of business ownership. In addition, these respondents mentioned a desire to earn more money as the primary reason for starting their venture, whereas the white entrepreneurs were motivated by the feeling of independence that they obtained through ownership. Only a few respondents had received any business‐related training during the start‐up phase. Personal savings and family contributions were most commonly cited as major capital sources used to start the business. The biggest problem for Asian respondents concerned the management of business, whereas for white women it was attracting customers. Our results raise broader concerns regarding the formulation and implementation of special policy measures designed to assist female business owners in the small‐business sector.