Bi-Cultural Reflections of HR Strategies of Pakistani-Owned Enterprises in the UK

Abstract

This paper explores bi-cultural reflections of HR strategies and practices of Pakistani-owned enterprises in the UK. The study was aimed to discover some facts about Pakistani entrepreneurs' rationale in hiring and keeping talent with them in the UK's multicultural business environment. The topic of the research was investigated through questionnaire-based field survey around randomly selected 50 enterprises and 165 respondents located in major cities of the UK. The study revealed that Pakistani origin entrepreneurs are playing their role as bicultural mediators to grow, compete and succeed in the UK. Their dual socialization as Pakistani and UK citizens helped them to make their business entities attractive for both Asian and white British communities. Their HR practices were particularly influenced by cultural factors. They were inflexible, formal, professional and disciplined like white British, and flexible, tolerant, informal and social like Asians. Bi-cultural reflections of these enterprises provided them a wider platform to ensure more and more acceptability and adjustability in a highly competitive market of the UK. Despite financial and administrative limitations, Pakistani enterprises are moving forward in managing knowledgeable and skilled people with them. The findings of the study provide some practical lessons to SMEs in the UK in general and ethnic minority SMEs in particular. :