Silent contributors

Abstract

Abstract — The “growth” of Asian enterprises has been a prominent feature of the small business population in Britain. Asian entrepreneurs have been eulogised by the popular press keen to laud free enterprise heroes, while more detached academic commentary has sought to identify the key success factors for this entrepreneurial minority. Much less conspicuous has been the role of female Asian entrepreneurs and Asian women working in “family” businesses. This article focuses upon the often neglected issue of the contribution of Asian women to both entrepreneurship and the management of family businesses. In order to illuminate the position of Asian women in business, a series of qualitative interviews were undertaken with two particular groups: Asian women entrepreneurs in their own right; and Asian women working in family enterprises. Five representatives from each group were interviewed on at least two occasions. Issues explored with Asian women entrepreneurs include their background, their influences, the factors that facilitated or inhibited their decision to become self-employed, their experiences of entrepreneurship and the particular issues that confront them as Asian women in business. Interviews with Asian women working in family enterprises explored their role and contribution to the management of the business. Amongst the issues covered are their “official” and “unofficial” positions within the business; the balance between domestic and business responsibilities and the influence, if any, of cultural factors in the nature of their presence within the enterprise. This article sheds light on a number of neglected issues within the increasingly important area of Asian entrepreneurship in Britain. First, a clearer picture will emerge of the roles, responsibilities and relationships of the relatively few Asian women who are entrepreneurs in their own right; and the many more who help sustain many Asian enterprises. Second, methodologically the paper will be novel in so far as the researcher (an Asian woman from a “typical” family business background) has taken care to observe the cultural proprieties within this particular group. Hence, the data are arguably more authentic than previous studies undertaken by “distant” researchers. Finally, policy makers are increasingly being reminded to appreciate the needs and the diversity of ethnic minorities in business. The findings reinforce this message by highlighting the distinctive experiences of Asian women in business.