Shiv Chaudhry

“Successful” internationalising UK family and non‐family‐owned firms: a comparative study

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to investigate differences in the perceived performance and competitiveness of “successful” family and non‐family‐owned firms in overseas markets.Design/methodology/approach – This paper reports on findings from a postal survey and subsequent interviews involving managers of firms that are winners of the UK Queens Award for Export.Findings – Statistical analysis and follow‐up interviews establish that limited differences exist between high performing family and non‐family‐owned SMEs in respect of measures and sources of performance.Research limitations/implications – The data were based on a sample of firms judged to have been successful and therefore the usefulness of the sampling frame is questionable based on the criteria of the awards committee.Practical implications – The findings indicate that small family‐owned businesses can be just as competitive in overseas markets as their non family‐owned counterparts, assuming that an effective strategy is employed....

Small Asian‐owned retail businesses in the UK: an exploratory investigation

This paper investigates the importance of cultural factors within ethnic minority‐owned firms’ business practices. In doing so, it provides a contribution to the growing body of knowledge at the marketing/entrepreneurship interface and reports specifically on an empirical investigation into the retail marketing practices within a sample of Asian‐owned small firms operating in the UK. The findings from 20 in‐depth personal interviews provide an insight into the practices of ethnic minority‐owned retail businesses indicating that factors associated with key decision makers together with cultural networks, balanced against resource constraints, had a major impact on firms’ operations. Strategies used by the firms in order to enable them to survive in a competitive environment are identified and these contribute to knowledge by questioning the relevance of “break‐out theory” to ethnic minority‐owned firms.

Understanding practices at the “ethnic” marketing/entrepreneurship interface: a case study of Kirit Pathak

This paper reports on a case history drawn from a larger investigation that profiled “successful” Asian entrepreneurs in order to encourage future entrepreneurship within the broad Asian community in the UK. Asian entrepreneurs were chosen for the larger study due to their propensity to engage in entrepreneurial activities in the UK in comparison to other ethnic communities. Ten case histories were developed via personal interviews with entrepreneurs in the Asian Eye “Rich‐List” of the 100 wealthiest Asians in the UK and data was supported with information from Web sites, newspapers etc. One case history is presented in this paper in order to explore the richness of the qualitative data and this serves as a learning vehicle for future ethnic businessmen and women working at the marketing/entrepreneurship interface.

Small businesses’ motives

Provides empirical findings concerning the motives for exporting of UK small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in different stages of the internationalization process. Findings are based on a large scale sample of UK SMEs, and MANOVA is employed to establish that statistical differences exist between the groups of firms in relation to their motives for undertaking export activities. Provides a contribution to the literature, since it questions whether current export assistance and targeting procedures are suitable for addressing the stimuli perceived as important by managers within different stages of export development.

Export practices of Asian SMEs

Provides empirical evidence of the export marketing practices of ethnic minority‐owned small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK clothing industry. Provides a contribution to the literature since, although a large body of literature exists on the areas of exporting, SMEs, and to a lesser extent business practices of ethnic minority‐owned businesses (from different disciplines such as sociology, economics, etc.), there is a need to bring these research topics together in the form of a single study. With this in mind, discusses empirical results from an exploratory study investigating aspects of the export behaviour of SMEs owned by managers of an Asian origin in the UK clothing industry. The results provide a foundation on which future academic work can build, in addition to offering managers and policy makers an insight into selective aspects of the behaviour of these firms.

Perceived obstacles of Saudi‐ Arabian exporters of non‐oil products

Reports on one part of a study which investigates selected aspects of the export behaviour and assistance requirements of Saudi Arabian exporters of non‐oil products; specifically, it focuses on results concerning firms’ perceived obstacles to exporting. Provides a contribution to the literature since, although a body of knowledge exists on the area of obstacles to exporting, empirical data has tended to relate to developed countries; indeed, the limited number of studies in developing countries have tended to avoid the case of Saudi Arabia. Using MANCOVA to analyse responses to a postal survey, findings are presented which establish that a limited number of statistical differences exist between both firms with either a low or high export involvement (export ratio) and various sizes of firms. Implications for policy makers within the respective government departments and associated organisations are discussed in relation to the way in which assistance might be more effectively provided for Saudi‐Arabian firms in order to address common obstacles to exporting.

Revisiting the concentration versus spreading debate as a successful export growth strategy: the case of UK SMEs exporting agricultural-related products

This paper investigates the behaviour of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that export agricultural-related products from the UK. Although a body of knowledge exists on both the areas of export strategy and competitiveness, empirical data has tended to relate to manufacturing as opposed to agricultural products. Multivariate quantitative analysis of survey data and subsequent findings from interviews indicate that limited statistical differences exist between the competitiveness of agricultural firms that employ as a growth strategy an approach which concentrates on key export markets compared with those that spread their efforts over a number of markets. Firm size, experience and commitment are investigated as co-variates within the analysis. Implications for policy-makers are drawn from the findings.

Export information providers: are they meeting the needs of SMEs?

This study provides empirical evidence concerning the perceived usefulness of sources of export information together with types of data required by Asian and indigenous (white)‐owned small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK. Findings are primarily based on a large‐scale sample of UK firms and multivariate analysis is employed to establish that statistical differences exist between the groups of firms. Also reported are selected findings from a series of in‐depth interviews.

UK agricultural exporters’ perceived barriers and government assistance requirements

Reports on one part of a study which investigates selected aspects of the export behaviour and assistance requirements of exporters of agricultural and related products in the UK. Specifically, it focuses on results concerning firms’ perceived barriers to exporting and their assistance requirements. Statistical analysis of responses to a postal survey are presented which establish that differences exist between firms operating within the particular trade sub‐sectors under investigation in relation to both their perceived barriers to exporting and assistance requirements. Selected data from subsequent interviews are also reported. In turn, implications for policy makers within the respective government departments are discussed in relation to the way in which assistance might be more effectively provided.

UK SMEs’ awareness, use, and perceptions of selected government export assistance – An investigation into the effect of ethnicity

This study reports on a government funded empirical investigation into UK managers’ export behaviour and assistance requirements and focuses on one aspect of the research, namely perceptions towards selected export assistance programmes. Specifically, it investigates whether differences exist between managers of UK small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) owned by executives from particular ethnic origins, i.e. Asian and indigenous (white)‐owned firms, in relation to their awareness and frequency of use of the programmes, together with their perceptions towards the availability of the assistance schemes. The paper presents statistical differences between the two ethnic groups leading to the recommendation that public policy makers may need to rethink their approach towards the delivery of assistance in order that scarce resources are allocated more efficiently and effectively.