Ethnic entrepreneurship: preliminary findings from a South African study

© 2003, Copyright CCSBE/CCPME. The aim of this paper is to present preliminary results from a comparative study of three ethnic groups in South Africa. Data for the analysis were collected from 325 entrepreneurs in Durban, South Africa. One of the themes emerging from the investigation was the significant difference between the ethnic groups in their utilization of networks. The Indian and European entrepreneurs tended to have a wider range of networks than the African entrepreneurs, although they spend less time establishing their networks. Another important finding is the diversity of sources used to access finance, and the differences between the ethnic groups in terms of constraints and obstacles to doing business.