A preliminary study of barriers to bank financing of ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs in the UK.

Zhang, Jane

Abstract

Ethnic minority entrepreneurship has been a growing research interest, however, little has been
known about financial barriers to start up and run a business venture from the perspectives of UK
ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs. The aim of this study is to explore the financial barriers of ethnic
Chinese entrepreneurs in starting up and running a business in the UK. Through semi-structured
interviews with 12 ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs who run businesses in the UK, this study has
preliminarily found: 1) ethnic Chinese businesses in the UK have increasingly faced difficulties to
get access to bank finance since the global financial crisis; 2) the difficulties are largely caused by a
lack of communication and understanding between the entrepreneurs and financial institutions; 3)
the traditional perceptions of Chinese businesses have disadvantaged ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs
in the UK when they apply for bank credits. This study offers a number of implications. For
policy-makers, an understanding of the characteristics of ethnic Chinese businesses and financing
barriers to ethnic Chinese in business start-ups and running is important for the development of
policy that encourages and supports ethnic Chinese businesses. For banks in the UK to expand
their business, there is a need to develop tailored products and services specifically for ethnic
Chinese entrepreneurs.

Citation

Zhang, J. (2015). A preliminary study of barriers to bank financing of ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs in the UK. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 3, 105-110. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2015.37018

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: 2015
• Deposit Date: Oct 19, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 31, 2015
• Print ISSN: 2327-5952
• Electronic ISSN: 2327-5960
• Publisher: Scientific Research Publishing
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 3
• Pages: 105-110
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2015.37018
• Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship; Ethnic Chinese Business; Financing; SMEs
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/9171
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jss.2015.37018