FEATURE PAPER

Ethnic Minority Businesses and Targeted Assistance Programs in the U.S. and the U.K.: A Comparison and Implications

The followingpaper was written by Matthew Sonfieldfrom Hofstra University and presented at the 2010 Small Business Institute National Conference.

Abstract

This paper focuses on the status of minority businesses in the United States and in the United Kingdom. In the United States, minority businesses have existed since colonial times, but in the United Kingdom (and throughout Europe) such businesses are largely a much more recent phenomenon, primarily the result of immigration in the past fifty years. Furthermore, in the United States a wide variety of targeted governmental and corporate programs have existed to foster and assist such businesses for many decades, and are established components of public policy. However, in the United Kingdom, such efforts are much less developed and often considered illegal under European Community regulations. This paper compares the two
countries’ current and likely future situations and recognizes that each situation offers some lessons to the other. Implications for the future in each country are presented.

Introduction

Minority-owned businesses have existed in the United States since the 18th century, when free blacks and slaves engaged in a variety of small business endeavors, with both black and white customers (Walker, 1998, 1999). And since the late 1960’s a wide variety of targeted governmental and corporate programs have existed to foster and assist such businesses (Kotlowski, 1998; Sonfield, 1997). In the United Kingdom, the term “ethnic minority business” is most frequently used, as most minority-owned businesses are the result of immigration trends of the 20th century (Sonfield, 2003). Formal programs to assist such businesses have existed since the 1980s, but at a much lower and limited level, and with considerably less impact than in the United States (Ram and Smallbone, 2003a, 2003b). This article compares both the status of minority businesses in each country and the nature and
impact of targeted assistance programs, both governmental and otherwise, aimed at these businesses, in the United States and the United Kingdom. Analyses of the present and the future are presented, and lessons from each country for the other are presented.

(Read Entire Paper)

TIP OF THE WEEK

Selected Factors That Must Be Considered in Planning and Assessing a Retail Organization

TARGET MARKET NEEDS
Are there sufficient personnel to provide appropriate customer service?
Are Personnel knowledgeable and courteous?
Are store facilities well maintained?
Are the specific needs of branch store customers met?
Are changing needs promptly addressed?

EMPLOYEE NEEDS
Are positions challenging and satisfying?
Is there an orderly promotion program from within?
Is the employee able to participate in the decision making?
Are the channels of communication clear and open?
Is the authority-responsibility relationship clear?
Is each employee treated fairly?
Is good performance rewarded?

MANAGEMENT NEEDS
Is it relatively easy to obtain and retain competent personnel?
Are personnel procedures clearly defined?
Does each worker report to only one supervisor?
Can each manager properly supervise all of the workers reporting to him or her?
Do operating departments have adequate staff support (e.g., marketing research)?
Are the levels of organization properly developed?
Are the organization’s plan well integrated?
Are employees motivated?
Is absenteeism low?
Is there a system to replace personnel in an orderly manner?
Is there enough flexibility to adapt to changes in customer or the environment?

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Small Business Institute Journal: Volume V

The Small Business Advancement National Center at the University of Central Arkansas is honored to be able to present to you the April Edition and Fifth Volume of the Small Business Institute Journal. For More Information,Click Here.

SBI – Small Business Institute 2011 Annual Conference Call for Papers

Small Business Institute invites you to attend their 2011 Annual Conference. The conference will be held in Bonita Springs, Florida February 17th-19th, 2011. The conference will focus on accounting and finance, ethics and environmental responsibility, experiential learning, family business, global entrepreneurship, marketing, social entrepreneurship, small business, and women & minority business. The deadline to submit papers is September 17, 2010! For more information, Click Here

NACCE – National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship Call for Papers

The NACCE invites you to submit an abstract for their 2010 8th Annual Conference. This year’s conference will be taking place in Orlando, Florida from October 10th through the 13th! The focus is “Entrepreneurship: The Community College Role in Economic Vitality”. Attending this conference will help you: * Learn best practices of entrepreneurship education * Meet and network with fellow college professionals also committed to creating positive organizational change * Receive immediate answers and solutions to issues that impact your community college * Identify opportunities and entrepreneurship efforts from other NACCE members * Discover how to influence your community’s economic future. The registration deadline for paper submissions is April 28th, 2010. Register today! For more information Click Here

SBI Journal – Request for Papers And Reviewers

The Small Business Institute is now requesting papers and reviewers for the fifth volume of the Small Business Institute Journal. If you are interested in submitting a paper please visit http://www.sbaer.uca.edu/sbij/about.phpto see the guidelines and submission procedure. If you are interested in becoming a reviewer or would like more information please email us at sbij@uca.edu. The fifth issue is to be published April 2010.

Student Case Writing Competition

The Baylor University Entrepreneurship Program and USASBE are jointly sponsoring a student case writing competition in conjunction with USASBE’s annual meetings beginning in 2011 at USASBE’s 25th Annual Conference to be held January 13-16, 2011 in Hilton Head, South Carolina. This is an innovative international event that supports and encourages undergraduate and graduate students who wish to engage in case research and case writing. Submitted cases are suitable if they advance the field of entrepreneurship, broadly defined, and contribute to an understanding of entrepreneurial phenomena. For more information Click Here

CDI Central 2010 at the University of Central Arkansas

The Community Development Institute Central is a unique training program offering a comprehensive curriculum of professional knowledge and skills in community and economic development and capacity building. To complete the program, students attend one-week sessions for three consecutive years. There are also “fast track” options where students can complete the entire program in a year or less.Click Here

ICSB 2010: “Entrepreneurship: Bridging Global Boundaries”

The ICSB World Conference 2010 will be taking place June 24-27, 2010. It will be held in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The Early Registration Deadline is April 30th, 2010. Topics will deal directly or indirectly with: * Entrepreneurship Education * Individual Entrepreneurship * Women and Minority Entrepreneurship * Small Business and SME’s in Developing Economies * Public Policy * Entrepreneurship and Technology * Family Business * Corporate Entrepreneurship * International Entrepreneurship * Entrepreneurship in the Arts * Entrepreneurship Across the Curriculum * Social Entrepreneurship * Additional topics of interest and value to ICSB’s membership.
For more information Click Here.

Canadian Council for Small Business & Entrepreneurship

CCSBE is seeking to explore the multifaceted impact entrepreneurs and small businesses have on their communities through their new ventures, business and community outreach.There is growing recognition by policy makers, members of society, business leaders and youth, that creative approaches are needed to address environmental, economic, and societal issues. The conference program highlights the research, educational methods, and community practices pertaining to venture sustainability and social entrepreneurship. In support of the theme we have attracted an array of plenary and guest speakers, and developed workshops which will contribute to the dialogue.

The conference (October 28th – 30th) offers several opportunities for you to contribute. We encourage you to submit to our Program Committee:

1. A full paper for blind review
2. An Abstract for blind review
3. Or a workshop proposal idea

Submission Deadline: May 1st, 2010. For instructions on how to submit a proposal, and for more informationClick Here.