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Still an ethnic enterprise after a generational change? Indian-owned SMEs in Malaysia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 June 2018

Jesrina Ann Xavier  and
Edmund Terence Gomez
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Abstract

This study grapples with two key puzzles: first, what happens when companies established as ethnic-based enterprises, including by migrants, are passed on to the next generation? Second, do these migrant businesses remain as ethnic enterprises after generational transitions? The empirical focus of this study is Malaysia, a country with one of the largest ethnic Indian populations outside India. To provide insights into these questions, this article pays particular attention to how an ethnic enterprise functions, in terms of types of goods and services produced and its targeted market, after the emergence of a new generation of owners with more class resources. The evidence from this study will provide insights into the validity of the concept of ethnic enterprise following a generational transition.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Southeast Asian Studies , Volume 49 , Issue 2 , June 2018 , pp. 297 - 322
Copyright
Copyright © The National University of Singapore 2018 

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Footnotes

The authors would like to thank the entrepreneurs from the eleven Indian-owned SMEs for their time and their feedback. They would also like to acknowledge the financial support for this research from the Population Studies Unit (PSU), Faculty of Economics & Administration, University of Malaya.

References

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