ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the experiences of growing and developing firms, as well as survival-orientated enterprises, using as a framework the concept of ‘break-out’. This term was introduced to underline the constricted nature of much ethnic minority enterprise within narrow and highly competitive market segments and the need to escape into more high yielding markets. It focuses upon the sectoral as well as the ethnic context, through an investigation of South Asians operating in Birmingham’s independent restaurant sector. Such a focus is consistent with the recent literature’s recognition of the social and economic embeddedness of ethnic minority business activity, its determination by external forces as well as by its internal family and community dynamics. The chapter then focuses on 23 case histories to illuminate the processes involved in growth and development.
