For researching entrepreneurial success among ethnic minority entrepreneurs, the following ways can be taken up:

1. Devise survey of ethnic minority entrepreneurs,

2. Use personality measures for survey,

3. Also use attitude measure around personality traits measure,

4. Devise and include measure representing success,

5. In survey, also include contextual/environmental variables,

6. After collecting data, analyze by using regression or logistic regression analysis,

7. Write the results.

This book may be useful to you:

Handbook of research on ethnic minority entrepreneurship: A co-evolutionary view on resource management by Leo Paul Dana (Editor)

ISBN-13: 978-1845427337

ISBN-10: 1845427335

In fact you should go for theory building rather than theory testing. Ethnography and action research should fit best.

Dear Idowu,

I would propose also some ethnographics in the beginning to learn how success is constructed among (ethnic) entrepreneurs. Also learning about 'signficant others', different context these entrepreneurs operate in and their socio-biographical background. Thereafter, I would propose to apply Identity Structure Analysis developed by Peter Weinreich. See more details about ISA meththeoretical framework in:

Weinreich, P., & Saunderson, W. (2003/2012). Anaylsing Identity: Cross Cultural, Societal and Clinical Contexts. (P. Weinreich & W. Saundersion, Eds.) (387 p.). London; New York: Routledge.

Best regards,

Tarmo

Thank you everyone. Your comments were quite helpful.

Dear Idowu. 

I think you have posted a question that many would offer different views regarding research on entrepreneurs particularly entrepreneurs who operate as small businesses. 

My view is quite simple. If you consider the entrepreneurial success as the individual success in the new business venture, then a number of established theories relating to performance, satisfaction and perception can be utilized. the minority entrepreneur is not the big issue, it is like examining entrepreneurs from different cluster of ethnic groups. However, the size of the business the entrepreneurs operate is a more crucial issue. Many researchers debate that those involves in small business have unique characteristic and thus using theories being applied in the quantitative research is somehow not right or to be specific, being challenged by the researchers within the qualitative school of thought. For them, the theories relating to qualitative approaches are applicable.

Although I have observed many researchers using theories relating to large firm within the small firm and the claim that the entrepreneurship discipline has matured, I still take the view that the use of the larger firm theories or paradigm is not appropriate within the context of small business (as most entrepreneurs  operate small ventures). Thus, using model examining the success or performance of entrepreneurs is more appropriate.

My suggestion is for you to look into the success of the minority entrepreneurs from the model of examining the success of small scale entrepreneurs that uses the three components of (i) the entrepreneurs' characteristics, (ii) the business types and (iii) the external environment affecting on them. You can then argue on other variables or components that you hypothesize or propose to affect the model.

I hope you find my view useful for you.

I would suggest that maybe you want to define a set of common objective criteria that defines business success.

This would be used to test all business within a society without regard to ethnicity, but with ethnicity being one of the variables collected (from majority to minority).

Differentiated success outcomes, by ethnicity, could then be gleaned from an analysis of the results.

You may find the theory and results of this paper useful - see link attached. The paper focuses on entrepreneurial entry, not success though.

Article A Multi-level Empirical Study of Ethnic Diversity and Shadow...

On a practical note I always use the following measures, which I presume you can call a theory: Take the increase in their business vitals: sales/turnover, profit, number of employees (Even if they employ themselves) as well as ROI. Also measure their decrease in cost. I always use these after a training intervention and mentorship period of 12 weeks 

You may be inetrested in teh enclosed article, also dealing with ethnic minorities as incubators of better-than-average performing entrepreneurs.

Thank you everyone. I appreciate your answers

I think perspective parameters in your study can be measurements of values and needs. These two factors (in psychological research) also closely associated with a motivation. Measuring of attitudes would shed some light on the reasons of success.

Also  you can try ethnocentric theory. Research of success can be compared with expressiveness of ethnocentrism. Less severity of ethnocentrism - more focus on cooperation, in my opinion. Greater focus on cooperation, greater flexibility in interpersonal communication - greater probability of succees.

Also you can make a cross cultural study and compare the reasons for success among ethnic minority and ethnic majority entrepreneurs. Of course for such studies you need two groups: control and experimental, and comparative analysis of their results. 

Good luck in your study.

Dear Idowu,

In addition to the suggestions above, you may find useful to look at the "mixed embeddedness" model by Kloosterman, van der Leun and Rath (see references below). According to that socioeconomic model, the creation and the success of ethnic minority enterprises is related to the way ethnic entrepreneurs interact with (and use) the mix of - social, cultural, economic and political - opportunity structures of the countries, regions/cities or neighbourhoods they work in. This model reviews the Interactive model that Waldinger et al (1990) suggested some years before.

• Kloosterman, R., J. van der Leun and J. Rath (1999) ‘Mixed Embeddedness. Immigrant businesses and informal economic opportunities’, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 23 (2), June, pp. 253-267. DOI: 10.1111/1468-2427.00194.
• Kloosterman, R. and J. Rath (2001) ‘Immigrant entrepreneurs in advanced economies. Mixed embeddedness further explored’, Journal of Migration and Ethnic Studies, Special issue on ‘Immigrant Entrepreneurship’, edited by R. Kloosterman & J. Rath, April, 27 (2), pp. 189-202. DOI:10.1080/13691830020041561.
• Kloosterman, R. and J. Rath (2010) ‘Shifting Landscapes of Immigrant Entrepreneurship’, pp. 101-123 in Open for Business. Migrant Entrepreneurship in OECD Countries. Paris: OECD.
• Waldinger, R., H. Aldrich et R. Ward (Ed.) (1990). Ethnic Entrepreneurs: Immigrant Business in Industrial Societies, Newbury Park, Sage Publications.

I hope this helps!

Ralph