Diversification in ethnic minority business : The case of Asians in London's creative industries

Purpose – To provide an initial assessment of the nature and extent of the involvement of Asian‐owned firms in the creative industries in London; to identify and assess any barriers they face; and draw out the implications for policy. Design/methodology/approach – An empirical study, undertaken in late 2002. Data sources included official statistical data and previous reports, as well as a programme of semi‐structured, in‐depth interviews with 23 Asian entrepreneurs spread across eight sub‐sectors. Findings – Asians are making a significant contribution to London's creative sectors, although they do face a number of specific constraints. Some of these are specific to the creative industries but others are shared with other small firms. However, few of these constraints appear to be exclusively Asian. Research limitations/implications – There are some limitations relating to the small scale of the study and its focus on a single geographical location. Practical implications – The research shows how (cultural) diversity can contribute to creativity and the competitiveness of regional economies, as well as individual businesses. This particularly applies in the creative industries because of extensive interlinkage with firms in other sectors. Originality/value – In creative activities, cultural diversity is a source of potential competitiveness, because of the positive relationships between diversity, creativity and innovation. Asian owned firms in the creative sectors contrast with the low value added nature of many traditional areas of Asian business activity in the UK.