Ethnic Resources Utilization of Korean Immigrant Entrepreneurs in the Chicago Minority Area

A high proportion of Korean immigrants are currently engaged in self-employed small business in the United States. In light of their business proliferation, this study has empirically investigated Korean immigrant entrepreneurs’ ethnic resources utilization. Findings indicate that the Korean entrepreneurs rely heavily on their ethnic resources for both business preparation and operation. While such ethnic resources utilization facilitates the immigrants’ business entry and gives them competitive advantage, the same mechanism poses serious problems; intra-ethnic business competition and precarious position as a middle-man minority. Implications of these findings are discussed and suggestions are made for future research.