Personal background Issues

Age, education, ethnic origin

Family, generation, residence pattern

Rationale for inclusion

Development of final theoretical research sample to include a spread of business owner age, migrant and business ownership generations.

Identification of formal and business education, the extent of UK, Scottish and Edinburgh family links, and individual sojourner or permanent resident mentality.

Findings

Age and migrant generation

The business owners included in the final research sample (shown in Table 2.1) range in age from mid-twenties to over 65 years. Those aged over 50 were 1st generation migrants (8 respondents), the remainder being 2nd (12) and 3rd (1) generation migrants, either moving to the UK at an early age or being UK born. None of those interviewed were born in Edinburgh, but all except 1 of the 2nd generation migrants (Respondent 19 with no family yet) and the 3rd generation migrant (Respondent 14 as yet unmarried) have children born and resident in Edinburgh.

Of these 2nd _{and 3}rd _{generation migrants, only 2 (5 and 12) are the first generation to}

be involved in c-store ownership.

Education

Of the 1st generation migrants, 4 (1, 2, 9 and 21) have no formal education beyond schooling in Pakistan. The other 4 either came to the UK to continue education (10, 11) or had South Asian degrees (13, 17).

Of those born in the UK, 6 (4, 5, 6, 16, 19, 20) were educated to school leaving age in the UK, 1 educated in Pakistan (18) and 5 achieved HND (15), diploma (3), technical/engineering (7, 8) or apprenticeship (12, 15) qualifications. Respondent 14 (3rd generation migrant) qualified as a motor mechanic after leaving school in England.

None of those interviewed have formal business qualifications.

Comments suggest a wide range of opinions and attitudes to education, some business owners having no interest in education and the opportunity to join family members in c-store ownership provided an escape. As Respondent 8 remarks: "I never wanted to see another book" (8: 97-104). In contrast, Respondent 19 made the decision to forego further and higher education to help his father in the move into self employment in Edinburgh following redundancy in England, noting:

Cos I was ready to go to college do my ‘A’ levels and stuff. That was sixth form college and erm, then, er, he’d been up here seen the shop then he said “look” he said, he sort of said “I’ve been sort of” he said “look, do you want me to get a shop”. He said “look you’re going to have to help me”. So I said “what do you mean help you”. So he said “you’re going to have to come with me” …“You go to college then we’ll do it then". So I said “no, I’m not about to waste three years at college to stand behind a counter. If I’m going to help you, I’ll help you now. I’m not going to do it in two or three years time once I’ve been to university or something”. So that was it. Decided. (19: 333-45)

This influence on education of family expectations and responsibilities is also stressed by Respondents 4 and 11 who comment:

I wanted to do it [take education further] but the problem is being the only son and the responsibilities, er, my father was struggling on this side so I had to, I had to come to help my father. (4: 180-3)

Unfortunately my dad died. I was the eldest and I finished my career in education and tried to find a job. (11: 121-3)

Family links

The typical residence pattern is 1st generation migration from Pakistan or other areas of South Asia to industrial areas in England before migration to Scotland, except for

Respondent 9 who joined his uncle in business in Scotland aged 18 and Respondent 21 who is a recent migrant, joining his wife’s family in Edinburgh.

The 2nd and 3rd generation respondents were, by definition, born in the UK.

All those interviewed have family links throughout the UK and extended family connections with Pakistan.

Sojourner mentality

Of the 21 business owners interviewed 20 indicate that they see their future in the UK, although for some this view has changed over time and generations of residence and it interesting to note the comments made by one 1st generation migrant: “I think my children are completely different from their father … They don't feel that they are Pakistani, they are Scottish” (2: 435-6).

This feeling is supported by the 3rd generation respondent’s view that "I’m Scottish. It’s where you’re born. That’s the main thing is I’m Scottish though. My sister was born Huddersfield she’s from, she’s English" (14: 53-7).

The only respondent indicating a preference for a permanent return to Pakistan is the most recent 1st generation migrant (Respondent 21). However, he is aware of issues affecting such a decision both for him and many members of the community, and comments:

Well I wish if I had, like, what a couple of hundred thousand pound in my pocket. When I win the lottery I will say ‘let’s go’ … You could buy a castle there with five hundred thousand, five hundred thousand pound you could buy a castle there and any business you want. The problem is every Pakistani, every Pakistani wants to get some money, get good money and go back. The problem is, the children don’t go back. You know, some people, about fifty percent of people are rich Asian although they are old. The problem is when they get old the parents don’t like to go back. When you have children you have to stay with them. Children don’t want to go there. They are used to the European life not to the Muslim life. Because our children grow up here, they are like that they make their life here. I am going to have money. I am going to have money when I am fifty, right, maybe. Most of the Asians have money when they are fifty but they cannot go back because the kids don’t want to go. So that is the problem. If I have money today, with young kids, I can take them, that’s no problem while they are seven and nine years old. Even in the next four, five years, right. If, if they, if they are older, twenty five, twenty and you want to go there they say ‘no thank you, we don’t want to go’. So I won’t stay without my family so, that, that’s one of the big problems of the Asians. They don’t want to go back. They

don’t like living in the Asian culture ‘cos it is not like the freedom they are used to here. (21: 601-38)

Other respondents commenting on the possibility of returning to the sub-continent spoke of holidays and retirement – one specifically mentioning the potential problems with business ownership in Pakistan:

I went back for three years, but to go back permanently, no, not at the moment. Maybe when I am retired, just for the weather. For the weather and all that but not to work. I wouldn’t feel I could start a business there. [You don’t feel there are the opportunities that you have] Not the things I have had, the problems and the bribery and all that you have there, no I couldn’t do all that. (18: 532-7)

4.2 Business background