Entrepreneurship Barriers, Thesis Paper Example

Entrepreneurship barriers for Spanish speaking South American immigrants in Spain: An analysis of nationalities based on significant immigration volumes.

Abstract

Entrepreneurial barriers within the European Union (EU) is a matter of constant attention and focus as a mean to encourage economic growth within the region, especially for struggling economies which are lacking job positions and tax revenue. As such, Spain has also conducted several studies and monitors the entrepreneurial environment through the likes of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) data and the National Institute for Statistics (INE), hosts regular entrepreneurial events, conventions and has in place social programs for the development of such activities. However, current data on the entrepreneurial environment does not seem to reflect the significant population of immigrants in the country nor the role they have within the entrepreneurial scene. Considering there are around 5 million immigrants living in Spain, of which approximately 1 million are South Americans, there seems to be a gap in data available when it comes to properly target incentives to achieve the creation of new businesses for this segment of the population. By conducting primary data research through surveys and expert interviews and analyzing available secondary data and statistics, the aim of this paper is to provide a somewhat general overview of the barriers encountered by the main Spanish speaking south American population currently residing in Spain.

Introduction to the topic

According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2019-2020 report, the Spanish Total Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA)as of 2019 was of 6%, which is considered under the European and North American average for this score, and some of the main culprits for this are considered to be mainly funding difficulties along with high imposed taxes. Other barriers found in Spain when it comes to starting a new business are the excess bureaucracy, government policies, and the differing regulations amongst autonomic communities. All of this already discourages a substantial part of the population from engaging in new ventures, but if additionally we take into consideration the usual disadvantages minorities experience and in this instance the possible ones that South Americans might experience such as discrimination, legal status complications like residing irregularly in the country, depending on substantial capital or employers for visas, the lack of education level, skills or its recognition, among many possible others could be possibly deterring south American entrepreneurs from following this path. Since very little to none information seems available for the purpose of segmentation analysis of entrepreneurship according to nationality in the Spanish context, the principal aim of this paper is to broaden and contribute information and context to the creation of a landscape or overview of the struggles that largest group of South American immigrants face specifically those who speak Spanish.

In this regard, these main groups are comprised of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina respectively, according to their population volume within the country, while countries with language differences such as Brazil and Surinam are not considered for these purposes since the language barrier is a differentiating factor and other countries such as Chile and Uruguay do not have a significant volume of the population residing in Spain.

This paper’s main research objective is, therefore, to conduct surveys within the selected segment for the purpose of collecting information and experiences that can shine a light on the difficulties some Latinos experience in this environment.

Through the following questions, more insight and situational analysis are hoped to be achieved:

Research Questions:

• How does the legal status of this group affect their willingness to become entrepreneurs?
• Do their barriers differ depending on the industry they pursue?
• Does their education level and recognition play a role in their chances to pursue a venture?
• What are the barriers that they have perceived when trying to become an entrepreneur?
• Does fear of failure is also a relevant or important barrier for this group of immigrants?

Preliminary literature review

The current literature surrounding this topic focuses on different variants of the entrepreneurial ecosystem such as the general perception of the Spanish population regarding opportunities, knowledge and skills possession, fear of failure, professional perfection of entrepreneurship, motivations such as wealth creation, the lack of jobs, willingness to make a change, a family tradition. It also examines the general profile of entrepreneurs, which tend to be around 40 years old, educated, mostly male, and higher incomes.

Besides this, there is also relevant information around specific barriers like the excessive dependence of self-financing as a funding option pared to low access to traditional external funding.

Detailed research methodology

The selected research methodology combines secondary data analysis of the available literature with primary research conducted through interviews with experts and experienced South American entrepreneurs as well as through surveys that will allow for the mass consultation of the target segment on their perceptions and experienced barriers when creating a business.

Acknowledgments

I have managed to do this research with the help of many people who have guided me through every step of the way. The first person I would like to thank is my professor, who has taught me many concepts related to the research. These concepts have played a significant role in how I have researched every aspect of the research. I would also like to thank my colleagues, who have provided insights into the issues that I found challenging about the topic. Their contribution played a significant role in the successful completion of this research.

Literature Review

Definition of Key Terms

Ethnic Entrepreneurship: This phrase can be loosely defined as the businesses that are owned by immigrants. It is a concept that can also be defined as a form of business that is conducted by people who belong to the ethnic minority. Therefore, they rely significantly on support from the local community.

Small and Medium Enterprises: SMEs are companies that have specified features, financial limit, a fixed number of employees, and has all dimensions.

Cultural Thesis: It is a theory that explains the establishment of a business by an immigrant with the hope that the informal and formal network will help increase the customer base.

Block Mobility: This is another theory that explains that immigrant entrepreneurs choose to invest in low-paying areas to mitigate the challenges paused through poor education.

Entrepreneurship for immigrants has always been a tough issue because of differences in practices between the host country and the immigrant’s country of origin. This is an issue that has been sufficiently addressed by Nazareno et al. (2019). The article posits that the dynamics of immigrant entrepreneurship are always changing. Therefore, it is essential to gain proper insights into these dynamics to improve understanding. Examples of insights that should be gotten have to do with the theories of immigrant entrepreneurship, such as ethnic niching, ethnic enclave, and ethnic economy. Ethnic enclave is a theory that refers to a workspace that is highly occupied by specific ethnic firms. An example is a place that is occupied by Mexican firms. Such a place is most likely to favor South Americans compared to places that are heavily populated by firms owned by Romanians and Moroccans in Spain.

Piperopoulos (2010) supports the findings by Nazareno et al. by positing that ethnic entrepreneurship is viewed as a critical component of structures within the Western economies. Piperopoulos goes on to write that there are three specific theories that explain the concept of ethnic entrepreneurship. The first theory is cultural thesis4tcg54, which holds that immigrants often move to a country with the hopes of start businesses in the host country with the help of extensive informal and formal networks and mechanisms. The other theory that has been explained by Piperopoulos is the block mobility thesis. This theory explains that some immigrants may be disadvantaged in the host country through low education, language difficulty, and racial discrimination. Therefore, these people choose to invest in low-end parts of the economy in an attempt to gain upward social mobility. The final theory is the opportunity structure bias, which expounds on how some immigrant entrepreneurs take advantage of the ethnic bias tastes of some people and them to choose to take advantage of the opportunity by providing for specific groups of people. This is a theory that can be highly beneficial to South American immigrants in Spain. They can take advantage of the sectors that have been deserted by existing entrepreneurs to deal with the challenges that they may face as immigrant entrepreneurs.

Immigrants may be viewed by citizens in particular countries as a burden, but this is not true. Many studies have found that immigrants contribute significantly to the development and growth of cities through various economic, social, and cultural ways (Eraydin et al. 2010). A city is often defined as a place that is made up of homogenous populations. Therefore, immigrants play the role of increasing homogeneity and bringing in new ideas. Rath and Kloosterman (2000) write in support of Eraydin et al. by explaining that many immigrants have established themselves as successful entrepreneurs in host countries. This fact has attracted the attention of many scholars who are concerned with the field of entrepreneurship. Most of these scholars are social scientists that have focused on the ethnocultural features of immigrant entrepreneurship. The main issue is about understanding the effects of the social structures in host country cities on the performance of immigrant entrepreneurs.

Over the past few years, immigration has been on the rise in Western Countries. This immigration cuts across all members of society, including women. When the number of immigrants increases, it calls for creative ways of generating income. These ways are expressed in terms of entrepreneurship (Audretsch et al., 2017). There are many benefits that are reaped from entrepreneurship by the host country. However, these benefits are accompanied by challenges that are posed to the political aspects of society. These challenges have to do with the fact that policies have to be changed to fit with the unique features of the immigrants. An example is that the South American natives may require a slight change in the policies of Spain, particularly when they are densely populated in a specific location. This may attract significant rebellion from the locals who feel threatened by the need for policy change (Oliveira, 2009). This will then make it hard for the immigrants to establish themselves as entrepreneurs in the host country.

Many people are currently on the move in response to the current highly open society. Globally, the migrant settlement is concentrated in only attractive regions. Aliaga & Rialp (2013) write that immigrant communities exist in many countries for a reason. An example is that in Australia and Canada, immigrants play the role of providing cheaper labor. Countries like Spain allow immigrants into the country because they seek economic balance and social revitalization. Therefore, it allows for cheap labor from less developed parts of the world like South America. This labor is provided for well-established companies that are located in Spain. Therefore, it is a challenge that cannot be easily dealt with by immigrants who would like to be entrepreneurs (Lofstrom, 2009). Besides, all the most skilled potential employees are taken by these established companies, thus leaving the least talented for immigrant entrepreneurs.

Immigrants in many countries bring new skills and knowledge into the companies operating within the countries. However, this is only good for the country at large and not specific businesses. The reason for this opinion is that immigrants bring in diversity, which means that the tastes and preferences of the population vary. Therefore, it becomes hard for people to make investment coordination (Gutierrez, 2020). This is a challenge that is not only faced by existing businesses but also by immigrant entrepreneurs who aim at making the right investment decisions. The other significant challenge that could be faced by immigrant entrepreneurs is the return of immigrants to their home countries, thus resulting in a lower customer base for the entrepreneurs (Hatziprokopiou & Fragopoulos, (2013). The main reason why the customer base reduction affects immigrants is that they often start a business that targets a specific audience. This audience is often that of immigrants, and so when they go back to their countries, the profitability of immigrant businesses reduces significantly.

The trends of immigrants moving into Europe have changed from the influx of people in the Northern and Central countries to more people preferring the Mediterranean basin. In Spain, the number of immigrants has grown at a high rate. The reason why many immigrants have moved to Spain is that they are searching for economic integration. Some of these immigrants are those from South America who escape the tough economic situations of the home country to seek more stability (Irastorza, 2006). Although it often sounds like immigration is only needed by the immigrants, it is also required by the host country for many reasons. For Spain, the main role played by immigration is replacing the aging population. According to de la Torre et al. (2019), a bigger percentage of the population is made up of the elderly. These are people who are tired, and they are no longer able to work. Besides, their enthusiasm towards entrepreneurship and creativity reduces, and so there is a need for new stronger energy to drive the economy. This is a space that can be optimally filled by immigrants. However, as more and more immigrants move into the host country, competition among them increases, thus posing a threat to possible high growth opportunities.

Immigrants possess great social and human capital that can be leveraged by small and medium enterprises. This capital is often used by immigrant-owned SMEs because of the ability of the owners to identify opportunities when they present themselves (Morgan et al., 2018). However, the disadvantage is that the immigrant-owned SMEs demonstrate overconfidence that stems from the owners in identifying internationalization opportunities. This overconfidence often results in the immigrant entrepreneurs making mistakes in selecting the most appropriate investment opportunities. However, non-immigrant counterparts often consider a wide range of factors before deciding to make an investment. After making the investment decision, there is an entrepreneurship process that ought to be followed by the immigrant (Juan, ND). This process is made up of steps such as the development of the idea, obtaining money to start the business, determining the target audience, and finally, taking action by starting the business. The need to follow this process poses a challenge because the immigrant entrepreneur will spend more time in the process than the length of time spent in implementing business operations.

The number of immigrants in developed countries has become so high in economically developed countries that the competitiveness of such countries can only be understood by taking the migration factor into consideration. The immigrants are not only labor workers but also business people who contribute significantly to the development of a country or an economy in general. Immigration has become one of the hottest topics in international contexts. It is not only discussed in the receiving countries but also in the sending one. One of the countries whose main topic of discussion is immigration in Spain. Initially, it was a sending country, but it is currently one of the most receiving countries (Arandia, 2009). The number of self-employed immigrants has increased in line with the rising immigration rate. Immigrant neighborhoods and businesses are becoming a significant part of the major and small cities because of the rise in their contribution to many aspects of the cities. An example is that the establishment of a Mexican restaurant by a South American in a huge city in Spain attracts people of different origins. This restaurant will make a contribution through tax payment and also increased the promotion of diversity. Even though such a restaurant has significant benefits to the residents, it also has negative aspects, which are demonstrated by the high chances of business failure. This is significant because of the lack of balance between the amount generated from the business and the amount paid out to the workers.

Spain has evolved over the past two decades from a huge labor exporter to a major importer. During the years before 1930, Spain was known for emigration into America. Also, from the end of the world war until the 1970s, Spain citizens moved significantly to more industrialized areas in Western Europe. The following years were marked by improvement efforts by the country, which then resulted in a boost to its economy (Hierro, 2016). This development has made Spain one of the large-scale immigrant European countries. It is not only the development level of Spain that has attracted many immigrants but also its strategic location and a fair immigration policy. Many immigrants want to go to a country that is not hard to get into. This then puts Spain at the forefront of the preference list for many immigrants. For a long time, Africans have been viewed as an essential source of immigration in many European countries. However, lately, tables have turned, and Latin Americans have contributed significantly to the high rate of immigration in Spain. These immigrants are often looking for stability in terms of running a business or working for already established companies.

Marrero (2012) describes the story of a woman who wanted to relocate from her home country Ecuador to the United States, but restrictions made it impossible for her. In 1999, a woman named Magdalena Loor, an Ecuador native who was divorced with three children, started looking for ways to escape the economic crisis that her country was facing. According to her, it was a good idea to go to the United States, where she had always dreamed of going, and also to meet her movie star idol called Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold was also an immigrant in the US, and he had made it. He was, therefore, a source of motivation to many people who thought of moving to the US. She specifically wanted to go to California, where there was a beautiful landscape based on what Loor had seen on television. Even though Loor had a strong desire to move to the US, obtaining legal entry was close to impossible. The reason for this was that Ecuador was undergoing a worse decline in the economy in the whole of Latin America. Therefore, the American Embassy could not offer a visitor’s visa to the Ecuadorians because there were high chances that they would stay. At the time, the Ecuadorian newspapers reported that many people had been returned from the embassy, and this demonstrated the slim chances of going to the US from Ecuador.

After a deep thought process, Loor remembered that she had a friend living in Spain. Her friend promised to help her get into Spain by providing her with the things that she needed to enter the country legally. The two requirements were a ticket and dollars that she needed to show that she was going to Spain as a visitor. During that period, Loor was not the only Ecuadorian who moved out of the home country. Many other people moved not only to the US but to other countries. Currently, statistics demonstrate that at least 1.5 million out of 12 million Ecuadorians have emigrated from their country and they now live elsewhere in the world. A bigger percentage of the emigrants are in Spain because of the ease of entry where people were only required to show a few dollars at the airport before being allowed into the country.  The ease of entry is the reason why Ecuadorians make up a bigger percentage of immigrants in Spain. This is in addition to other smaller communities who have emigrated from other parts of the world like Africa. The case that has been explained above is an example that demonstrates the huge population of South American immigrants living in Spain.

Although it is a good opportunity for people from less developed countries to move to developed ones in search of a better life, it is often accompanied by many challenges. One of the challenges is the need to sacrifice oneself for the success of the business that has been started or the prosperity of the individual in the workplace. Often, the challenge is felt more by the entrepreneurs who will have to put in their time in ensuring that the business is well known and that the investment is a viable one. Regardless of this challenge, many South American immigrants in Spain still; choose to start their own businesses. The main reason for this occurrence is that the working environment in Spain is unstable, given that it is only 25 years since the country became a host country for immigrants. This short period limits the country from providing an optimal working environment to the employees. These unfavorable working conditions are characterized by low pay and working in some of the least preferred industries. Therefore, one would prefer to venture into business rather than work under such conditions. The other reason why South American immigrants in Spain prefer to venture into business instead of being employed is that it is a way of maintaining ties with the home country. The ties are maintained because most of the created businesses are established according to the preferred South American structure.

An immigrant has been defined in many contexts as an individual who changes his or her geographical location in circumstances that result in political, social, and administrative reorganization for an individual. In Spain, many immigrants are forced to enter the entrepreneurship space after looking for a job in vain. According to Irastorza (2010), there are legal requirements that should be met by an immigrant for them to be considered for work. One is expected to have a work permit, and this often limits access to jobs when one has not gotten the permit. The Spanish natives and other foreigners with work permits are prioritized in job opportunities compared to those who do not have a work permit. The absence of a work permit often pushes an individual to establish his or her own business. However, there are many factors that determine an individual’s decision to start up a business. Often, it is the human capital factors like age, education, business skills, and work experience that play a role in one’s decision to invest in a new firm.

There are many theories that can be used by immigrant entrepreneurs to understand the possible behavior of potential customers. One of the theories is the theory of planned behavior. This is a theory that can be used to explain the behaviors that one can control. There are aspects of the TPB theory that can be used by the entrepreneurs to get optimal results from a given situation. The first element is the attitudes, which deal with the consideration of the outcomes of a given behavior. An example is that people who have a positive attitude towards cultural diversity will most likely buy items that symbolize the cultural beliefs of other people. If this aspect is identified in Spain, it can be leveraged by an immigrant entrepreneur by starting a business that makes symbolic clothing and tools. The other factor that can be essential to an immigrant entrepreneur is behavioral intention. It refers to the motivational factors that influence what one chooses to do. The entrepreneur may conduct research about the possible preferences of a group of people and what influences such behavior. Gaining insight into such factors will enable one to provide the appropriate items to the audience since behavior can be predicted.

Research Methodology

At the end of this project, it is expected that a proper understanding will be attained of the barriers that are faced by Spanish-speaking South American immigrants in Spain. The research was conducted in Spain since the study is about immigrant entrepreneurs based in Spain. A study conducted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) demonstrated that Spain is one of the most developed countries of the European Union. This explains why it has attracted many immigrants. Some of the immigrants go to Spain with the aim of getting good jobs that will help them meet their needs. However, some people immigrate to Spain to take advantage of the entrepreneurship opportunities that are available in the country. The presence of many income generation opportunities explains why Spain is one of the countries that have the highest percentage of immigrants. There are many studies that have been conducted in line with immigrant entrepreneurs in Spain. Therefore, a literature review was conducted to find various types of information about immigrant entrepreneurs.

Apart from the literature review that was done to help obtain additional information about the issue of Spain-based immigrant entrepreneurs, a study was conducted in Barcelona, which is one of the cities that is occupied by many immigrants. Most of the people who were selected for the study were aged 35 years and above. This is because they make up a bigger percentage of people who chose to venture into business. From the observation of many immigrant businesses in Barcelona, it was found that the older entrepreneurs were well established financially and so they had higher chances of investing their money. Besides, the cost of starting up a business in Spain is so high. The reason for this is that there are taxes that need to be paid and social security that should be catered for. This then calls for better financial stability, which often lies among the older population. It is even harder for immigrants because they go to Spain with less money from their home countries. Even those with better financial capabilities may not reach the required level for them to invest in a viable project.

Since there were many older entrepreneurs, only 70 were selected for the purpose of the study. The 70 people were selected because their feedback allows for a proper comparison, and better conclusions can be drawn. All the selected individuals were Spain-based, Spanish –speaking South American immigrants. 80% of these people were aged above 40, while the remaining 20% were aged below 40. Also, among these individuals were 30 women who were distributed equally between the two age ranges, which are 25 to 40 and 40 and above. 30 is a large number of female entrepreneurs in Spain, given that in the past, they had been viewed as being less aggressive compared to men. The gap between male and female entrepreneurs in Spain has reduced, and it does not only reflect in the natives but also among the immigrants. There are many immigrant entrepreneurs in Barcelona, and so there were criteria that were used for the selection of the participants. The first criterion was that the participants were those who came from South America. Secondly, they were required to have been in business for a minimum of three years. This requirement of a three-year experience was based on the fact that the participants were supposed to have proper insight into the barriers of immigrant entrepreneurship. This could only be provided by the people who have operated in Barcelona for long enough to feel the impact of the barriers.

The information from these participants was obtained through a recorded interview and questionnaires. Interviews are the most appropriate ways of obtaining information on a given topic from a group of people. It is often preferred by many researchers because it provides an in-depth analysis of a given topic. In the research, a proper plan was made before conducting the interview. The main reason for this was that there were many areas that needed clarification, and so confusion could only be avoided if a plan was established. In the plan, some of the issues that needed to be addressed were, what the barriers to entrepreneurship were, the effects they have on business, and what the entrepreneurs think should be done to mitigate these barriers. The specification made it easy for the interviews to be conducted since time was not wasted while trying to identify the issues that should be addressed. Similar questions were asked to all the 70 participants to ensure consistency in the answers and also ease of comparison. The interview was recorded to make it easy for the comparison to be made and also to avoid loss of important data.

The other method of data collection that was used was questionnaires. Questionnaires have formulated a series of questions on issues that should be addressed through research. The questions on various issues were prepared in a systematic way. This proper organization of questions ensured a flow of thoughts and the absence of confusion when answers to questions are given. The questions that were prepared were all issued to the participants, and there was no variation in how the questions were presented. The type of questions that were prepared was open-ended questions. This gave room for the provision of different perspectives to the questions. An example is a question like what are the barriers; the participants would answer it differently and explain why a specific barrier resonates better with them. There are many other benefits that stemmed from the use of questionnaires in the research. One of the benefits is that it was a cost-effective method. The main reason for this was that the only task that was involved was the creation of questions, which were then administered to all the participants. The only cost was the money spent in the preparation of the copies of the questionnaires and also the transport fee of distributing the questionnaires to various participants. The hard copies of the questionnaires were only distributed to the participants who did not have access to the internet. However, for those who could access the internet, they received the questionnaires via their emails, they then downloaded and filled up with the required data, and then they were submitted through email.

The data that was obtained from the respondents in the research was voluminous, and so it required a way to make them easy for readers to understand. The process of making research outcomes easy to understand is referred to as data analysis. The methods that were used for data analysis in this research are the narrative analysis and discourse analysis techniques. The narrative analysis method is one used for the analysis of content that is gathered from various methods such as interviews and questionnaires. Through narrative analysis, it was concluded that many South American immigrant entrepreneurs faced the barrier of discrimination by the Spain natives. Fewer people complained about the issue of the communication barrier because of the commonalities in methods of communication between people in South America and Spain. Through the narrative analysis, answers to the research questions were summarized into parts that are easy to understand.

Discourse analysis is another method of data analysis that is commonly used. It employs similar techniques of narrative analysis, but the only difference is that the discourse analysis technique considers the social context within which the participants were answering the questions. This means that the factors influencing the answers given by the respondents are put into consideration when drawing conclusions. An example is that some of the participants’ businesses were not doing well, and so they were not in the right mental position to give the right responses to their businesses. Therefore, an allowance was given for the alternative answers to those that were given by the participants. An example is that an individual may have responded to the question of the effects of the entrepreneurship barriers by stating that it has resulted in businesses closing down. This may be an exaggeration from an individual whose business may be affected by other factors. Therefore, it has to be understood that the barriers can be dealt with, but the problem is that some people have not mastered the art of managing the challenges caused by the barrier. The discourse interpretation technique is one of the most appropriate ones because it considers the fact that some answers given by respondents may not be reliable.

Data Analysis and Findings

Data Analysis

 The barriers that have been presented above are a representation of the responses from a bigger percentage of the male and female respondents. Therefore, the data is an approximation of the barriers that are most likely to affect the people that have been specified in the tables. Female South American immigrant entrepreneurs aged above 40 and based in Spain made up 30% of the total number of respondents. Most of them stated that stringent rules and regulations and fear of not being successful were the main barriers to their entrepreneurial ventures. On the other hand, females aged below forty were 12% of the total number of respondents. Most of these respondents said that the main barriers to their entrepreneurship were insufficient funds and fewer opportunities. The male respondents, on the other hand, were divided into 40 % aged above forty and 18% aged below 40. Those aged above 40 said that the absence of strategic plans and human resource challenges were the main barriers to their entrepreneurship. On the other hand, those aged below 40 stated that the barriers to their entrepreneurship were lack of capacity and less market experience.

The two methods of data collection which were the use of questionnaires and recorded interviews also provided insight into the most essential points of views of the respondents. The interviews and questionnaire revolved around five major questions. These questions were those that the research project intended to answer. These questions were, how does the legal status of this group of people affect their willingness to become entrepreneurs? Do their barriers differ depending on the industry they pursue? Does their education level and recognition play a role in their chances to pursue a venture? What are the barriers that they have encountered while trying to become an entrepreneur? How have the barriers affected their business? And what do they think should be done to deal with the barriers?

The responses on the issue of the barriers to entrepreneurship were the main issues of focus since it was the main aspect that the study intended to address. However, the responses to the rest of the questions were also recorded for the purpose of cross-checking for patterns and similarities in the responses. Many respondents stated that their legal status affects their willingness to become investors in Spain. This is mainly because of the legal provisions for an individual to legally reside in Spain. However, some people stated that their legal status does not play a major role since they can work with what they have. Also, the entrepreneurship barriers experienced by various entrepreneurs differ based on the industries that they operate in. Often, every industry has its own unique challenges that affect the businesses, and these challenges equally affect the immigrant entrepreneurs uniquely. Some of the respondents said that some barriers are common in all the industries, and so they affect all the entrepreneurs who experience them.

The question on the education level also received different responses from different participants. Some of the respondents, especially those aged below 40, said that their level of education determined the industry that they venture into and also the capital that they invest. On the other hand, most of those aged above 40 said that their education level used to play a role in the past, but now their level of education is a mere formality. However, all the responses equally stated that their recognition plays a role in determining their chances of taking part in a venture. The reason for this is that the most recognized individuals get better legal deals and so they do not have many restrictions in the industries that they venture into. Therefore those who are most recognized may get higher chances of operating in lucrative industries like the food industry, which attracts many customers.

The respondents also gave different barriers to their entrepreneurial ventures. The barriers mainly differed based on the age and gender of the respondents. All the barriers have been specified above. In addition to specifying the barriers, the respondents also gave a list of courses of actions that could be taken to manage their effects on business. One of the most significant responses that were given by many respondents was that the legal requirements of a business should be lenient to allow for ease of operation for all entrepreneurs. An example is a requirement for one to be a resident to be able to employ foreign workers. The other thing is lowering the expected education level for one to operate in specific industries. This is because most of the immigrants are people who have low education levels, and yet they are talented in some areas. The other course of action that would be taken to manage the impacts of entrepreneurship barriers is allowing the young immigrant entrepreneurs to obtain funds from sources that they can legally access. This will improve their ability to invest, and therefore, they will not be limited in terms of what they can afford to invest in. This point of view was derived from some of the responses from the interview where one of the male respondents aged 32 said, “we have good business ideas, and these are the types of ideas that are viable, but we cannot implement them because we are limited by our financial capabilities.”

Interpretation      

The results that have been obtained from the research mean that different South American immigrants in Spain have different experiences in business based on their age and gender. For a long time, women were viewed as people who were not as aggressive as men. Even though there has been a change, and women are now more included in the immigrant entrepreneurship field, there is still a significant gap between the participating males and females. There are more male entrepreneurs compared to their male counterparts. In addition to the outdated stereotype that men are typically more aggressive than women, there are other reasons as to why more immigrant men are more entrepreneurial compared to female ones. The first reason is that women tend to be more on the consuming side than the technological side of society. Currently, technology is a significant part of entrepreneurship, considering that the world is now moving and is focusing on technology. Technology has always been viewed as a men’s field. This then makes it hard for women to penetrate the business fields that require significant investment in technology.

The other meaning of the findings from the study is that age plays a major role in one’s decision to either start a business or work for companies. Young people have a tendency to prefer working for established companies than starting up their own. This explains why there are more male entrepreneurs who fall under the age limit of below 40 and above 40. Besides, younger people have a lower affinity for risk-taking compared to younger ones. The reason for this is that these older people have better experience in the market as customers and employees. Therefore, they know what customers are most likely to prefer and the things that are not worth investing in. Consequently, when older people decide to make an investment, the chances for success are often high. On the other hand, when younger people make investment decisions, they are always made out of lack of experience, and so they are unlikely to succeed. When the business fails, young people tend to give up easily, and this explains the low numbers of people aged below 40 who are immigrant entrepreneurs.

The data turned out as it did because there are many South American immigrants in Spain. The huge numbers made it possible for the study to be conducted since the respondents were available and ready to give answers to the asked questions. Also, the responses turned out as they did because the respondents were immigrants who moved into Spain. Therefore, they had a unique set of barriers that may not be experienced by non-immigrant entrepreneurs. One of the barriers that are unique to the Spain-based immigrants is insufficient funds for investment. Spain is one of the richest countries in Europe, and so access to funds by the citizens is easy. However, it is challenging for immigrants to access these funds mainly because they are not trusted by the lenders of external funds, and they do not also have sufficient assets that would have otherwise acted as collateral.

The other reason why the data turned out as it did was because of the methods of data collection that were employed. The methods were questionnaires and an interview. The two methods were the most appropriate because of the nature of the research that was conducted. The research questions could only be answered through a proper analysis of the responses from the participants. There was a need to have their different perspectives and make a comparison to arrive at the most appropriate conclusion. Through the questionnaires, some answers to the research questions were obtained. The questions were open-ended, and so they gave a chance to the respondents to offer explanations about their responses and their points of view. The responses that were given during interviews were cross-checked with those given through questionnaires to ensure that they were efficient, given that the responses were given by the same individuals. Those responses that were inconsistent were not considered significantly in drawing conclusions about the study. The consistent responses were used to draw conclusions about the study.

Possible Explanations of the Results

The literature review revealed that the rate of immigration has been high in the recent past in response to the highly open economy. Often, people move from their less developed countries to the most developed ones. An example is the South American emigrants who move to Spain in search of better sources of income since Spain is more developed than South American countries. Although Spain was already one of the most developed countries in Europe, there are high chances that immigrants from different parts of the world have played a major role in boosting the economy further. These immigrants do the jobs that are neglected by the Spain natives, and they do not require much payment for the services that they offer. The low wage payment presents an opportunity for the employing companies to re-invest the profits in the company, thus leading to high growth of the company. The high growth implies that the revenue generated and paid to the government in terms of taxes will also be higher. This then results in the development of the economy.

The other possible explanation of the findings is that the Spain market may have been structured in a way that only favors the businesses of the Spain natives. The reason for this is that the barriers faced by the South American immigrant entrepreneurs are way more than those faced by native entrepreneurs. An example is a fact that the immigrant male entrepreneurs aged below 40 said that one of the most significant barriers to entrepreneurship is insufficient funds. This is a challenge that is not likely to be experienced by the native entrepreneurs of the same age. They have better chances of accessing finances from external sources because of fewer restrictions imposed on them compared to those that are imposed on the immigrant entrepreneurs. Many immigrant entrepreneurs are talented in the activities that they chose to take part in, and so their productivity is high. This means that they make significant contributions to the development of the economy.

All questions have been answered except the question as to whether fear of failure is one of the ent5repreneurship barriers for immigrant entrepreneurs. Little has been done to answer this question since many scholars have focused on the barriers that are common among many immigrant entrepreneurs. There needs to be further studies and investigation about fear of failure as one of the barriers to entrepreneurial barriers. It is an essential aspect because it helps the entrepreneurs decide on the best course of action in managing barriers and ultimately improving the performance of businesses. Also, understanding the specific demographics of immigrant entrepreneurs who are most likely to fear failure will help by providing insight into why a group of people is more entrepreneurial compared to other groups.

Judgment

This study is essential to stakeholders operating in different fields. It informs them about various perspectives of immigrant entrepreneurs in Spain. The first group of stakeholders who will benefit from this research are the scholars in the field of immigrant entrepreneurship. There is a lot of research that needs to be done about the entrepreneurship practices of South American immigrants who live in Spain. The main reason why research is necessary is that South American immigrants make up a bigger percentage of immigrant communities in Spain. They often decide to take part in entrepreneurial practices as a way of getting more income to sustain their way of living. Therefore, this research significantly contributes to the bank of knowledge that is already available on immigrant entrepreneurship. It also enables other scholars to decide on topics that require further studies and those that have a lot of information on online platforms.

The other group of stakeholders who will use the results and conclusion of this study is the policymakers who are based in Spain. These policymakers are the people who are responsible for deciding on how businesses are run in Spain and also the group of entrepreneurs who require better treatment because of their contribution to the growth of the economy. Currently, immigrant entrepreneurs make a significant contribution to the economy through better operations since they are the most creative individuals meaning that their businesses attract more customers and generate more revenue. Apart from the entrepreneurs, the immigrant workers also contribute significantly to the growth of the economy by offering cheap labor to many companies operating within the organization. They work in sectors that have been deserted by natives because the nature of the job requires too much work. Therefore, they help in driving growth in sectors that may have otherwise been dysfunctional. The policymaker will learn about the significance of immigrants from this study, and they will be able to decide on the best policies that the immigrants should work with.

Also, the immigrant entrepreneurs themselves will use this research to their advantage. The entrepreneurs will gain insights into the barriers that are faced by other entrepreneurs in the market. Once they have learned about the barriers, they will get the confidence to consult these other entrepreneurs about how they deal with the challenges that they face. An example is that the male entrepreneurs aged below 40 will consult those aged above 40 on how they went about the issue of insufficient funds. The mature entrepreneurs may have also gone through these challenges at a younger age but managed to deal with them as they grew older. The pieces of advice from older people will help the younger entrepreneurs to establish themselves as stable business people in the market. Ultimately, the whole economy will benefit from having many stable operators who contribute to its growth through better revenues.

The leaders in the education sector will also benefit from the study by informing them that immigrant entrepreneurs need a good education, and yet they do not have enough time to do these studies. This will mean that people in the education sector will have to provide better options that will allow people with busy schedules to still undertake their studies successfully. An example is providing more friendly online studying opportunities where one would not need to go to a physical classroom. This will allow entrepreneurs to acquire the skills necessary to operate a successful business while still overseeing everyday operations within the company. Changing the education policies and schedule requirements will go a long way to ensure that business people operate with the best skills possible since it will boost the performance of the businesses.

From the study, it has been found that legal issues negatively affect the operations of various immigrant entrepreneurs. Some of the legal issues include the requirement for one to have applied for a specific visa for him or her to be in Spain for a longer period. Typically, when one immigrates to Spain, he or she is expected to have a residence visa that is expected to last for one year. However, for an entrepreneur he or she needs to have a visa option that will enable him or her to stay longer in Spain to execute the business operations. Some of the visa options that will allow one to stay longer in Spain include a golden visa, wealth visa, skilled worker visa, student visa, and investor visa. The investor visa may sound like the most appropriate one, but it is composed of many strict requirements that may not be met by any simple investor. An example is that one is required to provide proof of the existence of a significant investment equivalent to 1 million Euros in shares in a Spanish company. This is a huge amount that cannot be owned by a simple immigrant because of the nature of the economy of the home country.

These legal issues have their positive and negative aspects. The positive side is that it ensures that the people who immigrate to Spain are those who are capable of making a positive contribution to the country. Only the skilled and those with a viable motive are allowed into the country. However, there are also negative aspects that could adversely affect the country in the long-run. The negative aspects are that the number of people who stay illegally in Spain is most likely to increase. Many people from low-income places like South America are desperate to be in developed countries like Spain to the point that they can do anything to be there. Therefore, most of them will move to Spain and acquire resident visas as an opportunity to be in the country and then stay longer without a legal permit. This is a negative issue because it makes it hard for the activities of these individuals to be tracked. They can commit a crime and not be noticed because their records are not in the governmental system. This negative aspect explains why there is a need for a change in the legal requirements of immigrants in Spain.

Recommendations

The study has shown that immigrant entrepreneurs play a significant role in the development of the economy. The main reason for this is that they can connect markets to widen the reach of the goods that are sold. An example is that goods from Spain can be exported to South America and vice-versa. These entrepreneurs manage to accomplish this duty while still facing many challenges, including those that originate from unfriendly policies. The policies should be changed to suit the entrepreneurs who are always opportunity-driven. They invest in a place where they see an opportunity for growth. One of the ways through which policies should be changed is eliminating the limits to the acquisition of funds by immigrant entrepreneurs.

The most significant limiting factor in the acquisition of finances is discrimination in determining who gets the funds first and who is considered last. In most cases, many institutions discriminate against immigrant entrepreneurs when they need funds to advance their investments. The policy change should entail tough consequences for institutions that are found guilty of discrimination against immigrant entrepreneurs as they seek funds to aid in their business. This will discourage any institution from favoring the natives who want funds and discriminating against the more deserving immigrants. The result of this will be more sources of finance for the immigrants who will then improve their business performance.

The other recommendation is that female activist should strengthen their fight for the equality of women in society. This equality means availing chances for women to exercise their entrepreneurship skills in the same way men can. This will help bridge the gap that exists between the number of female and male immigrant entrepreneurs. This is an issue that should be addressed because equality in society equates to proper development and advancement. When women are presented with an opportunity to demonstrate their skills, they contribute to development by taking part in activities that result in income generation. This is unlike restricting their ability to generate income, thus wasting an opportunity to make more money and generate revenue for the economy.

Also, the best method of data collection should be selected for different types of research. There are many types of data collection, and they work differently for various kinds of research. An example is that in this study, there needed to be direct responses given by various respondents to ensure the efficiency of the collected data. Therefore, a method such as observations would not give optimal results. An observation may have been made, but the conclusions that would be drawn would not be as efficient as those given by the people who experience the issues first hand. In researches that entail medical conditions, the best way to collect data is through observation since there needs to be a better understanding of the signs and symptoms for proper conclusions to be drawn. On the other hand, ethnography is a method that can be employed in all types of research since it provides insights into the existing information on particular topics.

The younger entrepreneurs should always consult those who have been in the market for long enough so that they can gain insight into the best practices for a successful entrepreneur. The people aged over 40 have more experience, and they know what challenges people should anticipate and how to mitigate them before they adversely affect a business. Through consultation with mature people in business, it will be easy for younger entrepreneurs to identify challenges and deal with them before their impacts affect business operations. An example is on the issue of understanding the industry that one operates in and the challenges that come with it. Mature people operating in a given industry have a better understanding of the target customers, their preferences, and the things that they dislike. These are things that the younger entrepreneurs can learn and work with to ensure that the customers are satisfied with the products and services that they get from the new entrepreneurs.

The Spanish government must realize that immigrants make a significant contribution to the economic development of the country.  This should then be a wake-up call for the government should respond to this fact by providing more opportunities to the young immigrant entrepreneurs. Such opportunities could start through the empowerment of these youth. Empowerment takes many forms, such as offering free training on essential entrepreneurial skills like strategic management and financial planning. Such a course of action will improve the performance of young entrepreneurs since they will be more financially stable. Besides, they need to be allowed to venture into sectors that they feel comfortable operating in instead of pushing them into departments that they feel like they cannot perform better. Such opportunities could include the food sector, where the immigrants could be more specialized in. In a foreign country, the natives tend to like foreign food, which the South Americans are highly specialized in. Therefore, allowing the young immigrants to invest in such an industry would offer them an opportunity to gain access to a wider market for their products.

All immigrant entrepreneurs should apply the theories of human behavior to gain an understanding of the behavior of customers in the market. Taking advantage of the theories will enable them to meet the needs of the customers in an optimal way. Theories do not only help in understanding human behavior but also in influencing the behaviors of people to fit with the needs of the business. An example is that some people prefer buying an item because of the advantages that they get from such goods. This is a concept that be leveraged by young entrepreneurs to motivate customers to buy the items that they sell. In the case of the food sector, an entrepreneur may talk about the health benefits of the South American food that they sell. Mentioning the benefits may act as the basis for the buying decision of the customers. The theories may not only be used to understand customers but also to understand employees and to find ways through which they can be motivated to work. Some employees like to be appreciated through gifts and words. For such people, it is essential for the owner and manager of the company to always make the employees feel appreciated. A big percentage of employees in every company love feeling appreciated. Therefore, the technique of using gifts and words of appreciation can be used by employers in every industry.

Many developed countries have realized the significant role that is played by immigrants in their countries. This explains why there are many programs in less developed countries that make it easy for the citizens to relocate to the economically prosperous countries. An example is Australia, a developed country that is famous for making it easy for immigrants to move to the country. The leadership realized that there is a lot of revenue that lies in the sectors that are deserted by the natives. These are sectors in which the immigrants can comfortably work in. This is a course of action that should be taken by the Spanish government to promote the sectors that are tying up extra revenue. Most of these sectors are those that require a lot of hard work for their execution. An example is the mining industry, where a lot of work should be done to extract the minerals that are required by other industries as raw materials. The mining sector is a significant revenue generator for the government, and so a lot of attention should be put to this sector. The immigrants who are interested in the mining industry should be invited into the country by making relocation easy for them.

Researchers in all sectors should carefully select an optimally representative number of samples since such a selection will give optimal results. Therefore, a proper conclusion will be drawn from the research. The main reason for this is that the findings will be representative of the entire population. The concept of proper sample selection is seen in the research through the selection of immigrant entrepreneurs who have different features. The entrepreneurs who were selected were female and male, and they also belonged to different age groups. Such a sample resulted in comprehensive results, which then gave proper conclusions on the entire population. Research is always done with the aim of optimally understanding a given population. Therefore, the samples used for the research should be representative of the entire population.

Conclusion

Spain was an immigrant sending country for a long time because of its previous low development level. However, over time the country has gone through significant development, and it is considered one of the most developed in Europe.  Immigrants from different countries have realized this fact, and they now view Spain as one of the best countries to relocate to. The country does not only attract immigrants because of its economic development but also because of its attractive location. It is the coastal Mediterranean, which is most preferred by many immigrants compared to countries in many other locations. South Americans are the people who have always been known for their immigration behavior. They currently make up a bigger percentage of the immigrant communities in Spain. They even have bodies that have been formed for the sole purpose of representing the interest of South Americans in Spain. Immigrants who relocate to Spain often move there in an attempt to access better sources of income. Therefore, when they arrive in the country and either look for employment or get into the entrepreneurship sector where they earn money in ways that they find favorable to them.

Studies have shown that immigrants contribute significantly to the economic development of Spain. The reason for this is that immigrants arrive in the country, and they work in sectors that were initially deserted by the natives. The work of the immigrants generates revenue from sectors from which no revenue would have been gotten. This then increases the amount of revenue collected by the government. The revenue is then used to finance development in other sectors of the country. This development involves the development of infrastructure to aid in the transportation of goods produced in other sectors. Good infrastructure like roads also makes it easy for people to move from one place to another. This is an aspect that attracts investors from other places since they tend to prefer places with no inconveniences caused by poor development.

Even though immigrant entrepreneurs play a significant role in the development of the country, they still have their fair share of barriers to the advancement in their entrepreneurial ventures. The barriers vary based on the features of each of the entrepreneurs. An example is that female and male entrepreneurs experience different forms of barriers. Also, those aged below and those aged above 40 have different types of barriers. Female immigrant entrepreneurs aged above 40 say that their barriers say that the barriers they experience as entrepreneurs are fear of not being successful and the stringent rules that are in the market. These are the issues that make it hard for this group of people to implement their entrepreneurial operations freely. On the other hand, female entrepreneurs aged below 40 say that the barriers to their entrepreneurial activities are insufficient funds and fewer opportunities.

The fewer opportunities that these women experience result from the fact that women have always been viewed as less aggressive compared to men. Therefore, these women have always been skeptical about making significant investments. These fewer opportunities also result from the fact that women often fear going back to the same venture once they have failed. They tend to give up when they fail, and this trend trickles down to the female entrepreneurs who feel discouraged when the people who have gone before they fail. Apart from the barriers that adversely affect female immigrant entrepreneurs, there are also challenges that are experienced by the male immigrant entrepreneurs. A bigger percentage of those aged above 40 says that the barriers that negatively affect their operations are the absence of a strategic plan and human resource challenges. These barriers are more advanced since the male immigrant entrepreneurs aged above 40 have more experience, and the only challenges they may experience are those that originate from internal issues within the company.

The male entrepreneurs aged below 40 experience different challenges, which are less market experience and a low capacity. These are barriers that are typical to people who are starting out as entrepreneurs. They require a great deal of experience to get rid of these challenges. Their lack of capacity can be dealt with by gaining the ability to get funds from external sources. Many lending institutions only give funds to people and companies that have more experience in the market. Therefore, these younger male entrepreneurs will gain a higher capacity from working for longer periods in the industries that they operate in. However, for these male entrepreneurs to gain experience, they need to have a friendly working environment.

In addition to the issues of the barriers experienced by the immigrant entrepreneurs, the other issue that has been addressed optimally in the study is the question on whether the legal condition of an immigrant determines whether he or she will become an entrepreneur. The main reason for this is that there are many legal restrictions that are placed on an individual for him or her to qualify as an entrepreneur in Spain. An example is the type of visa that one should have to exercise entrepreneurial activities. Typically, any immigrant should have a resident visa, which is only valid for one year. However, an entrepreneur needs more than a one-year visa to operate. There are other visa options like the investor’s visa, which offers a longer period of stay. However, there are restrictions that are experienced through the amount of investment that should be done for one to qualify for an investment visa. One should have a minimum of 1 million Euros invested in the shares of a company based in Spain. This is a requirement that cannot be met by a new immigrant entrepreneur because he or she does not have a lot of money based on the poor economic condition of the home country.

The other issue that has been significantly addressed in the study is the issue of unfairness in the opportunities that are available to the native entrepreneurs and the immigrants. The discrimination is often experienced through the issuance of funds by lending institutions. It is always easier for native entrepreneurs to get funds to advance their businesses compared to immigrant entrepreneurs who may be more deserving of the funds. This is an issue that should be addressed through the practices of policymakers. These policymakers should come up with strict consequences that will be faced by people who are found guilty of discriminating against immigrant entrepreneurs. This will promote the activities that are undertaken by the immigrants since the funds that they get will be used to advance business operations. Besides, these entrepreneurs will also gain the confidence to seek these funds because they already know that there are higher chances that they will get the funds.

The final issue that has been addressed in the research is the recommendations based on the findings of the study. A bigger percentage of the study has addressed issues to do with barriers to the operations of immigrant entrepreneurs. Also, the stakeholders who will benefit from this research have been specified. Therefore, the recommendations that have been provided are based on what these stakeholders should do to address the entrepreneurial barriers of South American entrepreneurs based in Spain. The first recommendation was about changing the education system to entail more online studies as a way of making it easy for entrepreneurs to conduct their studies. They will be able to study while still overseeing their business operations.

The other recommendation was about making it easy for immigrants to get into Spain because of the significant contribution they make to the economic development of the country. Many developed countries have already known the importance of these immigrants, and so they have lowered the restrictions that were initially placed on the qualifications for one to relocate to those countries. These are courses of action that should also be adopted by Spain since they need to boost the economy further. An example is offering study opportunities for people in less developed places like South America and Africa. These people do not only go to Spain for studies but also use their extra time to find sources of income. They will either work or start-up businesses in sectors that they understand better. Therefore, Spain’s leadership should reconsider the restrictions that they put on immigration activities.

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