The Value Orientations of Minority and Non-Minority Small Business Owners

This study examines value orientations of minority and non-minority small business owners and contrasts their perceived similarity with corporate customers. Six categories of organizational values, including the values of collectivism, duty, rationality, novelty, materialism, and power are examined. Analyses of a sample of 252 small business firms indicate that minority owners differ from non-minority owners in their value orientations; and are significantly different from non-minority owners in the degree to which they perceive organizational value similarity with customers. However, the levels of perceived value similarity with corporate customers did not vary among the minority groups (i.e. blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans). An implication is that value orientation may be an important component in the process of aligning the minority business firm with its environment. Further, a value system may be guiding the behavior of the minority small business owners against the overwhelming odds of racial/ethnic dissimilarities.