African immigrant business owners create jobs and often stimulate economic growth in distressed inner-city areas, yet they continue to experience barriers obtaining financial support in the United States when trying to gain entrance into the broader economy. The objective of this multiple case study was to explore strategies African immigrant business owners used to succeed in business beyond 5 years. The conceptual framework of this study included resource-based theory, human capital theory, and disadvantage theory. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 3 African immigrant business owners in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who had succeeded in business beyond 5 years. Thematic analysis from interviews, organizational documents, and Bureau of Labor Statistics data identified 8 emergent themes. Findings indicated that, for these 3 African immigrant business owners, education, managerial-related experience, motivation, and networking were key attributes related to small business success. Additionally, for this group, innovation, steady flow of resources, and adequate access to capital were predictive of successful businesses. This study may contribute to positive social change by providing guidance to African immigrant business owners about effective business strategies; this knowledge may help to improve the quality of life for African immigrants in the United States. Increasing the prosperity of the business community is incumbent upon the development and use of new knowledge.

Les travaux sur l’informel dans les grandes villes du Nord et du Sud ne manquent pas. Tel secteur y est détaillé, tel groupe social y est étudié ou telle pratique y est décryptée mais aucun n’a, jusqu’à présent, traité l’informel dans sa globalité. La recherche concerne la Goutte d’Or à Paris, un quartier populaire à habitat social, classé Zone Urbaine Sensible (ZUS), historiquement investi par les migrants et où la gentrification est à l’œuvre. Dans ce territoire où l’activité bat son plein, deux formes de commerce coexistent : le commerce ayant pignon sur rue, tenu par des immigrants et la vente à la sauvette, pratiquée par des immigrants également. Cette coexistence dans la capitale française a suscité d’emblée une question centrale : quels sont la place, le rôle et l’avenir de ces formes de commerce dans une ville en pleine mutation ? La succession des vagues migratoires a abouti à une profonde recomposition sociale. Terre d’accueil des provinciaux, cet espace passe progressivement d’une enclave maghrébine vers un hub africain, d’où une forte identité immigrante, appelée africanité. Ce travail a pour objectif de restituer l’informalité de la Goutte d’Or dans son intégralité, d’en analyser les modalités sociétales et économiques pour en révéler les impacts et les enjeux territoriaux et politiques. / Works on the informal economy in the big cities in the North and in the South do not miss. Such sector is detailed, such social group is studied or such practice is analyzed but none has, until now, treated the abstract one in its globality. This research relates to the Goutte d’Or’s neighborhood in Paris, popular district with social housing, classified as disadvantaged urban area (called ZUS in France), historically invested by the migrants and where the gentrification is on progress. In this territory where the activity beats full sound, two forms of trade coexist: well-established shops, held by immigrants and the sale on the run, practiced by immigrants also. This coexistence in the French capital caused from the start a key question: which are the place, the role and the future of these forms of trade in a city in full change? The succession of the migratory waves ended in a profound social reorganization. Land of welcome of the provincial, this space passes gradually of an enclave from a North-african enclave towards an African hub, characterized by a strong immigrant identity, called africaness. This work has for objective to restore informality of Goutte d’Or’s neighborhood in its entirety, to analyze the societal and economic modalities to reveal the impacts and the territorial and political stakes.

Immigrant entrepreneurs are seen in many societies in present days, no exception for a country like Sweden with a significant number of foreign-born populations. This thesis gets in touch with current immigrant entrepreneurs in the country to obtain first-hand experiences in the entrepreneurial process. The thesis explores the factors affecting these immigrant entrepreneurs in business establishment from the first-person point of view. Employing the mixed embeddedness approach in analysis, the thesis investigates the interactions between the immigrant entrepreneurs and the environment. Every part of the society and individual characteristics could impact the decision made by immigrant entrepreneurs regarding business establishment. The establishment of business is a result of contributions from many different elements surrounding the immigrant entrepreneur. This thesis represents some of the many actual experiences in the Swedish society. There is still an extensive field left to explore and many diversified experiences to be discovered.