Marketing practices of African & Caribbean small businesses in London, UK

Abstract: This chapter presents an assessment of the marketing practices among African and Caribbean small businesses in London. The findings reveal the patchy application of an adapted market orientation framework; they also indicate that ‘informal’ marketing deliberation are taking place and are consistent with Stokes’ and Blackburn’s assertion that marketing in the small business sector seems to be an informal and unplanned activity that relies on the intuition and energy of the owner-manager. The study was undertaken in response to calls for marketing-related research in this sector and the results provide valuable insights into the UK’s intercultural dynamics. The study reveals considerable degree of evenness between the ease or difficulty of securing bank loans. The chapter concludes by drawing attention to managerial implications and future research directions.