Communities and Culture in Entrepreneurship Development in India

Abstract

This article explores the various dimensions of the relationship between tradition and enterprise in the specific context of three distinct business communities in Punjab. It examines in detail the nature of entrepreneurship, pattern of investment, range of business activities, participation of family members and skill formation processes in these communities with a view to derive common characteristics. The analysis suggests that the evolution of entrepreneurial culture involved primordial ties, social and kinship networks and use of informal and family resources. The article concludes that tradition and modernity should be treated as duality, and not as exclusive categories or dualism.