In consideration of the mounting importance o(firm growth in today's economy, there was a vital necessity to address ) a gap in the growth literature as a matter of priority. Over the duration of this research project, a review of the relevant literatures revealed that existing research on firm growth was underdeveloped both conceptually and empirically. Consequently, the overall aim of this doctoral study was to gain a greater understanding of firm growth by means of a comparison of the experiences and perspectives of the high-growth firm stakeholders in Northern Ireland in an attempt to build a more comprehensive and holistic picture the construct of firm growth. This involved an exploratory study employing an in-depth qualitative research design providing the opportunity for a greater understanding of the meanings, values and beliefs that the participants attached to their realities of growing a ) business. In-depth interviews and focus groups were the primary sources of empirical evidence used to address the research questions of interest. Drawing on the high growth firm stakeholders' perspectives and experiences which inform this research, the findings indicate that high-growth business leaders and those charged with supporting such firms have several diverse perspectives and experiences of growth. Indeed, the results would appear to suggest that high-growth stakeholders do not necessarily talk about the same thing when referring to growth, highlighting heterogeneity in perspectives. In a similar vein, a gap exists between growth measures commonly employed in the literature and what the business leaders view as actual growth. Another conclusion to emerge from this study was that context matters and must be taken into consideration when studying firm growth. Moreover, this doctoral study posits that stakeholder theory has the potential to make a worthy contribution and offer some insights into the area of firm growth.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:557611 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Harkin, A. |
| Publisher | Queen's University Belfast |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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