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“Business Growth†—Do Practitioners and Scholars Really Talk about the Same Thing?

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  • Leona Achtenhagen
  • Lucia Naldi
  • Leif Melin

Abstract

The current growth literature has stalled over which measures to use in empirical studies, causing a fragmented theory base. This paper claims that there is a third issue that further curbs efforts in developing a better understanding of business growth. Based on a thorough literature review, a quantitative, and a qualitative study, we find that academic scholars and entrepreneurs do not talk about the same thing when they say “business growth.†For practitioners, growth is a more complex phenomenon—with a strong emphasis on internal development—which differs from the simplified conceptualization of growth used in empirical studies.

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  • Leona Achtenhagen & Lucia Naldi & Leif Melin, 2010. "“Business Growth†—Do Practitioners and Scholars Really Talk about the Same Thing?," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 34(2), pages 289-316, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:entthe:v:34:y:2010:i:2:p:289-316
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-6520.2010.00376.x
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