TY  - CHAP
AB  - Previous studies have shown that small- and medium-sized manufacturing firms make a substantial contribution to national economies in terms of job and wealth creation (Daly & McCann, 1992; Schreyer, 1996). However, many smaller firms face unprecedented change arising from the increasingly competitive and changing environment in which they operate (Coopers and Lybrand, 1997; D’Aveni, 1994). Much of this competition often emanates from larger firms with greater resource capabilities. Firms of all sizes are increasingly turning to strategy as a means of achieving competitive advantage. Strategy research is mainly directed towards examining why firms differ in performance (Barnett & Burgelman, 1996; Schendel, 1996). Strategy has ‘undergone, in the 1990s, a major shift in focus regarding the sources of sustainable competitive advantage: from industry to firm specific effects’ (Spanos & Lioukas, 2001). This involves more than strategy formulation — it is about making choices based on competing alternatives and implementing the chosen direction using the organisational processes and systems (Shaw, Gupta, & Delery, 2002; Stopford, 2001). Other writers, such as Pettigrew and Fenton (2000), acknowledge that ‘soft’ aspects are an integral part of the evolutionary nature of strategy, and include cultural influences (Chakravarthy & Doz, 1992) and leadership (McNulty & Pettigrew, 1999).
VL  - 6
SN  - 978-0-0805-5448-8, 978-1-84950-544-4/1876-0228
DO  - 10.1016/S1876-0228(08)06014-6
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1016/S1876-0228(08)06014-6
AU  - O’Regan Nicholas
AU  - Ghobadian Abby
AU  - Jaseem Ahmad S.
ED  - Aard Groen
ED  - Peter Van Der Sijde
ED  - Ray Oakey
ED  - Gary Cook
PY  - 2008
Y1  - 2008/01/01
TI  - Chapter 14 Drivers of Strategic Direction in High Technology Small FirmsNicholas O’Regan et al.Drivers of Strategic Direction in High Technology Small Firms
T2  - New Technology-Based Firms in the New Millennium
T3  - New Technology Based Firms in the New Millennium
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 219
EP  - 237
Y2  - 2024/09/22
ER  -