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Articles • Gest. Prod. 23 (2) • Apr-Jun 2016 • https://doi.org/10.1590/0104-530X1759-14   copy

Growth of small businesses: a literature review and perspectives of studies

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

Theories developed to explain the growth of large companies are not adapted to explain the phenomenon in small companies (Davidsson et al., 2010Davidsson, P., Achtenhagen, L., & Naldi, L. (2010). Small firm growth. Foundations and Trends in Entrepreneurship, 6(2), 69-166. http://dx.doi.org/10.1561/0300000029.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1561/0300000029... ), but growth is important for the survival of small businesses (Coad et al., 2013Coad, A., Frankish, J., Roberts, R. G., & Storey, D. J. (2013). Growth paths and survival chances: an application of Gambler’s Ruin theory. Journal of Business Venturing, 28(5), 615-632. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2012.06.002.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.201... ). This theoretical article aimed to identify the understandings of the phenomenon of the growth of small companies presented in the literature and the perspectives of future studies. A literature review was conducted in 16 Journals of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, as well as in the national search portal Spell. The material was initially classified into three categories, which correspond to the definitions of growth, antecedents, and consequences. After this classification, an approach on the complexity of the phenomenon and on the perspectives of studies was presented.

Keywords:
Growth of small businesses; Research on small business growth; Entrepreneurship and growth of small businesses

Universidade Federal de São Carlos Departamento de Engenharia de Produção , Caixa Postal 676 , 13.565-905 São Carlos SP Brazil, Tel.: +55 16 3351 8471 - São Carlos - SP - Brazil
E-mail: gp@dep.ufscar.br
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