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Strategies for Firm Growth

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The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Strategic Management

Abstract

Strategies for firm growth vary in terms of their degrees of novelty, uncertainty and synergy. Modes of firm growth include replication (growth by ‘more of the same’), diversification and internationalization. Growth strategies can be implemented using organic growth or through acquisitions. Desire to grow is a necessary but insufficient condition for growth – what also counts is the availability of growth opportunities. Empirical work has shown that growth is largely random – and hence hard to predict. Sustained growth is rare. Firms cannot always translate their ambitions into growth, but should pay attention to critical ‘decision points’.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Sussex, Department of Business and Management, Brighton, UK

    Alex Coad

Authors
  1. Alex Coad
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alex Coad .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. GSBPP, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, USA

    Mie Augier

  2. Berkeley Research Group, LLC, Emeryville, CA, USA

    David J. Teece

  3. Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA

    David J. Teece

Copyright information

© 2018 Macmillan Publishers Ltd., part of Springer Nature

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Coad, A. (2018). Strategies for Firm Growth. In: Augier, M., Teece, D.J. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Strategic Management. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-00772-8_399

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