Title: The impact of managers' attitudes on SMEs' growth in northern Sweden

Authors: Anders Isaksson; Vladimir Vanyushyn; Peter Hultén

Addresses: Umeå School of Business, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden ' Umeå School of Business, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden ' Umeå School of Business, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden

Abstract: This paper examines the impact of managers' attitudes to growth on the realised growth in a sample of 1,416 small firms in northern Sweden. The findings demonstrate a positive relationship between the managers' attitudes and the actual growth outcomes. Zero-growth firms turned out different from both positive- and negative- growth firms with regard to managers' attitude towards growth as a competitive necessity. The owners of zero-growth firms perceived their firms as a primary source of income and employment. Our findings, therefore, provide indications of how attitudes affect outcomes among SMES that aspire to grow.

Keywords: company growth; Sweden; managers; managerial attitudes; realised growth; actual growth; growth outcomes; zero-growth firms; positive-growth firms; negative-growth firms; competitive necessities; income sources; employment sources; Vasterbotten; Norrland; small and medium-sized enterprises; SMEs; entrepreneurs; entrepreneurship.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2013.052518

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2013 Vol.18 No.3, pp.298 - 312

Published online: 30 Sep 2013 *

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