Abstract
The label entrepreneur is often used for the founder of a firm. Do owner-managers of small firms then remain entrepreneurial? Do they actually innovate, expand, and start additional ventures? While there are clear signs that small firms are of increasing importance to the economy, several studies suggest that the willingness among small firm managers to pursue goals for growth and development is limited. At the same time, some of them certainly continue to behave entrepreneurially. This empirical study focuses on explanations of continued entrepreneurship – and its absence – in small firms. Some of the issues addressed are: Which characteristics of the manager, the firm, the industry, and the environment promote, and which restrain small firm growth? Is it possible to delineate groups of more and less entrepreneurial small firms? Does the high-tech category represent a new and more entrepreneurial type of small firm? More than 400 managers of small firms were interviewed for this dissertation. Data on structural factors were collected from external sources. While using micro-level data, the study aims at building knowledge that is useful at the macro-level.