We live in a chaotic world. Some of the chaos results from poor decision-making (e.g., Enron, Arthur Andersen, WorldCom). Yet other aspects of chaos (war, terrorist attacks, etc.) are beyond a firm's control. This book demonstrates that firm growth is more dependent on how a firm develops its resource base over time. Examining actual firm growth in several industries, with a focus on trucking, the airline industry, and the North American railroad industry, Pettus shows that a specific resource sequencing leads to higher firm growth than other sequencing patterns. This sequencing pattern is similar across transportation industries, and the pattern may be applicable to other industries.Decisions that firms make with respect to how resources are developed must balance the need for growth in the current time period with the need for growth over the long term. Firms can build sustainable growth by developing resources in a specific sequence; in essence, firms have control over their growth, even when confronted with ever-changing environmental conditions.
Author(s): Michael L. Pettus
Year: 2003
Language: English
Pages: 256
Contents......Page 6
Preface......Page 8
Acknowledgments......Page 10
Introduction......Page 12
1 Firm Growth Is a Strategic Process......Page 16
2 Growth over Time Does Not Depend upon a Friendly Environment......Page 30
3 A Framework for Achieving Long-Term Domestic and International Growth......Page 50
4 Deregulation and Growth: An Inhibitor or an Accelerator?......Page 72
5 Trucking Deregulation: Why Firms Failed......Page 94
6 Trucking Deregulation: Patterns of Growth......Page 114
7 The Restructuring of the U.S. Airline Industry......Page 150
8 The Radical Transformation of the U.S. Railroad Industry......Page 188
9 The Future of the U.S. Airline Industry......Page 212
10 Patterns Generating Long-Term Growth......Page 232
A......Page 246
C......Page 247
E......Page 248
G......Page 249
L......Page 250
P......Page 251
S......Page 252
T......Page 253
W......Page 254
Z......Page 255
