Front Cover -- Entrepreneurial Growth: Individual, Firm, and Region -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- List of Contributors -- Introduction -- Chapters in This Volume -- References -- Innovation and Imitation as Entry Wedges That Lead to Firm Growth -- Introduction -- How and Why Do Firms and Industries Grow? -- Innovation or Imitation -- Stages of Industry Development -- Introduction -- Growth -- Maturity -- Decline -- Patterns of Industry Emergence -- Patterns of Industry Development and Institutional Theory -- The Value Proposition -- Evidence Supporting these Propositions -- Evidence in Support of Proposition 1 -- Evidence in Support of Proposition 2 -- Evidence Supporting Proposition 3 -- Evidence Supporting Proposition 4 -- Conclusion -- References -- A Glass Half Full? The Role of Entrepreneur Alternative Issue Interpretations on Firm Growth Intentions -- Introduction -- Theoretical Foundations - Cognition and Organizational Action -- Managerial Cognition and Organizational Outcomes -- Role of Cognition in Entrepreneurship -- Strategic Issue Interpretations and Organizational Outcomes -- Toward a Theory of Entrepreneurial Issue Interpretations -- Market Information Interpretation as Gain/Loss -- Market Information Interpretation as Opportunity/Threat -- Market Information Interpretation as Controllable/Uncontrollable -- Moderating Role of Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) -- Discussion and Future Research Directions -- Contributions to Entrepreneurial Growth Research -- Future Research Directions -- Notes -- References -- Entrepreneurial Growth as a Process: Mechanism-Based Theorizing -- Introduction -- General Theories of Firm Growth -- Venture Growth -- Determinants of Venture Growth -- Venture Growth as a Process -- Mechanisms of Venture Growth -- Structural Mechanisms -- Pivoting -- Cultivating -- Conforming.

Intra-Organizational Mechanisms -- Imprinting -- Envisioning -- Formalizing -- Aligning -- Structuring Mechanisms -- Storytelling -- Legitimizing -- Discussion -- Notes -- References -- Long-Run Drivers of Growth for UK High-Technology Firms -- Introduction -- Long-Run Growth of High-Technology Firms -- Factors Contributing to Survival and Performance -- Human Capital -- Innovation and Technology Strategy -- Product and Market Positioning -- Financing -- Data and Method -- Sample Selection and Data Collection -- Descriptive Statistics -- Methodology -- Results -- Long-Term and Annual Growth -- Drivers of high performance -- Discussion -- Human Capital -- Innovation and Technology Strategy -- Market Targeting -- Funding -- Conclusion -- Ackowledgements -- References -- Appendix A: List of Variables -- Appendix B: Summary Statistics -- Ambitious Entrepreneurship: A Review of Growth Aspirations, Intentions, and Expectations -- Introduction -- Paper Selection Process and a First Glance on the Selected Papers -- Analysis -- Conceptualization and Operationalization -- Pioneering Studies: High-Realized Performance and Innovativeness -- A New Era of Studies Focusing on High Expected Growth -- A New Era of Studies Focusing on High-Growth Aspiration -- Toward a Conclusion on Conceptualization and Operationalization -- The Antecedents and Influencers of Ambitious Entrepreneurship -- Environmental Characteristics -- Personal Characteristics -- Organizational Characteristics -- Towards a Unifying Conceptual Framework -- Conclusion and Future Research -- Notes -- Acknowledgment -- References -- Sleeping Gazelles: The Unseen Job Creators? -- Introduction -- Understanding Firm Growth -- Data and Identification of Sleeping Gazelles -- Dynamics of Sleeping Gazelles -- What Characterizes a Sleeping Gazelle? -- Results -- Summary and Conclusions -- References.

High-Growth Firms: Stylized Facts and Conflicting Results -- Introduction -- General Overview -- Policies Fostering HGFs -- Theoretical Background -- Strategic Entrepreneurship and Strategic Management -- Random-Walk Models -- Stylized Facts about HGFs -- Small Numbers of High-Growth Firms Are Job Creators -- Sectors for HGFs -- Age of HGFs -- Low Persistence of HGFs -- Controversies in the Field -- Definition of High-Growth Firms -- Indicator of Growth -- Measurement of Growth -- Period Studied -- The Modes of Growth -- HGF Definitions -- Size of HGFs -- Size and Gibrat's Law -- Innovation and Rapid Growth -- Innovation and Firm Growth -- Innovation and Growth of HGF -- Product Diversification and Its Effect on High Growth -- Acquisitions and High Growth -- Tentative Findings -- Alliances and Growth -- Internationalization or Exports -- High-Growth Firms across Countries -- Summary, Limitations and Conclusion -- Summary of Key Findings -- Limitations When Researching HGFs -- Prospects for Future Research -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Acknowledgements -- References -- The Economic Contribution of Start-Up Firms in Germany -- Introduction -- Data -- Results -- Survival -- Sales -- The Contribution of Entrepreneurs to Aggregate Sales in Germany -- Indirect Effects of Entrepreneurship -- Value Added -- Differences across Firms in Different Industries -- Limitations of This Study -- Topics for Further Research -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Acknowledgments -- References -- Looking Inside the Black Box of Growth Efforts in Declining Small Firms: The Role of Growth Factors, Planning, and Implemen... -- Introduction -- Literature Review -- Small Business and Entrepreneurial Growth -- Planning and the Established Small Firm -- Small Business Growth Factors -- Owner/Manager -- Internal Factors -- Small Business Environment -- Methodology -- Qualifying the Sample.

Data Collection and Analysis -- Descriptive and Performance Statistics -- Findings -- Formalized or Tacit Planning -- Growth Mode Selections -- Growth Plan Implementation -- Discussion -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References.