The paper reports on part of the findings from a Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) research project that looked to analyse the strategic, design and accounting processes in medium-sized enterprises. A mail survey questionnaire was used to gather information on new product development drivers and strategic factors. The findings reported in this paper cover the factors responsible for current performance, the growth strategies concentrated on in the past, the key strategic product and market activities and the drivers of new product and service development. It concludes with a synopsis of the findings and a discussion on the implications for managers.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
3i, (1993), Super-League Companies - The Best of an Overlooked Sector, 3i.
2.
Aldersley-WilliamsH. (1996), ‘Measurement Turns a Profit’, Financial Times.
3.
CliffordD. K. and CavanaghR. E. (1985), The Winning Performance - How America's High-growth Midsize Companies Succeed, London: Sidgewick and Jackson.
4.
Coopers & Lybrand (1995), Made in the UK Hypergrowth Companies, Coopers & Lybrand
FairheadJ. (1988), Design for Corporate Culture, London: NEDC.
7.
Hemmington Scott (2000), CD-ROM Really Essential Financial Statistics, Hemmington Scott plc.
8.
MondianoP. and Ni-chionnaO. (1986), ‘Breaking Into The Big Time’, Management Today, November, pp. 82-84.
9.
Open University/UMIST Research Team (1991), Profits by Design, A summary of the findings of an investigation into the commercial returns of investing in design, HMSO: Prepared for the Department of Trade and Industry by the Design Council.
10.
PageA. S. and JonesR. C. (1989), ‘Business Growth – How to Achieve and Sustain It’, Leadership and Organisation Development Journal, Vol. 10, No. 2. pp. 1-55.
11.
TaylorB. (1997), ‘Secrets of the ‘Supergrowth' League’, Financial Times Enterprise, January, pp. 6-7.
12.
TaylorB.GilinskiyA.HilmiA.HahnD. and GrabU. (1990), ‘Strategy and Leadership in Growth Companies’, Long Range Planning, Vol. 23, No. 3, pp. 66-75.
13.
The Enterprise Initiative (1990), Competitive Manufacturing – A Practical Approach to the Development of a Manufacturing Strategy, Bedford, UK: Department of Trade and Industry, IFS Publications Ltd.
14.
TongeR.LarsenP. C. and ItoM. (1998), ‘Strategic Leadership in Super Growth Companies – A Reappraisal’, Long Range Planning, Vol. 31, No. 6, pp. 835-844.
