Growth and the small firm: using causal mapping to assess the decision‐making process ‐ a case study

Examines the issue of growth within the small firm and considers the main influences that impinge on the evolution of the enterprise. An interpretative methodological technique, causal mapping, is examined, evaluated and used to analyse the decision‐making processes made by the owner‐manager of a small Irish‐owned electronics firm. This method allows the researcher to trace the positive and negative consequences of the decisions on the subsequent growth and development of the company. The role which business and marketing planning plays in such a process is a recurring theme which is given close scrutiny throughout this paper.