Business strategy and firm performance: the British corporate economy, 1949-1984

V. Antcliff; D. Higgins; S. Toms; J.F. Wilson

Business strategy and firm performance: the British corporate economy, 1949-1984

V. Antcliff, D. Higgins, S. Toms, J.F. Wilson

The York Management School

Research output: Working paper

Abstract

There has been considerable and ongoing debate about the performance of the British economy since 1945. Empirical studies have concentrated on aggregate or industry level indicators. Few have examined individual firms’ financial performance. This study takes a sample of c.3000 firms in 19 industries and identifies Britain’s best performing companies over a period of 35 years. Successful companies are defined as a) those that survive as independent entities, b) that outperform peer group average return to capital for that industry, and c) that outperform other firms in the economy according to return on capital relative to industry average. Results are presented as league tables of success and some tentative explanations offered concerning the common strategies of successful firms. A broader research agenda for British business history is suggested.

Original language	English
Publisher	Department of Management Studies, University of York
Publication status	Published - 2007

Access to Document

antcliffv1pdf.pdf

http://www.york.ac.uk/management/research/working-paper/

Cite this

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AB - There has been considerable and ongoing debate about the performance of the British economy since 1945. Empirical studies have concentrated on aggregate or industry level indicators. Few have examined individual firms’ financial performance. This study takes a sample of c.3000 firms in 19 industries and identifies Britain’s best performing companies over a period of 35 years. Successful companies are defined as a) those that survive as independent entities, b) that outperform peer group average return to capital for that industry, and c) that outperform other firms in the economy according to return on capital relative to industry average. Results are presented as league tables of success and some tentative explanations offered concerning the common strategies of successful firms. A broader research agenda for British business history is suggested.

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