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Assessment and redirection of longitudinal analysis demonstration with a study of the diversification and divestiture relationship
Author(s) -
Bergh Donald D.,
Holbein Gordon F.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
strategic management journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 11.035
H-Index - 286
eISSN - 1097-0266
pISSN - 0143-2095
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0266(199708)18:7<557::aid-smj911>3.0.co;2-6
Subject(s) - divestment , diversification (marketing strategy) , longitudinal study , strategic management , empirical research , longitudinal data , economics , management , business , marketing , industrial organization , sociology , statistics , mathematics , finance , demography
The authors review the application of longitudinal analysis in strategic management research and show that how such analysis is conducted has implications for empirical results and theory development. A content analysis of 203 longitudinal strategic management studies reveals that most researchers have not (1) tested and controlled for violations in the data assumptions underlying longitudinal analysis or (2) tested the stability and form of the empirical relationships over time. Implications of these findings are demonstrated with analyses of the diversification and divestiture relationships of 180 Fortune 500 companies over the period 1985–88. The results show that empirical results, theoretical development, and practical applications can vary on the basis of how longitudinal analysis is performed. Suggestions for the use of longitudinal analysis in strategic management research are offered. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.