ABSTRACT
The first problem was to decide how to select firms whose managers are likely to have adopted attitudes and practices that are conducive to growth, that is firms that are likely to be 'growth-orientated'. It was decided to select firms instead by consulting experts on certain industries in order to find out if there was a consensus of opinion as to which firms had the best prospects. In conversation with the experts on each of the six industries it became clear that certain firms enjoyed the reputation of being 'ahead' of others and it was these which formed the first list. The attempt to compile the second list met with less success. While reputations for backwardness certainly existed, it was found that those consulted were rarely willing to disclose the names of such firms. The research data on each firm consisted of the transcription of its executives' and shop-floor representative's replies to the questions asked.
