Assumptions and units of the research

Research question

What is the linkage between environment, growth strategy and stakeholder satisfaction with business succession?

Type of the research

Quantitative variance study.

Assumptions behind the conceptual model

1. Companies operate to satisfy all of their stakeholders. Stakeholders pursue quantitative and qualitative, rational and irrational, explicit and implicit goals. Given such a broad range of interests, stakeholder satisfaction is an ultimate measure for all processes and results that companies perform and achieve.

2. All types of resources are scarce, including knowledge and skills. Therefore, they are distributed among companies unevenly, what results in differences of foresight and implementation capabilities which companies possess.

Table 1. The variables and units of the conceptual model

Variables	Name	Units of analysis[1]	Units of observation[2]
V1	Environment	Environments	Macro- and micro-factors
V2	Growth strategy	Companies	Companies
V3	Business succession pattern	Companies	Companies
V4	Stakeholder satisfaction	Stakeholder groups	Individual stakeholders

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[1] Units of analysis are those about whom conclusions are drawn.

[2] Units of observation are those at whose level data are collected.