RAJESWARARAO CHAGANTI is Chairperson of the Department of General and Strategic Management at the Temple University School of Business and Management. He has written extensively on small company management, entrepreneurship, top management characteristics, corporate boards of directors, and social issues in management, publishing articles in the Strategic Management Journal, the Journal of Management Studies, and the Journal of Small Business Management, among others.RADHA CHAGANTI is Associate Professor of Business Policy and Environmental Analysis, School of Business Administration, Rider College, Lawrenceville, New Jersey. She has extensive experience in the administration of a small business development center. Her research has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, among other journals.STEWART MALONE is Assistant Professor of Management at the McIntire School of Commerce, University of Virginia. Prior to joining the University, Dr. Malone served sixteen years as president of his family business with over $2 million in sales. His research has been published in the Journal of Business Venturing and the Journal of Small Business Management.

• Preface Introduction The Strategic Profile of Profitable Small Companies Profitable Strategies and Competition Profitable Strategies in High-Growth, Mature, and Declining Industries Profitable Strategies in a Cyclical Environment Profiles of Start-Up, Buy-Out, and Family Firms Organizational Life Stage and the Small Business The Family Firm Women-Owned Enterprises Conclusion Appendix 1: The Research Study Appendix 2: Sample Questionnaire Index

RAJESWARARAO CHAGANTI is Chairperson of the Department of General and Strategic Management at the Temple University School of Business and Management. He has written extensively on small company management, entrepreneurship, top management characteristics, corporate boards of directors, and social issues in management, publishing articles in the Strategic Management Journal, the Journal of Management Studies, and the Journal of Small Business Management, among others.RADHA CHAGANTI is Associate Professor of Business Policy and Environmental Analysis, School of Business Administration, Rider College, Lawrenceville, New Jersey. She has extensive experience in the administration of a small business development center. Her research has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, among other journals.STEWART MALONE is Assistant Professor of Management at the McIntire School of Commerce, University of Virginia. Prior to joining the University, Dr. Malone served sixteen years as president of his family business with over $2 million in sales. His research has been published in the Journal of Business Venturing and the Journal of Small Business Management.

• Preface Introduction The Strategic Profile of Profitable Small Companies Profitable Strategies and Competition Profitable Strategies in High-Growth, Mature, and Declining Industries Profitable Strategies in a Cyclical Environment Profiles of Start-Up, Buy-Out, and Family Firms Organizational Life Stage and the Small Business The Family Firm Women-Owned Enterprises Conclusion Appendix 1: The Research Study Appendix 2: Sample Questionnaire Index

RAJESWARARAO CHAGANTI is Chairperson of the Department of General and Strategic Management at the Temple University School of Business and Management. He has written extensively on small company management, entrepreneurship, top management characteristics, corporate boards of directors, and social issues in management, publishing articles in the Strategic Management Journal, the Journal of Management Studies, and the Journal of Small Business Management, among others.RADHA CHAGANTI is Associate Professor of Business Policy and Environmental Analysis, School of Business Administration, Rider College, Lawrenceville, New Jersey. She has extensive experience in the administration of a small business development center. Her research has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, among other journals.STEWART MALONE is Assistant Professor of Management at the McIntire School of Commerce, University of Virginia. Prior to joining the University, Dr. Malone served sixteen years as president of his family business with over $2 million in sales. His research has been published in the Journal of Business Venturing and the Journal of Small Business Management.

• Preface Introduction The Strategic Profile of Profitable Small Companies Profitable Strategies and Competition Profitable Strategies in High-Growth, Mature, and Declining Industries Profitable Strategies in a Cyclical Environment Profiles of Start-Up, Buy-Out, and Family Firms Organizational Life Stage and the Small Business The Family Firm Women-Owned Enterprises Conclusion Appendix 1: The Research Study Appendix 2: Sample Questionnaire Index