The Use of Archival Proxies in Strategic Management Studies

Archival proxies have long played a central role within strategic management research, but the degree to which archival proxies are construct valid measures of theoretical constructs remains a source of concern. In some cases, there does not appear to be a close association between an archival proxy and the construct that the proxy is meant to capture. In this brief commentary, we discuss the use of three prominent archival proxies (research and development intensity, patent counts, and patent citations) within recent articles in three leading journals. Each of these measures has been used to represent a wide variety of constructs, which creates challenges when interpreting findings. We then offer three suggestions for improving the use of archival proxies. Implementation of these suggestions would enhance knowledge development within the strategic management field.

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