Sustainable growth research – A study on the telecom operators in China

Abstract

In recent years, the telecom industry has faced digital transformation challenges and fierce market competition. The challenges push telecom operators to grow their subscriber bases by offering lower prices and improved services and new features, which puts pressure on operators’ profitability. In addition, the rise of Internet companies gradually erodes the profit of the traditional telecom operators. Therefore, paying attention to the critical factors impacting firm sustainable growth can help operators get out of the predicament. Based on the resource-based view (RBV), this study explores the factors that influence the firm sustainable growth. Multiple regression model is applied to empirically test the hypotheses with longitudinal time-series panel data from major telecom operators in China. The study provides empirical evidence for sustainable growth research and useful insights for practitioners on the way to keep sustainable growth.