“Comprehensive Strategic Approach (CSA)”: The Evolution From Construct to an Emerging Theoretical Framework

In 2018, Williams Jr, Manley, Aaron, and Daniel’s research found that strategic planning, goal setting, and financial analysis, together, formed a higher-order construct that we labeled comprehensive strategic approach (CSA). Also, they found that when small business leaders apply CSA, firm performance is enhanced. Numerous researchers have referenced this work. However, is CSA a valid concept? To address that question, we apply conceptual replication (where approaches are changed to provide more evidence) to re-test CSA. Our conceptual replication indicates, consistent with the original study, that strategic planning, goal setting, and financial analysis form CSA, and that CSA has a positive relationship with small business performance. Additionally, based on the many citations of the original article, this replication utilizing improved measures, and the robustness of the results in a dynamic industry both before and after COVID-19, we argue that CSA is a new theoretical framework that is useful for small business practitioners and researchers alike.