A class of productive processes in the theory of the growth of the firm of Edith T. Penrose

The relations between the Theory of production and the Theory of the firm growth of Edith T. Penrose have not been explicitly and fully investigated. This article aims at contributing to fill this gap concentrating on the change of the technological base. The technological base is a specific area of activity supported by specialized competences. The objective is to highlight the nature of the processes managed by the firm during the growth which consume resources services and are strictly necessary to the growth. The class of the production process includes all the processes that transform inputs yielding an output. More classes can be identified more characteristics. This article contends that some analytical elements can be recognized in the Theory of the firm growth which lead to the identification of specific production processes. These production processes are finalized and coordinated to set the new technological base of the firm as growth-oriented productive processes. These growth-oriented production processes yield tangible and intangible artefacts necessary for the growth of the firm which, in turn, is influenced by the capacity of properly carry out and coordinate these processes. An example concerning digitalization process in livestock is provided to illustrates possibilities of empirical studies.