The rapid growth of young firms during various stages of entrepreneurship

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development

Volumn 17, Issue 1, 2010, Pages 8-31

  Littunen, Hannu ^a   Niittykangas, Hannu ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND   (Finland)

^b UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ   (Finland)

Author keywords

Business development; Business environment; Business formation; Entrepreneurialism

Indexed keywords

EID: 77049099334     PISSN: 14626004     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1108/14626001011019107     Document Type: Article

References (112)

1. Ajzen, I. (1991), “Theory of planned behavior”, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Vol. 50, pp. 179-211.
2. Ajzen, I. and Fishbein, M. (1980), Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
3. Alcorn, P.B. (1982), “Entrepreneurship though social networks”, in Ed. Sexton, D.L. and Ed. Sailor, R.W. (Eds), The Art and Science of Entrepreneurship, Ballinger, Cambridge, MA.
4. Aldrich, H. and Baker, T. (1997), “Blinded by the cites? Has there been progress in the entrepreneurship field?”, in Ed. Sexton, D.L. and Ed. Smilor, R.W. (Eds), Entrepreneurship 2000, Upstart Publishing Co., Chicago, IL.
5. Almus, M. and Nerlinger, E.A. (1999), “Growth of new technology-based firms: which factors matter?”, Small Business Economics, Vol. 13, pp. 141-154.
6. Audretsch, D. (1991), “New firm survival and the technological regime”, Review Economics and Statistics, Vol. 73 No. 3, pp. 441-450.
7. Baldwin, J., Gray, T., Johnson, J., Proctor, J., Rafiquzzamon, M. and Sabourin, D. (1997), Failing Concerns: Business Bankruptcy in Canada, Ministry of Industry, Statistics Canada, Ottawa.
8. Barringer, B.R., Jones, F.F. and Neubaum, D.O. (2005), “A quantitative content analysis of the characteristics of rapid-growth firms and their founders”, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 20 No. 5, pp. 663-687.
9. Beaudry, C. and Swann, P. (2009), “Firm growth in industrial clusters of the United Kingdom”, Small Business Economics, Vol. 32, pp. 409-424.
10. Bennet, R.J. and Robson, P.J.A. (1999), “The use of external business advice by SMEs in Britain”, Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, Vol. 11, pp. 155-180.
11. Birley, S. (1985), “The role of networks in the entrepreneurial process”, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 1, pp. 107-117.
12. Blundel, R.K. and Hingley, M. (2001), “Exploring growth in vertical inter-firm relationships: small-medium firms supplying multiple food retailers”, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 8 No. 3, pp. 245-265.
13. Bygrave, W.D. (1994), “The entrepreneurial process”, in Ed. Bygrave, W.D. (Ed.), The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship, Wiley, New York, NY, pp. 1-25.
14. Bygrave, W.D. and Hofer, C.W. (1991), “Theorizing about entrepreneurship”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 13-22.
15. Cachon, J.C. (1990), “A longitudinal investigation of entrepreneurial teams, part one: who is involved and what makes them succeed”, in Ed. Churchill, N.C., Ed. Bygrave, W.D., Ed. Hornaday, J.A., Ed. Muzyka, D.F., Ed. Vesper, K.H. and Ed. Wetzel, W.E. Jr (Eds), Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, Babson College, Wellesley, MA, pp. 100-2.
16. Carroll, A. (1993), Business and Society, Business Ethics, and Stakeholder Management, South Western Publishing, Dallas, TX.
17. Carroll, A. (1995), “Stakeholder thinking in three models of management morality: a perspective with strategic implications”, in Ed. Näsi, J. (Ed.), Understanding Stakeholder Thinking, LSR Publications, Jyväskylä, pp. 47-74.
18. Chrisman, J.J., Bauerschmidt, A. and Hofer, C.W. (1999), “The determinants of new venture performance: an extended model”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Vol. 23 No. 1, pp. 5-30.
19. Chrisman, J.J. and Mc Mullan, W.E. (2004), “Outside assistance as a knowledge resource for new venture survival”, Journal of Small Business Management, Vol. 42 No. 3, pp. 229-244.
20. Clarysse, B. and Moray, N. (2004), “A process study of entrepreneurial team formation: the case of a research-based spin-off”, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 19 No. 1, pp. 55-79.
21. Cooney, T.M. (2005), “What is an entrepreneurial team?”, International Small Business Journal, Vol. 23 No. 3, pp. 226-235.
22. Cooper, A.C. (1993), “Challenges in predicting new firm performance”, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 8 No. 3, pp. 241-253.
23. Cooper, A.C. and Dunkelberg, W.C. (1987), “Entrepreneurial research: old questions, new answers and methodological issues”, American Journal of Small Business, Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 11-23.
24. Cooper, A.C. and Gascon, F. (1992), “Entrepreneurs, processes of founding, and new-firm performance”, in Ed. Sexton, D. and Ed. Kasarda, J. (Eds), The State of the Art of Entrepreneurship, PWS-Kent, Boston, MA, pp. 301-340.
25. Covin, J.G. and Slevin, D.P. (1997), “High growth transitions: theoretical perspectives and suggested directions”, in Ed. Sexton, D.L. and Ed. Smilor, R.W. (Eds), Entrepreneurship 2000, Upstart Publishing Co., Chicago, IL, pp. 99-126.
26. Cressy, R. (1994), “Staying with it: some fundamental determinants of business start-up longevity”, Working Paper No. 17, SME Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry.
27. Curran, J., Jarvis, R., Blackburn, R.A. and Black, S. (1993), “Networks and small firms: constructs, methodological strategies and some findings”, International Small Business Journal, Vol. 11 No. 2, pp. 13-25.
28. Dahlqvist, J. and Davidsson, P. (2000), “Business start-up reasons and firm performance”, in Ed. Reynolds, P.D. (Ed.), Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, Babson College, Wellesley, MA, pp. 46-64.
29. Das, T.K. and Teng, B.-S. (1997), “Time and entrepreneurial risk behavior”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Vol. 22 No. 2, pp. 69-88.
30. Davidsson, P. (2000), “Continued entrepreneurship: ability, need and opportunity as determinants of small firm growth”, in Ed. Westhead, P. and Ed. Wright, M. (Eds), Advances in Entrepreneurship, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, pp. 451-475.
31. Davidsson, P. and Wiklund, J. (2000), “Conceptual and empirical challenges in the study of firm growth”, in Ed. Sexton, D. and Ed. Landström, H. (Eds), Handbook of Entrepreneurship, Blackwell, Oxford.
32. Davidsson, P. and Wiklund, J. (2006), “Conceptual and empirical challenges in the study of firm growth”, in Ed. Davidsson, P., Ed. Delmar, F. and Ed. Wiklund, J. (Eds), Entrepreneurship and the Growth of Firms, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, pp. 39-61.
33. Davidsson, P., Achtenhagen, L. and Naldi, L. (2005), “Research on small firm growth: a review”, European Institute of Small Business, available at: http://eprints.qut.edu.au/2072/.
34. Deakins, D. and Freel, M. (1998), “Entrepreneurial learning and the growth process”, The Learning Organization, Vol. 5 No. 3, pp. 144-155.
35. Delmar, F. and Wiklund, J. (2008), “The effect of small business managers’ growth motivation on firm growth: a longitudinal study”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Vol. 32 No. 3, pp. 437-457.
36. Donckels, R. and Fröhlich, E. (1991), “Are family businesses really different? European experiences from STRATOS”, Family Business Review, Vol. 4 No. 2, pp. 149-160.
37. Dubini, P. and Aldrich, H. (1991), “Personal and extended networks are central to the entrepreneurial process”, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 6, pp. 305-313.
38. Dunn, B. (1996), “Family enterprises in the UK: a special sector?”, Family Business Review, Vol. 9 No. 2, pp. 139-155.
39. Evans, D.S. and Leighton, L.S. (1990), “Small business formation by unemployed and employed workers”, Small Business Economics, Vol. 2 No. 4, pp. 319-330.
40. Floren, H. and Tell, J. (2004), “The emergent prerequisites of managerial learning in small firm networks”, Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 25 No. 3, pp. 292-307.
41. Freeman, R.E. (1984), Strategic Management – A Stakeholder Approach, Pitman, Boston, MA.
42. Freeman, R.E. (1995), “Stakeholder thinking: the state of the art”, in Ed. Näsi, J. (Ed.), Stakeholder Thinking, LSR Publications, Jyväskylä, pp. 35-46.
43. Gartner, W.B. (1985), “A conceptual framework for describing new venture formation”, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 10 No. 4, pp. 696-706.
44. Gartner, W.B. (1988), “‘Who is an entrepreneur?’ is the wrong question”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Vol. 13 No. 4, pp. 47-68.
45. Gibb, A. and Ritchie, J. (1982), “Understanding the process of starting small business”, European Journal of Small Business, Vol. 1, pp. 26-45.
46. Gibb, A. and Scott, M.G. (1985), “Strategic awareness, personal commitment and the process of planning in the small business”, Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 22 No. 6, pp. 597-632.
47. Gilad, B. and Levine, P. (1986), “A behaviour model of entrepreneurial supply”, Journal of Small Business Management, Vol. 24, October, pp. 45-51.
48. Greening, D.W., Barringer, B.R. and Macy, G. (1996), “A qualitative study of managerial challenges facing small business geographic expansion”, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 11 No. 4, pp. 236-256.
49. Guerrero, M., Rialp, J. and Urbano, D. (2008), “The impact of desireability and feasibility on entrepreneurial intentions: a structural equation model”, International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Vol. 4 No. 1, pp. 35-50.
50. Hanks, S.H., Watson, C.J., Jansen, E. and Chandler, G.E. (1993), “Tightening the life-cycle construct: a taxonomic study of growth stage configurations in high-technology organizations”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Vol. 18 No. 2, pp. 5-29.
51. Hmieleski, K.M. and Baron, R.A. (2008), “When does entrepreneurial self-efficacy enhance versus reduce firm performance?”, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, Vol. 2, pp. 57-72.
52. Jennings, P. and Beaver, G. (1997), “The performance and competitive advantage of small firms: a management perspective”, International Small Business Journal, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 63-75.
53. Johannisson, B. (1990), “Building an entrepreneurial career in a mixed economy: need for social and business ties in personal networks”, paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 12-15 August.
54. Johannisson, B. (1998), “Personal networks in emerging knowledge-based firms: spatial and functional patterns”, Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, Vol. 10 No. 4, pp. 297-312.
55. Johannisson, B. (2000), “Networking and entrepreneurial growth”, in Ed. Sexton, D.L. and Ed. Landström, H. (Eds), The Blackwell Handbook of Entrepreneurship, Blackwell, Oxford, pp. 368-386.
56. Kazanjian, R.K. (1988), “Relation of dominant problems to stages of growth in technology-based new ventures”, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 31 No. 2, pp. 257-279.
57. Krueger, N.F. (1993), “The impact of prior entrepreneurial exposure on perceptions of new venture feasibility and desirability”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 5-21.
58. Krueger, N.F. and Brazeal, D.V. (1994), “Entrepreneurial potential and potential entrepreneur”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Vol. 18 No. 3, pp. 91-104.
59. Krueger, N.F. and Carsrud, A.L. (1993), “Entrepreneurial intentions: applying the theory of planned behaviour”, Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, Vol. 5, pp. 315-330.
60. Krueger, N.F., Reilly, M.D. and Carsrud, A.L. (2000), “Competing models of entrepreneurial intentions”, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 15, pp. 411-432.
61. Lechler, T. and Gemünden, H.G. (1999), “Social interaction: a determinant of entrepreneurial team venture success”, European Council for Small Business, London, November 25-26.
62. Lee, D.Y. and Tsang, E.W.K. (2001), “The effects of entrepreneurial personality, background and network activities on venture growth”, Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 38 No. 4, pp. 583-602.
63. Lefebvre, E., Bourgault, M., Prefontaine, L. and Lefebvre, L.A. (2003), “Understanding the driving forces behind the internationalisation process of fast-moving SMEs: implications for export assistance programs”, International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, Vol. 3 Nos 5 / 6, pp. 447-467.
64. Lehti, M. (1990), “The formation of the resource allocation strategy of the firm and the underlying performance related mechanism. An empirical study of the Finnish consumer goods trade”, The Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration, Helsinki.
65. Littunen, H. (1992), “The success of newly-established firms: implementation of the study and review of start-up situations”, Publications of the Centre for Economic Research No. 124, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä (in Finnish).
66. Littunen, H. (2000), “Networks and local environmental characteristics in the survival of new firms”, Small Business Economics, Vol. 15, pp. 59-71.
67. Littunen, H. (2003), “Management capabilities and environmental characteristics in the critical operational phase of entrepreneurship – a comparison of Finnish family and non-family firms”, Family Business Review, Vol. 16 No. 3, pp. 183-198.
68. Littunen, H. and Hyrsky, K. (2000), “The early entrepreneurial stage in Finnish family and non-family firms”, Family Business Review, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 41-54.
69. Littunen, H. and Tohmo, T. (2003), “The high growth in new metal-based manufacturing and business service firms in Finland”, Small Business Economics, Vol. 21, pp. 187-200.
70. Low, M.B. and Mac Millan, I.C. (1988), “Entrepreneurship: past research and future challenges”, Journal of Management, Vol. 14, pp. 139-161.
71. Macpherson, A. (2005), “Learning how to grow: resolving the crisis of knowing”, Technovation, Vol. 25, pp. 1129-40.
72. Macpherson, A. and Holt, R. (2007), “Knowledge, learning and small firm growth: a systematic review of the evidence”, Research Policy, Vol. 36 No. 2, pp. 172-192.
73. Minniti, M. and Bygrave, W. (2001), “A dynamic model of entrepreneurial learning”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Vol. 25 No. 3, pp. 5-16.
74. Mintzberg, H. (1987), “The strategy concept I: five Ps for strategy”, in Ed. Carrol, G. and Ed. Vogel, D. (Eds), Organizational Approaches to Strategy, Ballinger, Cambridge, MA, pp. 7-20.
75. Mole, K. (2000), “Gambling for growth or setting for survival: the dilemma of the small business adviser”, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 7 No. 4, pp. 305-314.
76. Moreno, A.M. and Casillas, J.C. (2008), “Entrepreneurial orientation and growth of SMEs: a causal model”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Vol. 32 No. 3, pp. 507-528.
77. Naffziger, D.W., Hornsby, J.S. and Kuratko, D.F. (1994), “A proposed research model of entrepreneurial motivation”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Vol. 18 No. 3, pp. 9-42.
78. Normann, R. (1976), Creative Management of Firms, Aldhus, Lund.
79. Ostgaard, T. and Birley, S. (1996), “New venture growth and personal networks”, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 36, pp. 37-50.
80. Pahkinen, E. and Lehtonen, R. (1989), Otanta-asetelmat ja tilastollinen analyysi (The Sampling Techniques and Statistical Analysis), Gaudeamus, Helsinki.
81. Peneder, M.R. (2008), “Firm entry and turnover: the nexus with profitability and growth”, Small Business Economics, Vol. 30, pp. 327-344.
82. Phelps, R., Adams, R. and Bessant, J. (2007), “Life cycles of growing organizations: a review with implications for knowledge and learning”, International Journal of Management Reviews, Vol. 9 No. 1, pp. 1-30.
83. Phillips, B.D. and Kirchhoff, B.A. (1989), “Formation, growth and survival: small firm dynamics in the US economy”, Small Business Economics, Vol. 1, pp. 65-74.
84. Porter, M.E. (1980), Competitive Strategy, The Free Press, New York, NY.
85. Porter, M.E. (1985), Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance, The Free Press, New York, NY.
86. Rae, D. (2004), “Practical theories from entrepreneurs stories: discursive approaches to entrepreneurial learning”, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 11 No. 2, pp. 195-202.
87. Ray, D. (1993), “Understanding the entrepreneur: entrepreneurial attributes, experience and skills”, Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, Vol. 5, pp. 345-357.
88. Reynolds, P., Storey, D. and Westhead, P. (1994), “Cross-national comparison of the variation in new firm rates”, Regional Studies, Vol. 28, pp. 443-456.
89. Reynolds, P.D. (1992), “Predicting new firm births: interactions of organizational and human populations”, in Ed. Sexton, D.L. and Ed. Kasarda, J.D. (Eds), The State of the Art of Entrepreneurship, PWS-Kent, Boston, MA, pp. 268-297.
90. Reynolds, P.D. (1995), “Who starts new firms? Linear additive versus interaction based models”, in Ed. Bygrave, W., Ed. Bird, B., Ed. Birley, S., Ed. Churchill, N., Ed. Hay, M., Ed. Keeley, R. and Ed. Wetzel, W. (Eds), Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research 1995, Proceedings of the Fifteenth Annual Entrepreneurship Research Conference, Babson College, Wellesley, MA, pp. 32-46.
91. Robson, P.J.A. and Bennett, R.J. (2000), “SME growth: the relationship with business advice and external collaboration”, Small Business Economics, Vol. 15 No. 3, pp. 193-208.
92. Sandberg, W.R. and Hofer, C.W. (1987), “Improving new venture performance: the role of strategy, industry structure, and the entrepreneur”, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 2, pp. 5-28.
93. Sapienza, H.J. and Grimm, C.M. (1997), “Founder characteristics, start-up process, and strategy/structure variables as predictors of shortline railroad performance”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Vol. 22 No. 1, pp. 5-24.
94. Schjoedt, L. and Shaver, K.G. (2004), “Does the potential for increased work and life satisfaction affect the decision to pursue an entrepreneurial career? An examination of the PSED data”, paper presented at the first Annual Clemson/Kauffman Symposium on the PSED, Clemson, SC.
95. Sexton, D.L. (1997), “Entrepreneurship research needs and issues”, in Ed. Sexton, D.L. and Ed. Smilor, R.W. (Eds), Entrepreneurship 2000, Upstart Publishing Co., Chicago, IL.
96. Shapero, A. and Sokol, L. (1982), “The social dimensions of entrepreneurship”, in Ed. Kent, C., Ed. Sexton, L. and Ed. Vesper, K. (Eds), Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurship, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, pp. 72-90.
97. Slevin, D. and Covin, J. (1997), “Time, growth, complexity and transitions: entrepreneurial directions and challenges for the future”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Vol. 21 No. 2, pp. 53-65.
98. Smallbone, D., Leigh, R. and North, D. (1995), “The characteristics and strategies of high growth SMEs”, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research, Vol. 1 No. 3, pp. 44-62.
99. Steffens, P., Davidsson, P. and Fitzsimmons, J. (2009), “Performance configurations over time: implications for growth- and profit-oriented strategies”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Vol. 33 No. 1, pp. 125-148.
100. Stinchcombe, A.L. (1965), “Social structure and organizations”, in Ed. March, J.G. (Ed.), Handbook of Organizations, Rand Mc Nally, Chicago, IL, pp. 142-193.
101. Storey, D. (1994), Understanding the Small Business Sector, Routledge, London.
102. Storey, D. and Wynarczyk, P. (1996), “The survival and non survival of micro firms in the UK”, Review of Industrial Organization, Vol. 11, pp. 211-229.
103. Sweeney, G.P. (1987), Innovation, Entrepreneurs and Regional Development, St Martin's Press, New York, NY.
104. Tervo, H. and Niittykangas, H. (1994), “Development in the growth, location and turbulence of business services in Finland”, Papers in Regional Science, Vol. 73 No. 1, pp. 73-95.
105. Ucbasaran, D., Westhead, P. and Wright, M. (2006), Habitual Entrepreneurs, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham.
106. Vesper, K. (1990), New Venture Strategies, revised edition, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
107. Vesper, K. (1992), “New-venture ideas: do not overlook the experience factor”, in Ed. Sahlman, W. and Ed. Stevenson, H. (Eds), The Entrepreneurial Venture, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA, pp. 73-80.
108. Vyakarnam, S., Jacobs, R. and Handelberg, J. (1998), “Exploring the formation of entrepreneurial teams: the key to rapid growth business?”, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 6 No. 2, pp. 153-165.
109. Westlund, H. and Bolton, R. (2003), “Local social capital and entrepreneurship”, Small Business Economics, Vol. 21, pp. 77-113.
110. Wiklund, J. and Shepherd, D.A. (2005), “Entrepreneurial orientation and small business performance: a configurational approach”, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 20 No. 1, pp. 71-91.
111. Wiklund, J., Patzelt, H. and Shepherd, D.A. (2009), “Building an integrative model of small business growth”, Small Business Economics, Vol. 32, pp. 351-374.
112. Zhang, Y., Yang, X. and Ma, F. (2008), “A quantitative analysis of the characteristics of rapid-growth firms and their entrepreneurs in China”, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 15 No. 4, pp. 675-688.