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Untangling the relationships among growth, profitability and survival in new firms

Delmar, Frédéric LU ; McKelvie, Alexander and Wennberg, Karl (2013) In Technovation; The International Journal of Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Technology Management 33(8-9). p.276-291
Abstract
The performance of new firms is important for economic development but research has produced limited knowledge about the key relationships among growth, profitability, and survival for new firms. Based on evolutionary theory, we develop a model about how new firms resolve uncertainty about their ability to prosper in a market by monitoring changes in profitability. Our model predicts selection pressures to weed out underperforming firms and learning in order to allow survivors to improve performance and grow. We test our theory using a unique panel of knowledge-intensive new firms in Sweden. We find strong support for the notion that profitability enhances both survival and growth, and growth helps profitability but has a negative effect... (More)
The performance of new firms is important for economic development but research has produced limited knowledge about the key relationships among growth, profitability, and survival for new firms. Based on evolutionary theory, we develop a model about how new firms resolve uncertainty about their ability to prosper in a market by monitoring changes in profitability. Our model predicts selection pressures to weed out underperforming firms and learning in order to allow survivors to improve performance and grow. We test our theory using a unique panel of knowledge-intensive new firms in Sweden. We find strong support for the notion that profitability enhances both survival and growth, and growth helps profitability but has a negative effect on survival. Implications are discussed. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Growth, New firms, Survival, Firm evolution, Kirchoff
in
Technovation; The International Journal of Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Technology Management
volume
33
issue
8-9
pages
276 - 291
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000324965800005
  • scopus:84883782334
ISSN
0166-4972
DOI
10.1016/j.technovation.2013.02.003
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
329bf4a9-26db-4484-90de-bd347ebcae66 (old id 4172420)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:07:31
date last changed
2022-04-20 17:11:38
@article{329bf4a9-26db-4484-90de-bd347ebcae66,
  abstract     = {{The performance of new firms is important for economic development but research has produced limited knowledge about the key relationships among growth, profitability, and survival for new firms. Based on evolutionary theory, we develop a model about how new firms resolve uncertainty about their ability to prosper in a market by monitoring changes in profitability. Our model predicts selection pressures to weed out underperforming firms and learning in order to allow survivors to improve performance and grow. We test our theory using a unique panel of knowledge-intensive new firms in Sweden. We find strong support for the notion that profitability enhances both survival and growth, and growth helps profitability but has a negative effect on survival. Implications are discussed. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.}},
  author       = {{Delmar, Frédéric and McKelvie, Alexander and Wennberg, Karl}},
  issn         = {{0166-4972}},
  keywords     = {{Growth; New firms; Survival; Firm evolution; Kirchoff}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{8-9}},
  pages        = {{276--291}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Technovation; The International Journal of Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Technology Management}},
  title        = {{Untangling the relationships among growth, profitability and survival in new firms}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2013.02.003}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.technovation.2013.02.003}},
  volume       = {{33}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}