Explore the vast range of titles available.

Many stages of growth models have been introduced to clarify management priorities during the early stages of business growth. However, many of these models are conceptual and universal, providing only limited benefits to specific industries and business contexts. The early stages of technology-based ventures have attracted broad interest, while less attention has been paid to the early stages of service-based firms. However, in recent years, interest in service-based businesses, as well as servitisation, has grown. This literature-based study explores and compares the early stages of growth in service-based and technology-based firms. On one hand, this study condenses the basic characteristics of recent empirical studies on the early stages of technology- and service-based firms. On the other, this study clarifies the central themes, sequential patterns and central differences in the early stages of service- and technology-based firms. This study pinpoints the importance of contextual understanding related to the early stages of business growth and encourages the scholars towards bridging the contextual gaps of this stream of literature.

Purpose – Increasing competition in global markets requires many countries to seek new growth sectors. In addition, the nature of competition is changing. This paper applies the business ecosystem concept and studies San Diego as a spatial health and life sciences ecosystem. The purpose of this paper is to identify issues that should be considered in design of innovation policies and regional industry development. Design/methodology/approach – The research approach is built on a literature review of business ecosystems and spatial innovation. The empirical study is based on semi-structured interviews, observations, and information gathering and verification during field research. Findings – The results include a description of the ecosystem structure and dynamics. This paper demonstrates the bottom-up nature of San Diego’s health and life sciences ecosystem without a dominant lead actor, and presents prerequisites for fostering spatial ecosystems. Research limitations/implications – A single case may not be able to offer a generalized picture of this topic. However, the study raises several considerations for researchers and decision-makers involved in innovation policy design. Future work should extend the study and involve other spatial and substance contexts to compare findings and to pursue a more generic picture of innovation ecosystems and networks. Originality/value – This paper demonstrates that applying the concept of business ecosystems to the spatial context provides new insights in terms of dynamic mechanisms and factors contributing to economic growth in a particular location. Understanding how to facilitate the creation of successful spatial ecosystems is in the focal point of innovation policies.

Numerous universal models and frameworks have attempted to clarify management priorities during the early stages of business growth. However, a need for focused and context-specific analysis exists. This study seeks to clarify the early development of digital health care service firms in Southern California. To summarise the research problem, the authors ask these questions: How do the experiences of managers in digital health care service start-ups relate to the stage framework assumptions in Californian contexts? What context-specific viewpoints should be considered when using stage frameworks in the Californian context? In this explorative multiple case study, we devise and test a four-stage framework describing the early stages of digital health care service firms, through five case studies. The study utilises the sequential incident technique (SIT) and semi-structured interviews in data collection. The applicability of the framework will be clarified in this study; moreover, an analysis of context-specific viewpoints will be provided. It is necessary to recognise these viewpoints when applying this framework to Southern California. The research focus of this study is limited to the context studied, which limits the applicability of the explorative and descriptive results to other contexts. The results of the study may be used effectively in intermediary organisations and companies as a framework for predicting the managerial challenges and opportunities in the early stages of digital health care service firms. These context-specific viewpoints and their effect on the early stages of companies have not been broadly studied. Thus, this study provides new insights into growth management in the studied context.

Numerous stage models have attempted to clarify management priorities during the early stages of companies. However, a need for more focused and context-specific studies exists. Context-specific viewpoints and their effect on the early stages of companies have not been widely studied. This study takes context into account and provides new insights into the early growth and management issues of technology-intensive start-ups in the studied contexts. This study explores the early stages of technology-intensive start-ups from conception and development to the edge of commercialisation in Californian and Finnish contexts. To summarise the research questions, the authors ask: How do the experiences of managers in early-stage technology-intensive start-ups relate to assumptions of stage of growth literature? What viewpoints should be considered when using stage framework in Californian and Finnish contexts? To answer these questions, this study devises a framework describing early stages of technology-intensive firms and reflects it through 19 case studies in the two contexts. This is a retrospective multiple case study. Sequential incident technique (SIT) and semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. The first stage of the framework was found to be applicable in both contexts. Moreover, an analysis of context-specific viewpoints was provided. These viewpoints were deeply rooted in the characteristics of the Finnish and Californian business ecosystem. It is necessary to recognise the context when using the stages of growth frame in different contexts. The research focus of this study is limited by the context studied, the 19 cases and it is focused on the conception and development stage of business development.