This article utilizes an empirical study of 145 new venture start-ups to explore a model of growth momentum as measured by sales. Of primary interest are the relationships among pre-startup activities, intended and actual business expansion activities, and early stage performance. Results indicated that the sales level achieved in the second year had a positive correlation with (i) the breadth of pre-startup activities, and (ii) the range of expansion activities. Business performance had a negative correlation with the firm's relative dependence on the technical skills of the owner-manager. In addition, the study revealed a consistent gap between owner-managers' expansion intentions and actual expansion. Vol 21(3): 315-330 is b j ventures. The study uses repeated measures rather than cross-sectional data to investigate the initial stages of small business development (Krueger et al.

Implementing continuous quality improvement (CQI) in acute care general hospitals was investigated as an occurrence of a paradigm shift and organisational learning. Presented within a contextual framework, two case studies are reported, and are complemented by a survey of hospitals operating in Ontario, Canada. The findings support a top-down approach where the CEO exhibits transformational leadership and aligns the organisation's strategy, structure, and culture to CQI. The conflicting stakeholder goals of quality of care and cost savings are harmonized. Organisational members undergo both a cognitive and behavioural adjustment centred on teamwork, facilitated by training and education. Teamwork and involvement of physicians remain long-term challenges.

This paper examines 2 years of data from GEM Canada in order to develop new insights into the factors that contribute to the performance outcomes of female enterprises and how these factors are affected by the firm's stage of development. The analysis encompasses both personal and organizational characteristics and assesses their association with selected performance measures at the early stage as well as at the established phase of development. The findings indicate that the greater propensity of men to pursue business growth and earnings can be attributed to marital status (live with a partner) and the expected depth of the ownership team. Moreover, the performance outcomes for male entrepreneurs are influenced by a relatively wide range of variables, with business demographics being more prominent than for the female enterprises. For both genders, the mix of relevant underlying factors varies as the venture progresses along the 'nascent-newestablished' continuum.

This article reports on the results of an empirical study into the nature and role of business planning within the new venture. In order to explore the benefits of business planning and compare the experiences of surviving versus failed businesses, the researchers analyzed 327 micro-enterprises that had been launched during the 1997-1999 period. There was no direct association between early stage planning and survival/failure during the company's first three years. While the learning and efficiency benefits of the business plan were quite high, these benefits were not found to be directly associated with survival or failure.The business plan's impact, both in terms of helping the entrepreneur learn more about managing his/her business and enabling him/her to organize the business more efficiently was significantly higher when the plan (i) incorporated a market research component or (ii) had been prepared with the intent of being used to guide decision-making.SOMMAIRE. Cet article présente les conclusions d'une étude empirique sur la nature et le rôle de la planification des affaires au sein d'une nouvelle opération. Afin d'explorer les avantages de la planification des affaires et de comparer les expériences des entreprises qui survivent avec celles des autres, les chercheurs ont analysé 327 micro-entreprises lancées pendant la période 1997-1999. Il n'existait pas de lien direct entre la planification précoce et la survie ou l'échec au cours des trois premières années d'une compagnie. Tandis que les avantages de la planification étaient appréciables du point de vue de l'apprentissage et de l'efficacité, ils n'étaient apparemment pas en relation directe avec la survie ou l'échec.Pour ce qui est d'aider l'entrepreneur à apprendre à gérer son entreprise et de lui permettre de l'organiser de façon plus efficace, l'impact du plan d'affaires était d'autant plus important que celui-ci (i) incorporait une étude de marché, ou (ii) avait été préparé avec l'intention de guider la prise de décisions.

of student perceptions, collected at the end of the course, revealed both positive and negative reactions to various aspects of the team-building exercise. Based on these reactions, the authors discuss needed improvements in the assignment. They conclude by considering how their experience with the team-building exercise contributes to ongoing discussions about teamwork in management education and team building for virtual teams.