IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/sbusec/v51y2018i3d10.1007_s11187-017-9963-6.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

To survive or succeed? An analysis of biotechnology firms

Author

Listed:
  • Kalle Pajunen

    (University of Jyväskylä)

  • Joonas Järvinen

    (University of Jyväskylä)

Abstract

In this paper, we address the question whether there exists differences in the determinants that support survival versus success of small and medium-sized high-tech firms. We examine this question in the context of Finnish biotechnology industry by analyzing the survival of all dedicated biotechnology firms in the period of 1978–2008. We argue and show that the success and survival of firms are not necessarily driven by similar determinants. Specifically, we find that while the role of different types of alliances, focused market scope as well as legitimacy of the industry seem to be important both in ensuring survival and enhancing successful performance, determinants related to sources of financing, clustering, and patenting show differences in terms of how they relate on survival and success.

Suggested Citation

  • Kalle Pajunen & Joonas Järvinen, 2018. "To survive or succeed? An analysis of biotechnology firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 51(3), pages 757-771, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:sbusec:v:51:y:2018:i:3:d:10.1007_s11187-017-9963-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s11187-017-9963-6
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11187-017-9963-6
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11187-017-9963-6?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zahra, Shaker A., 1996. "Technology strategy and new venture performance: A study of corporate-sponsored and independent biotechnology ventures," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 11(4), pages 289-321, July.
    2. Tristan Boyer & Régis Blazy, 2014. "Born to be alive? The survival of innovative and non-innovative French micro-start-ups," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 42(4), pages 669-683, April.
    3. Belussi, Fiorenza & Sammarra, Alessia & Sedita, Silvia Rita, 2010. "Learning at the boundaries in an "Open Regional Innovation System": A focus on firms' innovation strategies in the Emilia Romagna life science industry," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 710-721, July.
    4. Rodolphe Durand & Robert M. Grant & Tammy L. Madsen & Rodolphe Durand & Robert M. Grant & Tammy L. Madsen, 2017. "The expanding domain of strategic management research and the quest for integration," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(1), pages 4-16, January.
    5. Brian Mccann & Timothy Folta, 2011. "Performance differentials within geographic clusters," Post-Print hal-02312592, HAL.
    6. Niosi, Jorge & Bas, Tomas G, 2001. "The Competencies of Regions--Canada's Clusters in Biotechnology," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 17(1-2), pages 31-42, Aug.-Sept.
    7. Lazonick, William & Tulum, Öner, 2011. "US biopharmaceutical finance and the sustainability of the biotech business model," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(9), pages 1170-1187.
    8. David Audretsch & Patrick Houweling & A. Thurik, 2000. "Firm Survival in the Netherlands," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 16(1), pages 1-11, February.
    9. Joel A. C. Baum & Tony Calabrese & Brian S. Silverman, 2000. "Don't go it alone: alliance network composition and startups' performance in Canadian biotechnology," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(3), pages 267-294, March.
    10. Hanas Cader & John Leatherman, 2011. "Small business survival and sample selection bias," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 37(2), pages 155-165, September.
    11. Mangematin, Vincent & Lemarie, Stephane & Boissin, Jean-Pierre & Catherine, David & Corolleur, Frederic & Coronini, Roger & Trommetter, Michel, 2003. "Development of SMEs and heterogeneity of trajectories: the case of biotechnology in France," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 621-638, April.
    12. P. A. Geroski & José Mata & Pedro Portugal, 2010. "Founding conditions and the survival of new firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5), pages 510-529, May.
    13. Ernst, Holger, 2001. "Patent applications and subsequent changes of performance: evidence from time-series cross-section analyses on the firm level," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 143-157, January.
    14. Steven Klepper, 2002. "Firm Survival and the Evolution of Oligopoly," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 33(1), pages 37-61, Spring.
    15. Elena Cefis & Orietta Marsili, 2005. "A matter of life and death: innovation and firm survival," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 14(6), pages 1167-1192, December.
    16. Deeds, David L. & Hill, Charles W. L., 1996. "Strategic alliances and the rate of new product development: An empirical study of entrepreneurial biotechnology firms," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 11(1), pages 41-55, January.
    17. Rodolphe Durand & Olga Bruyaka & Vincent Mangematin, 2008. "Do science and money go together? The case of the French biotech industry," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(12), pages 1281-1299, December.
    18. Donna Marie DeCarolis & David L. Deeds, 1999. "The impact of stocks and flows of organizational knowledge on firm performance: an empirical investigation of the biotechnology industry," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(10), pages 953-968, October.
    19. Deeds, David L. & Decarolis, Dona & Coombs, Joseph E., 1997. "The impact of firmspecific capabilities on the amount of capital raised in an initial public offering: Evidence from the biotechnology industry," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 31-46, January.
    20. Gilding, Michael, 2008. "'The tyranny of distance': Biotechnology networks and clusters in the antipodes," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(6-7), pages 1132-1144, July.
    21. Fernando F. Suárez & James M. Utterback, 1995. "Dominant designs and the survival of firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(6), pages 415-430.
    22. Rodolphe Durand & Olga Bruyaka & Vincent Mangematin, 2008. "Do Science and Money Go Together? The Case of the French Biotech Industry," Grenoble Ecole de Management (Post-Print) hal-00422650, HAL.
    23. Hoyssa, Maria & Bruun, Henrik & Hukkinen, Janne, 2004. "The co-evolution of social and physical infrastructure for biotechnology innovation in Turku, Finland," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 769-785, July.
    24. Folta, Timothy B. & Cooper, Arnold C. & Baik, Yoon-suk, 2006. "Geographic cluster size and firm performance," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 217-242, March.
    25. Niosi, Jorge, 2003. "Alliances are not enough explaining rapid growth in biotechnology firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 737-750, May.
    26. Shamim Ahmed & Brian Cozzarin, 2009. "Start-up funding sources and biotechnology firm growth," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(13), pages 1341-1345.
    27. C. Chet Miller & Nathan T. Washburn & William H. Glick, 2013. "PERSPECTIVE—The Myth of Firm Performance," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(3), pages 948-964, June.
    28. Harald Strotmann, 2007. "Entrepreneurial Survival," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 28(1), pages 87-104, January.
    29. McCann, Brian T. & Folta, Timothy B., 2011. "Performance differentials within geographic clusters," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 104-123, January.
    30. Toby E. Stuart, 2000. "Interorganizational alliances and the performance of firms: a study of growth and innovation rates in a high‐technology industry," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(8), pages 791-811, August.
    31. Alexandra Tsvetkova & Jean-Claude Thill & Deborah Strumsky, 2014. "Metropolitan innovation, firm size, and business survival in a high-tech industry," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 43(3), pages 661-676, October.
    32. Elaine Romanelli & Olga M. Khessina, 2005. "Regional Industrial Identity: Cluster Configurations and Economic Development," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 16(4), pages 344-358, August.
    33. Vincent Mangematin & Stéphane Lemarié & Jean-Pierre Boissin & David Catherine & Frédéric Corolleur & Roger Coronini & Michel Trommetter, 2003. "Development of SMEs and heterogeneity of trajectories: the case of biotechnology in France," Post-Print hal-00422563, HAL.
    34. Rodolphe Durand & Olga Bruyaka & Vincent Mangematin, 2008. "Do Science and Money Go Together? The Case of the French Biotech Industry," Post-Print hal-00422650, HAL.
    35. Hyytinen, Ari & Pajarinen, Mika & Rouvinen, Petri, 2015. "Does innovativeness reduce startup survival rates?," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 564-581.
    36. Audretsch, David B & Mahmood, Talat, 1995. "New Firm Survival: New Results Using a Hazard Function," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 77(1), pages 97-103, February.
    37. Rothaermel, Frank T. & Deeds, David L., 2006. "Alliance type, alliance experience and alliance management capability in high-technology ventures," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 429-460, July.
    38. Cooper, Arnold C., 1993. "Challenges in predicting new firm performance," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 8(3), pages 241-253, May.
    39. Baum, Joel A. C. & Silverman, Brian S., 2004. "Picking winners or building them? Alliance, intellectual, and human capital as selection criteria in venture financing and performance of biotechnology startups," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 411-436, May.
    40. Stuart, Toby & Sorenson, Olav, 2003. "The geography of opportunity: spatial heterogeneity in founding rates and the performance of biotechnology firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 229-253, February.
    41. Aharonson, Barak S. & Baum, Joel A.C. & Plunket, Anne, 2008. "Inventive and uninventive clusters: The case of Canadian biotechnology," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(6-7), pages 1108-1131, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Blandinieres, Florence & Krieger, Bastian & Pellens, Maikel, 2021. "Cluster support activities in the German biotechnology sector," ZEW Expertises, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research, number 233052.
    2. Mariia Shkolnykova, 2021. "On the way from invention to innovation: the role of applicant and inventor team characteristics," Bremen Papers on Economics & Innovation 2110, University of Bremen, Faculty of Business Studies and Economics.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Raphael Greiner & Siah Ang, 2012. "Biotechnology collaborations: does business model matter?," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 16(3), pages 377-392, August.
    2. Coombs, Joseph E. & Mudambi, Ram & Deeds, David L., 2006. "An examination of the investments in U.S. biotechnology firms by foreign and domestic corporate partners," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 405-428, July.
    3. Hervas Oliver,Jose Luis & Gonzalez,Gregorio & Caja,Pedro, 2014. "Clusters and industrial districts: where is the literature going? Identifying emerging sub-fields of research," INGENIO (CSIC-UPV) Working Paper Series 201409, INGENIO (CSIC-UPV).
    4. Dominique Dufour & Eric Nasica & Dominique Torre, 2016. "Clusters et efficacité du capital-risque: une analyse des stratégies différenciées des fonds indépendants et des fonds industriels," GREDEG Working Papers 2016-33, Groupe de REcherche en Droit, Economie, Gestion (GREDEG CNRS), Université Côte d'Azur, France.
    5. Vestal, Alex & Danneels, Erwin, 2018. "Knowledge exchange in clusters: The contingent role of regional inventive concentration," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(10), pages 1887-1903.
    6. Andrea Setti, 2020. "Linking science-based firms with performance factors: An integrative systematic review of literature," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 9(2), pages 09-42, March.
    7. Siddharth Vedula & Markus Fitza, 2019. "Regional Recipes: A Configurational Analysis of the Regional Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for U.S. Venture Capital-Backed Startups," Strategy Science, INFORMS, vol. 4(1), pages 4-24, March.
    8. Sam Tavassoli & Viroj Jienwatcharamongkhol & Pia Arenius, 2023. "Colocation of Entrepreneurs and New Firm Survival: Role of New Firm Founder’s Experiential Relatedness to Local Entrepreneurs," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 47(4), pages 1421-1459, July.
    9. Shivaram V. Devarakonda & Brian T. McCann & Jeffrey J. Reuer, 2018. "Marshallian Forces and Governance Externalities: Location Effects on Contractual Safeguards in Research and Development Alliances," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(6), pages 1112-1129, December.
    10. Edoardo Ferrucci & Roberto Guida & Valentina Meliciani, 2021. "Financial constraints and the growth and survival of innovative start‐ups: An analysis of Italian firms," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 27(2), pages 364-386, March.
    11. Wonsang Ryu & Thomas H. Brush & Joonhyung Bae, 2023. "How agglomeration affects alliance governance and innovation performance: The role of cluster size," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(1), pages 297-310, January.
    12. Ugur, Mehment & Vivarelli, Marco, 2020. "The role of innovation in industrial dynamics and productivity growth: a survey of the literature," GLO Discussion Paper Series 648, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    13. John Hagedoorn & Boris Lokshin & Stéphane Malo, 2018. "Alliances and the innovation performance of corporate and public research spin-off firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 50(4), pages 763-781, April.
    14. Aviad Pe'er & Ilan Vertinsky & Thomas Keil, 2016. "Growth and survival: The moderating effects of local agglomeration and local market structure," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(3), pages 541-564, March.
    15. Haeussler, Carolin & Patzelt, Holger & Zahra, Shaker A., 2012. "Strategic alliances and product development in high technology new firms: The moderating effect of technological capabilities," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 217-233.
    16. Tavassoli, Sam & Jienwatcharamongkhol, Viroj & Arenius, Pia, 2021. "Colocation of Entrepreneurs and New Firm Survival: Role of New Firm Founder’s Experiential Relatedness to Local Entrepreneurs," Papers in Innovation Studies 2021/13, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    17. Zhao Rong & David C. Broadstock & Yuanyuan Peng, 2018. "Initial submarket positioning and firm survival: evidence from the British automobile industry, 1895–1970," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 51(4), pages 965-993, December.
    18. Alexandra Tsvetkova & Jean-Claude Thill & Deborah Strumsky, 2014. "Metropolitan innovation, firm size, and business survival in a high-tech industry," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 43(3), pages 661-676, October.
    19. Pe'er, Aviad & Keil, Thomas, 2013. "Are all startups affected similarly by clusters? Agglomeration, competition, firm heterogeneity, and survival," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 354-372.
    20. Mehmet Ugur & Marco Vivarelli, 2021. "Innovation, firm survival and productivity: the state of the art," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(5), pages 433-467, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:sbusec:v:51:y:2018:i:3:d:10.1007_s11187-017-9963-6. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.