Project 1.1.2: START

Project Team

Prof. Luc Sels (project leader) and dr. Johan Maes

Content

START is a biannual panel survey of Flemish incorporated companies aged between one and two years and with minimum 1 and maximum 49 employees at the first moment of measurement. The strength of this survey approach lies in (1) the consideration of all economic sectors, and in (2) the comparison of organizations of comparable maturity. START starts from the total population of start-ups, which offers the opportunity to draw up a profile of the average start-up in Flanders.
The questionnaire is based on a research model that is built around five research topics.
- Topic 1. Detection of successful ‘initial resource profiles’ through their impact on company perform-ance, growth and survival chances.
- Topic 2. Detection of successful ‘initial resource profiles’ through their impact on the development of professional management practices.
- Topic 3. Determination of growth paths of starting companies through comparison of the maturity level of the internal management at two points in time (path dependency).
- Topic 4. Detection of ‘good management practices’ through their impact on operational perform-ance, financial performance, survival chances and growth potential.
- Topic 5. Detection of differences in predictors of growth, financial health or survival/failure.

Methodology

The START-survey is conducted every two years, each time surveying a new cohort of two-year old companies. New cohorts will be surveyed in 2007 (mail survey, double telephone follow-up). The survey is hence crosssectional as well as retrospective.
During the years between survey-waves, special attention will be given to in-depth case-studies. Ten case-studies of businesses from the START sample are planned in 2008 and 2010. The focus will be on mergers and acquisitions in 2008. The case-study research will assess the way in which take-over processes are organized and which success factors are critical. Attention will be given to case studies of START businesses that recorded an exceptional growth between 2003 and 2009 in 2010. The START database will hence contribute to the pillars “Growth” and “Exit/Takeover”.