Proceedings of the International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research in Management and Economics (ICMRME 2025)

<Previous Article In Volume
Next Article In Volume>

The Puzzle of the Three “S”: A Missing Link in Business Growth Strategies?

Authors
Sara Diop1, *, Fatima Ouahraoui1, Imane Lissigui1, Adnane Assebane1
1Research Laboratory in Digital Management, Innovation, and Logistics (MADILOG), National School of Business and Management (ENCG), Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco
*Corresponding author. Email: sara.diop@edu.uiz.ac.ma
Corresponding Author
Sara Diop
Available Online 17 November 2025.
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6463-892-9_22How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Scaling; Scalability; Scale-up; Organizational Growth; startup ecosystem; Entrepreneurship
Abstract

In the evolving landscape of organizational growth, the concepts of scaling, scalability, and scale-up are increasingly used across entrepreneurship, management, and innovation literature. However, their meanings remain fragmented and inconsistently applied, limiting theoretical development and strategic alignment. This study addresses this gap by conducting a systematic literature review using the SPAR-4-SLR protocol, analyzing 21 peer-reviewed articles sourced from the Scopus database. The objective is to examine how these three constructs interact to shape organizational growth strategies. Findings reveal that scalability functions as a latent capability embedded in an organization’s digital infrastructure and managerial readiness; scaling is a strategic process of structured expansion; and scale-up represents a distinct phase characterized by institutional maturity and performance thresholds. The results further identify sector-specific enablers and inhibitors, as well as contextual misalignments that can compromise sustainable growth. By integrating conceptual clarity with empirical insights, this study offers a unified framework that advances theory and supports practitioners in designing context-sensitive, capability-aligned growth trajectories.

Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Download article (PDF)

<Previous Article In Volume
Next Article In Volume>
Volume Title
Proceedings of the International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research in Management and Economics (ICMRME 2025)
Series
Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research
Publication Date
17 November 2025
ISBN
978-94-6463-892-9
ISSN
2352-5428
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6463-892-9_22How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Sara Diop
AU  - Fatima Ouahraoui
AU  - Imane Lissigui
AU  - Adnane Assebane
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/11/17
TI  - The Puzzle of the Three “S”: A Missing Link in Business Growth Strategies?
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research in Management and Economics (ICMRME 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 376
EP  - 390
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-892-9_22
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-892-9_22
ID  - Diop2025
ER  -