Re-contextualizing Entrepreneurial Opportunity as artefact Signalling
for Entrepreneurial Action
Abstract
This paper reviews the concept of entrepreneurial actions arising from
the opportunities using signalling theory as the building blocks to
discuss the process from perception, recognition to enactment. By
adopting a dynamic approach to study how entrepreneurs see
opportunities, particularly the initial opportunities beliefs, over
time, beliefs change. The perceived potentialities from the signals
arising from opportunities also change. Strength of the initial
opportunity beliefs, morph-ability of opportunities, frequency of
opportunity appearances, multiple interpretations of opportunity,
latency of opportunity, observability (intensity, visibility, strength
and clarity), distortions of opportunity and false opportunity are
topics that are scarcely addressed in entrepreneurial opportunities
studies. We argue that the signalling effects open new veins of inquiry
related to opportunity and entrepreneurial actions. Instead of seeing
opportunity from either the discovery or creation approaches,
opportunity should be viewed as opportunity-as-artefact with embedded
perceived potentialities.