Research Handbook on Opportunity Formation
Opportunity recognition and creation are key focal points of research in entrepreneurship (Baron 2006; Shane/Venkatamaran 2000). The aim of this book is to provide a compilation of outstanding original research in this realm that constitutes the current state of the art by highlighting the latest work. First, the book offers contributions that focus on a general understanding of the opportunity itself as well as on opportunity creation respectively recognition. Second, attention will be paid to the question of why some individuals discover opportunities and decide to exploit them to create future goods and services while others do not. There is a scope for new insights that analyze differences in the creation of opportunities including the human and the social capital as well as cognitive factors possessed by individuals or teams as well as other situational and environmental factors. Third, the book emphasizes a process view on creating opportunities. Current work elaborates on how this process takes place in more detail. Fourth, the book looks at different perspectives on opportunity creation, such as a gender perspective, a student or graduate perspective, an ethnic perspective, the comparison between nascent and established entrepreneurs as well as country comparisons that shed light on international differences. Last, but not least, this book elaborates on the question of whether and how opportunity creation can be taught at universities or other organizations. Different approaches to opportunity creation (e.g. discovery approach versus action approach) promise to be helpful to improve opportunity creation through entrepreneurship education.

Co-Editor zusammen mit Prof. Catherine Léger-Jarniou