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Opportunity Recognition in Social Entrepreneurship

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  • Othmar M. Lehner
  • Juha Kansikas

Abstract

Opportunity recognition (OR) is at the very heart of entrepreneurship. However, research on OR in the context of social entrepreneurship is still in its early stages. First, this article identifies, codifies and analyses OR-relevant articles on social entrepreneurship (SE) through the lens of Sarasvathy’s three views of entrepreneurial opportunity recognition. In the second step, statistical methods are applied on the results to indicate possible correlations among different schools of thought in SE and views on OR. OR in social ventures is found to be a prevalent topic in SE literature and differences in OR between social and commercial ventures are found.

Suggested Citation

  • Othmar M. Lehner & Juha Kansikas, 2012. "Opportunity Recognition in Social Entrepreneurship," Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, vol. 21(1), pages 25-58, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jouent:v:21:y:2012:i:1:p:25-58
    DOI: 10.1177/097135571102100102
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    References listed on IDEAS

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