TY - JOUR
T1 - Opportunity exploration, exploitation and entrepreneurial capability development in Ghana
AU - Akpabli, Alex Dasmon
AU - Acheampong, George
AU - Quaye, Daniel M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2023 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - This paper explored the antecedents that defined and explained opportunity exploration and exploitation, and shed light on the formation of entrepreneurial capability in emerging markets. The study adopted the quantitative research design, using structured questionnaire to collect data from 498 small-medium enterprises (SMEs). Descriptive statistics was used to ascertain the antecedents of opportunity exploration and exploitation. Partial least squared structured equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to examine the measurement and structural models. The findings demonstrate that opportunity exploration and exploitation are theoretically linked, and combined to form entrepreneurial capability. However, SMEs in emerging markets explore more than they exploit, leading to over-exploitation of existing opportunities and under-exploration of new viable opportunities. The nature and dimensions of firm-level entrepreneurial capability are still nascent and have not been explored from process-oriented perspective. The study investigated how firms in emerging markets build entrepreneurial capability by first exploring and then exploiting, on continuous basis, viable entrepreneurial opportunities.
AB - This paper explored the antecedents that defined and explained opportunity exploration and exploitation, and shed light on the formation of entrepreneurial capability in emerging markets. The study adopted the quantitative research design, using structured questionnaire to collect data from 498 small-medium enterprises (SMEs). Descriptive statistics was used to ascertain the antecedents of opportunity exploration and exploitation. Partial least squared structured equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to examine the measurement and structural models. The findings demonstrate that opportunity exploration and exploitation are theoretically linked, and combined to form entrepreneurial capability. However, SMEs in emerging markets explore more than they exploit, leading to over-exploitation of existing opportunities and under-exploration of new viable opportunities. The nature and dimensions of firm-level entrepreneurial capability are still nascent and have not been explored from process-oriented perspective. The study investigated how firms in emerging markets build entrepreneurial capability by first exploring and then exploiting, on continuous basis, viable entrepreneurial opportunities.
KW - Africa
KW - dynamic capability
KW - entrepreneurial capability
KW - entrepreneurship
KW - opportunity exploitation
KW - opportunity exploration
KW - small business
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85162000861&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1504/IJEV.2023.130714
DO - 10.1504/IJEV.2023.130714
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85162000861
SN - 1742-5360
VL - 15
SP - 119
EP - 144
JO - International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing
JF - International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing
IS - 2
ER -