Seeing Expectations as “Opportunities”: Interpretive Philosophy and the Origins of “Opportunity” Perceptions
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: We develop arguments against the objective opportunity construct and argue that “opportunities” should be understood as wholly and fundamentally subjective. We define and elaborate “opportunities” as expectations attainable only through intervening action, with requisite propositional attitudes of both desirability and feasibility. These revisions imply a fundamental shift in the foundations of entrepreneurship theory. Such a shift prompts us to rethink the nature of entrepreneurial cognition, allows us to elaborate the myriad—indeed endless—ways “opportunities” can manifest, and engenders clearer and more specific theorizing on the processual navigation of reality’s unfolding vis-à-vis “opportunity” expectations and consequent entrepreneurial plans.
Authors: Mark D. Packard, Farsan Madjdi
Institutions: Florida Atlantic University, University of Glasgow
Language: English
Subfield: Management of Technology and Innovation
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4417312165