Entrepreneurial opportunity recognition: an empirical study in Iranian agriculture sector. (19th November 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Masoomi, Ehsan; Rezaei-Moghaddam, Kurosh
• Is Part Of: International journal of entrepreneurship and innovation management. Volume 25:Number 4/5(2021)
• Page Start: 303
• Page End: 325
• Publication Date: 2021-11-19
• Subjects: agricultural entrepreneurship -- opportunity recognition -- agriculture sector -- Iran; Entrepreneurship -- Periodicals; 338.0405
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1368-275X

Abstract

One of the central questions in the field of entrepreneurship is how are opportunities recognised? This question still needs to be answered in the agriculture sector. Recognising entrepreneurial opportunities by agricultural entrepreneurs is one of the most understudied topics in entrepreneurship research. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors related to entrepreneurial opportunity recognition in Iranian agricultural context. Different groups of factors including demographic and individual factors were considered. A simple random sampling of 205 awarded agricultural entrepreneurs at national level in Iran was selected (N = 440). The study was designed using survey research. The results indicated that entrepreneur's social networks, prior knowledge, self-efficacy, creativity and perception about agricultural environmental opportunities had positive effects on entrepreneurial opportunity recognition. The results also revealed the significant difference in opportunity recognition between different levels of agricultural entrepreneurs' place of residence, education, and work experience. Theoretical and practical implications for entrepreneurial opportunity recognition by agricultural entrepreneurs have been provided.