The Role of Aesthetics in the Co-Construction of Potential Opportunities

Authors

• Stella K. Seyb, University of Oklahoma
• Dean A. Shepherd, University of Notre Dame
• Trenton Alma Williams, Brigham Young University - ProvoFollow

Keywords

entrepreneurial opportunities, opportunity aesthetics, opportunity evaluation

Abstract

Opportunity attractiveness is typically evaluated through the potential for profit in material and non-material ways. However, little is known about the lower-order properties of potential opportunities which signal varying degrees of attractiveness. We introduce the concept of opportunity aesthetics (properties of potential opportunities that evoke a gut feeling from the entrepreneurial actors) to explore the sub-features of opportunity attractiveness. Drawing on data from ten potential opportunities, we address the question of how the properties of potential opportunities affect opportunity co-construction. By focusing on the potential opportunity as the unit of analysis, this study enhances our understanding of how and why potential opportunities emerge and evolve.

Original Publication Citation

"Seyb, S.K., Shepherd, D.A., & Williams, T.A. “The Role of Aesthetics in The Co- Construction Of Potential Opportunities.”"

BYU ScholarsArchive Citation

Seyb, Stella K.; Shepherd, Dean A.; and Williams, Trenton Alma, "The Role of Aesthetics in the Co-Construction of Potential Opportunities" (2020). Faculty Publications. 9145.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/9145

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2020

Publisher

Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship, Babson College

Language

English

College

Marriott School of Business

Department

Marketing

University Standing at Time of Publication

Associate Professor

Copyright Use Information

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/