Entrepreneurial alertness and environmental dynamism as determinants of the entrepreneurial opportunities process

This study examines the impact of entrepreneurial alertness on the three-stage entrepreneurial opportunities process — recognition, evaluation, and exploitation — using resource-based and schema theories. We explore the moderating influence of environmental dynamism between entrepreneurial alertness and the entrepreneurial opportunities process as well. The results confirm the positive effect of entrepreneurial alertness on the comprehensive entrepreneurial opportunities process. Environmental dynamism also boosts the positive influence of alertness on the evaluation and exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities. This paper advances the field of corporate entrepreneurship by empirically analysing relevant factors such as entrepreneurial alertness and dynamic environments throughout the entrepreneurial opportunities process. This is a significant contribution in the literature because there is no prior research that empirically examines the complete entrepreneurial opportunities process. Additionally, we investigate entrepreneurial alertness as an organisational rather than an individual variable. Collective alertness benefits firms by enhancing members’ attentiveness to the information necessary for recognising, evaluating, and exploiting opportunities. Finally, this research highlights the crucial role of dynamic environments, where firms must quickly detect information to successfully complete the entrepreneurial opportunities process.