Organization and Management Theory OMT

---- Sincere apologies for cross-posting ----

Netters,

Along with a few colleagues, I am studying empirically how entrepreneurs
recognize (or don´t) good opportunities, and how they may differ from
non-entrepreneurs performing that and other tasks.

Our empirical challenge now is to find simple ways to represent visually
these opportunities without calling for specialized knowledge and with an
a-priori agreement on what the best opportunity is. This would be analogous
to ask people to select the largest number, and show them two numbers and
see if they pick the right one. Our opportunities do not have to be
business opportunities, but we would prefer if they were.

For empirical reasons, we can use numbers, images, and symbols, but no text
and no information that requires prior knowledge of the opportunity or
specialized knowledge of other kinds (MBA, financial skills, etc).

If you have experience with this or analogous situations, we would be very
happy to hear your experience. Please email me (not the whole list unless
you feel it is relevant for everybody), and I will summarize the results and
post to the list.

Thanks in advance!

Pablo MARTIN de HOLAN

Dear Pablo,

Assuming the subjects that you have in mind are your students, the question you raise can be answered through an entrepreneurship game that your students play. Opportunities that arise in such a game include networking to become a member of a high-performing group and selecting the best business to start. Networking doesn't require specialized business knowledge, but selecting the best business does. I can deliver the game if you can deliver the students.

Best,

Precha
--
Precha Thavikulwat, Ph.D.
Professor of Management
Department of Management
Towson University
8000 York Road
Towson, MD 21252-0001
U.S.A.
t. 410-704-3230
f. 410-704-3236
pthavikulwat@towson.edu
Skype: pthavikulwat
http://pages.towson.edu/precha

-----Original Message-----
From: Organization and Management Theory Division Listserv [mailto:OMT@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Pablo MARTIN de HOLAN
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2011 1:31 PM
To: OMT@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
Subject: [OMT] Studying opportunity recognition empirically

---- Sincere apologies for cross-posting ----

Netters,

Along with a few colleagues, I am studying empirically how entrepreneurs recognize (or don´t) good opportunities, and how they may differ from non-entrepreneurs performing that and other tasks.

Our empirical challenge now is to find simple ways to represent visually these opportunities without calling for specialized knowledge and with an a-priori agreement on what the best opportunity is. This would be analogous to ask people to select the largest number, and show them two numbers and see if they pick the right one. Our opportunities do not have to be business opportunities, but we would prefer if they were.

For empirical reasons, we can use numbers, images, and symbols, but no text and no information that requires prior knowledge of the opportunity or specialized knowledge of other kinds (MBA, financial skills, etc).

If you have experience with this or analogous situations, we would be very happy to hear your experience. Please email me (not the whole list unless you feel it is relevant for everybody), and I will summarize the results and post to the list.

Thanks in advance!

Pablo MARTIN de HOLAN