They Consume and We Deliver, But What? Frames of Sensemaking in Opportunity Formation (konferenssiabstrakti)

Abstract

<p>This study investigates how entrepreneurs make sense of their consumer environment and opportunities formed within. The entrepreneurial opportunities are seen as gradual, socially situated constructions in which consumers dominate opportunity formation without explicit control by the entrepreneur. The findings suggest that entrepreneurs make sense of novel opportunities through three interrelated framing discourses, which are sense of individuality; sense of communality and sense of consumption culture. The study highlights the role of sensemaking in opportunity formation and reveals the social nature of the process in which entrepreneurs make sense of consumer environment and seek legitimacy and acceptance for their novel ideas.<br /></p>