Entrepreneurial alertness as a determinant of success in the SME context: a qualitative study
International Journal of Organizational Analysis
ISSN: 1934-8835
Article publication date: 27 April 2023
Issue publication date: 21 February 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to understand whether entrepreneurial alertness is a relevant determinant in creating opportunities in the context of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME).
Design/methodology/approach
To this end, qualitative research was undertaken, specifically the case study method. The study context was formed of four SMEs (cases) located in an inland region of Portugal. The data-collecting instrument was an individual interview held with the owners managers of the chosen firms, and the data treatment technique was content and thematic analyses.
Findings
The results obtained reveal that entrepreneurial alertness is always present in the SME entrepreneurs/business people’s daily lives and clearly creates good business opportunities not yet observed by the competition.
Practical implications
This study seeks to help SME owners managers to understand the phenomenon of entrepreneurial alertness and understand the importance of this determinant for their firms’ success.
Originality/value
This study is innovative as it helps to characterise and understand entrepreneurial alertness by showing its importance for SMEs in creating valuable opportunities and achieving success.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the anonymous referees of the journal for their extremely useful suggestions to improve the quality of the paper. The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from National Funds of the FCT – Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology within the project «UIDB/04007/2020».
Citation
Pinheiro, B., Henriques, I., Almeida, L. and Franco, M. (2024), "Entrepreneurial alertness as a determinant of success in the SME context: a qualitative study", International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Vol. 32 No. 3, pp. 545-564. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-11-2022-3501
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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