Exploring Entrepreneurship
Student Resources
Chapter 4: Opportunities: Nurturing Creativity and Innovation
1. How does the text describe the main sources of entrepreneurial opportunity?
- personal – entrepreneurs experience or perceive something that others do not
- secondary research – from industry analyses
- primary research – from speaking to potential customers to determine their needs
- observation – of other peoples’ experiences with products and services
Answer: A
Explanation
Source of the opportunity is external - but its perception is internal (within the entrepreneur).
2. Social innovation refers to ______.
- the introduction of novelties; the alteration of what is established by the introduction of new elements or forms
- new designs, processes, marketing approaches, or a new way of conducting training
- the means by which entrepreneurs exploit change as an opportunity for a different business or service
- the introduction of new social practices, activities or ways of organizing
Answer: D
Explanation
Social innovation is now seen as an important way to tackle economic, social, and environmental challenges.
3. Which of the following statements is true?
- The entrepreneurial process starts with creativity and the task of generating new ideas.
- The creativity process starts with innovation and the task of generating new ideas.
- The idea generation process starts with creativity and the task of innovation.
- The innovation process starts with creativity and the task of generating new ideas.
Answer: D
Explanation
Social innovation is now seen as an important way to tackle economic, social, and environmental challenges.
4. Which of the following statements is correct?
- Entrepreneurial activity is not always particularly creative.
- Entrepreneurial activity is always creative.
- Creativity is always entrepreneurial.
- Entrepreneurial activity is not always creative but has to be innovative.
Answer: A
Explanation
Some successful new ventures simply imitate, or make minor adaptations to, an existing product or service, with the originality coming from other sources, such as using a different supplier, or selling into a new market
5. Entrepreneurial opportunities are a particular type of opportunity, which could lead you to create a self-sustaining venture.
- False
- True
Answer: B
Explanation
This definition distinguishes an entrepreneurial opportunity from less significant ones.
6. Porter also argues that much of innovation is ‘dependent on a single, major technological breakthrough rather than mundane and incremental’
- True
- False
Answer: B
Explanation
Much of innovation is mundane and incremental.
7. To identify and exploit opportunities before they become apparent to others, entrepreneurs need ______.
- creative thinking
- alertness and vision
- good contacts
- a good education
Answer: B
Explanation
It is not enough to have access to knowledge. Entrepreneurs need a combination of alertness and vision if they are to identify and exploit opportunities before they become apparent to the rest of us.