Abstract
Opportunity discovery lies at the heart of entrepreneurial activity. To succeed, entrepreneurs need to adapt to the complexity of stakeholders relationships and unveil the opportunities lying within those networks. Stakeholders are a source of opportunity and acceptance of new ideas. An enterprise has several stakeholders that need to be prioritized according to their relative power, legitimacy and urgency of claim. Social enterprises are no exceptions to the phenomenon of stakeholder's saliency. This article aims to contribute to the theory of stakeholder saliency based on stakeholders possessing one or more of the three relationships attributes. This study, explores a qualitative intrinsic case of a beauty salon run by a woman entrepreneur in the locality of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Pakistan. The paper captures the entrepreneur's ambitions and growth aspirations in the light of its salient stakeholders. This paper explores some interesting themes that present a whole new level in entrepreneurial theory and research. From an enteripreuneral perspective, this study examines the different stakeholders groups that the entrepreneur considers primary and degree of acceptability and entrepreneurial practices. It also explores the level of satisfaction the entrepreneur has towards these stakeholders. The findings suggested that the regulatory institutions, which in its capacity are the largest salient stakeholder acts as a barrier to social entrepreneurship. Moreover, the immediate family and clients as a salient stakeholder play a facilitative and supportive role thus resulting in a positive perception of women social entrepreneurship in a conservative developing society like KP, Pakistan. This study also provides an insight how entrepreneurs negotiate institutional barriers. The study suggests that the regulatory institutions should take remedial measures by devising such policies and programs that facilitate women social entrepreneurs in pursuing their passion and undertaking social entrepreneurial initiatives for the betterment of society. The results have clear implications for the ethics and activities of entrepreneurs.
Keywords: Social Entrepreneurship, Women entrepreneurs, stakeholder theory, stakeholder saliency