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Renowned brands and recycling agencies tacitly integrate their business flows together in the current trade-in industry. The collaborative trade-in programme breaks the hierarchy of closed-loop supply chains and provides seamless services for consumers. In this study, we develop a stylised model to capture the change in supply chain structure and scrutinise trade-in collaboration and recycling competition between sellers and recyclers. We find that, under intensive recycling competition, price targeting new consumers is downward distorted by the seller to occupy more trade-in demands in the old consumer segment. Meanwhile, the rebate of the recycler is suppressed by the collaboration constraint. By distorting the price, the seller obtains the predominance in recycling competition while sacrificing part of profits from new consumers. The price distortion indicates the competition spill-over from the old consumer segment to the new consumer segment. Furthermore, the establishment of autonomous recycling reaches a Pareto improvement for the whole system when the competition is mild; otherwise, these two entities fall into a zero-sum scenario. Our study offers insights into recycling value allocation and trade-in partner choice and, theoretically, contributes to the economic literature that price distortion can even be forced by competition with the absence of information asymmetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activation volume, which quantifies the response of the chemical reactions to the applied stress, plays a central role in controlling the mechanochemical reactions for applications including lubricity, wear, and the topographic fabrication of the surfaces under stress. However, the physical interpretations of the activation volume remain scientifically intriguing and largely unexplored. Here, density functional theory calculations are used to investigate the general rules of charge transfer underlying activation volume in controlling the typically mechanochemical reaction process. It is found that the activation volume could be decoupled into the electronic contributions from interface chemistry and bulk physical deformation, which are commonly linear dependent on the contact pressure. Therefore, the activation volume may, indeed, be derived from the stress-driven charge transfer underlying cooperative competition between interfacial chemistry and the bulk region. This competition is related to the stiffness change from the bulk to slab. The magnitude of the stiffness change represents the degree to which the interface atoms modify the bulk properties, which is directly related to the contribution of different regions to the activation volume. This work may open up the understanding of the activation volume from dynamic electron transfer to engineer mechanochemical reactions, different from the existing insights into the geometric dimensionality of the contact configuration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strong, affiliative bonds often function to facilitate social competition through cooperative defence of resources, but the benefits of social bonds may be low when direct competition is less intense or less beneficial. In such cases, one possible outcome is that relationships are weak and undifferentiated. Alternatively, negotiating stable, selectively tolerant relationships may be a strategy to mitigate the costs and risks of sharing space when direct competition is undesirable. We investigated dyadic social tolerance among wild adult female eastern chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii , who engage in low rates of affiliation and aggression with one another. While females associate with one another at different rates, these patterns could reflect shared patterns of behaviour (e.g. ranging) rather than social preference or variation in relationship quality. We first determined whether patterns of dyadic spatial association (5 m proximity) were differentiated and stable over time. To assess whether dyadic spatial association reflected preference and variation in social tolerance, we tested whether spatial association was actively maintained by waiting and following behaviour and associated with decreased aggression and increased co-feeding. Spatial associations were differentiated, and stronger associations were more stable. Frequent associates used following and waiting behaviour to actively maintain associations. Association positively predicted time co-feeding and negatively predicted aggression. These patterns were true among related and unrelated dyads. Among unrelated females, dyads with stronger associations maintained proximity more mutually. This study highlights social tolerance as a stable relationship attribute that can predict and explain patterns of behaviour and social network structure, distinct from, or in the absence of, affiliation. • Female chimpanzees formed stable, differentiated spatial associations. • Females actively maintained proximity to preferred associates. • Association frequency predicted tolerant co-feeding and low aggression. • Frequent proximity explained tolerant behaviour better than grooming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an era where Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) redefine the boundaries of competition and collaboration, the concept of coopetition — simultaneous competition and cooperation — emerges as a strategic imperative for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This study presents the design and development of an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) artefact designed to enable competition among SMEs. Bringing the Service-Dominant Logic (S-D logic) foundations to IIoT, a Design Science Research (DSR) approach was employed. This approach facilitated the integration of design theory with practical problem-solving, creating the Coopetition IIoT-based System. The primary goal of this solution is to augment the dynamics of coopetition networks, with a particular focus on SMEs. The practical evaluation of the Coopetition IIoT-based System is assessed through a prototype evaluation by experts representing twenty-four manufacturing stone SMEs, a crucial sector in the Portuguese economy. The feedback received was highly positive, indicating a positive evaluation rate of 78.9%. This favourable response highlights the Coopetition IIoT-based System's proficiency in fostering simultaneous competition and cooperation throughout the lifecycle of business opportunities in SME networks, thereby underscoring its potential as a facilitator of effective competition. Theoretically, this research enriches the application of S-D logic in coopetition networks and advances state-of-the-art IIoT systems. Practically, the Coopetition IIoT-based System demonstrates significant potential in boosting the competitiveness of SMEs in developed economies. Nonetheless, the ultimate efficacy of such IIoT systems will be best determined through real-world application and evaluation. Future research should concentrate on the real-case deployment and assessment of Coopetition IIoT-based Systems within coopetition networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Garden managers face the dilemma of promoting and preserving their gardens. Overtourism in popular gardens can be solved by cooperating to entice visitors to alternative, less popular gardens. However, such an enticement strategy may not be successful because garden managers not only cooperate with but also compete against each other (i.e., coopetition). How can garden management practitioners forge a coopetitive relationship to encourage visitors to move from over- to less crowded gardens? Addressing this question, this study aimed to propose a successful coopetitive strategy to redistribute visitors. This study was drawn primarily from semi-structured interviews with garden staff of an overcrowded national garden and multiple less crowded metropolitan gardens. A thematic analysis of qualitative data revealed a lack of cooperation between national and metropolitan gardens and highlighted the former's aspirations for further growth despite perceived overtourism. This study proposes using the ambiguous cultural status of national and metropolitan gardens as a catalyst for coopetition between them, and contributes to the discourse on sustainable cultural tourism by broadening its scope and redressing the scholarly imbalance between an overemphasis on visitors' behaviour and a dearth of attention on practitioners of (horti)cultural tourism. Theoretical contributions are detailed at the end of this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on coopetition‐based and values‐based business model networks, we explore competitors' coevolutionary interactions to drive sustainability. Using a specialty coffee industry case study in Colombia, we propose an analytical framework for collaboration, leveraging resources to transform neglected industry values. We apply the congruence analysis method to compare theoretical expectations with empirical findings, providing rigorous evidence. Our study reveals that developing values‐based networks through coopetition allows collective problem resolution and offers new opportunities for value creation. This research contributes to coopetition and values‐based network theories, emphasizing practical implications for sustainability‐focused business models. By highlighting competitor collaboration intricacies, our study enhances our understanding of the dynamics of local markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine firms' voluntary disclosures of innovation under technology coopetition, focusing on technology standard setting organizations (SSOs). Technology coopetition is characterized by (1) cooperation to determine technology standards, which requires information sharing to reach consensus, and (2) competition for standard implementation to obtain standard-essential patents, which create incentives for firms to deviate from the expected level of information sharing. We document a decrease in 10-K narrative R&D disclosures, more generic 10-K narrative R&D disclosures, and a longer delay of patent disclosures via the USPTO after a firm joins an SSO. Among alternative explanations, our evidence is most supportive of the hypothesis that firms strategically withhold innovation information. JEL Classifications: L15; M41; O32. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing a new value proposition requires that a set of partners align their interests. The challenge is to define an ecosystem strategy and agree on its constitutive features. Drawing on a "structuralist approach," we provide insights into the conditions that constrain the alignment of partners. We conducted a longitudinal process study of the ecosystem of mobile contactless services in France that failed to reach alignment among partners. A comprehensive 12-year picture of the ecosystem is created using a double-analytical design that reinforces the accuracy of the analysis. Our results highlight the factors that hinder the alignment of partners and lead to the development of an ecosystem based on a very different blueprint at the expense of its initial contributors. We reveal three sources of nonalignment: an overly ambitious and loosely defined value proposition, a value distribution risk, and inconsistencies in the multiscale institutional context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungi and bacteria can be found coexisting in a wide variety of environments. The combination of their physical and molecular interactions can result in a broad range of outcomes for each partner, from competition to cooperative relationships. Most of these interactions can also be found in the human gastrointestinal tract. The gut microbiota is essential for humans, helping the assimilation of food components as well as the prevention of pathogen invasions through host immune system modulation and the production of beneficial metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Several factors, including changes in diet habits due to the progressive Westernization of the lifestyle, are linked to the onset of dysbiosis statuses that impair the correct balance of the gut environment. It is therefore crucial to explore the interactions between commensal and diet-derived microorganisms and their influence on host health. Investigating these interactions through co-cultures between humanand fermented food-derived lactobacilli and yeasts led us to understand how the strains' growth yield and their metabolic products rely on the nature and concentration of the species involved, producing either cooperative or competitive dynamics. Moreover, single cultures of yeasts and lactobacilli proved to be ideal candidates for developing immune-enhancing products, given their ability to induce trained immunity in blood-derived human monocytes in vitro. Conversely, co-cultures as well as mixtures of yeasts and lactobacilli have been shown to induce an anti-inflammatory response on the same immune cells in terms of cytokine profiles and activation surface markers, opening new possibilities in the design of probiotic and dietary therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider propagation direction (which can be used to predict which species will occupy the habitat or win the competition eventually) of a bistable wave for a three-species time-periodic lattice competition system with bistable nonlinearity, aiming to address an open problem. As a first step, by transforming the competition system to a cooperative one, we study the asymptotic behavior for the bistable wave profile and then prove the uniqueness of the bistable wave speed. Secondly, we utilize comparison principle and build up two couples of upper and lower solutions to judge the sign of the bistable wave speed which partially provides the answer to the open problem. As an application, we reduce the time-periodic system to a space–time homogeneous system, we obtain the corresponding criteria and carry out numerical simulations to illustrate the availability of our results. Moreover, an interesting phenomenon we have found is that the two weak competitors can wipe out the strong competitor under some circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper establishes a symmetric matrix based on the coopetition relationships among global automobile enterprises, and uses Ucinet software to obtain the visualization chart of the coopetition network of global automobile enterprises. Then, the multiple moderating effect method and two-stage least squares method are adopt to reveal the interaction between structural hole and centrality on enterprise market performance, and how the ego-network characteristics affect this interaction. The results show that structural hole and centrality have a positive interaction on market performance. Compared with high ego-network stability, the positive interaction between structural hole and centrality on enterprise market performance is stronger under the condition of low ego-network stability. And compared with low ego-network density, the positive interaction between structural hole and centrality on market performance is stronger under the condition of high ego-network density. These new findings further strengthen the connection between the overall network and ego-network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses the gap in applying traditional service blueprint methodologies to technology-enabled coopetition networks characterized by simultaneous collaboration and competition among actors. Leveraging service science insights, it proposes an enhanced service blueprint framework designed for the complexities of digital coopetition. This framework introduces the cyber. Frontstage lane, physical backstage lane, and support stage lane aim to provide a holistic view of interactions, value co-creation processes, and resource allocations. Empirical validation within the Portuguese stone sector-a key player in the national economy-demonstrates the framework’s effectiveness in identifying network dysfunctions and its ease of use by industry professionals. Feedback confirms its relevance in capturing today’s coopetition environments’ multifaceted engagements and digital nuances. The study emphasizes adapting service blueprint methodology to better manage and innovate service processes in digital ecosystems. Future research should extend this framework’s application across various sectors and explore the integration of emerging technologies to optimize service delivery and value co-creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we model and study a cooperative peer-review scenario in scholarly publishing. In this scenario, the peer-reviewed journals cooperate in the necessary investment for the peer-review system. However, the final decision on what to publish in each journal would rest with the journal's editor, and the journals still compete in their quality standards for accepting papers. This simultaneously cooperative and competitive relationship between peer-reviewed journals is co-opetition in scholarly publishing. From the comparison between a benchmark scenario of competition between journals and a cooperative peer-review setting, we find that by sharing the cost of providing a common peer-review system, the peer-reviewed journals could offer a higher review quality in the manuscript evaluation process than they would otherwise be able to achieve individually. Furthermore, we find the conditions under which the competing academic journals using cooperative peer review could increase their expected quality levels, their standards for accepting articles, and their peer-review quality, which establishes the benefit from co-opetition between peer-reviewed journals. Nevertheless, a threshold cost-sharing factor exists above which the benefit from cooperative peer review disappears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Members in the international joint ventures (IJVs) for high-speed rail (HSR) projects usually engage in coopetition interactions to create common benefits (CB) and simultaneously safeguard private benefits (PB). Previous studies of coopetition and performance using variance-based methods usually ignore the combinational influence of diverse coopetition constructs on performance, which can be effectively compensated by adopting a configuration perspective. Therefore, this research aims to ascertain various combinations of three coopetition constructs (coopetition relationship, coopetition capability and coopetition strategy) that lead to high IJVs' performance through a configuration approach. Design/methodology/approach: First, the research framework of coopetition configuration was established, and the key constructs were operationalized, which were validated by expert interviews. Then the information on 12 HSR IJVs was collected and quantified through nine rounds of interviews and a questionnaire survey. Later, the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was applied to explore what coopetition configurations benefit the CB or PB achievement. Findings: Configuration results indicate that six coopetition configurations lead to CB outcome and seven configurations lead to PB outcome. Based on the results, coopetition contexts are divided into four categories: firm-based coopetition, project-based coopetition, firm-project-based coopetition and none-based coopetition. Then, a selection scheme for coopetition strategies in various contexts has been developed. The results also show that the core conditions mostly appear in the coopetition relationships and coopetition strategies dimensions, and the optimal coopetition strategies vary in different contexts. Originality/value: This study enhances the theoretical understanding of coopetition in HSR IJVs and assists relative HSR industrialists, as well as the mega infrastructure project managers, in IJVs' implementation. The configuration perspective of this paper also contributes to a systemic and holistic view of coopetition in HSR IJVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complementors play a crucial role in innovation ecosystems by contributing to the co-creation of the value proposition and its benefit enhancement. However, research on these actors and their interactions remains limited. Investigating eight Danish wind energy complementors, this embedded case study explores the complexity of their interactions through a mixed-method approach. Initial quantitative analysis is performed using topic modelling to inform the coding of the following qualitative analysis that maps the trends and evolution of complementors' interactions. The findings reveal that, despite an apparent unawareness or conscious dismissal of the competitive dynamic involved, most wind energy complementors engage in coopetitive interactions at some point, particularly with the focal firms. The study advances our understanding of complementors, emphasising their importance and complexity as ecosystem actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how entrepreneurial small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) manage coopetition strategies to innovate with large firms. While coopetition offers opportunities for innovation and growth, asymmetries between SMEs and large firms can provoke unilateral actions, opportunistic tactics, and knowledge theft which can undermine SME innovation power and jeopardise coopetition success. Based on a qualitative multiple-case study of 25 coopetitive innovation projects, each involving an SME and a large firm, we find that SMEs manage these risks by pursuing a synergistic mix of three distinct coopetition strategies: (1) Co-distribution, (2) Technology licensing, and (3) R&D co-development. In each strategy, SMEs navigate different coopetition intensities by dynamically combining the principles of separation, integration, co-management and co-ownership to achieve specific innovation outcomes. Our findings suggest that SMEs shift between cooperation- and competition-dominant strategies and employ a mix of management principles to offset asymmetrical risks and maximise their innovation benefits from coopetition with large firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Summary: The impact of multimarket contact (MMC) between partners on strategic alliance survival is unclear, even though recent studies have suggested that MMC increases the likelihood of alliance formation. Our study investigates this issue by integrating two mechanisms occurring between multimarket firms: mutual forbearance and technological resource imitation. We argue that MMC between partners deters opportunism in alliances via mutual forbearance, resulting in a positive effect on the likelihood of strategic alliance survival. We also suggest that the positive effect is weakened in two settings with higher risks of technological resource imitation: technological overlap between partners and the presence of R&D activities in an alliance. Evidence from strategic alliances in the global semiconductor industry supports these conclusions. Managerial Summary: Recent research has shown that firms encountering each other in multiple markets are more likely to form strategic alliances, but it is unclear whether these firms are likely to stick together. Our theory suggests that the threat of broad retaliation limits opportunism and increases the likelihood of alliance survival when partners encounter each other in multiple markets. Nonetheless, in settings where partners have similar technologies, or in alliances involving R&D activities, their ability and incentives to copy each other's technological resources offsets the positive effect of multimarket contact on alliance survival. We study strategic alliances in the global semiconductor industry and find evidence consistent with these arguments. Video abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We present configurational theorising as a novel approach to developing middle-range theory in two steps: (1) we illustrate configurational theorising as a new form of supply chain inquiry by connecting its philosophical assumptions with a methodological execution, and (2) we generate new insights underpinning a middle-range theory for supply chain resilience. Design/methodology/approach: We synthesise information from a range of sources and invoke 'critical realism" to suggest a five-phase configurational theorising roadmap to develop middle-range theory. We demonstrate this roadmap to explain supply chain resilience by analysing qualitative data from 22 organisations within the Australian food supply chain. Findings: Coopetition and supply chain collaboration are necessary causal conditions, but they need to combine with either supply chain agility or multi-sourcing strategy to build supply chain resilience. Asymmetrical analyses showed that the simultaneous absence of supply chain collaboration, supply chain agility and multi-sourcing results in low supply chain resilience, but coopetition was indifferent to low supply chain resilience. Similarly, high supply chain resilience is possible with the non-presence of supply chain agility and multi-sourcing. Research limitations/implications: The configurational middle-range theorising roadmap presented and empirically tested in this paper constitutes a substantial advancement to both theory and the methodological domain. Originality/value: This is the first attempt at developing a middle-range theory for supply chains by explicitly drawing on configurational theorising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some firms in the technology sector choose to cooperate with competitors ("co-opetition") in standard setting organizations (SSOs). These SSOs create technology standards that facilitate rapid market penetration of new technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 4G. Active participation in the standard setting process requires the exchange of proprietary information with competitors. Although the goal of such information sharing is to further a technology or a product market, firms potentially receive an additional benefit from access to competitor and industry information. We examine whether contributing to SSO committees enhances a firm's information set and allows managers to better predict future sales. We find that the centrality of a firm's location within the network of SSO collaborators is positively related to the accuracy of the firm's sales forecasts. This relation is stronger when firms exchange more information with direct competitors and with larger firms, when forecasting is more difficult ex ante, and when firms forecast over longer horizons. Our findings show that collaborating with competitors in the product market provides an important additional benefit of improving the manager's information set. This paper was accepted by David Simchi-Levi, accounting. Funding: This work was supported by the Wharton School, Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires, the Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires-Wharton Alliance, and the Mack Institute for Innovation Management. Supplemental Material: The data and online appendix are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2021.03152. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competing firms may engage in group buying (GB) to benefit from a quantity discount from a common supplier. We study GB under different power structures (i.e., Nash and Stackelberg) and investigate how the power structures can be endogenized along with the resulting GB outcome. We employ a game-theoretic framework in which two firms under Cournot competition can group their purchases if it is beneficial compared to individual purchasing. We show that under exogenous power structures, when the two firms have highly asymmetric market bases, Nash GB is unattainable due to severe co-opetition conflict, and Stackelberg GB can better resolve the conflict. Our results suggest that power structures may fundamentally affect firms' GB incentives, and no power structure is always superior to others. We then endogenize the power structures of the two firms based on a two-stage extended game. Using Pareto-risk dominance, we identify conditions under which one firm endogenously emerges as the Stackelberg leader with the rival as the follower, as well as the conditions under which both firms endogenously choose Nash GB or opt for independent purchasing. We demonstrate that the two firms can largely resolve the battle for GB leadership and achieve an efficient outcome in most cases. Our study is the first to compare different exogenous power structures and consider endogenous power structures in the context of GB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing cooperative relationships between neighboring ports has emerged as an effective strategy for enhancing overall productivity. Two key factors to consider in such collaborations are: cooperative motivation (which drives the decision to cooperate between ports) and cooperation type (which defines the business scope of collaborative activities). Cooperative motivation can be categorized into regional welfare and competition, while cooperation type encompasses activities related to hinterland access and terminal management. This study aims to determine the most optimal types of cooperation based on different motivations. To achieve this, a bi-level optimization model was developed to analyze the relationship between shippers and ports, specifically focusing on the cooperation between the Kobe and Osaka ports. Competition with the Busan port was examined as a case study to provide a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics involved. The findings revealed that cooperation plays a crucial role in enhancing regional welfare for both North American and Southeast Asian cargo, particularly when cooperation levels are relatively low. Furthermore, it was observed that an effective cooperative strategy for competition in the Kobe and Osaka ports is contingent upon specific conditions. Hence, for successful competition-based cooperation, careful consideration of market dynamics and prevailing circumstances is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coopetition, while offering significant strategic advantages, presents challenges in maintaining long-term collaboration among competitors, often due to a lack of perceived value for the participating actors. This study explores the role of technology in overcoming these challenges by applying the Service-Dominant Logic (S-D Logic) framework to investigate how technology-driven networks can enhance value co-creation among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The study hypothesizes that transitioning to technology-driven coopetition networks can substantially improve value co-creation. To test this hypothesis, the research critically evaluates existing theoretical approaches to coopetition, identifies gaps in understanding value creation mechanisms, and implements an experimental technology-driven coopetition network leveraging Internet of Things (IoT) technology. The research design is applied explicitly to the Portuguese ornamental stone industry, a significant economic and cultural sector. The findings confirm that technology-driven coopetition networks can enhance value co-creation and improve outputs. These results suggest that integrating technology into coopetition frameworks can provide a viable path to sustaining competitive advantages in SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiparty alliances (MPAs) are increasingly used to deliver large utilities infrastructure projects on‐time, on‐budget, and to specified quality. In theory, MPAs should help buyers to coordinate suppliers, enable concurrent scheduling, and create process innovations. On the other hand, these governance structures are inherently less stable than dyadic relationships due to their additional complexity and greater opportunities for free riding. We conduct a multi‐source, longitudinal study, investigating how a buyer actively manages the dynamics between competition and cooperation during the formation of an MPA consisting of a lead organization and directional relationships between all partners. We contribute to MPA and coopetition literature by exploring cooperation and competition dynamics that are associated with the MPA structure that would largely be absent in dyads, and unpack the process by which a buyer orchestrates these dynamics by sequentially introducing new initiatives that seek to balance coopetition. MPAs have been recommended by governments and industry bodies as one solution for time and cost overruns in the utilities infrastructure sector, our study also provides guidance to buyers on the management of the alliance during the critical formation stage of the relationship lifecycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how cooperation influences firm performance, utilizing pooled regression and instrumental variables on LAIS data covering firms from 2007 to 2017 across 10 Latin American countries. The findings indicate that cooperating firms outperform non-cooperating counterparts, especially when collaborating within their economic group. Furthermore, I find that cooperation is particularly advantageous for small firms, and access to public or private finance enhances returns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing solutions to sustainability challenges requires cooperation among various stakeholders, including organizations that compete at the same time. Prior studies investigate the barriers, drivers, outcomes and tensions of coopetition among sustainable entrepreneurs. In this paper, we consider the coopetition both among sustainable entrepreneurs and between sustainable entrepreneurs and incumbents. Based on interviews with 23 key stakeholders from the New Zealand alternative protein industry, our findings confirm that value alignment plays an important role in determining firms' openness to coopetition and misalignment can hinder coopetitive relationships. However, value misalignment can be mitigated in situations where sustainable entrepreneurs demonstrate high sustainability orientation, allowing for coopetition between sustainable entrepreneurs and incumbents. Finally, coopetition with incumbents enables sustainable entrepreneurs to support sustainable development. Overall, these findings suggest that coopetition is an important yet complex strategy for sustainable entrepreneurs. The findings provide several contributions to the literature regarding sustainable entrepreneurship and coopetition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the platform owner entering complementors' product space, the cooperative nature of the platform ecosystem shifts into coopetition, a mixed strategy of cooperation and competition. Since a disproportionately large number of complementors are small in size and suffer from insufficient resources, their platform owner's unfair competition can pose existential threats to them. Although the literature acknowledges the significance of the research domain, there still exist the challenges of inadequate conceptualization, inefficient measures, and insufficient studies of coopetition. This study attempts to fill the research gap by elucidating the relationship among coopetition balance, capability, and intensity from the complementors' perspective and by operationalizing the coopetition via latent congruence modeling. The survey data collected from 365 complementors at Amazon suggest that coopetition balance and coopetition capability impact on relationship performance, and that coopetition capability and coopetition intensity moderate the relationship between coopetition balance and relationship performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research has highlighted coopetition as a successful strategy for enterprise performance during a crisis; this has largely focused upon large firms therefore, limiting our knowledge of network coopetition in micro-enterprises. This article explores the impact of network coopetition on the robustness of micro-enterprises during COVID-19. A survey and interviews with craft food producers in Sweden were conducted; a measurement for firm robustness was created, indicating that 46% of respondents had successfully weathered the pandemic and were thus, considered robust. The findings show that micro-enterprises employing network coopetition as a strategy during the pandemic exhibited robustness. This article stresses the importance of micro-enterprises that broadly embrace network coopetition to withstand the negative effects of crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coopetition has been a common practice, especially among emerging markets. The coopetition relationship between a ride-sharing platform and a car-rental firm is distinct in that they operate under two different business models. Although the platform controls both its demand and supply by setting rider prices and driver wages, the car-rental firm operates under the traditional model with a fixed supply and cost structure. Both the platform and car-rental firm compete for riders seeking transportation. If the two cooperate, a driver is allowed to rent from the rental firm and drive for the platform; otherwise, only those owning personal vehicles are allowed to drive for the platform. We show that such supply-side cooperation intensifies demand-side price competition and decreases total revenue. Therefore, coopetition is mutually beneficial only when it leads to a significant decrease in supply costs. We find that the two firms are likely to form a coopetition relationship when the total rider market size is not high, the degree of rider substitutability between the two firms is low, and the platform has a significant market-size advantage over the rental firm. Coopetition between the platform and the rental firm benefits riders and hurts drivers, but it benefits society overall. We examine the coopetition relationship between a ride-sharing platform and a car-rental firm. A distinctive aspect of this coopetition relationship is that they operate under two different business models. The platform, exploiting information technology (IT) capabilities, controls its demand and supply sides by setting rider price and driver wage in real time based on demand and supply conditions. In contrast, the car-rental firm operates under the traditional model with a fixed supply and cost structure. Both the IT-driven platform and the car-rental firm compete for riders seeking for transportation. If the two engage in coopetition, they cooperate to allow a (secondary) driver to rent from the rental firm and drive for the platform. In the absence of coopetition, only those with their own vehicles (i.e., primary drivers) are allowed to drive for the platform. We show that such supply-side (i.e., driver-side) cooperation intensifies the demand-side (i.e., rider-side) price competition and decreases total revenue. Therefore, coopetition is mutually beneficial only when it leads to a significant decrease in the supply, or driver, cost. Moreover, when coopetition is mutually beneficial, the benefit arises solely because of the improved profit margin from riders who switch from the rental firm to the platform and from those who are switched from primary to secondary drivers. We find that the platform and the rental firm are likely to form a coopetition relationship when the total rider market size is not high, the degree of rider substitutability between the platform and the rental firm is low, or the platform has a significant market-size advantage over the rental firm. Coopetition between the platform and the rental firm benefits riders and hurts drivers, but benefits society overall. The incentive to form the coopetition relationship is enhanced if cross-side network effects are present on the platform or if each player serves a loyal rider segment in addition to the competitive rider segment that considers the two as substitutes. History: Ram Gopal, Senior Editor; Hong Guo, Associate Editor. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2022.0011. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regional-level coopetition (collaboration among competitors in rural communities) has been linked to company performance. That said, there could be conditions (moderators) that help or hinder these networks from fulfilling such outcomes. This investigation examines the nature of the relationship between regional-level coopetition and company performance under key moderating effects. A resource-based theoretical lens is utilized to underpin the study. Following field interviews to shape the operationalizations and survey instructions, a quantitative study was undertaken in the Canadian wine industry to test the elements of the conceptual framework. The findings revealed that while regional-level coopetition drives company performance, regional-level rivalry negatively impacts this association. Surprisingly, industry experience intensified the potential dark-sides of these activities. As such, improved evidence has emerged on how coopetition strategies can be implemented in rural communities through the underlying mechanisms that can assist decision-makers of small enterprises to enhance their performance. Additionally, stronger insights are offered regarding a relational, stakeholder perspective of resource-based theory, in terms of how decisionmakers may need to work with complementary and trustworthy rivals that can assist them to increase their company performance in competitively intensive environmental-level conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coopetition, while offering significant strategic advantages, presents challenges in maintaining long-term collaboration among competitors, often due to a lack of perceived value for the participating actors. This study explores the role of technology in overcoming these challenges by applying the Service-Dominant Logic (S-D Logic) framework to investigate how technology-driven networks can enhance value co-creation among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The study hypothesizes that transitioning to technology-driven coopetition networks can substantially improve value co-creation. To test this hypothesis, the research critically evaluates existing theoretical approaches to coopetition, identifies gaps in understanding value creation mechanisms, and implements an experimental technology-driven coopetition network leveraging Internet of Things (IoT) technology. The research design is applied explicitly to the Portuguese ornamental stone industry, a significant economic and cultural sector. The findings confirm that technology-driven coopetition networks can enhance value co-creation and improve outputs. These results suggest that integrating technology into coopetition frameworks can provide a viable path to sustaining competitive advantages in SMEs.

Co-opetition is gaining increasing attention as a potentially useful form of inter-organisational collaboration model to improve firms' sustainable performance. However, limited previous studies have provided a clear substantive theory or offered empirical evidence for the process of sustainability-driven co-opetition. This paper explores how competing companies can collaborate in their supply chains (SCs) to achieve a higher level of sustainability performance by identifying drivers, facilitators and barriers of co-opetition. Based on two explorative case studies of co-opetition in the UK, the findings of this paper lead to a number of propositions and a theoretical framework for sustainability-driven co-opetition in SCs. This study contributes to the literature by providing a more in-depth understanding of co-opetition as a strategic capability for firms. This paper also proves the feasibility of a combined use of Resource-Based View and Network Theory perspectives in explaining a paradoxical inter-organisational relationship like co-opetition. A road map for sustainability-driven co-opetition in SCs is also provided as a heuristic decision model for practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We delve into the heterogeneity of R&D coopetition to understand when this complex relationship contributes to innovation. To do this, we examine two dimensions: (i) geographic location of the competitor – in the home-country or abroad; and (ii) prior knowledge acquired from competitors that leads to the theoretical concept of 'information redundancy.' We analyse how these dimensions result in innovations with different levels of novelty (new-to-the-market and new-to-the-firm). Using a large panel data of firms (2004–2016), we find that international R&D coopetition exerts a higher positive effect on new-to-the-market innovations than does domestic R&D coopetition. In contrast, the positive impact of domestic R&D coopetition is higher on new-to-the-firm innovations. For its part, prior knowledge from competitors weakens the relations between R&D coopetition and innovation performance, thus revealing the importance of information redundancy in bettering our understanding of the innovation results of R&D coopetition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social gamification, which allows technology users to interact with each other in gamified tasks, has drawn increasing interest due to its effectiveness in facilitating users' game engagement and task efforts. In social gamification, users can compete or cooperate with other users or teams to complete game tasks and achieve game goals. However, it remains unclear how various social interaction mechanisms (SIMs), such as cooperation, interpersonal competition, and intergroup competition, influence gamification outcomes when they are separately or jointly implemented. In addition, the effects of SIMs on experiential and instrumental gamification outcomes have not been well differentiated. In this study, we systematically investigate the influences of these fundamental SIMs, as well as the possible interaction effects among them, on fitness app users' game engagement and fitness behavior. Using a fitness app custom-developed for the Chinese market, Fitness Castle, we conducted a longitudinal field experiment to test our proposed model and hypotheses. The results indicate that when separately implemented, cooperation and interpersonal competition can lead to differential instrumental gamification outcomes in the fitness context. We also systematically compare the differential gamification outcomes when cooperation, interpersonal competition, and intergroup competition are combined in various coopetition settings. Our study offers a theory-based framework and design principles for social gamification. Our findings help practitioners better design SIMs in their gamified technologies with the purpose of achieving optimal experiential and instrumental gamification outcomes simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates strategic production selections in scenarios of credit sharing between cooperative fuel vehicle (FV) automakers and new energy vehicle (NEV) automakers under the dual-credit policy. Three coopetition production strategies are formulated: the simultaneous production strategy, the FV priority production strategy, and the NEV priority production strategy. On the basis of these three production strategies, this study examines the optimal strategy for both parties in scenarios of no credit sharing, credit sharing dominated by the FV automaker, and credit sharing dominated by the NEV automaker. The simultaneous production strategy is the most conducive to both parties' coexistence in the vehicle market, and the FV or NEV priority production strategy can be adopted to realize the Pareto optimization of their total profit in certain applicable intervals. Credit sharing will greatly change both parties' applicable intervals and optimal strategy selections, and credit sharing dominated by FV automakers has been proven to effectively improve their social welfare with a low credit price. Interestingly, a high credit price is sometimes more important for the development of NEVs than the NEV cruising range and substitutability under the dual-credit policy. This study also demonstrates the impact of the credit coefficient, credit equilibrium, and NEV substitutability on both parties' production decisions and credit sharing. Our study has important managerial implications and can be utilized as strategic guidance for FV/NEV automakers to pursue coopetition under the dual-credit policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research on innovation management and knowledge transfer has demonstrated that industry knowledge collaboration and knowledge spillovers matter for innovation, but so does a firm's Research and Development (R&D). Conditional to a firm's R&D investment, this study makes a theoretical investigation into the role of two knowledge transfer strategies—industry coopetition and industry knowledge spillovers for a firm's innovation. Based on an analysis of a sample of 17,859 UK firms from 2002 to 2014, we demonstrated why and under what conditions firms will (a) invest in internal R&D, (b) engage in coopetition, and (c) access knowledge spillovers to introduce new to firm (incremental innovation) and new to market products (radical innovation). The results of this study demonstrate that firm managers who choose knowledge spillovers versus coopetition are likely to achieve radical vis-à-vis incremental innovation. Benefits from the coopetition can be achieved with low investment in R&D, while R&D is essential in recognizing the knowledge spillover for radical innovation. By deciding whether to deploy its costly R&D and access external knowledge via industry coopetition or spillovers, the firm is also making a concomitant decision about the type of innovative activity it will generate. Thus, a firm strategy for knowledge transfer and investing in knowledge internally is inextricably linked to a firm strategy involving the type of innovative output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the talent management model in the context of the modern knowledge economy, emphasizing the importance of coopetitive interaction among business, education, and science. Effective talent management has become a critical factor in ensuring organizational development and innovation in this rapidly evolving environment. The study addresses how coopetition--a strategic combination of cooperation and competition--can enhance the effective utilization of intellectual potential across different sectors, contributing to long-term competitiveness and innovation. The authors thoroughly analysed the literature, exploring fundamental principles and approaches to talent management that are essential for developing competitive organizations in the knowledge economy. The study identifies critical challenges that organizations face in attracting, developing, and retaining talent, particularly in light of fast-paced technological advancements and the growing complexity of the labor market. Additionally, the researchers emphasize the need for cross-sector cooperation, arguing that integrating business, education, and science is pivotal for creating an innovative environment where talent can thrive. The article's central focus is coopetition, which involves a delicate balance between collaborative efforts and competitive strategies among businesses, educational institutions, and research entities. This coopetitive approach is presented to maximize the intellectual resources available within the knowledge economy, ensuring the effective development of creativity, knowledge, and innovation. Furthermore, the research addresses talent retention challenges, particularly in sectors with high demand for skilled workers. It emphasizes the importance of providing continuous opportunities for professional growth and innovation integration. The proposed talent management model is comprehensive and considers the unique aspects of the modern labor market. The model highlights the necessity for organizations to attract talent and create an environment where employees can continuously develop their skills and contribute to the organization's innovation processes. The practical implications of this study offer a framework for organizations seeking to implement effective talent management strategies that align with the needs of the knowledge economy. In conclusion, the article presents a detailed analysis of a new talent management model that promotes competitiveness and innovation through coopetitive interaction among business, education, and science. This model is particularly relevant in today's knowledge-driven economy, where the ability to manage talent effectively plays a crucial role in organizational success. By fostering coopetition and ensuring the optimal use of intellectual potential, the proposed model contributes to developing innovative, competitive, and sustainable organizations capable of thriving in the knowledge economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China’s International Lunar Research Station and the U.S. Artemis program, with different primary purposes and cooperative patterns, is clearing a path for a new mixture structure and the interplay of competition and cooperation among space powers. The new era of strategic competition relations since 2017 amid the expansion of national interests in outer space has been adding increasing intensity and complexity in their space relations. There is renewed need to strengthen the role of cooperation in the Sino-U.S. to ensure the peaceful, orderly, and sustainable development of lunar activities. The configuration discourse of these two lunar cooperative ventures shall be utilized to improve the organizational structure and competition and cooperation interplay between China and the United States and among space powers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driven by government subsidies, it's common for manufacturers to cooperate with their rivals in green technology research and development (R&D). However, the existing literature ignores the fact that, before cooperating, they still need to make independent investment decisions, and different cooperation forms have different cooperation closeness. We introduce the quantum game to consider these two factors. Specifically, the classical game model and quantum game model under green R&D subsidy and per-unit green product subsidy are constructed, we explore the optimal decisions, the influence of cooperation closeness on the optimal decisions and the expected profits, and how should the government design subsidies policy. We find that cooperating in a certain level of closeness and making green R&D investments and pricing decisions based on the cooperation closeness is more favourable. In the case of a large gap in green R&D capabilities, it is unwise for the stronger manufacturer to overly cooperate. The government should offer different levels and types of subsidies to the manufacturers according to the degree of competition and the cooperation closeness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coopetition plays a central role in the tourism and wine sector interplay, but there is a literature gap about the state-of-art on wine tourism coopetition. Our research aims to structure the knowledge status on wine tourism coopetition from the core research dimensions and the future trends indicated by the researchers. We answered four questions: What is the current coopetition research in wine tourism? Who are the prominent scholars? How are themes and authors correlated? What are the motivations and trends of the wine tourism coopetition? We conducted a bibliometric study using multiple techniques: Historiography, Correspondence Analysis, Thematic Relevance, and Development Matrix. Additionally, we performed a Content analysis to identify the motivations for Coopetition. Key results showed four cluster themes on this topic: Wine segmentation studies, Tourism experience studies, Studies of sustainability of wine tourism, and new theories to study wine tourism. We synthesized the dimensions and motivations of Coopetition as context, process, and results. Theoretical and practical implications showed Coopetition as a mostly unintentional process in the wine industry related to territorial synergy, interdependence, complementarity, and strategic fit. It is a broad intersectoral interplay that covers many industries. However, wine tourism coopetition should become a planned strategy to improve outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By integrating several third-party platforms that enter the market late (later entrants), a fourth-party platform can effectively compete with the third-party platform that enters the market early (early entrant). Our research develops an analytical framework to address the platform coopetition problem that the early entrant faces, i.e., integrating its service into the fourth-party platform or not, when there is a fourth-party platform in the market. This study provides optimal conditions and platform decisions for platform coopetition and then explores the impact of the implementation of the coopetition strategy on platform prices and consumer demands. Our analytical results show that the coopetition strategy is effective only when the sum of the strengths of direct and indirect network effects is low and the quality difference between the early and later entrants is higher than a certain threshold. Moreover, the early entrant always partially integrates its service into the fourth-party platform when the coopetition strategy is adopted. Such adoption always lowers the prices of the early and later entrants. The implementation of the coopetition strategy always increases the total consumer demand of the early entrant, but it also results in a reduction in the number of consumers in the standalone application of the early entrant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Although earlier research suggests a positive relationship exists between engaging in entrepreneurial marketing activities and firm performance, there may be contingent issues that impact the association. This investigation unpacks the relationship between entrepreneurial marketing behaviour and firm performance under the moderating role of coopetition, in an immediate post-COVID-19 period. Design/methodology/approach: A resource-based theoretical lens, alongside an outside-in perspective, underpins this study. Following 20 field interviews, survey responses via an online survey were obtained from 306 small, passive exporting wine producers with a domestic market focus in the United States. The data passed all major robustness checks. Findings: The statistical findings indicated that entrepreneurial marketing activities positively and significantly influenced firm performance, while coopetition provided a non-significant moderation effect. Field interviews suggested that entrepreneurs' attemps to scale up from passive to more active export activities in an immediate post-pandemic period helped explain the findings. Owner-managers rejoined trustworthy and complementary pre-pandemic coopetition partners in the immediate aftermath of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) for domestic market activities. In contrast, they had to minimise risks from dark-side/opportunistic behaviour when joining coopetition networks with partners while attempting to scale up export market activities. Originality/value: Unique insights emerge to unpack the entrepreneurial marketing–performance relationship via the moderation effect of coopetition, namely, with the temporal setting of an immediate post-COVID-19 period. Firstly, new support arises regarding the likely performance-enhancing impact of owner-managers' engagement in entrepreneurial marketing practices. Secondly, novel findings emerge in respect of the contrasting role of coopetition in both domestic and export market activities. Thirdly, new evidence arises in relation to a resource-based theoretical lens alongside an outside-in perspective, whereby, strategic flexibility in pivoting facets of a firm's business model needs effective management following a crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Co-opetition plays an important role in decision-making of the supply chain. This paper investigates an electric vehicle battery (EV battery) supply chain containing one manufacturer and two competing retailers. We construct three retailer co-opetition models and characterize equilibrium results using differential game theory and Bellman's optimality principle. By comparing and analyzing the wholesale price, retail prices, technology investment and quality level of batteries, we explore the influence of retailer co-opetition on supply chain dynamic decisions. The results show that: (1) the enhancement of the technology investment will lead to the improvement of each decision; (2) the cooperation between one retailer and the manufacturer benefits the supply chain extremely; (3) the cooperation between two retailers is detrimental to the consumer utility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the paper is to provide a conceptualization and an aligned game-theoretic operationalization of the dynamic coopetitive managerial decision-making process. The proposed two-step sequential game uses existing game theoretical constructs but combines them in a unique way. One of its important positive features is its capacity to make the performance implications of all potential coopetitive decisions in a relationship episode explicit, together with the interplay among them. The lack of such a feature has been recognized as a severe limitation of extant literature, hampering further theoretical and methodological development. The proposed solution gives insights into how moment-by-moment managerial decisions unfold over time and possibly result in disequilibrium states, generating tension. Managerial attributes play a key role in effectively managing such moments, it is suggested. Based on the proposed operationalization, behavioral experiments can be designed through which future empirical research can develop appropriate data sets and test the widely hypothesized roles of these attributes, which can result in more reliable and generalizable research results. Besides the theoretical and empirical value of the proposed conceptualization and operationalization, the paper is of value to decision makers, as it makes the internal complexity of the coopetitive strategizing and its inherent interdependencies explicit, providing practical insights into this complex phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our rapidly globalizing and digitizing world, small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) face significant challenges that compel them to adopt a co-opetition strategy—a blend of competition and collaboration. Despite their potential benefits, the high failure rates and unmet expectations of co-opetition networks highlight a significant gap in the empirical frameworks for establishing and maintaining these networks. This research seeks to address these gaps by developing a framework that enhances value cocreation in the Portuguese ornamental stone sector, integrating the latest developments in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Service-Dominant Logic (S-D Logic), and service science. Question: How can a framework integrating IIoT, S-D Logic, and service science enhance value cocreation and manage co-opetition among SMEs in the Portuguese ornamental stone sector? Methods: Theoretical insights and practical applications were synthesized to develop and validate a comprehensive co-opetition framework. This framework was tested through an experimental pilot project in the Portuguese ornamental stone sector, leveraging IIoT. Results: The implementation of the framework demonstrated significant operational efficiency, including enhanced performance, reduced production variance, and better resource utilization, indicating that integrating IIoT within co-opetition networks can effectively support SMEs. Conclusions: This study confirms the transformative impact of embedding IIoT in co-opetition networks, offering a replicable and scalable framework for other sectors. This framework addresses the empirical gap and aligns with broader socio-economic goals, setting the stage for further research into its applicability and potential across diverse industrial environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores whether coopetition enhances scale determinants for SMEs, focusing on a case study in the Portuguese Ornamental Stone sector. The findings show that transitioning to coopetition networks positively impacts scale determinants in this sector. These improvements highlight coopetition's potential to drive operational efficiency, resource optimization, and market responsiveness, aligning with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8, 9, and 12. However, the study's limitations include a specific focus on Portuguese SMEs and a limited data collection period, indicating the need for broader and longer-term research. Future research should extend to different sectors and regions, incorporate a broader range of KPIs, and consider external factors affecting coopetition outcomes. This would provide a more comprehensive understanding of coopetition's role in fostering sustainable growth and innovation in SMEs. This research contributes to theory by leveraging S-D Logic and open innovation to enhance coopetition, showcasing their practical application in SMEs.

This study examines a firm's strategic choices of self-development or cooperation with (wholesaling from) its stronger rival. Both choices can improve the efficiency and competitive strength. We develop a benchmark of a full competition model, coopetition strategy, self-development strategy and hybrid strategy to investigate the effect of coopetition and self-development on firms who sell substitutive products in the end market. We show that both coopetition and self-development can benefit the high-cost firm. While the low-cost firm prefers the coopetition strategy. And in the hybrid strategy, the high-cost firm just utilises the self-development ability as a threat to enjoy a lower wholesale price. Interestingly, our research indicates that the mixed cooperation and competition relationship varies low-cost firm's attitudes towards product differentiation. On the one hand, the low-cost firm wants to produce homogeneous products to compete with rivals. On the other hand, he also wants to provide heterogenous products to alleviate competition in the coopetition strategy. The result provides company managers with a certain meaning in the complicated cooperative and competitive market environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]