Abstract: We explore how the cooperative development of open source software affects the competitive relationships between contributing software firms. In doing so, we bridge two areas of current strategy research. First, we contribute to the literature on co-opetition by examining its antecedents among smaller and entrepreneurial firms. Second, we contribute to the literature on open innovation and communities by examining how firm-level cooperation on a shared platform can affect competition between the organizational members of the community. We use archival data from a prominent open source community to codify the levels of cooperation between firms, and perform follow-up interviews with executives to develop case studies that identify patterns of both cooperative and competitive behavior.

Abstract: Considering the mixed results of the literature on coopetition and performance, we shed new light on these contributions by changing our level of analysis from the firm to the product level. Building on the coopetition and the bargaining power literatures, we elaborate a theoretical model and several hypotheses. Using a database in the real estate brokerage industry, we show that M&S coopetition has a positive and significant impact on product commercial performance. Moreover, it appears that firms having a larger experience of M&S coopetition strategies tend to sell their product more successfully. Finally, the study of the interaction between the M&S coopetition and size of firms shows that the positive impact of coopetition outweighs the negative impact of the focal firm’s size on commercial performance

Abstract: This paper aims at understanding the role of uncertainty in shaping cooperation, competition, and coopetition behaviors within alliances. In particular, the aim is to understand and investigate the interplay of technological and market uncertainties in influencing partner behaviors in alliance contexts. While there are several kinds of uncertainty that are relevant to studying coopetition, these particular dimensions of uncertainty are chosen because they are among important drivers of alliance formation and ensuing outcomes. Therefore, understanding these dimensions and their influence on coopetitive behaviors can help us decipher the coopetition phenomenon in a much fine-grained manner which can be utilized to predict partner behaviors under other forms of uncertainty as well.

Abstract: While existing literature has implicitly assumed that competition and cooperation are similar in their nature and located as two extremes along a continuum (Bengtsson & Kock, 2000; 2014; Dagnino, 2009), this study explains why competition and cooperation have a fundamentally different nature, and hence, they cannot be conceived as strategic alternatives. This study provides an integrative framework of interfirm relationships and delineates a menu of strategies that firms can choose in developing their rivalry actions. Such integrative framework highlights the characteristics of each strategy in the length, including similarities and differences compared with coopetition strategies. Furthermore, the integrative framework would be a valid conceptual base to help in understanding which strategies are alternatives and how to choose between them.