Discovering the entrepreneurial micro‐ecosystem: The case of a corporate accelerator

Faced with a proliferation of initiatives like corporate accelerators, entrepreneurial ecosystems see emerge new spaces that we can call entrepreneurial micro‐ecosystems. A micro‐ecosystem is a local open system interacting with the entrepreneurial ecosystem and driven by an actor or group of actors capable of fostering dynamics of innovation and entrepreneurship. The literature has tended to focus on the macro and meso levels leaving behind the microlevel and the strategies implemented by the actors that could lead to the creation of micro‐ecosystems. In this study, we consider corporate accelerators, still little studied, as entrepreneurial micro‐ecosystems. We propose to take a structural and strategic approach in order to better understand the attributes and the strategies put in place by these actors from a multilevel approach. A qualitative study was conducted on a corporate accelerator and the results reveal the importance of strategic attributes in terms of legitimacy, coopetition, and business model.     

Does size matter for port coopetition strategy? Concept,motivation and implication

Coopetition is one of the emerging strategies for ports to react towards the rapidly changing market environment. Having this strategy in action, ports will simultaneously compete and cooperate to achieve commonly interesting goals among players involved. Several ports in the Hamburg–Le Havre range have already decided to use such coopetitive strategies. The literature, however, shows that there exist a number of case-specific motivations for having employed this strategy. The aim of this paper is to investigate the motivations for the ports of Flanders (Antwerp, Zeebrugge, Ghent and Ostend) to choose coopetition. These four Flemish ports recently agreed to collaborate after several years of negotiations. It was known that the large port of Antwerp was more reluctant to collaborate with the smaller ports: Zeebrugge, Ghent and Ostend. This fact does naturally lead us to consider whether the size of port is a factor having an impact on the coopetitive strategy. The current paper attempts to examine the possible impact of size difference on the motivations for ports to opt for coopetition, within a framework of coopetition motivations based on a literature review. From a qualitative analysis on the matter, the paper concludes that size is not an important factor for the motivations to establish coopetition since ports are mainly aimed at achieving a win–win situation. Other factors, such as similarities in the services offered and competition level, look more influential. Nevertheless, the size difference among the ports seems to have an impact on the choice of the type of coopetition and on the willingness of the ports to adopt this strategy. Finally, the paper indicates that it is beneficial for all the ports to investigate the use of coopetition as a way of expanding the network of logistics services.     

竞合伙伴的知识多样性如何影响创新绩效——知识管理的调节作用

本文研究了竞合伙伴的知识多样性对企业创新绩效的影响,并探讨了企业知识管理——研发中心的组建、市场本土化程度、知识产权管理——在此过程中的调节作用.研究结果表明:竞合伙伴的知识多样性能够显著提升企业创新绩效;知识管理的调节作用表现为:知识产权管理对于竞合伙伴知识多样性与企业创新绩效间关系有显著的正向调节作用,而企业的市场本土化程度负向调节竞合伙伴的知识多样性对企业创新绩效的影响,企业研发中心的组建本身能够有效提升其创新绩效,然而研发中心是否组建及研发中心的数量对于竞合伙伴的知识多样性与企业创新绩效间关系无显著调节作用.     

Always play against par? The effect of inter-team coopetition on individual team productivity

Current research lacks a deeper explanation of inter-team coopetition as a potential source of improved organizational performance on a micro-level. To fill this gap, our paper explores how inter-team coopetition influences individual team productivity. Building on social identity theory, we hypothesize that inter-team competition and inter-team coopetition both have a positive influence on individual team productivity with inter-team competition having a stronger influence. We further argue that organizational identification has a positive moderating effect on the link between inter-team coopetition and individual team productivity. To test our hypotheses, we conducted a laboratory experiment with 240 university students in which we simulated team scenarios using the puzzle board game Ubongo. Our findings confirm a positive effect of inter-team competition and coopetition on individual team productivity. In case of a high organizational identification, inter-team coopetition will boost individual team productivity further. Our paper improves the understanding of coopetition within the boundaries of the firm and the circumstances under which inter-team coopetition enhances individual team productivity and ultimately organizational performance. We also advance the literature on social identity theory by applying it to the organization’s micro-levels in the context of inter-team coopetition.     

Platform strategies: how the position in the network drives success

Scholars have focused on platform strategies for a long time, moving from a product perspective to an industry-wide one. In particular, the decision to open the platform to external complementors has been studied through the perspective of platform leadership. The digital age is now moving from a closed approach versus an open approach. Is being a platform leader still imperative or is participating in a network of existing platforms still a suitable strategy as well? What kind of collaborations within an ecosystem leads to better performances? Leveraging social network analysis is performed within the network formed by mobile apps in the Health and Fitness category; this research shows how the decision of being (or not) a platform provider has an impact on the performances, but the position within the network mediates this impact. Based on the results obtained, research and managerial implications can be established.     

Walking the tight rope of coopetition: Impact of competition and cooperation intensities and balance on firm innovation performance

This study empirically investigates an important question in the coopetition literature: to what extent does coopetition impact a firm's innovation performance? With a focus on the intensity of competition and intensity of cooperation of a focal firm with its alliance partners, our theory proposes that a moderate level of competition with alliance partners is more beneficial than a very high or a very low level of competition. We further develop the concept of “balance” in coopetition and examine how the interplay of competition and cooperation and the balance between the two matter for innovation performance. Results from our empirical study using data from the semiconductor industry show that competition and cooperation intensities have non-monotonic positive relationship with firm's coopetition-based innovation performance. Further, balanced coopetition (i.e., when competition is moderately high and cooperation is high) has a positive effect on innovation performance. A key contribution of this paper is the conceptualization and empirical demonstration of the effects of various aspects of coopetition such as competition dominant, cooperation dominant, and balanced coopetition on innovation performance.     

Coopetition for sustainability: Between organizational benefit and societal good

Sustainable development requires coopetition, that is, the cooperation of organizations that compete at the same time. Research on coopetition for sustainability is sparse. From a sustainability perspective, coopetition contributes to sustainability when it makes a positive contribution on the societal level. Existing research on coopetition however focuses on organizational outcomes. In this paper, we link organizational and societal outcomes of coopetition. We show that for the simple case of two coopting firms and an economic and an environmental dimension, there are 51 different combinations that make a positive contribution to sustainability. All but one of these combinations consist of a mix of positive and negative outcomes. We identify four types of trade‐offs that can occur in coopetition for sustainability and that point to different pathways of achieving sustainability.     

论跨国公司内部竞合中的子公司类型划分

外国子公司在合作和竞争的水平上是有差异的,有些子公司能够达到高水平的合作和竞争,而其他子公司可能进行高水平的合作、低水平的竞争,反之亦然。这种差异性形成了四种情况,它们反映了竞合矩阵中合作和竞争的不同排列。运用合适的分类方法,可以将大量的外国子公司分成四种,这样可以进一步解释每个类型存在和经营的共同条件,便于跨国公司更好地进行全球化的计划与协调工作。从经验主义的角度讲,可以根据每个子公司的竞争和合作水平,将之与企业层面的平均值进行比较,从而确定出它所属的类型。     

论零售商主导型供应链联盟

现代商业中的竞争已经从企业之间的竞争转变为供应链联盟之间的竞争.零售商主导下的供应链联盟是分工深化和信患化条件下以大型零售商为主导的流通渠道成员通过信息共享并按契约分享利益的一种中间性组织.创新流通渠道组织、建立零售商主导下的供应链联盟本质上反映了客观经济规律的要求,同时能够有效地协调工商关系.本文基于合作竞争视角深入讨论了其组织性质、形成原因和竞争优势,并结合现阶段市场竞争国际化的背景探讨了我国零售企业的发展对策.     

港口物流系统竞合发展策略研究

在对港口物流系统竞合主体进行分析的基础上,提出港口物流系统竞合发展的指导策略,包括港口物流合作联盟策略、港口物流系统整合策略、港口物流信息协同策略与港口物流支持保障策略。